Since i'm one of the people that opened his big mouth about this new forum getting started, I should tell you about me. I was at Raytheon Travel Air in it's hey day back in 2000. Then, they merged with Flight Options where I spent the next 6 years. The lifestyle was 8 days on, seven off. Sounds great and everything, but it drove me nuts personally. The 7 off was great, and could not be beat. On my 7th day off, i'd start getting ancy, and miserable around the house. To me, it was stressful having to throw a suitcase together and pack for an 8 day trip twice per month. I couldn't stand the TSA, today you take your shoes off, next week you don't have to kind of mentality or lack of standardization.
Hotels? No thanks. As "great" as NJA is, there has to be some guys that deep down inside feel the same way I did/do. "but we stay at the Ritz Carlton". Didn't matter to me. I couldn't stand the lifestyle of getting to the hotels and if your thirsty, you are afraid to drink the tap water out of the nasty bathroom sink. Either that, or have to spend at least 1.50 (3.00 in hpn) for a coke. Me, I like to go to my own fridge, and get something to drink. it's the little things like this I didn't like anymore. Don't forget trying to find a hotel restaraunt that will warm up your crew meal that you dragged across the country that your dying to eat. "sorry, we can't be responsible for food borne ilness" I kid you not.
The wx....couldn't stand TS's anymore. Call me a pu$$y, but i'm an alive pu$$y. To me, man made machines shouldn't be dodging mother nature like that. The statistics are there. Oh yeah, freezing rain sucks too!
The good.....In order to spare myself of being called militant, extremist, or negative, There are some things I miss about it. The 7 off is one. The other is the people I worked with were great professionals. I miss jogging in the park on San francisco bay one day, and the next running along the ocean in KACK. I miss the early morning departures where you take off with a quarter mile vis an 500 overcast and penetrate the clouds and now it's sunny.
I don't miss how bad my timing was in this industry. I still fly contract on occasion. I'm now a sim/ground instructor at a large part 142 facility. some of my days are only two hours long(sim week). some are only 8 hours long (ground week). Yet we are still small enough where were not working the graveyard shifts. i'm excited about getting my masters degree, and maybe pursuing law school like my wife did.
More to come!