As I said before, your advice is not falling on deaf ears. I am listening to it, despite what it may seem. I am thankful that people like you do show me the other side to aviation, because I do think it is important to know that it is not all fun and glamour. Hey, nothing is, regardless of your career. I certainly realize that there are others that feel the way you do, just as there are others who enjoy their job as a pilot, and wouldn't want to be doing anything else; some of whom I know personally, including some regional CAs and FOs.

One things pilots tend to do is feel as though these problems only face them. Family members of mine, over the last few years, have experienced many of the same problems facing pilots; layoffs, benefit cuts, pay cuts, etc., and not one of them works in aviation. I've told you of the problems my parents faced at the hospital they work at, as the health care industry as a whole is having problems now. I've told you of my sister who was in management for a retail company who lost her job. I currently work at a golf course part-time, while in college, and our new assistant manager recently lost his job as head manager at another course in the state, due to it closing. Just the other day, in fact, we were all discussing being a pilot, as they know that is my dream, and I was mentioning to them many of the problems the airlines, and pilots are seeing now. Their only response was that many others are experiencing the same thing, including many they knew, well outside of aviation. Again, the grass is not always greener.

As far as pay; regional CAs do not do all that bad. Lets take a look at Horizon again. Lets not look at the CRJ7, or the DH8, since they are the highest and lowest paying of Horizons fleet; lets take middle ground, and look at the DH4.

Someone who gets hired by Horizon, gets the DH4, and upgrades to CA in 8 years will make ~$74K, excluding per diem, and assuming only flying the minimum. Add per diem, and take into account most pilots fly over the minimum, and there is no reason this first year captain flying a turbo-prop for a regional airline cannot be making $80K or more. After only 8 years of working, he is making $80K, which is not too bad.

If this same pilot decided to stay with Horizon on the DH4 as a career, at year 18, he will be making $101K, excluding per diem, and assuming he is only flying the minimum. Add per diem, and flying over the minimum, and there is no reason he cannot make $110K or more. To top this off, he is probably pretty senior at this point, and able to get a good schedule, days off, etc. He has a pretty good QOL.

Is the above idealistic? Sure. But, not as idealistic as some may say, as this could easily be the case. Is $110K a great salary. It certainly is not bad. Not many others are making that kind of salary, when you consider that the national average income is about $50K or less. And, as far as living in a big city; nobody ever said you had to live in a big city. I could get on with ASA or ExpressJet, be based in IAH or ATL and commute from my home town of BTR. There are many daily flights from here to IAH and ATL, and the flight is an hour or less in each case. There is also the option of living in a small town on the outskirts of ATL, and IAH, all big cities, but not a LA or NY.