The other thing I thought is if S-H left a couple of things out like the vacation time and the educational loan payback, that would actually make the required income even higher. If you did say $500 a month on a student loan and took another week of vacation, that's nearly $140k to support a small family. These days a decent middle class lifestyle for a nuclear family means both spouses work full time earning north of six figures apiece per year. I think the martyr/vanity rhetoric is uncalled for though. Piloting is a respectable profession and always will be. It ranks among doctors and lawyers at the higher levels.