Originally Posted by
Fixnem2Flyinem
It’s all about geography. In California, 57k almost gets you food stamps and definitely won’t ever afford you an opportunity to buy a house. 57k in Memphis, you can buy a decent 3br house and raise a few kids comfortably. Skyhigh’s example was in the Bay Area I believe.
Californians do tend to believe the world doesn't exist beyond their borders, that they're the trendsetters for society, and that theirs is the model of the rest of the country, despite the truth that the state is more like a foreign country.
Skyhigh has been floating the same like here for a number of years, and the truth is that the average US household is under sixty thousand dollars. Very few make the kind of money that skyhigh is touting: the notion that thee hundred thousand is necessary to day is an absolute lie.
You also need to understand that his was a short lived, failed career, for which is has been crying on and off for a long time. He quit the career because he feels it didn't allow him to live as he wished, in his words to live "as a king." He's not really living like a king now, either.
The industry if full of active aviators making a living and pursuing their chosen vocation. Skyhigh would have us believe that divorce is inevitable, that all pilots live miserable lives in one bedroom apartments, starving, without any semblance of a life. He's stated as much on many occasions on this website.
The notion that a pilot must be making three hundred thousand dollars a year to live a basic middle class existence is a lie, and is stupidity. It's five times the national income.
That said, I can have had made two hundred thousand flying single engine airplanes, let alone other equipment. At the early stages of one's career, income may not be worth that kind of money, but with the proper qualifications and experience, career progression tends toward better paying jobs, and one can expect not only a good living and acceptable lifestyle.
Regional pilots today are starting off above the national average income, which is a very significant improvement over what once was. It only goes up from there.