I still don't see why it's necessary in now 15 posts, to keep repeating the same negative things. Maybe I am missing your point in continuing to do this, but it's getting to be a bit much by now. I can only assume you mean well, but it really isn't coming off that way any longer. I answered your quote from Sully (that he made clear back in 2009 while speaking to congress about the state of pax carriers) that you posted twice now and you ignored what I said about the many other types of flying that is available besides flying pax around at the majors. The OP has stated that her husband isn't interested in that route anyways. She even asked about freight, crop and other types of flying clear back last Friday and again today.
If my son had had the attitude/mind set that you do and I had told him what you keep repeating here, he'd never would have become a Captain at FedEx. At the time, he was only one of three in his class who was not a Vet. He worked his ass off, moved 4 times, instructed, flew freight, flew charter, did all sorts of jobs, made the connections and paid his dues to get there. He never once considered giving up or thought that he wouldn't land on his feet in the future. He stayed focused, committed and never whined. The only thing I did was advise him to go the freight route for a decent player because of what he might encounter on the pax side of life at a major and it seemed more secure to me.
As for Skiles, he took a leave that he has been on for several years, took a paid job two and a half years ago with EAA and travels around doing speaking engagements, organizing events, works with the Young Eagles (in fact Sully also works with the Young Eagles) and does some other paid public speaking as well. (I believe that Sully is 62 or 63 now and Skiles is 54) Sully has written a couple of books, also gets paid for speaking engagements and started a consulting firm. Neither one of them however as far as I have read/heard regrets their decisions to become a pilot and I have never heard of either of them discouraging others to pursue other types of flying either. Skiles even owns a Waco that he flies. Neither one of their lifestyles has changed for the worse that I am aware of, so I don't think they are suffering too much.
When you get older (as both of them are) some pilots decide to leave their jobs after they feel they have put in enough time, things are going wanky at their carrier, they find they have put up with enough, and for a variety of other reasons. I was one of them. But I knew I still wanted to fly, make decent money and thus far, I have managed to do just that. But many of them find other careers in other types of aviation and or other types of flying and even those who leave in their 60's after a long career at the same carrier, often do the same and not because of financial issues. They still want to fly and work.
Crap has happened at many carriers, (and this btw, is nothing new- there have been bankruptcies, furloughs, crap ass management, strikes, mergers, carriers going under, etc. for decades) but you either ride the wave, adjust or move on to something else. Many careers are like that, in truth, not just aviation. There are ups and downs in most careers. Not much in life or in work is certain to begin with. So what? Nothing in life is easy, and again I have to ask, so what? There are two sorts of folks....those who focus on the negative, can't get over their regrets, give up on their dreams and prepare for the worst. Then there are those who focus on finding the good, staying positive, let the regrets go and expect the best. I guess I'd rather be in the last category.
Gotta prepare for both.
