I forsee another teenage jet snob, with the begining stages of SJS, who is going to be disappointed with what being a pilot really entails..sorry but I calls em as I see's em
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Turbine Maule on floats..now thats a "Wet" Dream...
I forsee another teenage jet snob, with the begining stages of SJS, who is going to be disappointed with what being a pilot really entails..sorry but I calls em as I see's em
That is not at all what I was trying to get at. When I said I wanted to be a jet pilot, what I should have said and meant is that I did not want to be flying cessnas and small twin piston planes.
Thank you to everyone who replied, I will consider each responce.
That is not at all what I was trying to get at. When I said I wanted to be a jet pilot, what I should have said and meant is that I did not want to be flying cessnas and small twin piston planes.
Thank you to everyone who replied, I will consider each responce.
Whether you've got a prop out there or not, flying is flying is flying. Its a little silly to be starting about, not even holding an FAA license yet, and saying you want a job flying only jets, over 80k per year, and home every night. With perseverance and a lot of luck, you might make it. But, you might as well shelf these thoughts for now because you're going to spend LOTS of time in "subpar" jobs as you've defined them before you make it to one that fits.
I'd like to be an astronaut from 10-4pm M-W, be at home every night, and be the first to go to Mars. Oh, and I will only fly rockets with more than 2.5 million lbs of thrust. Not interested in anything else.
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Jets are not superior to turbo props...they both have different roles.
Anyone who says jets are better than turbo props is a moron.
Jets and turboprops both utilize jet engines.
Flying low end piston props for a freight operator makes one a much better pilot than going straight to an airline.
The airlines are not the end all to this industry anymore.
Regional jets have destroyed what the industry used to be because now the "regionals" are really just coast to coast operators with fuel-inefficient jets. But it is profitable because they get low pilots for low pay. This is shrinking the big jet airlines like American, United, Delta, Continental and all the other big name airlines. This will probably eventually bring on two possiblities:
1. The regionals will go back to true regional flying with fuel efficent props and the Jets will all stay with the big airlines. Big airlines will keep or get slightly higher wages.
2. Or, the regional jets will merge with the bigger Boeing and Airbus operators. The regional pilots will celebrate thinking they are moving up, because pay will go up a little bit and they will flow directly to bigger equipment. But in all reality the majors will be coming down to the regionals and you will never see high salary. You might see 150,000 which isnt worth the sacrafice and lack of security in this profession.
As others have said you are not out of luck in that the job does not exist because it does.
The problem lies is that it takes experience to get those jobs (and alot of luck and timing.)
A few jobs that I know of that fit your description.
FAA flight check pilot: You will end up over 80K with a pension and will be home ALMOST every single night and you will not work weekends or holidays. You start in a King Air but they also fly a jet(s) in their mission. A guy left my company with around 1800 or so hours and 3-400 turboprop time and got the job. You WILL have to move where this job is though.
Factory pilot for Cessna, Piper etc. You will perform first flight test and demos on factory aircraft and eventually be in their entire fleet type to include or specialize in their jet fleets. You will need absurd experience/timing/luck to get this job.
As others have said you need to find a King air (smaller than a 200 preferably) or even a cessna 414/421 or if it has to be a jet than a CJ1 or CE500. Something that is slow with fairly poor range since it will keep you closer to home.
It can be done but what you are asking is the dream of NEARLY every pilot currently in aviation.
As others have said just keep your goal going of being the best student pilot you can be and take it one hour at a time. Your goals will change countless times as you learn and get older.
If I were you I would start a multi-national company, invent something new or become a movie star or sports hero. Then buy yourself a jet and hire yourself to be a corporate pilot. Outside of that those are hard exceptions to meet.
It is difficult to find a job that meets your description however they do exist. Keep in mind however that things rarely remain stable in aviation. Often by the time you reach your dream job the company has folded or the situation has changed. If you want to be a professional pilot then you should prepare yourself to submit to wherever the winds of aviation want to take you. Join the military move to wherever the job wants to takes you and expect to be poor.
Anything less and you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
Skyhigh
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"Anyways, I may be talking out of my nose here since I'm only a 30 hour Cessna pilot, but I suggest to take in whatever the pros on here tell you. Having joined here, I've gotten a better idea of the industry already."
Haha! I WISH I knew this much when I was a 30 hour pilot. I was still in fantasy land (or maybe wearing the rose colored glasses) until I got my CFI.
Fly to have fun. Don't fly for the big bucks because there aren't many jobs like that anymore.
My dad had your "dream job". So it does exist (or did, anyway).
He was a pilot on a Corporate Shuttle for a large oil company. He flew a jet, out-n-back, Mon through Friday. Weekends and holidays off. Home every night. 5 hour duty day - 2.5 hours block per day. Part 91. Just "working shmoes" in the back on business - not high powered execs, etc. He made over the $80,000 number you mentioned plus very good benefits. First rate equipment perfectly maintained. Only downside was that he flew to the same airport every single day - and that can get old.
The only other downside - the beancounters looked closely at this shuttle operation every year for the 20 years he was there. He was always worried about loosing it. Sure enough, a year after he retired, they basically ended it.
To make a long story short - I grew up watching him and I thought that was representative of aviation. I've been a professional pilot for 20 years now and have been in search of that same (or a similar) job/lifestyle. I've discovered that his was a one-in-a-million job. At times, in the various flying jobs I've had, I've made much more money than he made - at other times I've made much less. But I've never managed to be home every night. Had a pretty good stint of being home "alot" bidding reserve "no-fly" at an airline - but that has it's downsides, too.
I forsee another teenage jet snob, with the begining stages of SJS, who is going to be disappointed with what being a pilot really entails..sorry but I calls em as I see's em
So says the guy who paid for his first airline gig at Gulfstream, you have hurt this industry just as bad as any sjs, if not worse. At least he demands a respectable wage to fly versus you paying to play airline pilot.
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