Why I Left an Airline Pilot Career

Skåning said:
I thought you guys are AQP and get mulligans?
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AQP and loft is geared towards identifying line risks, presenting them and giving correction paths, so, in that sense yes sometimes you learn more from failing. With that being said, if the observed performance doesn’t meet pts standards, most AQP programs will kick back to a normal check ride. They are still jeopardy events.


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Maximilian_Jenius said:
You'll be fine, you'll still have a 30 yr. career. Seriously.

But try being 44 yrs old having just dropped $65k for flight training. And experiencing that very real fear due to all the furloughs out there and the possibilities of airlines not hiring for a long time, widdling down your chances of ever sitting in the right, or the left seat of a 121 jet. Wasted money, to have to pay back for a job I might never get, only to become a weekend warrior. Wasted dreams, I guess. I have A LOT of anxiety about it, it keeps me up a lot sometimes.
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I would put good money on you having opportunity for the left seat in a 121 jet, at a minimum. That's being conservative.

TWP said:
Some people, no matter how hard they try, simply can’t climb outta the muck. They end up trapped by student loan debt with just enough to get by while their marriage fails, their health fails, and overall attitude just goes south.
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I know some airlines staffed by these "people."

Cherokee_Cruiser said:
I don’t consider this job something you bring home. Park jet, shutdown and secure checklist, and I’m home free until the next time I fly, with zero time spent in my job stuff until the next time I sit in the plane. You can’t beat it in terms of pay vs work required while at home.
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Just today I was thinking how nice the inverse it. When I go to work I can live carefree for the most part. Consistently when I get back into my car at the parking garage and/or when I walk through the front door that's when stress barges back in because I have to deal with things to which I hadn't even given a thought while at work.
 
nibake said:
Just today I was thinking how nice the inverse it. When I go to work I can live carefree for the most part. Consistently when I get back into my car at the parking garage and/or when I walk through the front door that's when stress barges back in because I have to deal with things to which I hadn't even given a thought while at work.
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This is so true!
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
This is the only job I can think of where you can make a quarter mil or more and not take the job home with you. No calls. Papers. Projects. Assignment. Research. Nothing! My father and older brother are doctors and they work at least 5x harder than I do for their pay.

I’ve only been at the airlines since 2007, but I absolutely love my job. Even during the “boring” cruise portion.
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Sure you don't take work home with you, but you are at work for days at a time. I think it equals out.
 
I sure am gonna miss getting paid 5 figures a month to play golf 4-5 days a week for the past 9 months.

Another thing I don't think has been mentioned are the opportunities to have non-flying jobs at airlines. Union and company work that keep you out of the cockpit and learning/doing interesting things can be pretty rewarding.
 
SlumTodd_Millionaire said:
I despised the time I spent in hotels. Didn’t bother me as much in my early to mid 20s, but really started to wear on me later.
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I tend to agree, especially because we quarantine in the hotel rooms now, not leaving at all and getting delivery food.

One of my pilots has a new kid though, pretty sure he loves getting a night of sleep here and there.


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nibake said:
I know some airlines staffed by these "people."
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I never understood it, they clearly hate flying and senior regional CAs don’t make a crazy amount of money. Why do they continue in the endless loop? They could save a pile of cash, go into another skilled trade, be home every night, and easily be back to low six figures in a couple years.
People are so afraid of change they’ll keep themselves in places that destroy them.
I had a very clear plan on just how much time I was willing to commit to “making it” in this career and I developed this timeline after a couple trips with some of the bitter lifers.
Change it up before you’re too old to change it up folks!
 
TWP said:
I never understood it, they clearly hate flying and senior regional CAs don’t make a crazy amount of money. Why do they continue in the endless loop? They could save a pile of cash, go into another skilled trade, be home every night, and easily be back to low six figures in a couple years.
People are so afraid of change they’ll keep themselves in places that destroy them.
I had a very clear plan on just how much time I was willing to commit to “making it” in this career and I developed this timeline after a couple trips with some of the bitter lifers.
Change it up before you’re too old to change it up folks!
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In fairness, the skilled trades that pay $100k-$150k, what a senior regional guy is accustomed to, are usually very difficult work. Doing commercial HVAC work sucks. It's hot, it's dirty, etc. It is not like sitting in a chair five miles over the earth and reading a magazine for most of the day. Yes, you're at home every day, but your time at work blows.

Honestly, if you don't have the skill set, experience, education, whatever to get a nice white collar job or own your own business that can replace your income, you're better off sticking with flying.
 
SlumTodd_Millionaire said:
In fairness, the skilled trades that pay $100k-$150k, what a senior regional guy is accustomed to, are usually very difficult work. Doing commercial HVAC work sucks. It's hot, it's dirty, etc. It is not like sitting in a chair five miles over the earth and reading a magazine for most of the day. Yes, you're at home every day, but your time at work blows.

Honestly, if you don't have the skill set, experience, education, whatever to get a nice white collar job or own your own business that can replace your income, you're better off sticking with flying.
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My HVAC guy said it best, he describes how HVAC techs never work in an air conditioned space after their “check ride”. The unit is always either broken, or non-existent because the job is a new construction install.

Also, 5 miles from Earth? Why so low? The cool kids hang out at 7.5 to 8.5 miles above Earth.
 
Maximilian_Jenius said:
Trying to stay positive over here and not feel entitled to a job, honestly. But, there are no jobs to be able to build hours to get to the next level. No one is hiring CFI's and if they are hiring they want a crap ton of dual given, which I don't have as a non CFI.
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The open secret regarding CFI:

Train where you want to work. Flight schools hire their own CFIs. You want a CFI job? That's how you get one.

It's do-able. I'm a couple years older than you. The main reason I haven't followed all of @SteveC 's advice here is that I have some corporate handcuffs on right now that prevent me making a move. I've got another 500 or so hours to go and 18 months or so to do it and CFI is the main reason I'm sitting here.

I start my multi hopefully in January, lets see what fortunes that brings then. That's kinda my comfort space mentally. Then a friend/associate of mine tells me. "Do you know how many people have 500 tt and a multi and aren't getting calls? Good luck! F-K that guy. Lol, then I'm right back at one again. Basically I'm stressing because I can be a bit of a control freak at times and I have zero control right now and as a result that scares the sh-t outta me honestly. Hopefully this all makes sense.
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You need a CFI more than a multi. I needed a -II more than I needed a multi. I still have the multi. I need the -II. Wx has killed my flying hours the last two weeks. -II I'd have been busy.


milleR said:
The biggest inhibitor I had as a low time pilot was mobility. If you can move, the options should open up. If you're stuck in a small pond that's going to be limiting.
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Certainly helps. It's about being able to say yes to things.
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
I like how there is zero mitigation for radiation exposure and the union emails are like: the go fund me for so and so with cancer is linked in the email...


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They also dont seem to mind about the Death Guppy coming soon (MAX). "Oh feds say it's ok? Good to go!"
They need to do their own due diligence and convince us it's safe.
 
Skåning said:
They also dont seem to mind about the Death Guppy coming soon (MAX). "Oh feds say it's ok? Good to go!"
They need to do their own due diligence and convince us it's safe.
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Meh. They all go just fast enough to kill you.

But I’ll add it to my bullet points on why this career sucks a big fat one.

Or doesn’t. Depending on how one rolls...


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