To all Upbeat Airline Pilots

Lunchbox

Lunchbox

Well-Known Member
After spending a little time on this forum it's pretty easy to notice all of the disgruntled and unhappy airline pilots. So I'm reaching out to anybody on here who is an airline pilot (regional or major) and is ecstatic about their job AND career. Just a quick reply would be nice to know that such a person actually exist and is really out there, let us know how many years you have been an airline pilot (you don't have to list your airline if you don't want to) and although you're content if you could do it all over again is their another career path you would of rather taken?

Please don't list any negative comments or points about the job in this thread. Trust me, I have pretty much heard everything and know what has changed after being raised by an airline pilot who was hired by the largest most profitable major airline carrier (at the time) at a young age and has just received his 40 years of service certificate. It took him close to 20 years to upgrade and he now has one of the crappiest captain paychecks in the industry with no retirement. Thanks and if nobody replies I'll have to assume that nobody on here is happy with their airline career. :)
 
We really do exist... ;)


  • 7 Years
  • ExpressJet... AKA ASA, AKA SureJet, AKA SkyEast, AKA SkyWest. ;)
  • I'd definitely do it over again... except a bit earlier. I was a mid-life career changer and I've had several careers, but this one has been the best for me.

Bob
 
I'll throw my hat in the ring. I have 14 years in the military to compare the airline lifestyle to and IMO people who complain either 1) have no other life experience to compare the career to, 2)Make the job more difficult than it has to be by not moving to the base they fly out of (I am not talking about the pilots with rooted families but the pilot's who are young and mobile), or 3) get caught up in all the jadedness of the other pilots (misery loves company).
 
I would not change a thing about my career choice. I love what I do, and the opportunities it provides to me and I love the company I work for.
 
subpilot said:
I'll throw my hat in the ring. I have 14 years in the military to compare the airline lifestyle to and IMO people who complain either 1) have no other life experience to compare the career to, 2)Make the job more difficult than it has to be by not moving to the base they fly out of (I am not talking about the pilots with rooted families but the pilot's who are young and mobile), or 3) get caught up in all the jadedness of the other pilots (misery loves company).
Click to expand...

I'd say for alot of people, its your first point!
 
Glad to see this thread.
After flying 8 hours a day in an uncushioned, L-shaped chair with 2 "yellow" gatorade bottles and an empty bag of corn nuts next to me, I have learned to appreciate even the sweatiest and boring GA flights.
 
I would do it again. I may dislike my company at times and would defintely not have chosen them had they not been the only regional hiring but it has worked out to be great for me. In less than a year and a half I went from reservist to the #6 fo in the company and #2 in my base. For the most part I am getting what ever schedule I want, can commute from a place I love living in, and will probably upgrade in the next class. My dream since I was a little kid has been to be a Fed Ex pilot, and in college I added that I wanted to be there before I was 30. I have a little less than 6 years left to make that dream real and I don't think it could be working out better. Do I bitch and moan at times, yes. Am I trying to do something about it, yes. Would I love to slap some people and change the way things are, absofreakinlutely. But would I every change what I do, Unless my family needed me to, not a chance.
 
Assuming I have to work for a living I'll choose this gig 10 out of 10 times.

Close to 7 good years and counting.
 
I'd do it again, no question. I've seen some of the not-so-great stuff in this career field (a furlough, among others), but I still wouldn't change a thing. How else would you have stories that start with "So there I was over _____istan at 3am eating chicken curry..." :)
 
I love what I do, been striving to be here for a while. With my airline for a year now. I have prior military experience and before that was working retail jobs. Every step I have taken in life has been better than the last, I don't regret a day.
 
Usual airline nonsense aside, count me in. "Your controls" and "v1" are two of my favorite phrases to hear. My views on what I want to do, as far as my flying career have certainly changed but I do know I still want to fly.
 
Long story short? I still dig it.

Not many other jobs that allow us to see so many places, have multiple stretches of random days off in a row, snowboard during mid-week (every week!) and fly across big oceans for free in first class :)
 
I'll throw myself in there even though technically I don't qualify. I've been a flight instructor for 3 friggin years and am looking to move on, and have a solid plan to do so. I've taken a break from aviation at one point and am now satisfied more than ever with my career choice.
 
Despite some negatives, I love my job. And this is coming from a non sched. guy that can be gone for 18+ days at a time.

Would I do it over again? Hell yeah. My career hasn't gone according to plan. If it had, I'd have been hired by British Airways as a cadet when I attended the prelim. tests at 19. That didn't happen, and it's been quite the journey to this point, but I wouldn't change a thing. In fact, the journey is what made it worth it. I feel like if I had been given a golden ticket at 19, life would be a little more dull (albeit more lucrative and stable) then it is now.

A close friend recently lost his medical unexpectedly, and had his world turned upside down. He lost his dream job and career overnight (and was doing quite well as a captain). He'll need to find something else to do for a living now (in his early 30s), and it's been devastating. We're both career aviation junkies, and going through this with him has been as close as to having it happen to myself. It's certainly put things into perspective as far as the plus and minuses of my job and career go. I have to say that it's given me a newfound appreciation for where I am. It's a cliche....but sometimes you don't know how good you have it until you lose it all.
 
"So I'm reaching out to anybody on here who is an airline pilot (regional or major) and is ecstatic about their job AND career."

Ecstatic? I don't get ecstatic about much but I guess if you took away my job, and I lived without it, and then you gave it back, I'd be pretty ecstatic. I think some of us don't realize what we have until it's gone.

I'd definitely do it over. Even without the current results.
 
Had my PC the other day and sat left seat for the first round. this probably will sound dumb, but I got really excited when I got to taxi (the sim) around. I'm 'close' to upgrade, and for some reason I felt better about my job than I had been for the last few months.
 
SIUAv8r said:
Had my PC the other day and sat left seat for the first round. this probably will sound dumb, but I got really excited when I got to taxi (the sim) around.
Click to expand...

I love taxiing!!

When it's not your leg to fly, you still get to do something!
 
I've had a fairly fortunate career!

However, don't look for any job in any career track to "complete" you on a personal level because it's not.

Seeking completeness comes from the inside first and THEN the people that surround me. Yup, I don't feel like getting up in the morning to go my job, but if I have to do my job, I'd rather do the job that I'm doing now rather than anything else, if that makes any sense.
 
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