usmc-sgt

Thank you very much for your story Sky,
I one hundred percent understand your point and do not disagree with your decision to leave the profession, it was just what was right for you at the time. I also can see through some of your post as not just strict hateful negativity but more information for the vast majority of the misinformed. Aviation is a hard career, i have some family that is thriving in it and i have some family that is stuck in a rut in it just hoping that their company does not go under. From what i read i think that aviation should consider revising their pay scales. Not that pilots in the upperlevels are grossly underpaid by any means, but as you said. Say you are at ten year captain at a regional and are making say $60 (just throwing that number out..please do not jump on me for being incorrect) and than your company goes under. Now you are forced to work at another regional potentially and if you are lucky enough to get captain you are back at the 1 year payscale and your seniority is non exisitent. For what? Are you a worse pilot, do you not have ten years of experience? It seems as if aviation is one of the only industries like this. If you are a doctor and you practice at one clinic for ten years, you typically do not go back to your first year out of med school pay just because you transfer to a new place of employment, on the contrary you are paid accordingly with your experience and what you bring to the table as a doctor.

I have seen also in one of your post that 60k is a low wage. I just want to set the record straight that i feel that 60k is not an acceptable income for an experienced captain of a larger RJ or any other large turbine equipped aircraft. The reason i start there is just simply stating that if i could get my home state and was at least making 60k per year i would be reasonably happy. Although for that price i would expect that i would be an experienced larger turbine twin Captain or something along those lines, i wouldnt forsee getting that in smaller piston twins like the 421 and the single 208 (although there is a company out of Pease Tradeport in NH that pays 60k for PC-12 Captains) I just try to be realistic on what to expect. If i was the sole provider of my family 60k would certainly not make ends meet, not even close. We have good saving and investing habits now so hopefully those will carry over through the hard times.

I am sorry for what happened to you in aviation and i can only hope that it doesnt not happen to me and my wife, one thing that i hope this forum brings me is that if and when the "end" does come i can know enough to just get out and realize that avation as a career, not in general, is over for me.

I thank you for your honest oppinions though and replies, i certainly take it with a grain of salt, but i respect your oppinion simply because it is out of experience and not just heresay. I do love to hear the glamor stories and i like to think that can be me someday but i also know that there is always two sides to a story.

If it doesnt work out i am very fortunate to have family on a 5000' grass strip private aviation community in NH and a father with a Sportsman taildragger, so hopefully i will never have to hang up the leather hat and scarf (figure of speach)

I almost forgot....what kind of plane to you have Sky?