Success for us is a dependable job with good schedules and great pay, retirement, and benefits. We all came to UPS for different reasons: some because they couldn't get on elsewhere, some for the stability of cargo, some for the good but-not-industry-leading pay and retirement, and so on.

Nobody expected us to be a top pilot job in this industry, but here we are. We have our internal problems and our union-company conflicts, but we don't have much turnover to other carriers. Unlike 2000 and 2001, major pilots are coming here from passenger flying--even captains.

So I guess the hint you need is.....a little luck and some foresight. Luck in that UPS is at or near the top in employer desireability, and foresight in that many pilots knew UPS was one big cash cow with more stability than any other pilot job in the world.