Thinking of becoming a pilot?

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Sounded as if you were putting them down.

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Not at all. We all were at one point. What am I supposed to call someone who wants or hopes to be a pilot?
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Heck, I still consider myself a wannabe. I wannabe flying a Falcon or Gulfstream for $100k a year.

I was referring to those folks who want to become pilots, but who refuse to hear about anything negative.

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I retract my statement. Good luck bro!
 
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I was referring to those folks who want to become pilots, but who refuse to hear about anything negative.

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There's another word for people who refuse to hear about anything negative: successful

I can't help but remember the guys I knew at TWA who tried to discourage me because they were upset with their situation.

Dave
 
There is another word for people who refuse to hear about anything negative: Naieve.

I'm trying to save someone a rude awakening, thats all.
 
ESF: Nice post. Really.

I started flying because it was fun, not for a career. A couple years later I decided to try and do it for a living. There have been MANY days when I've thought that I should have done something different as a career, and just fly for fun.

I've dealt with more filth in the past few years in the aviation industry than I ever have before. Liars, cheaters, backstabbers and scumbags, broken contracts and promises, junk airplanes, pay issues, duty/flight time issues, etc. etc. I never expected aviation to be like that when I first started out. It seems that it's standard issue for many aspects of the industry.

But each flying job I have taken has been a major improvement over the previous one, and I'm in a good place now. I expect to be in a better one soon. It's a GREAT feeling to move on from a crappy job situation, but the twist is that the $hitty job situations I have dealt with have built my character and strengthened my personality. I am grateful for that.

Let it be known that for all professional pilot wannabes, there will be some turbulent times and ugliness (can get much worse than just "eating ramen on CFI pay") to deal with before a good, stable, satisfying job is found.
 
Make sure you find a significant other, that wont bring you down financially, or even mentally , and make things much worse.
 
The only people who are in for a rude awakening are the ones who didn't do their homework prior to entering this field. Thanks for the thread!
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There is another word for people who refuse to hear about anything negative: Naieve.

I'm trying to save someone a rude awakening, thats all.

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I usnderstand that. And in your current situation I understand the bitterness.

Let me help you. The current industry shakeout was started in the 70's with deregulation. But a steady economic up trend precluded a major shakeout until now. Because the shakeout was put off and the up trend was so long and sustained the correction will be severe.

In this transition hubs will be closed and many more pilots will be furloughed or lose their jobs completely. The ones that don't will experience less pay and benefits and work more. It is going to be brutal. Some will leave the industry permanently. (Adding to others who did so soon after deregulation). The transition is absolutely necessary and unavoidable to transform the industry into one which is viable going forward. The current one is not.

This will separate the true wannabe's from the others. If you can make it in this new industry you can make it anywhere, to borrow from Sinatra.

Within this chaos there will be room and places to go for people who just won't take no for an answer. The way to handle a chaotic situation is to focus on what's important, just like a cockpit emergency. Know the industry well and get rid of any illusions that this is just a short-term problem and things will return to the good old days soon.

I'm a fan of and root for everyone that wants to be a pilot. I wish it wasn't the way it is. Time for tough choices for all concerned.

Dave
 
Your post reminds me of this post, which in my opinion is one of the best from>>>>
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"el jefe"....
And yes... I would love to be in your shoes...
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Yeah wives and pool tend to be bad combination.

My wife totally hustled me the first time we played, with all that eyelash batting, and "Gosh, am I doing this right" and "Oh I don't know the rules of pool"

Then she runs the table the whole night.

Sheesh.

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Naunga
 
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Yeah wives and pool tend to be bad combination.

My wife totally hustled me the first time we played, with all that eyelash batting, and "Gosh, am I doing this right" and "Oh I don't know the rules of pool"

Then she runs the table the whole night.


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Yours too?

My awakening came we were still dating and were on vacatin staying at my aunt and uncles house - so, thankfully, nobody was around to see it (except my pride).
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We started playing and I was playing REALLY poorly as I usually do before warming up and she said "don't take it easy on me".

I told her I wasn't and that I'd be schooling her in no time:

Four games later, I finally threw in the towel.

THEN she told me that she grew up with a pool table in her house.
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Suckers.

Never been distracted by a woman at the pool table. That's cause I suck so bad at it that it's not even funny.

I have been ice skating with a woman who could literally skate circles around me, and did. Of course, I didn't know that she was a competitive figure skater until she was 15 and was just about born skating.
 
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Suckers.

Never been distracted by a woman at the pool table. That's cause I suck so bad at it that it's not even funny.

I have been ice skating with a woman who could literally skate circles around me, and did. Of course, I didn't know that she was a competitive figure skater until she was 15 and was just about born skating.

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Compeitive figure skater! That's just one step below gymnast in the flexible female athlete category. Tell us more!
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Dave
 
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There's another word for people who refuse to hear about anything negative: successful

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No, I think you mean Ostrich...
 
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Compeitive figure skater! That's just one step below gymnast in the flexible female athlete category. Tell us more!
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Dave

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Gonna have to start calling Dave, "D.O.M."!
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I'm just starting out in this business as a newly minted CFII/MEI. I don't come from a rich wealthy family, and I am unemployed. I have had a few job offers in other parts of my home state as well as out of state offers instructing. I have had to turn them down because the pay rate won't be enough to pay for rent and other expenses. I tell the chief flight instructor that they don't pay enough to justify the move, and they think I'm ungrateful for declining the offer.

I reluctantly wait for the school in my area to need instructors, and I'm doing everything I can to find students on my own. I have a demo flight weds for a lady who saw my advertisement on the back window of my truck. If she comes through, she will be my first student.

In closing, the schools know that you need them to build hours, so they are willing to pay you as little as they can. If more people like myself would tell these people that I can't afford to work for you, maybe things will change. I know they will never change because there are too many people who would do this for free.

Think about my closing statement. I can't afford to work for you!
 
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I wannabee a pilot.
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Take a look at my name brotha!

ESF, that was a great post, especially for us younger guys who are just starting. It gives us a harsh sense of reality, yet hope that one day if we work hard for what we want, it will come. Good luck to you bro, and just keep truckin'. Good talk, I'll see ya out there
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Thanks for the post esf, the way you described it was exactly the way I was feeling before I joined the Air force. I was lucky in that I saw that side of aviation before my career in it had started. I was only about half way through my instument before I diecided that I wouldnt be able to afford the rest my training. Now the Air Force is paying for 60 percent of my flying and giving me an income. To you young guys out there (like me =-D) I suggest trying to find alternate routes to get your training paid for, loans are exciting to look at but scary to play with.
 
Rockin' good post brother. Nice of you to tell it like it is.


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7.) I flew 9.7 hrs. yesterday, with an even 14 hour duty day. And don't give me crap about building multi turbine time either. It wasn't worth the money. This is supposed to be my job, not my damn hobby.

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Seriously. I don't know how many people say "Hey, you're getting multi turbine time! Be thankful! Yeah, I feel grateful for where I am, don't get me wrong. But many days I know while I'm at work that it is absolutely ridiculous to put up with some of the crap we do for the pay we get. Should be illegal.

A few weeks ago I had a medical emergency. Turnaround time in the air of less than 15 minutes. With a complete instrument approach in crappy rainy weather and everything. Know how much I made on that leg? $0. Yup, $0. Since we had an air turnback we didn't get paid for it.

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9.) I also know what its like having to sleep in my truck in the parking lot, because I can't afford gas to drive home and then back again the next morning. Wonder if the FAA considers that "rest time".

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You need a Volkswagen van bro!!! /sarcasm
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10.) My girlfriend makes more than I do working in an office for 25 hrs. a week. Thankfully, she is more supportive (emotionally) than I would ever expect from anyone.

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You really don't know how great you have it at home until you end a terrible day. The support network with your family, friends, or girlfriend can be huge. There are many days I feel very blessed to have her when my mood is less than desirable! I know she doesn't want to deal with it, but she cares and understands, and talks me through it. This can be huge.


I leave you with one thing, which probably doesn't help, but what I like. There are rewarding careers, and lucrative ones. They are not necessarily one in the same. Now this doesn't mean to go [expletive deleted]!!!!!!
 
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A few weeks ago I had a medical emergency. Turnaround time in the air of less than 15 minutes. With a complete instrument approach in crappy rainy weather and everything. Know how much I made on that leg? $0. Yup, $0. Since we had an air turnback we didn't get paid for it.



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Back in the late '80s/early '90s, I was at Flagstaff, Arizona at the airport during a snow. I watched a Mesa Airlines plane make three instrument approaches in a seeming effort to get into KFLG, each resulting in a missed. They finally diverted. I couldn't help but figure it was for the same reason you stated. Nice corporte culture for safety to put the pilots in that position, I thought.
 
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