Airline Pilot Forums

im finally year 2 at chq and been offered 100,000/year at my medical office to come back full time. Do i give up the flying dream for a good reality? home every day? $$$

leave- save money- buy you're own airplane and tell the kids later on in life " yea i used to be an airline pilot..."

Stay in the airlines and live ur dream bro... On another note, can you point me out in the right direction on how to get the medical job? I really would like to make good money, be home and buy my own plane. LOL

Take the money. You can buy an airplane later and enjoy it.

sure go to college for 8 years and get a medical degree like i did

excellent back up

I really have a hard time believing this

How about you keep your flying job and you give me the medical one? JK...

Good planning on your part with that backup plan.

Do what you will enjoy. If i had the option to take a job making 150K in a job i wouldn't enjoy or stay flying making less i would stick with flying. If you dont like your job, life can be miserable. Good luck

No brainer man.

Medical field will continue to grow like crazy.

$31K a year or $100K a year? Not many folks have the opportunity for a 320% pay raise. Next year you might make captain and a whopping $60K. Take the medical position, live like an airline FO, use the $69K extra you make the first year alone and buy an older V tail Bonanza or Bellanca Super Viking if you want to travel. If you want pure fun, try to find an older Pitts or an RV-6 or RV-4. You may have to save 6 more months for the Pitts. It's what I would do. Money=Freedom. Show me the money cause I love to be free.

"Do i give up the flying dream for a good reality?"

It's pretty easy to bash the career in this day and age. The career tends to swing with the economy and age 65 probably isn't helping. If you think you'd have a shot at 100K plus job down the road and you enjoy the flying, then I'd stick with it. If you feel like it will never be worth taking the chance or worth the sacrifice, then it's best to get out.

Congratz on having a solid plan B.

$31K a year or $100K a year? Not many folks have the opportunity for a 320% pay raise. Next year you might make captain and a whopping $60K. Take the medical position, live like an airline FO, use the $69K extra you make the first year alone and buy an older V tail Bonanza or Bellanca Super Viking if you want to travel. If you want pure fun, try to find an older Pitts or an RV-6 or RV-4. You may have to save 6 more months for the Pitts. It's what I would do. Money=Freedom. Show me the money cause I love to be free.


whoa, whoa, whoa, you just told Skyhigh in another thread that leaving Horizon was a big mistake. Now your telling this guy to leave his place, and it wouldn't be a mistake?:confused:

Run, don't walk away from the airlines. You say you're not sure you want to give up the 'dream'. What kind of dream includes wal-mart wages, living out of a suitcase and spending half your nights in hotels, never ending instability, having to worry if any slight medical issue will end your career, missing out on half of your kids life, etc etc. This isn't a dream, it's a nightmare. Being a doc, you should know that to even have to question what to do in your situation warrants time in front of a shrink.

Go for it, don't look back. You'll thank yourself!

I guess it all depends on what kind of medicine you're doing......are you a proctologist?

You to good for butts, or somethin'?

That sounds like my time in the military..... AND the airlines.... only I spent a year living in tents...:eek:

Run, don't walk away from the airlines. You say you're not sure you want to give up the 'dream'. What kind of dream includes wal-mart wages, living out of a suitcase and spending half your nights in hotels, never ending instability, having to worry if any slight medical issue will end your career, missing out on half of your kids life, etc etc. This isn't a dream, it's a nightmare. Being a doc, you should know that to even have to question what to do in your situation warrants time in front of a shrink.

Go for it, don't look back. You'll thank yourself!

whoa, whoa, whoa, you just told Skyhigh in another thread that leaving Horizon was a big mistake. Now your telling this guy to leave his place, and it wouldn't be a mistake?:confused:

Sky left because he continually skipped around and was very unhappy. Some people are just not cut out for the lifestyle. It's not all candy and nuts all the time. This fellow enjoys medicine so much he EARNED a medical degree. It sounds as though he will be equally happy at either job. That being the case, take the money. Law of compound interest...the difference in money in the next 10 years compounded at a measly 5% will ensure the flying profession will never make the career money his medical profession makes and that doesn't account for raises in his medical profession. If he is truly unhappy in the med job, then sticking it out in airplanes isn't a bad gig in my opinion, just has the potential to be a lot rougher ride. Some like me say "Ride her til she bucks ya." Been rough, but I ain't hit the dirt yet.

Good luck with your decision buffalo, turning down the freedom that comes with those financial numbers is a tough decision.

$31K a year or $100K a year? Not many folks have the opportunity for a 320% pay raise. Next year you might make captain and a whopping $60K. Take the medical position, live like an airline FO, use the $69K extra you make the first year alone and buy an older V tail Bonanza or Bellanca Super Viking if you want to travel. If you want pure fun, try to find an older Pitts or an RV-6 or RV-4. You may have to save 6 more months for the Pitts. It's what I would do. Money=Freedom. Show me the money cause I love to be free.

You might want to rethink that statement. There have been MANY people with A LOT of money who have felt SO FREE they've KILLED themselves.

To the original poster, I wouldn't be happy if I left flying. Therefore, I would stay.

Run, don't walk away from the airlines. You say you're not sure you want to give up the 'dream'. What kind of dream includes wal-mart wages, living out of a suitcase and spending half your nights in hotels, never ending instability, having to worry if any slight medical issue will end your career, missing out on half of your kids life, etc etc. This isn't a dream, it's a nightmare. Being a doc, you should know that to even have to question what to do in your situation warrants time in front of a shrink.

Go for it, don't look back. You'll thank yourself!


O.K. But what kind of dream provides endless meetings, e-mails, telephone conferences, being locked in a cubicle, not being able to save a persons life or fix their problem, telling someone they just lost of loved one, missing out on half of your kids life, etc. Just because it isn't flying doesn't mean it's any better. I've run into many people in non aviation careers who are just as busy(if not MORE busy) than I am. I even had one guy tell me he envied me because I got to leave my job behind when I was done flying. He had to work 70 hours a week, and that didn't include the emails he had to sort through when he got home. And doctors don't exactly work rosie hours. It's a good bet they work MORE than pilots.

Take the medical position, live like an airline FO, use the $69K extra you make the first year alone and buy an older V tail Bonanza or Bellanca Super Viking if you want to travel. .

V-Tail? Isn't that the plane they call "The Doctor Killer"?

i was just drinking with a doctor until his beeper went off and had to go to catch a baby. sometimes you win and sometimes you know the rest

O.K. But what kind of dream provides endless meetings, e-mails, telephone conferences, being locked in a cubicle, not being able to save a persons life or fix their problem, telling someone they just lost of loved one, missing out on half of your kids life, etc. Just because it isn't flying doesn't mean it's any better. I've run into many people in non aviation careers who are just as busy(if not MORE busy) than I am. I even had one guy tell me he envied me because I got to leave my job behind when I was done flying. He had to work 70 hours a week, and that didn't include the emails he had to sort through when he got home. And doctors don't exactly work rosie hours. It's a good bet they work MORE than pilots.

How about being locked in a tube and bolted to a chair for most of a day or worse all night?

There are few tortures like a LAS to JFK redeye.

Skyhigh

"How about being locked in a tube and bolted to a chair for most of a day or worse all night?"

Considering that statement, it's obvious you were never meant for this career. Glad you found something that worked out better for you.

I say that if you wanna have your cake and eat it too, go back to the medical profession and accept the 100K/yr position.

As far as the days of airlines, particularly the regionals/LCC/nationals, hiring 250-500 pilots a year and all that movement of pilots going from one airline to another...personally I believe those days are gone forever. Sure there will be spurts of growth/hiring, but not on the scale that we've seen say back in mid to late '06 and '07.



atp

Actually being locked in the tube and getting to fly is the fun part of the job. The rest of the stuff like sitting reserve, low pay, no job stability, etc is the real crap sandwich of the career.

Back to the topic, take the medical job. You can always come back to aviation if you get sick of the medical stuff.

"How about being locked in a tube and bolted to a chair for most of a day or worse all night?"

Considering that statement, it's obvious you were never meant for this career. Glad you found something that worked out better for you.

Yea I did not like redeyes at all. Yuck !!!:eek:

I suppose that you do, but then again it is much easier to sleep during the day if you do not have a house full of kids making noise.

I definitely am not cut out to be paid mailman wages, treated by my company as if I was filth and then kept awake all night. Please do not misunderstand my position. I am willing to go through a lot for my aviation dream (and have) but these days there is just not enough to make most jobs worth it anymore. Especailly when there are so many better options out there.

I am sure that flying for UPS makes those dark nights worthwhile though.


SkyHigh

Actually being locked in the tube and getting to fly is the fun part of the job. The rest of the stuff like sitting reserve, low pay, no job stability, etc is the real crap sandwich of the career.

Back to the topic, take the medical job. You can always come back to aviation if you get sick of the medical stuff.

Flying is fun but sitting nearly motionless for 6 hours in a dark, cold and silent tube when you are supposed to be sleeping is miserable.

I much preferred to fly during the living hours. My guess is that most people prefer that as well. I can't imagine how those international long haul guys do it. Man, no thanks.

Skyhigh

Its called reading the newspaper end to end. LOL

I loved flying at night... night tactical in the 130 was a blast.... night assault landings to 3000 feet of clay.... oh yea.... then there were the all night flights to Mildenhall and Frankfurt from Goosebay.... watching the northern lights... yep... now that was on ****ty job....

Hell I saw the sun rise and set on 5 continents.... the expanse of Africa... the deserts of the Middle East... the vastness of the Amazon Jungle... the azul blue waters of the Caribbean..... of course that was interspersed with 9 months in the desert during our first war in the sand.... and numerous ORI's and other such silliness....

Overall it was a fine 7 years of my life..... heck even my time AE and S5 I have very fond memories.....

Even today... well that was cool in its own right.... taking the Citation into a 4300' uncontrolled field.....flying is still fun.

No brainer man.

Medical field will continue to grow like crazy.

Especially the pharmaceuticals for pilots!!;)

Flying is fun but sitting nearly motionless for 6 hours in a dark, cold and silent tube when you are supposed to be sleeping is miserable.

I much preferred to fly during the living hours. My guess is that most people prefer that as well. I can't imagine how those international long haul guys do it. Man, no thanks.

Skyhigh

HOLY MACARELE! Would you like a funnel with that?

I just read an article about taller people. One of the stated facts was that:

"People with more education have higher income and higher status jobs, and they earn more money. Money, in turn, is a powerful predictor of life satisfaction."

Money is an important factor in life satisfaction and happiness. Just yesterday the local flight school raised their prices by 10%. A Cessna 152 now rents for $98 per hour.

SkyHigh

If you don't dislike medicine, take the job that pays real money. Buy a Cirrus. A brand new SR-20-G3 is about $330k. They'll finance. Turbo about $600k.

If you were able to get hired at a regional once, believe me, some regional will hire you at some point in the future (for peasant wages), if that's what you ultimately decide is better.

I went from a job that paid 6 figures to accept $19.25/hr. But I'm probably in a unique life position, compared to most new hire airline pilots. I already have a 7 figure house in paradise that I've lived in for almost a decade. I have other sources of income. I've owned a few planes, and even have my own little airport.

Go out and get those things that make you comfortable, since you have the resources to make that happen. The airlines will still be here, in one form or another, when/if you come back.

Besides, you've already earned the bragging rights. Take lots of pictures to show the grandkids someday.

Tonywilliams is really liv'n the dream! I'm jealous bro. Couldn't agree more with TW's comments. Take the job and come back to slave wages in the future when your bored of being rich! LOL

Go for the medical job, but keep flying a little bit here and there if u can. Earn a bucketload of cash and when/if an airline boom happens again, get straight in on it.

"Money, in turn, is a powerful predictor of life satisfaction."

Yes it is, and you have told everyone how you feel about "trust fund babies" and [what was it?]. You do not realize that money is not everybodies concern. Why else would doctors go and deliver babies in Africa? Why would millions of people volunteer? Come on man, get a job and make some money.
You'll forget about flying and the terrible times behind you in no time.

How much money do you make with posting here Sky?

Careercfi:

Not trying to start anything... but I'm just kinda curious as to why the dislike for SkyHigh. True, not everyone agrees with his statements, however with 3,750 posts it's obvious that he is staying within the parameters that the Mods have set.

Trust me, he ain't going nowhere and I for one am glad. He brings balance.


atp

Hi ATP,

I agree with your comments. Y'know even though some of his posts are overly negative, Skyhigh provides a counterpoint to the majority of the other posters here. There would be no conversation and debate without his "yang" to everyone else's "ying". Imagine how boring it would be if he wasn't here? We'd all be singing kumbaya and holding hands. Besides, he takes alot of beating and keeps posting about his experience in the industry. Many of us may criticize him, but how many can say we've been and done the things he has in the industry? Walk in his shoes before you out right dismiss his comments...

Careercfi:

Not trying to start anything... but I'm just kinda curious as to why the dislike for SkyHigh. True, not everyone agrees with his statements, however with 3,750 posts it's obvious that he is staying within the parameters that the Mods have set.

Trust me, he ain't going nowhere and I for one am glad. He brings balance.


atp

No dislike for skyhigh. I even got an infraction for insulting the most sucessful $500K doctor (now retired) in here. Sky is a very capable guy, and I wish he would use all this smartness and knowledge from within the industry :). He's not willing or not able to make the sacrifices this profession can demand and blames the industry for it.

"insulting the most sucessful $500K doctor"

It was 300K....

"but how many can say we've been and done the things he has in the industry?"

I can.

"Walk in his shoes before you out right dismiss his comments..."

I did. I've met the guy, flown his plane, he knows my first CFI, and I grew up 25 miles from where he now lives. We started our careers in much the same fashon.

I walked in his shoes right up until he made the wise personal choice to walk away from the career. This job isn't for everybody. To each his own.

My problem with Sky is he refuses to take personal responsibility for where he ended up. Instead, he unreservededly bashes the career that many of us have found to worthy of our time. I have a problem with that. And that's why I'm here...

I just read an article about taller people. One of the stated facts was that:

"People with more education have higher income and higher status jobs, and they earn more money. Money, in turn, is a powerful predictor of life satisfaction."


They have higher income and they earn more money too? Wow! ;)

Seriously, isn't it also possible that people who have a more positive attitude toward life tend to make more money? Or that it was the "more education" that made them happier, not the "more money"?

I'm not sure that article is wrong, but I'm not sure that it's right either.

What about bald people? I'm bald and I make bank....

Thread closed due to name calling and flamebait.

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