We are all just “yahoos” looking for info and support here (plus a few trolls stirring the pot I suppose. I found mathteacher’s POV interesting, even refreshing, and certainly not “doom and gloom.” His reported “results” are not impossible or unreasonable, and he presented an interesting hypothesis with details.

Our jobs are at the mercy of so many variables that are all constantly changing, and most of us seem to acknowledge that guessing furlough numbers is pure speculation. What seems lacking is a separation between the emotions of job instability and discussions of hypothetical scenarios and numbers.

What has been beaten into my head after more than 20 years in this industry is that it is unstable and cyclical. Furloughs are part of it. The more one’s well-being (financial and mental) depends upon being employed as a pilot, the more one is at risk of having that wellness interrupted. Being a pilot is both a job and an identity, and I have focused on minimizing my reliance on either for my happiness. Mathteacher’s independence as a “part-time” pilot has allowed him the option to let go and preserve / increase his mental health on his own terms. I submit he has chosen wisely, for himself, and others would be wise to pursue viable backup plans whether or not we believe we are on the immediate “bubble.”