What part of the country are you in? The West Coast and most of the urban northern parts of the country and especially the northeast are all very well compensated. Having done that job here in my home state (northeast) I know for a fact that 70k is/was about average. I still have many friends on the job and the typical average base in my state NOW is around 40-55k. You get another 10-25% added onto your hourly rate depending on education level, and then the rest comes with just a little overtime or detail pay (which also included the education money). Many of the other guys I worked with topped over 100k per year, but they worked as much as an airline pilot and were never home. I, like you, always prefered to go flying rather than work overtime or details. I didn't wait until I was 40 to try and make the change though, I did it much younger. Like I said. Knowing what I know now... I'd stay at the PD...

The guys at Officer.Com are probably the same types we see now at the airlines.... they're strutting through the terminal with their Ipods in their ears carrying their backpack and attacking every rule and policy that is seniority based since they don't have any.

Very true, everybody always sees the grass as being greener in the other backyard. Now, I've been in both backyards, and if I were you, I'd stay in LE. If you already have enough time in for a retirement check down the road, then that could change things. You could go ahead and prepare to live on PBJ for a few years as a pilot... work another 20-30 in aviation and build your personal 401k to augment your PD retirement. I'd still say you would be better off at the PD.

In God We Trust, all Others Checked NCIC. Have you finished all your ICS classes?