Why I Left an Airline Pilot Career

[Murdoughnut]

Ran across this testimonial when I was searching for something unrelated. Got sucked into reading it.

I'm not an airline pilot, so I can't vouch for anything he says, and clearly it is a little bit dated, but I thought there were some interesting quotes in here worthy of discussion.

Why I Left an Airline Pilot Career Worth $8.2 Million

Once someone finds out that I’m a pilot who left the airlines, the most common question I get is: “Why did you leave?” There are three good reasons we can consider, based on my discussions: 1. Pilots are highly compensated. 2. It’s an adventurous and exciting job. 3. You get to travel the world...

www.goldengooseguide.com

 

[Hiboglossi]

I wonder if people will go bonkers over this like they did when this person left the profession:

An interesting take on "quitting"

Although it kind of strikes me as funny, as hiring at mainline has progressed to the point where someone only has to "pay dues" at the regional level for a few years. He talks about it being easy to "just go back"- but bridges are hard to cross once they're burned. In any case, food for thought...

forums.jetcareers.com

 

[Flyinthrew]

I wonder if people will go bonkers over this like they did when this person left the profession:

An interesting take on "quitting"

Although it kind of strikes me as funny, as hiring at mainline has progressed to the point where someone only has to "pay dues" at the regional level for a few years. He talks about it being easy to "just go back"- but bridges are hard to cross once they're burned. In any case, food for thought...

forums.jetcareers.com

It’s all in the delivery.

If someone told me I had to work at Chautauqua for 7 years of the lost decade in order to get a good job I would have probably given up, too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[stroboli62]

Well at my measly 900 hours level and and A&P background

Somebody didn't explain too wll the pitfalls of the Shiny Jet Syndrome, either.

College recruiters like Army recruiters will tell you either what you want to hear, makin ya feel all good about yourself

BUT my flight instructor BITD never painted me any pretty pictures about the industry...that was his goal..the airlines.... and he was damn good at it

He lived the up and down of the career and made damn sure I understood it......unlike what this "young" man went through

SJS and bitterness bookending a career that many dream of , is a pretty lousy bedfellow....

 

[Ayork62493]

Idk. Ask me in ten years I guess. I’ve been at the airlines for five years and I’m very happy with the career, even with this. But.. I’ve always lived in base and had a very supportive significant other/spouse who saw how crappy the jobs were before the airlines. Things are not great right now, but I was always told to have other skills from the beginning. It has paid off already.

 

[deadstick]

Why I Left an Airline Pilot Career Worth $8.2 Million

Once someone finds out that I’m a pilot who left the airlines, the most common question I get is: “Why did you leave?” There are three good reasons we can consider, based on my discussions: 1. Pilots are highly compensated. 2. It’s an adventurous and exciting job. 3. You get to travel the world...

www.goldengooseguide.com

@Derg — I saw the thumbnail pic and thought “Gee, that looks like...” and then “oh...”

 

[ppragman]

I commute now for my corporate gig, but it's in the same time zone and the schedule is soooooo regular it is ridiculous.

I have ZERO desire to do what those poor bastards do in the airlines. I thought I did at one point, but I'll never do it now. I have zero desire to love that lifestyle. I'll go back to 135 and home in my own bed SPIFR before I'll do the schedule that my buddies describe.

 

[ASpilot2be]

I commute now for my corporate gig, but it's in the same time zone and the schedule is soooooo regular it is ridiculous.

I have ZERO desire to do what those poor bastards do in the airlines. I thought I did at one point, but I'll never do it now. I have zero desire to love that lifestyle. I'll go back to 135 and home in my own bed SPIFR before I'll do the schedule that my buddies describe.

I mean to be fair, my line next month is all day turns. It sucks as a commuter, but the schedule is cake. Every day is two legs, and it's all PDX, SAN, and other west coast destinations. Hard to beat.

 

[derg]

I skimmed.

Meh, it wasn’t for him.

I figure once you start throwing numbers and percentages around it means you don’t have a true passion for something.

Broken toilet. 4.8 mile drive to Lowes, 8 kWh’s of electricity at 0.012 off-peak charging, $10.94 part with 8% city income tax...

You catch my drift. If you want something, you’re going to do it. If you don’t want something, that’s ok too, but you don’t need to convince anyone else of your choices.

 

[Skåning]

Yeah I skimmed it too, it seemed like he just complained the whole time. Maybe being a pilot was a big part of his identity and then when the suck started due to bad timing (no fault of his own) it became too much. An office job isn’t for everyone, I did it for 18 months and was miserable.

It took me 8 years to get from first flying gig to major airline and it’s been a hell of a journey. It’s financially afforded me a lot more money than my lazy ass would ever make working in corporate America. It’s also afforded me way more time at home than a 8-5 would, but I don’t commute any more.

Once you get to a decent spot the earnings/time off ratio is really good. Plus you don’t take your work home with you!

 

[Skåning]

There are some “misses” out there too. This dude left BA two years ago as a capt to go fly contract in China, maybe not the most prudent move but I don’t think people who quit their jobs publicly would ever admit it not being a good decision.

 

[bLizZuE]

I will never understand people that quit this career.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

I will never understand people that quit this career.

As someone who has escaped the regionals, I both agree and disagree. The job itself is easy and while ACMI isn’t for everyone the lifestyle fits me quite well.

But when I was getting my ass kicked for 8 years in the right seat courtesy of all the scumbags at Skywest, it wouldn’t have taken much to get me to consider other options had I not kept my eye on the ball.

 

[milleR]

I will never understand people that quit this career.

Sometimes your life circumstances change and/or a better/more interesting opportunity comes along.

 

[sp238882]

Different strokes for different folks. Go do whatever gives you the greatest joy..... As long as it isn't a social media influencer.

 

[Crockrocket94]

Sometimes people get lucky and end up not having to suffer certain experiences, or the timing in their life wasn't great. Think commuting to a regional for 20K a year to sit in a crashpad for 5 days at a time to get 1 day off to do it again for 4 more days. If I looked at my pay and lifestyle at my first 135 Job in 2010 or when I was an intern at FSI in 2008 working for low pay and no schedule Id say I was crazy. But at the time it was a means to an end and I made do on the low pay. I wasn't married and didn't have any kids and there was a ton of "wow and new car smell" for a few years. It was good experience but if I did it with my current knowledge and living standards, yeah, I would hate it.

 

[Roger Roger]

That guy was a flight instructor at my university when I started there.

 

[Soul Brotha']

Yeah, Comair sucked but it wasn’t gonna be my endgame. Not sure what moves the author made to try and move ahead in his flying career. If you are not happy I guess move on.

 

[JordanD]

I will never understand people that quit this career.

I know you paid your dues and you guys are probably in the same crap heap were all in now, but I feel like this comes across a little... possibly tone deaf coming from someone who made it to their dream airline. If things were to go sideways with my current employer for whatever reason, going back to my old airline is way down the list of things I’d do to put food on the table. The lifestyle was just starting to not be worth it for me.

 

[derg]

Different strokes for different folks. Go do whatever gives you the greatest joy..... As long as it isn't a social media influencer.

The worst.

”Bro, I have like 15 followers, can I bring my other influencers to your ramen shop, nom on some bowls and get you some publicity? Let’s COLLAB!”

(Actual message one of my chef friends got)