ZapBrannigan
If it ain’t a Boeing, I’m not going. No choice.
Ah Ohio. No trouble. My wife is from Ohio. Here's their stats:
Clearly the comparison between an hourly retail or food-service employee is apples to oranges. We would be better served by looking at what a Greyhound Bus Driver gets paid, or an Amtrak Engineer or Conductor, or a Barge Captain.
Examples:
So this all begs the question -- so what???
You all got dressed up in your blue suit and red tie and went to the interview. You knew what the pay and the working conditions would be like when you accepted the job. So did I!
The reality is that most of us on this board will never achieve the level of success that Doug did. (widebody international pilot, owns website, hundreds of adoring groupies...)
The law of averages states that many will remain regional pilots, charter pilots, fractional pilots, etc. Some will go to LCCs or majors and find themselves furloughed or with companies that go out of business. Only a small fraction will end up in Doug's position. So why are we not more selective about where we work and the conditions we work under???
Believe me, i'm not preaching from a pedestal of success here. Like most of you I worked for crap wages ($13,000 a year as Jetstream F/O in the early 90s). I worked for 3 commuters, AirTran, USAir...
I knew what life was going to be like with each of those companies but I was willing to accept those conditions with the hope that one day I might "Be like Doug". Well, as fate would have it I never achieved his level of success at the airlines.
As it turns out though, that's not necessarily a bad thing. One of the complaints we all had with the airlines was time away from home, and not getting paid for every hour you work. There are flying jobs out there where you are home almost every night (corporate, not charter or fractional). You just need to abandon the "shiny jet syndrome" and look for lifestyle rather than equipment or, possibly, paycheck. I am paid industry standard. I'm home almost every night by 17:30. Will I ever make what Doug makes? No, absolutely not. Do I need to? No. I'll be here for Little League Games, School plays, etc.
My point is, don't lament your compensation. You knew the rules when you decided to play the game. If after giving it a shot you find that it is not what you expected -- don't get tied down by the golden handcuffs! Find something else!
Ok getting off my stump now. Doug, sorry to use your name so much, but you're clearly the epitome of success here, so it is only natural to use you as the goal that 90% of the pilots here wish to achieve. Those of us who have spent several years in the industry need to share options with the next generation and not allow them to become so singularly focused on success as a major airline pilot that they are willing to sacrifice everything to reach that goal.
We should redefine success.
- As of July 2007, the total number of Wal-Mart associates in Ohio is 52,293.
- The average wage for regular, full-time hourly associates in Ohio is $10.40 per hour (Wal-Mart Discount Stores, Supercenters, and Neighborhood Markets).
- In FYE 2007, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc spent $13,916,944,448 for merchandise and services with 2,195 suppliers in the state of Ohio. As a result of Wal-Mart's relationship with these suppliers, Wal-Mart supports 148,329 supplier jobs in the state of Ohio.
Clearly the comparison between an hourly retail or food-service employee is apples to oranges. We would be better served by looking at what a Greyhound Bus Driver gets paid, or an Amtrak Engineer or Conductor, or a Barge Captain.
Examples:
- Pittsburgh Port Authority Bus Drivers can earn up to $22.79/hr.
- With overtime, 2 drivers earned over $90,000/yr in 2005.
- Amtrak engineers make around $28/hr
- Conrail engineers have a weekly guarantee of $1475
So this all begs the question -- so what???
You all got dressed up in your blue suit and red tie and went to the interview. You knew what the pay and the working conditions would be like when you accepted the job. So did I!
The reality is that most of us on this board will never achieve the level of success that Doug did. (widebody international pilot, owns website, hundreds of adoring groupies...)
The law of averages states that many will remain regional pilots, charter pilots, fractional pilots, etc. Some will go to LCCs or majors and find themselves furloughed or with companies that go out of business. Only a small fraction will end up in Doug's position. So why are we not more selective about where we work and the conditions we work under???
Believe me, i'm not preaching from a pedestal of success here. Like most of you I worked for crap wages ($13,000 a year as Jetstream F/O in the early 90s). I worked for 3 commuters, AirTran, USAir...
I knew what life was going to be like with each of those companies but I was willing to accept those conditions with the hope that one day I might "Be like Doug". Well, as fate would have it I never achieved his level of success at the airlines.
As it turns out though, that's not necessarily a bad thing. One of the complaints we all had with the airlines was time away from home, and not getting paid for every hour you work. There are flying jobs out there where you are home almost every night (corporate, not charter or fractional). You just need to abandon the "shiny jet syndrome" and look for lifestyle rather than equipment or, possibly, paycheck. I am paid industry standard. I'm home almost every night by 17:30. Will I ever make what Doug makes? No, absolutely not. Do I need to? No. I'll be here for Little League Games, School plays, etc.
My point is, don't lament your compensation. You knew the rules when you decided to play the game. If after giving it a shot you find that it is not what you expected -- don't get tied down by the golden handcuffs! Find something else!
Ok getting off my stump now. Doug, sorry to use your name so much, but you're clearly the epitome of success here, so it is only natural to use you as the goal that 90% of the pilots here wish to achieve. Those of us who have spent several years in the industry need to share options with the next generation and not allow them to become so singularly focused on success as a major airline pilot that they are willing to sacrifice everything to reach that goal.
We should redefine success.
