Well gentlemen - I come to ask for advice in our never ending search for the right thing to do.

I currently work as a service advisor for Toyota here in Connecticut. It's a pretty lousy job , but the pay is acceptable. I (like most other people here) have the hots for flying big shiny jets. Whether it be airlines , corporate , cargo, etc. I currently have 272 hours and am just short of my Comm Multi / Comm Single. I would like to get my CFI / II and build hours to get my minumums.

The pickle I seem to be in, at 29 years old, am I doing the right thing by jumping careers and taking a better than 60 percent pay cut? I have my parents / girlfriend who stand behind me, but sometimes I read all these horror stories and I feel like i should run in the other direction. I know tenured pilots can make a pretty penny, but getting there seems to be a very arduous task (furlough / lay off / significant others leaving you)

My girlfriend truly believes that if I buy an aircraft (archer / mooney m20) that I would be a much happier individual than worrying about the stressors of living month to month with no money. I can agree with her on this, but the whole point is to get away from my job that half makes me miserable.

I am just looking for some feed back from some other folks on here. What would you guys do at 29? I just don't wanna be 54 and say s*%t , i should have done it this way

 

Well I can't speak for the personal decisions however having owned an aircraft I can tell you it's more expensive than just the acquisition cost. You have annuals and storage to worry about as well as insurance if you don't buy it out right. Then there's the things that break (and they will) and crazy cost of parts. Last is the fuel. With prices now your still looking at $50 or more an hour with the aircraft you want. On the flip side getting paid to fly is great but it will take out the fun of it very quickly and it will feel like any other job. If you have support go for it. You may be happier with a corporate job. Good luck.

 

Buy the airplane and enjoy general aviation. Big shiny jets ain't all they're cracked up to be. The bigger the plane, the more bored you'll be.

 

Your girlfriend is smart.

 

In aviation you will never know you made the right decision until you retire.

My advice is enroll in a reputable flight school, get the ratings(fast track) and instruct till you have the time to get on with a regional.
The lifestyle is going to suck for a long time (3-5yrs) until you make captain pay.

This lifestyle is not for everyone, but if you like sleeping in your bed every night. Don't do it.

There's not many regionals that have good contracts anymore so get ready for working weekends, Junior Manning, Extensions, working all weekends, holidays, birthdays etc..

 

Yes, except it's going to suck a lot longer than 3-5yrs.

3yrs as a CFI earning next to nothing, then 5-10 years as an FO is about the going rate, and this doesn't count any time in between or going to school, or if you get furloughed or the multitude of things that can happen when you are working for an airline.

Lots of people fly and enjoy flying. Just because you enjoy aviation doesn't mean you have to fly an airliner all day long doing straight-and-level autopilot work. There are lots of opportunities within aviation, why not get some engineering/production experience and work for boeing? Why not buy that airplane or build your own? Why not become a local aerobatic CFI guru? There are so many things you can do in aviation besides being an airline pilot.

 

Well what I am thinking of doing is going for my CFI and instruct at nights or on weekends and see how it goes. Its a couple extra bucks in the pocket if i do wanna purchase an aircraft, and a few extra hours a month in the log book.

I appreciate everyones feed back. Keep it coming!

My only worry is that if i buy an aircraft, i will be married to my job (blah)

 

When you make a hobby your job, sooner or later it just becomes a job.

If you do your homework, there are tons of nice aircraft out there that are affordable and will meet your needs. Many are reasonable in price. Another perk to that CFI would be much lower insurance rates on anything you own.

 

I don't know Captain....the DC9 was much less boring then the EMB145!

 

I've flown plenty of light planes in my day... I still get enjoyment and excitement from flying jet aircraft. I would be yearning to get back into it if I left.

I have so many friends that are miserable in their jobs... of course some of those would be miserable under any circumstances (reference a number of people on this site). I love my job and get paid well doing so... and most times of the year other than summer they wonder when I even work.

I've never been keen on the buying an aircraft idea... you need a variety of hours in different aircraft and that is a lot of capital investment for a single type. Many many people talk of doing so and how it would be such a great idea, yet exceedingly few actually do it. I've yet to fly with someone that did it.

As far as those telling you about the stagnation... they are tainted by the recession of the last few years. The regionals were overexpanded by mainline companies in the early 2000's. That bubble is in the process of popping. It will equalize out, and piles of top tier pilot retirements are coming quickly. I think someone starting today will likely have a similar ride to what I had. (2 years and change as a CFI/moonlighting corporate flying- get on with a regional with 1700ish hours... i had only 3 years at a regional, but I think 5 years is reasonable coming up.)