In college I worked for several years as a convenience store clerk. During my shift I would read Flying Magazine and dream about being a rich airline pilot draped in hot and cold running chicks. Working as a clerk was almost like sitting in my own living room. I watched TV, did homework, read and slept. Occasionally a customer would come in. Mostly it was my friends and girls who would stop by to visit and flirt while pretending to shop.

Ten years later I received my first tax statement as a regional airline pilot. It was the same as what I made while working at the gas station, but I was not nearly as happy. As a pilot I had a huge stress load. I was lonely and tired all the time. My life was about line checks, grumpy captains, early get ups and stressing out over what kind of life hit I was going to take when the bid awards came out. There were few single girls about and my friends at that time were pilots as well and it was difficult to get together due to the highly scheduled chaos of an airline pilots life.

As a pilot in training I had a Delta Airlines DC-10 captain tell me that eh envied this old timer who lived in a bar in Billings Montana that he would frequent on layovers. The old man would come out of a back room where he also lived and sweep and wipe down the bar. By his slow movements and slight grin it was obvious that he had little stress and mostly did exactly what he wanted on his days off. By comparison this Delta captain had angry wives, ex-wives and girlfriends to deal with. He was late on paying his bills and had check airmen who were on his tail. In four bars his life was difficult, lonely and miserable while this lowly old man who only had a mop and broom in his command was able to mop in peace and happiness.

Looking back I was much happier during my time at the convenience store than I was as an airline pilot. I hoped that it would get better but it really didn't. At the time I thought that the Delta captain was crazy. Years later I began to understand.


SkyHigh