Originally Posted by
RJSAviator76
Actually Skyhigh, you couldn't be any more wrong and here's why:
What would be the incentive to get people in this industry if the pinnacle of their career is 35k a year after shelling out 100k for education/training?
The whole reason for crap wages throughout entry-level parts of our industry is the rat race to get a seniority number at what's perceived a career place. Your whole reason for tolerating crap wages is the perception of the big payoff down the road.
If your case held ANY water, corporate aviation, which is free of unions and seniority systems (fractionals not included), would top out at 35k for Global/Gulfstream/Challenger captains flying worldwide. Care to guess how much those guys make? Guess what else... if their department closes down, they don't go back to making poverty either, unless they choose to go to the airlines.
Like I said... you can choose to lowball in general aviation. In the airlines, you MUST lowball, thanks to unions and the seniority system.
Corporate aviation is a mixed bag. They often get better wages because they have to deal with stuff that airline pilots don't. Corporate pilots live like sky butlers. They do not have a schedule and fly somewhat rare planes. In addition corporate guys usually do not get retirements and sometimes have to pay for their own training. Corporate guys often have other job duties like managing the plane or even working on the factory floor. Their jobs are not secure at all and can vanish overnight at the whim of a spoiled executive. I left a corporate flying job because they did not pay as well nor did the job offer the same QOL as a regional.
If the airlines were able to hire and fire at will, did not have to fund retirements, health care or training they too would appear to pay better. The airlines fly common aircraft types on schedules. If the airlines we exposed to the free market and any commercial pilot could get the job of their dreams by merely accepting less than the next guy you would see wages plunge. The free market value of a major airline pilot is between 35 and 60K.
Skyhigh