Autothrust Blue
"Well, on the Brasilia..."
Did you try being more senior?
Why I Left an Airline Pilot Career
- Thread starter Murdoughnut
- Start date
tcco94
Future GTA VI Pilot
I feel like times right now where I'm on the chopping block to get furloughed really put in perspective how I didn't know how good I had it until it was all gone. And I was a commuter, to reserve (voluntarily), across the country, living in crash pads. And I'd take that life back over anything being offered to me right now. Regional life, reserve life and commuter life was not even close to as bad as everyone made it seem on the interwebs. Maybe I just didn't let it bother me and I don't consider myself an aviation goober either. I got into the routine and I liked it. Even with this career at its worst. That's just me though.
Autothrust Blue
"Well, on the Brasilia..."
"Better than unemployment" is a thing, although again, it's like "it's not the best job, BUT it can be."
BigZ
Well-Known Member
It is, but there's one important difference.
BigZ
Well-Known Member
You didn't quit because SWA is evil incarnate, you quit because you'd have to go back to being a pilot and felt that was below you.
tcco94
Future GTA VI Pilot
Lol, never have applied for unemployment and I'm already working should I be furloughed this weekend. Not sure how anyone is surviving on that low of pay.
Autothrust Blue
"Well, on the Brasilia..."
All of the whining about Pandemic UI being in excess of what people would make working belied part of the purpose of PUI: to keep people the frak at home to limit the spread of said pandemic.
Oh whale.
surreal1221
Well-Known Member
Fair enough, remind me...what year did you bounce by the way?
I will admit my QOL is substantially better at my current company and I owe a majority of that to our preferential bidding software. It isn't remotely as good as I had it, the software and work rules that is..., at ASA under our pref. bid LOA...but you're right, being forced to fly a "line" of flying that was constructed by some beancounter with little formative union input or oversight sounds extremely painful.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
Beneath me? Not at all. Not all that interesting? True. But I would have kept doing it until retirement had I still held Atlanta. Just too good and easy a gig to pass up with all of the risk that awaited leaving it. But commuting across the country for years? Nah, I took the risk. And I’m glad I did. It worked out in the end. Gary did me a favor.
My last flight was December 2014, but I technically didn’t quit until a few months later. Feb or March, I think.
Maximilian_Jenius
Super User
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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BEEF SUPREME
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the suck homie. We’ve all experienced something similar. Some of us are just honest about how this career crushes you others act hard and say the honest pilots are weak.
Christ. Just look at the FAAs take on mental health. I get help for say, depression because of current events. FAA yanks my medical...
LOL
Name one other career that has that kind of mess.
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SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
I posted the other day on Facebook about an AirTran friend who committed suicide seven years ago, talking about how much of a surprise it had been, because he had seemed so happy all the time. His wife posted shortly after, and she said that he was happy much of the time, but he struggled with depression on some days. She said that he never got help for it because his career meant too much to him, and he didn’t want to lose it. So he tried to go on without help and deal with it himself...right up until the day that she walked in the house and found that he had shot himself in the head.
I had never heard that part of it before. I had always just assumed that she hadn’t known what he was going through, either, and that he had just struggled in secret. But no. The FAA killed my friend with their backwardsass views on mental health. Not gonna lie. It’s pretty infuriating,
BEEF SUPREME
Well-Known Member
It's becoming a big issue again. Of course no one is talking about it. The FAA is in the dark ages when it comes to health.
BigZ
Well-Known Member
My union dudes fly. Including the MEC chair, even though all that does is reduces the hours union has to "buy" from the company. Said chair commuters both to the office in DFW and base in ORD. I'm not sure I'd share as much appreciation for a guy on a full time union leave for years - just a personal thing. Office dweller is office dweller. I'm not AirTran, have no opinion of your union accomplishments.
Sorry about your friend.
chrisreedrules
Master Blaster
I’m following in @SlumTodd_Millionaire ‘s footsteps. Actively planning my departure from the industry. Been planning it pre-Covid. Been steadily growing my realestate portfolio and in the start-up phase of a company I’m excited about. My goal is in 10 years time I’ll be able to walk away without thinking twice.
If I’m somewhere I enjoy being and I find the work gratifying, I’ll stay. But flying for a paycheck as a sole source of income? Nah, I’m good. What’s the difference between that and a 9 to 5? So all that is to say I get it. And I don’t plan to do this forever.
If I’m somewhere I enjoy being and I find the work gratifying, I’ll stay. But flying for a paycheck as a sole source of income? Nah, I’m good. What’s the difference between that and a 9 to 5? So all that is to say I get it. And I don’t plan to do this forever.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
Which is idiotic for a whole host of reasons. But no need to debate that here.
chrisreedrules
Master Blaster
You have a really great MEC Chair in my opinion. His work ethic isn’t quite the norm. My only caution is to remind all of those looking into Union and company leadership roles to remember the point of a regional is to build experience and get out. Is your goal to build flight experience and move on to fly bigger and better things with the associated paycheck? Then go fly. Is your goal to work in management? Fly enough to stay current and go work in management.
@Derg said something simple yet poignant years ago on here that has always stuck with me. And it’s the exact same advice I give to so many pilots because the beauty of it is in it’s simplicity... “If you want to fly, then fly”.
BigZ
Well-Known Member
BigZ
Well-Known Member
I did my fair share of stuff before aviation. Some things paid way better than anything I can expect out of aviation any time soon (or ever). Some things were reasonably fun.
I still have one last business card with my mug on it and RE/MAX office address - real estate gave me a good skillset that I later used to sell airplanes, but I didn't enjoy it in the moment. Just not my thing. No passion.
I happen to love what I do now and, hopefully, get to do it for a while longer. Like you and Derg said, if you wanna fly - fly. If that's secondary and you want days off/paycheck/travel bennies - eh, there are other things in life.
PS Point being, I hope it works out for you, whichever way to go you pick.
