Management pilots at CAL are individuals who were hired as pilots and at some point accepted a management position from the company. At CAL these management types retain their seniority number and it is not unusual to have management pilots return to line flying. Management pilots include: Chief pilots, Asst chief pilots, Fleet managers and our VP of flight ops is a pilot on our seniority list. I don't consider check airman and sim instructors as management pilots. In my opinion most line pilots see fellow pilots who accept management positions as sell outs and it is difficult for them to ever be seen as one of the guys again. I remember once walking into our crewroom where perhaps 40 to 50 pilots were hanging out. To my amazement their was one pilot off to himself - not really fitting in with the guys and yup, you guessed it, a former management pilot nobody wanted to be around. They are paid a premium to manage and how much of a premium depends on what or who they manage. I am fortunate in that I have no desire to go there and enjoy the feeling of setting the brakes and going home. There are some good guys in those jobs but it seems the good guys never last - they speak up for the pilots and are then replaced with those more willing to hold the company line. My thought is; If you want to be a pilot, be a pilot. If you want to manage, then be an office person. It is hard to do both well!