Quote:
Originally Posted by M40Shooter
..Maybe some current UPSers can chime in with some opinions /guidance based on the company and industry outlook.
Thanks...
Wow, this feels like a déjà vu all over again. In '04 a very good friend of mine left a corporate Gulfstream job at a stable corporate outfit where he flew and also did some management duties, I think he was an assistant chief pilot or maybe even a chief pilot? Can't remember but I know he made just a little more than what you're making now and remember that this was 10+ years ago. So he lived a good life.
Everyone was shocked because this guy was all about corporate flying, he seemed to love it and had never done anything else but corporate...
He said that the first couple of years were tough because of the initial pay cut and also because, just like you, he was used to great food on the road, long international layovers, fancy hotels.
His wife was the one who kept telling him to go to ups (believe her dad had retired as a ups mechanic?) ..and I guess she prevailed.
Once he figured out our bidding system he started getting used to it and eventually ended up bidding reserve a whole lot because at the time he had two small kids and since he lived within 1+ hours of SDF he bid reserve and ended up being home a lot.
Anyways, 2 1/2 years later his previous company shut down the flight department, didn't shrink it but simply shut it down. He said he never thought it'd happen.
I'll send him an email to see if he could give you his current perspective via PM maybe? (don't think he's on apc?)
Personally I like it here and most people I fly with do too. There's a lot of venom here and on our internal forums BUT I think people who're ****ed off (usually rightfully so) tend to express it more often than people who're content. ..again, I'm not discounting the complaints here, I've done my share of complaining here, I'm just saying that the average ups pilot doesn't even know what apc is? Most just do their jobs and put it behind them on their days off so you never hear about them here... So don't make up your mind based on comments you found on a message board, be it "good" ones or "bad" ones.
We despise the way management deceives us, the fact the company lies to us whenever they can and because the contract takes forever. ..BUT I fly with great people, have a nice paycheck and health insurance and when I'm home they leave me alone. Except for the occasional JA call (where I always write down what was available and then tell them I'm unavailable, just so the union knows what's going on).
Other than that I forget the company BS on my days off.
You have a tough decision to make but at least you have a choice.
Whatever you decide - please NEVER EVER accept a management position. Whether you accept the line pilot position or not - never look back. Wish you the best!