This does seem to be true. I will say though it’s something I truly do not understand nor will I ever get my head around. If you never intend to command an aircraft why would you even enter the profession? I just don’t get it.


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200+lbs of self loading baggage? ;)

(I’m mostly joking)

I've flown with a few who are already "retired" in the right seat. They are just waiting a few more years before they leave. If you aren't aiming for the first page or two of the wide report, those pilots help you get to the left seat sooner. Thanks for staying #1.

Because, for some pilots, it's just a job. It doesn't identify them. When asked , "What I did", I would start with some BS answer like, "Consultant" ... if pushed, or I might see the individual again, I might say, "I work in the airline industry". If pushed, I might acknowledge that I was a pilot. I shied away from identifying what I actually did. Not because I was ashamed, but because it didn't identify me. I never said, "Why yes, I am am a pilot, an airline pilot at a major airline. As a matter of fact, I am a captain on a super premium international jumbo jet. By GAWD, I am the HMFIC!"

It's all about the pay vs QOL... everybody makes their own calculus. Sometimes it is as Captain, sometimes as a FO. I never gave two shats which.

Haven’t you ever heard- seniority is everything?! A very senior first officer can easily make more money than a mid seniority captain. Not all of us NEED to be the Captain! How do you identify yourself when people ask what you do? Let me guess…

Tell me you let this job define you without telling me you let this job define you, lol.

Most of us have already been in command at our regional carriers/military. If you’re making the money you want with a fantastic quality of life, who the heck cares about being a captain again?

Agree with this. Some people have their life really, really dialed in. I saw it up in MSP. People went to the highest paying, highest seniority spot they could hold and lived their life to the fullest. Bid their trips, flew their lines and went home. Period. Months and years on end of the same day turn. Zero interaction with the Company outside the airplane. They quite literally turned it on when they got to work, and shut it off when they left.

I could only hope to have my life like that one day.

Go ahead and guess. Based on your tone I’d bet you’ll be wrong.

In any case, I never said there’s anything wrong with it. I only stated I don’t understand it.

There’s also something else I don’t understand. If it really doesn’t matter, why are some so sensitive about it?


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Maybe they don't care enough about that extra stripe to take the pay cut or to work more.

As for the "never intend to command" phraseology, some absolutely did "intend to command" but once they got to senior FO they realized their pay was very good and QOL was amazing and they didn't want to give that up. Likewise I know some who chase the left seat even for a pay cut and a worse schedule because they "have to be Captain". Now that's something I never understood.

The pay cut to upgrade I think is urban myth but maybe I’m wrong. Im thinking there aren’t many year 7 pay scale FOs earning more then NB Captains.

As a NB FO I really worked the system best I could to make the money (Civilian mid 40’s hire so no mil pension, no tricare and very little saved for retirement up to that point.) After I moved to NB Captain, I worked less and my W2 was $100k more.
Again, there’s no right answer. This is just the perspective from my little corner of the world.


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