I am like most of you. Took my first lesson at 14. Got my private at 18. Made the classic mistake of getting an aviation degree. Worked my way through college and paid for flight school as money became available. Became a CFI at 21. Went to Alaska to find work. Flew as a CFI in ANC. Spent a few years living in a small remote native village working as a bush pilot. Moved on to fly for the forest service for a few years as a contract pilot working air-attack and as a smoke jumper pilot. Got hired to fly jet air ambulance, charter and corporate. Made it to Horizon Air in the Dash 8 for two years. moved on to National Airlines for almost three as a 757-200 FO.

Throughout all those years I lost three good friends to plane crashes. Built over 6300 hours. Lived in my truck for 9 months and lived out of a suitcase, in hangars, huts and cabins for a few years more. Had many forgettable one and two bedroom apartments. Moved over sixteen times from the age of 21 to 36. The most I ever made was 41K during my last year as a working pilot. I averaged around 16K.

National Airlines shut down almost four years ago during my 36 year on the planet. It left me my pregnant wife and two sons down during a fragile time in our lives. It was a cross roads for me. I had to admit to myself that at my age and place in life things were not going to get better. In my heart I knew that if I stayed the course as a pilot I did not believe that we would be better off in five years. I did not believe that I could make it to one of the better employers given the industry at the time and I knew that anything less was unacceptible. I have seen the wreckage of pilots who held on too long and I did not want to end up that way.

To the benefit of myself and family I made the difficult decision to go home and attempt a new life. Out of my graduating class I am among the few who made it past CFI. I miss flying everyday but do not believe that it is the industry I started with nor do I believe that it has a future worth risking a career on. I pass on my experiences and opinions here.

SkyHigh