SevereClear obviously has no idea what it's like to be a pilot for a career. It's entirely different than just being some private pilot that gets to tool around the patch once in a while. I won't even begin to try to address the management/pilot dynamics that make unions a virtual necessity in this business. "Go knock on someone's door and have a civil conversation". Now that's funny. And it's always so easy to do when my boss is located in some off airport office 1000 miles away.
Oh wow, we get to hang around airplanes all the time. Yeah, that will wear off after a few years. It's no different than if you got to hang around cars all the time. After a while, they're all just cars.
Oh, think of all the great places you get to see. Uh, you mean like the hotel and maybe 2 miles around the hotel at every airport we go to. We're lucky if we have enough rest time to go get a beer, let alone go sightseeing. I've been to every corner of the western hemisphere, yet I've seen virtually none of it due to the demands of our schedules. And let's not forget how much fun it is to spend all those nights away from home. Yippieee.
Oh wait, I almost forgot about the medical exam every 6 months and the checkride every 6 months and if I fail any of them, my career is in jeopardy.
Would you believe that a lot of us have fantasies about living your kind of life? What do you think we talk about up there for 4 hours while making our fifth trip across the country this week? How nice would it be to have a regular 8-5 schedule. How great would it be to have a nice lunch break each day. And to be home in my own bed every night!! What a dream!!
If you want to be a professional pilot, go for it. Expect that you will spend about 30 grand on training for a couple years and work your way into a cushy job with a commuter making 30k/year (gross) and working 22 days a month. I've been flying professionally for 8 years now and I still love it and have no intention of quitting. The majority of us had to work our asses off to earn it. Yes, it can be lots of fun. But at the end of the day, it's still just a job. Live the life of a professional pilot for a few years. See how much glamour there is for you after that. Just remember, the grass is always greener until you reach the other side.
NOW GIVE ME BACK MY STAPLER!
Last edited by correcting; 08-13-2007 at 06:20 PM.