Originally Posted by
embflieger
The pay is actually better on the rj as captain than fo on the widebody (for the first several years even). On the heavy, I'd have a little more time off, with overnights in many countries. I knew a lot of mainline guys at my previous carrier that flew the 777 or 747, but bid out of it after a few years ("It's too damn big, goes too damn far, messes up my body clock, and I don't wanna contend with that many gossiping flight attendants." Ver batim quote). Thanks for any insight.
Earning potential at the RJ level is pretty much maxed out with some of these contract gigs, I don't think that you will ever see salaries go beyond $8,000 or so for an RJ captain there is a few that are close to $10,000 but it is typically in places that if they didn't pay those salaries, people wouldn't come and when they do they don't stay long (bullets flying and extreme poverty sours up a contract very quickly). Starting on the right seat of a heavy is the most common way to go to the left and there the potential earnings are in the $17,000 to $20,000+. Living in places that you actually want to live. About the difficulties of long haul flying, all I have to say is that "snoozing for dollars" is not as terrible as you might think and that those pilots that bid out of it where able to do it because of the money banked while they where flying the long haul