Many people dream about owning a restaurant or a bar, but the success rate in that is really low too, and you still have to kiss the customers a$$, you still have to go into major debt initially, you still make peanuts and work 16 hour days until your restaurant succeeds, which could be 5 years down the road. If you want to be happy and do what you want, you gotta take risks. Flying for the big airliners isn't the only option,now more than ever since the pay rates are low. you won't be stuck at 20-30k forever. you can either fly at a regional or corporate and eventually make 50k or more, most people can live off that as long as you don't spend like an idiot. and if your wife makes about 30k, that's 80k household income. you can look at it anyway you want, but DON'T do it for the money. There are many things that you can earn more money at. Do it because you love it.

It's not just about the money, though. Spending nights in a hotel room alone (or with a flight attendant) can be fun when you're young and single, but as soon as you get married, everything changes. All of a sudden, I'm thinking, "why do I want to be gone from my beautiful wife for 2 weeks out of every month?" when I can sleep with her EVERY night instead?

Yeah, the money can be good. You can live off of $100k fairly well. IF you happen to choose the RIGHT company that won't fold, or furlough you, or get bought out, or dilute the contract in the next 10 years... But here's something to think about- my cousin's boyfriend just got a job driving a truck around Chicago, all local, home every night, and he starts off at $70k a year, plus benefits. And he's home every night. And the reality is, as a regional pilot, you won't be seeing decent wages for a few years, at the very least. Unless you're lucky. It can happen.

It's not the worst industry, and it's not the best. It's finally boiled down to the "just another job" category. Some people love it, some people hate it, most are in-between. Personally, I'd rather spend time with my wife than alone in a hotel. I'm looking for work outside the industry, and I'll buy myself a nice DiamondStar later, and have fun flying that.

All that being said, though, you're young and hopefully single. As a 30 year old, these wages can suck. As a 21 year old, not too bad. If you stick with one company and build up some seniority, life can be decent. Just do yourself a favor- when you go to college, skip all the courses dealing with aviation (unless it's a management related degree; you'll learn enough non-aviation stuff to help you out later). Find something else you're interested in, wether it be economics, art history, literature, math, construction management, whatever, and study that, so you'll have a backup plan in case this aviation thing dosen't pan out as you like it too. Don't fall into the crowd of "it's the best job on earth, I get to fly an airplane!" people. These guys are typically morons who refuse to aknowledge that the industry's in the s#!t, or are too scared to go and try something new. It's just a job. Nothing more. Just. A. Job. There are better paying fields out there, where you get to spend more time with family and friends and where you can actually hold an intelligent conversation with people that dosen't center every single time on flying stories or comparing aircraft. Don't start believing that you'll "make it up in the end", paywaise. As someone else posted on this board on some other topic, it's not how much you make at the end of your career that matters, but how much you make at the beginning. It's called compounded interest, and it makes a HUGE difference.

Can it be a fun job? Absolutely! I had a blast at times. Can it be a frustrating and tiring job? You bet! Almost every trip you come home from you'll be wiped out. But most of the time it's a downright boring job, where all you do is look out a window for 8 hours a day or read USAToday. Once in a while, you might get paired up with someone who can hold a conversation, but those guys are few and far between.

My sister's an architect. She can point to a building and proudly say "I created that!". She has a sense of accomplishment with that. What can we say about our profession? Unless we happen to land a sick airplane and save the day, what sense of accomplishment do we have at the end of the day? Very little.

But there's something to be learned when you talk to long-haul 747 pilots pulling in $150k a year or more and you find out they're getting out, wish they got out 10 years earlier, they're tired of the unions, the bad schedules, the backstabbing and all the other stuff that people don't generally discuss on these boards.

Furthermore, I'd like to add one thing.

It's this "do it because you love it" attitude that helped get this industry where it is today. If people stopped kidding themselves and started "doing it because it pays the mortgage" instead, I think the entire industry would be better off. Because as soon as you figure out that it's just a job and "doing it because you love it" dosen't pay the bills, you've already spent too much time and effort to easily walk away from it.

sure, why not?

You should not have to ask people "Is this what I should do?". If you really wanted to be a pilot you would do it no matter what. If it means going into debt you would do it if you really wanted it. Pilots are not pilots because they make alot of money doing it, well some are, but they do it because it is what they love. Do something that you want to do. Not what you think you want to do.

WOw. Come to an airline pilot message board to ask abotu a carer as an airline pilot and 90% of them say do something else. I guess no body should do it then.


I say go for it if thats your dream. And you dont have to go into debt. I never went into debt. Just plan your money and develop a pln to get your lisences. You dont have to go to a big name flight schol. You can join a local flight school or join CAP or get a commission in the military. There are many different avenues and none are better than the other. It depends on you and what you want.

Airlines dont care wher eyou got the training, they want you to have it. ANd you do need quality training but you can do that on your own.

It's fun for a few hundred hours. After that you just want to read the newspaper. Takeoffs in an EMPTY jet are always fun

How about systems and aerospace technology? Do you enjoy reading about that kind of stuff? How about working on and fixing cars or computers? An airline/corporate/military pilot has to understand and manage a number of high-tech systems....you will spend far more time doing that than actually hand-flying. I enjoy that kind of stuff, but not everyone does.

I'm glad to seee that you are doing some flying before committing to a career, very good idea.

Yes, you'll probably get knocked down.

At your age you have an opportunity to pursue the best possible airline career track...

1) College & Flight training
2) CFI immediately after college (during college if possible)
3) Regional Airline
4) AFTER you complete training at the regional, join the Air National Guard (any fixed wing squadron, fighters, transports, or tankers, whatever you like and can get accepted into).

This will allow you to acquire airline seniority and experience AND get the military ticket punched at the same time. You will be very marketable for a major airline by age 30, and can always fall back on the guard if the airline takes a downturn. Keep this in mind...

Time = because of your age= is on your side...Time won't wait for you...You'll have to act or you'll end up like me and others - flying after we retire from the military. I'll be in my 40s when I get into flight training beyond the PPL level. If the career is going well I'll stay.

At the end it is a matter of choice. I'll never see the inside of a major airline cockpit. At best I'll make it to Captain for a regional. However, realistically I see myself working for a place like Ram Air Freight just to scratch the aviation bug and get paid to do it. I may just become one of those crazy old CFI at your local FBO that just enjoys helping kids reach their goals.

I sometimes wish I had better vision as a kid - I was medically DQ'd from USAF flight trainng options. By the time I had my eyes fixed thru PRK - I was too old so I went out and got a PPL to get over the depression...

Now I watch F-15s and F-22s at Langley...

The best advice to you would be to concentrate on your education right now - get that BS / BA in something you like and is a good backup (business, accounting, engineering, etc...). Then get your ratings / CFI to build experience. What ever you do have the self - respect and pride in yourself to not buy a job...

Best wishes / good luck...

-LAFF

This holds true if you are young enough. if you are in your late 20's, going to a big name school might be your best choice because you get all your training knocked out and you can start instructing within 14 months to build your time. if you are in your teens or early 20's, taking the longer route and not getting onto debt is by far the best choice.. IMO