Originally Posted by
n287hg
As of Thursday OCT 29th, I am a commercial pilot. I still need to get my multi and CFI,II ratings. The regionals would be my next step, but I wanted to know if you guys/girls still actually enjoy flying? Whenever I takeoff for a flight lesson I still get this gitty
I am so excited feeling (unless the lesson calls for partial panel stuff
). Do you still get that feeling or has the low pay and crazy hours turned the joy of flying into just another job?
Flight training is fun. As a pilot in training everyday offers something fun and new. Your hands are on the controls. You are in charge of your destiny. You are given challenges and the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing your goals. All that changes once you make it to being a professional.
As a professional the focus shifts from your satisfaction and enjoyment to that of the companies and of your passengers. As a result a lot of the unbridled joy and fun dissipates as you become a servant. The flying is boring in comparison. No steep turns. No stalls and spins (hopefully at least). You fly the plane to the satisfaction of management. Up and down. day after day. Nothing changes.
Your life becomes the play toy of the company and flying becomes a job. Sometimes there are sparks of joy but mostly you sit there fuming in the despair that comes from the ensuing poverty and insecurity that the life of a pilot offers. If you really want to preserve the joy of flight then get a real job and fly for fun on the side.
Skyhigh