Why I Left an Airline Pilot Career

[DeltaAlphaNovember]

@BobDDuck i assume you are referring to the good old days of the 6 leg day on day 4 at PSA? I do not miss those at all.

 

[scooter2525]

Maybe I’m a weirdo but I’ll take an easy, lazy 4 day why one or two legs a day vs a go go go hard working 3 day, but I’m pretty lazy. Definitely don’t see the appeal of doing 5 days worth of day trips just to be home every night but basically just have time to zombie out and eat dinner before bed and getting back up to drive to the airport.

Works out great at my current shop that there are bidlines that aren't my jam that other guys take. One mans trash etc.

 

[scooter2525]

I just can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to hang out with @BEEF SUPREME unless professionally obligated to. Just...blows my mind!

“You’re not an introvert! You just suck at social interaction” says the guy who just can’t get along with people he works with at like 8 different companies

If you keep saying it's everyone else, it's probably you.

 

[BEEF SUPREME]

We aren’t SUPPOSED to be hanging out and haven’t been supposed to since March.

You could have gone full Karen poolside at PV. It possibly would have been more entertaining than talking about sailing with the FAs.

Think of all the fun you’re missing out on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[EIR]

ACMI is a weird place to be happily married.

+1 on the former regional pilots though. Similar distrust of management and usually enough professionalism to keep their crazy political views to themselves.

Truth. The first year I was skeptical. Now, with 2.5 years under my belt, I have stopped updating all my legacy apps and rarely update the freight apps. +1 for former corporate pilots. Nothing beats working 10-12 days a month, sleeping half that time in a bunk (while getting paid), drinking beer and eating good food around the world.

An easy out for the chatty Kathy's on those long flights is to pull out your ipad and act like you're reading the GOM or some other company material, while having spotify running in the background. Works for me. But normally, after the first 1-2 hours, conversations tend to stop.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

Truth. The first year I was skeptical. Now, with 2.5 years under my belt, I have stopped updating all my legacy apps and rarely update the freight apps. +1 for former corporate pilots. Nothing beats working 10-12 days a month, sleeping half that time in a bunk (while getting paid), drinking beer and eating good food around the world.

An easy out for the chatty Kathy's on those long flights is to pull out your ipad and act like you're reading the GOM or some other company material, while having spotify running in the background. Works for me. But normally, after the first 1-2 hours, conversations tend to stop.

Flying cargo the best thing is being able to get up whenever I want. Don’t like where a convo is going? “Imma hop up for a second. Need anything?”

I was in the same boat. Love the job, but I got a little concerned over the long term prospects of my company since it appears they had no interest in staffing the place. Begrudgingly got things updated and filled out apps for the big three.

Then the whole world went nuts. Glad that didn’t work out.

 

[BobDDuck]

@BobDDuck i assume you are referring to the good old days of the 6 leg day on day 4 at PSA? I do not miss those at all.

No... I was talking about inter island flying at my current shop. 4 to 9 landing days (pre covid), 20 to 50 minute flights with 30 minute turns. Easiest flying ever.

I do remember those 6 landing day 4s though. Do three days of 5am reports and then start at 2pm on the last day and get home at midnight.

 

[JustinS]

A few pages back people talked about day turns. I enjoyed day turns at my last job and at my current job. At my last place we had a day turn with a TAFB of about 5 hours, and I lived 10 minutes from the airport. It was great block at about 3 hours, but get min day gaurantee and I was only gone from home from about 5PM to 10PM. It was the perfect amount of time to enjoy a short jaunt over the mountains catch up with the CA and FA (was a small base) and then be back home. I still had my whole day, and I was home at a reasonable hour at night. I do enjoy a good mix of day turns and overnights though. Lately I’ve been picking up trips that pay two min day guarantees for 1 day of flying. Fly a redeye somewhere day hotel then fly home in the evening. If you did 8 of those in a month you’d credit 80 hours and be off 23 days.... Hard to beat that!

As far as chatting on trips. I enjoy when CAs want to talk for a while, and I also enjoy when CAs just want to enjoy silence. I learned both have an enjoyable aspect, and I don’t mind cruising halfway across the country chatting about fun hobbies or cruising halfway across the country looking out the window silently and just enjoying the job for how awesome it really is. The best part is that we all understand each other and neither takes it personally if we just want to be quiet or talk a lot.

It’s fun to see how we all view this job in our own way. What a great job we have that gives us options with how we spend our time on the road. I’ve been through a lot of situations from 10 minute drive to day turns to commuting to two 3 day trips back to back based in a city halfway across the country from where I live. In every situation I always find the fun part of the job and focus on that until a new situation presents itself, and with that Ive been able to enjoy my job not matter my situation.

 

[milleR]

I'd start with re-reading this thread?

I'm not going to go back to page one, but it appears we have two schools of thought.

1) if we have something in common that's of interest we will talk, if not I'm comfortable sitting quietly

and

2) I need to fill the quiet time with banal conversation because silence makes me uncomfortable

I know which one of those I'm in, but where are you and why does (2) make you uncomfortable?

 

[JDean3204]

Maybe? I might do a few. But I signed up for this job because I don't want to drive to work everyday.

What, you don’t like a daily dose of 205 traffic??!

 

[BEEF SUPREME]

I'm not going to go back to page one, but it appears we have two schools of thought.

1) if we have something in common that's of interest we will talk, if not I'm comfortable sitting quietly

and

2) I need to fill the quiet time with banal conversation because silence makes me uncomfortable

I know which one of those I'm in, but where are you and why does (2) make you uncomfortable?

If you'd read back and seen my input on this thread you would have already noted the following:

1) I made the assertion that if one was not happy associating with their coworkers outside of the flight deck, it was highly likely they probably were not that great at association within the flight deck. All things being equal.

2) I've never mentioned that I found comfortable silences anything but.

3) When on long road trips or when flying large aircraft for more than 3-4 hours. It is nice when socialized, normal humans make conversation and pass the time.

4) Flying with a socially awkward 60 year old who talked to himself was odd. I did my best to get along and didn't mind but it was at times embarrassing to ask if he was talking to me an had forgotten to turn the intercom on or if he was muttering under his breath.

I have no idea how my past words can be misinterpreted. Or how what I just said could be misinterpreted. However, being that this is JC, where it seems a large group of otherwise socially distant introverts gather for community an extroverts opinions could be held as quite awful.

 

[JDean3204]

Yup. I’m not sure I could go back to 2-4 days off at a time. 17 day trips are hard, but having the rest of the month to forget I even have a job I’d spectacular. Especially if you get the second half of one month of and the first half of the next.

Or if you bid vacation to align with two flip flops, you suddenly find yourself with 7 weeks off! Full cave man beard time!!

 

[SteveC]

...
However, being that this is JC, where it seems a large group of otherwise socially distant introverts gather for community an extroverts opinions could be held as quite awful.

Strike eight.

 

[ASpilot2be]

What, you don’t like a daily dose of 205 traffic??!

Hahaha. Hell no.

 

[milleR]

1) I made the assertion that if one was not happy associating with their coworkers outside of the flight deck, it was highly likely they probably were not that great at association within the flight deck. All things being equal.

The latter happens before the former

2) I've never mentioned that I found comfortable silences anything but.

Ok, but your postings create the image of somebody that's uncomfortable with them

3) When on long road trips or when flying large aircraft for more than 3-4 hours. It is nice when socialized, normal humans make conversation and pass the time.

Agreed, but not everybody sees the world through your lens and doesn't necessarily want to listen to how you view it.

4) Flying with a socially awkward 60 year old who talked to himself was odd. I did my best to get along and didn't mind but it was at times embarrassing to ask if he was talking to me an had forgotten to turn the intercom on or if he was muttering under his breath.

Again, we're back to this one instance

I have no idea how my past words can be misinterpreted. Or how what I just said could be misinterpreted. However, being that this is JC, where it seems a large group of otherwise socially distant introverts gather for community an extroverts opinions could be held as quite awful.

How many of the weekly Zoom chats have you been on?

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

However, being that this is JC, where it seems a large group of otherwise socially distant introverts gather for community an extroverts opinions could be held as quite awful.

My only problem with extroverts is when they expect me to conform to their extroversion. Which, sadly, seems to be a common expectation among extroverts. That isn’t surprising, seeing as how schools start trying to force introverts to act like extroverts from a young age. That crap needs to stop, though.

If someone doesn’t want to chat it up with you for three hours, then accept that and occupy your own time.

”If you’re bored then you’re boring.” - Harvey Danger

 

[killbilly]

If you'd read back and seen my input on this thread you would have already noted the following:

1) I made the assertion that if one was not happy associating with their coworkers outside of the flight deck, it was highly likely they probably were not that great at association within the flight deck. All things being equal.

2) I've never mentioned that I found comfortable silences anything but.

3) When on long road trips or when flying large aircraft for more than 3-4 hours. It is nice when socialized, normal humans make conversation and pass the time.

4) Flying with a socially awkward 60 year old who talked to himself was odd. I did my best to get along and didn't mind but it was at times embarrassing to ask if he was talking to me an had forgotten to turn the intercom on or if he was muttering under his breath.

I have no idea how my past words can be misinterpreted. Or how what I just said could be misinterpreted. However, being that this is JC, where it seems a large group of otherwise socially distant introverts gather for community an extroverts opinions could be held as quite awful.

You would get a lot less crap from people on JC if you'd stop referring to JC as "You all" or "JC people" and start including yourself with words like "us" and "we." You tend to separate yourself (textually) from the community you post regularly in. It's....disingenuous, I think, whether or not it is intentional.

 

[jynxyjoe]

You would get a lot less crap from people on JC if you'd stop referring to JC as "You all" or "JC people" and start including yourself with words like "us" and "we." You tend to separate yourself (textually) from the community you post regularly in. It's....disingenuous, I think, whether or not it is intentional.

Well, certainly it's allowable if he would identify with a whole other group more, but if the other group didn't like airplanes then this one would be a close second. Asking for a friend, will take answers off air.

 

[killbilly]

Well, certainly it's allowable if he would identify with a whole other group more, but if the other group didn't like airplanes then this one would be a close second. Asking for a friend, will take answers off air.

what?

 

[BEEF SUPREME]

The latter happens before the former



Ok, but your postings create the image of somebody that's uncomfortable with them



Agreed, but not everybody sees the world through your lens and doesn't necessarily want to listen to how you view it.



Again, we're back to this one instance



How many of the weekly Zoom chats have you been on?

The one instance was my last trip so... yeah. Fresh.

One Zoom chat. Happened to be when I was on a layover.