Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline pilot

captainphil

captainphil

Well-Known Member
I am about 1 year and a half away from getting my degree and I am taking my instrument checkride soon. At this point in the game I should be thinking about how im going to prepare myself for the next step after I graduate, however, I can't help but think about all of these horror stories I hear of going on in the airline industry. For all of you airline pilots out there, is it really as horrid as I keep on hearing? I mean hearing the fact that pilots are getting 40% pay cuts when they should be getting 40% pay raises and also hearing that pilots are losing their pensions just makes me feel sick to my stomach. Is there any hope , or should I choose another career path? What even makes me more sick is the money im laying out to get to where I want to be, not knowing if it's worth it anymore. I feel like im in a pickle now :(.
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

captainphil said:
Is there any hope , or should I choose another career path? What even makes me more sick is the money im laying out to get to where I want to be, not knowing if it's worth it anymore. I feel like im in a pickle now :(.
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You mean career path in aviation, or something completely different than aviation altogether? Remember, there's a ton more to do in aviation than just the airlines. The airlines certainly isn't the end-all, be-all. It's just one of the many career paths one can take.
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

No one can tell you what to do, you're a big boy now.

If it were *ME*, though, I'd take out a loan, get "my ratings" (like they're yours and the FAA is just hanging on to them for you) as quickly as possible, and get into an RJ transition course. By the time you do all that, the Great Pilot Shortage of 2012 should have arrived, and you could be in the left seat of a narrowbody in just a few years, pulling down six figures and working 8 or 9 days per month. Not bad!
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

MikeD said:
You mean career path in aviation, or something completely different than aviation altogether? Remember, there's a ton more to do in aviation than just the airlines. The airlines certainly isn't the end-all, be-all. It's just one of the many career paths one can take.
Click to expand...

Preferrably something in aviation. I still feel like I should pursue it because it's been my lifelong dream but in the words of Captain Chesley Sullenberger " While I still love my passion, I do not like what has happened to it".
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

Boris Badenov said:
If it were *ME*, though, I'd take out a loan, get "my ratings" (like they're yours and the FAA is just hanging on to them for you) as quickly as possible, and get into an RJ transition course. By the time you do all that, the Great Pilot Shortage of 2012 should have arrived, and you could be in the left seat of a narrowbody in just a few years, pulling down six figures and working 8 or 9 days per month. Not bad!
Click to expand...
Hey......at least pass it around.
:bandit::bandit:

-mini
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

captainphil said:
Preferrably something in aviation. I still feel like I should pursue it because it's been my lifelong dream but in the words of Captain Chesley Sullenberger " While I still love my passion, I do not like what has happened to it".
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No problem if you want to go to the airlines; just make an informed decision by knowing that 121 airlines isn't the only career path to "the top" of aviation. It's purely up to one's own likes and desires.
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

Boris Badenov said:
No one can tell you what to do, you're a big boy now.

If it were *ME*, though, I'd take out a loan, get "my ratings" (like they're yours and the FAA is just hanging on to them for you) as quickly as possible, and get into an RJ transition course. By the time you do all that, the Great Pilot Shortage of 2012 should have arrived, and you could be in the left seat of a narrowbody in just a few years, pulling down six figures and working 8 or 9 days per month. Not bad!
Click to expand...

But is there a promise of a pension?
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

captainphil said:
I am about 1 year and a half away from getting my degree and I am taking my instrument checkride soon. At this point in the game I should be thinking about how im going to prepare myself for the next step after I graduate, however, I can't help but think about all of these horror stories I hear of going on in the airline industry. For all of you airline pilots out there, is it really as horrid as I keep on hearing? I mean hearing the fact that pilots are getting 40% pay cuts when they should be getting 40% pay raises and also hearing that pilots are losing their pensions just makes me feel sick to my stomach. Is there any hope , or should I choose another career path? What even makes me more sick is the money im laying out to get to where I want to be, not knowing if it's worth it anymore. I feel like im in a pickle now :(.
Click to expand...

RECENTLY, there hasn't been too many pay cuts. I think JetBlue saw one for first year FO, but I think the rest of the pay grades went up. I know all the CAs got a pay bump. IMO, that's selling out your junior guys to get more for yourself, but I digress. The problem is the industry hasn't made it back up to the wages that were around before the fecal matter hit the rotating device. Adjusted for inflation, it's gonna be difficult to get back up to that level as well. If it were me, I'm not sure if I would do it now. Not really because of the wages, but more because of the costs associated with training. The return on investment just isn't there anymore. You're gonna spend $100k+ for training and a college degree, and you won't see even $70k a year at most places for 5+ years. That first year as an FO and the years spent even getting to an FO, you're gonna be scraping to pay bills even if you DON'T have a high dollar loan to pay back.

Now, that being said, I do, in fact, love my job. I was lucky enough to get the training done back before oil skyrocketed and training costs went through the roof. I did my training over a long span of time, so I was able to mostly pay as I went. That kept my costs down. I wasn't in much of a hurry since most of the guys furloughed after 9/11 weren't even heading back yet. No sense rushing through things and then having no job to go to. Things are starting to turn around now, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more than just AirTran and Colgan hiring by the end of this year. 2011 is gonna see more people hiring for sure, and 2012 (assuming we don't die in some sort of cosmic cataclysm) has the potential to be a real barn burner. If we can get wages and work rules up at the regional level, this could be well on the way to a good career again.
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

Boris Badenov said:
By the time you do all that, the Great Pilot Shortage of 2012 should have arrived, and you could be in the left seat of a narrowbody in just a few years, pulling down six figures and working 8 or 9 days per month. Not bad!
Click to expand...

:cwm27:
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

captainphil said:
But is there a promise of a pension?
Click to expand...

There are no promises.

Remember:

1. There are no guarantees.
2. Life isn't fair.
3. Timing is everything
4. Seniority has its privileges
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

MikeD said:
There are no promises.

Remember:

1. There are no guarantees.
2. Life isn't fair.
3. Timing is everything
4. Seniority has its privileges
Click to expand...

5. Being owned by Delta means everything.
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

Boris Badenov said:
No one can tell you what to do, you're a big boy now.

If it were *ME*, though, I'd take out a loan, get "my ratings" (like they're yours and the FAA is just hanging on to them for you) as quickly as possible, and get into an RJ transition course. By the time you do all that, the Great Pilot Shortage of 2012 should have arrived, and you could be in the left seat of a narrowbody in just a few years, pulling down six figures and working 8 or 9 days per month. Not bad!
Click to expand...

Funny that he took you seriously too.
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

kellwolf said:
RECENTLY, there hasn't been too many pay cuts. I think JetBlue saw one for first year FO, but I think the rest of the pay grades went up. I know all the CAs got a pay bump. IMO, that's selling out your junior guys to get more for yourself, but I digress. The problem is the industry hasn't made it back up to the wages that were around before the fecal matter hit the rotating device. Adjusted for inflation, it's gonna be difficult to get back up to that level as well. If it were me, I'm not sure if I would do it now. Not really because of the wages, but more because of the costs associated with training. The return on investment just isn't there anymore. You're gonna spend $100k+ for training and a college degree, and you won't see even $70k a year at most places for 5+ years. That first year as an FO and the years spent even getting to an FO, you're gonna be scraping to pay bills even if you DON'T have a high dollar loan to pay back.

Now, that being said, I do, in fact, love my job. I was lucky enough to get the training done back before oil skyrocketed and training costs went through the roof. I did my training over a long span of time, so I was able to mostly pay as I went. That kept my costs down. I wasn't in much of a hurry since most of the guys furloughed after 9/11 weren't even heading back yet. No sense rushing through things and then having no job to go to. Things are starting to turn around now, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more than just AirTran and Colgan hiring by the end of this year. 2011 is gonna see more people hiring for sure, and 2012 (assuming we don't die in some sort of cosmic cataclysm) has the potential to be a real barn burner. If we can get wages and work rules up at the regional level, this could be well on the way to a good career again.
Click to expand...

That sounds promising. I just hope when im ready to get a job, if I still chose this path, things pan out well.
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

This thread is why we're all going to die poor and alone in a hotel room outside of Des Moines.
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

captainphil said:
That sounds promising. I just hope when im ready to get a job, if I still chose this path, things pan out well.
Click to expand...


It might, but more than likely it might not. If you stick with it, you'll just have to go with the flow.

Things don't always work out the way you think they will, and MikeD is right, life won't always be easy.

I made a wrong decision three years ago, but at the time it seemed right. I thought I would be upgrading in the next year or two, instead I'll be unemployed in two weeks. You can't control everything, and sometimes it really is just a gamble.

I rolled, and I lost. But I still love the job and will continue to try and make it work. Your experience could be similar, or everything could workout flawlessly. That's the risk you have to take...
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

captainphil said:
But is there a promise of a pension?
Click to expand...
Forget you ever knew the word pension ever existed. Ditto Social Security. The only two phrases you need to know for your retirement is 'Roth IRA' and 'Mutual Funds.' Just about everything else is fiction.

As far as your future, get your CFI tickets, come to AK, get a little AK time, find a 135 job, have a little fun, then reevaluate.
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

MikeD said:
You mean career path in aviation, or something completely different than aviation altogether? Remember, there's a ton more to do in aviation than just the airlines. The airlines certainly isn't the end-all, be-all. It's just one of the many career paths one can take.
Click to expand...

Exactly, If I have my way I prabably will never pilot anything that holds more than a dozen people or so. I have no need to be away from my family 20 days a month, work 12-16hr days, and make less than I do now. (I reserve the right to retract this statement at any time!!)
 
Re: Thinking about if I really still want to be an airline p

CamYZ125 said:
It might, but more than likely it might not. If you stick with it, you'll just have to go with the flow.

Things don't always work out the way you think they will, and MikeD is right, life won't always be easy.

I made a wrong decision three years ago, but at the time it seemed right. I thought I would be upgrading in the next year or two, instead I'll be unemployed in two weeks. You can't control everything, and sometimes it really is just a gamble.

I rolled, and I lost. But I still love the job and will continue to try and make it work. Your experience could be similar, or everything could workout flawlessly. That's the risk you have to take...
Click to expand...

And on the flip side, I spent two years wondering if I'd made the RIGHT decision in choosing 9E over ExpressJet. Guys were getting paid more, had better work rules and upgrades were still rolling over there while I was an FO here. About the time I upgraded here, it fell apart over there. If I had gone ExpressJet, I'd be a senior (or maybe even mid-level) FO for who knows how long. At the time, the main reason I chose Pinnacle was not commuting. I spent a long time wondering if I'd made the right choice. I rolled and won. Or at least, won for now. It'll take some time to see if I can make it to the next level or if I'm one of the unlucky few that never make it past the regionals. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes you THINK you win, but really lose and vice versa. You just don't realize it until years later.
 
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