Very Good Question. For myself there are several good answers...

1. I'm already here. Most of the dues paying is done, and what remains I can do on my own schedule...ie fast upgrade to reserve, or stay a senior FO, it's my choice.

2. I am relatively senior, and have good QOL. I'm in a good place to hang out for a while.

3. I have several outside business/employment activities which have done well even as aviation has declined. My SO is also gainfully employeed and likes my schedule and flight benefits more than she likes the extra $100K I could make at a desk job.

The downside for me is that in order to move on I need a little more PIC, so I will have to take an upgrade to the bottom of the CA list, and then spend probably years at the bottom of the list at a major.


To re-iterate I'm not telling ANYONE what to do or not to do, I'm just telling you the way things are now. When I made the decision, opportunities and optimism abound. I'm an informed risk taker by nature, and back then things were so good that even if there was a downturn I still would have been in good shape in the long run. I assumed some sort of setback on the road. I did not plan on 9/11, SARS, Iraq, $250 oil, and a major economic recession. All these things have taken a toll, the sum total of which is rather large.

My advice to you does not apply to me, we are very different places. While we are about the same age, I am years ahead of you in the game. I would almost certainly not have made the career change today under these circumstances, like I said I analyzed it very carefully...my conclusion would have been much different in 2009 than in 1999.

If you want to plan a non-airline career, that would be a different story. There are some good jobs to be had, as well as many bad ones, in 91 and 135. But if you're going to go down that road, best to start from the get-go, and focus on networking as your full-time job.