PearlPilot

As a CFI I run into many pilots from current, former, furloughed, wannabees, dreamers, etc. Being a pilot has always been a sort of dream for me, that after becoming a CFI I felt that I achieved my goal of getting paid to fly and that "Dream" quickly turned into a job. Yes I enjoy flying very much, and I love the challenges of being a CFI. It is also a great feeling to sit in a 172 and look up at the night sky and the bright lights below. I can go on and on about the magic and the beauty of flight. I would be lying if I said that I haven't at all felt discouraged, bitter, and sad about the "industry." The more time I spend at the airport and among pilots I hear phrases like "the industry is always changing, always have a backup plan, aviation is never certain etc." Although these statements are absolutely true, it does little for a person like me to be hyped about aviation. I was more hyped about aviation before I got into training. After becoming a CFI my interest level in aviation has substantially gone down. I never thought it would happen. The industry being so bad, and the amount of furloughed and unhappy pilots, and hanging around much negativity has certainly put a dark cloud on me. I was badly in need of a motivation factor. I needed something to keep going. I still want to give this a shot, I am far from giving it up. The dream is still very much alive thanks to a simple thought. I love the beach, the sun, and the "island." So I am hyped now and have made my goal to someday work for Hawaiian Airlines. The thought of working at Hawaiian makes me happy and makes me want to work hard as a CFI, work for a regional for a few years and then apply for this major airline. I am now back to being a dreamer. I know it sounds a little silly. I may never even get a shot at Hawaiian, but I think aviation in itself is a dream because flying is extraordinary. Hence to stay motivated and to remain hyped about aviation, my goal is to set a very high standard. Am I way off track here? How do you stay motivated? I do apologize for all those who have been furloughed and if I in any way hurt your feelings. That is not at all my intention. I am simply stating that we need to find ways to keep future pilots excited about flying as it is and can be a very rewarding career...

MarcS08

I am also a low time CFI. Breaks seem to be few and far between but the good news is I have seen a fairly drastic turn lately in the flight school i'm working at. People are starting to get jobs. One of my coworkers recently got hired by a regional at 500/50. While no job you see may seem glorious to you but is there anything you would rather be doing? For me, absolutely not. We have one of the coolest jobs in the world. We get to fly airplanes everyday. Good luck!

wizepilot

I have to say that my motivation is waning. When I took my first intro ride, I was hooked. I knew right then and there that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Here's where the brakes come on. I have been flying for going on 39 years now. The past 37 have been as a CFI, CFII, MEI. I actually got hired at age 54 for CHQ. I could not believe it, I thought, I got hired to be an airline pilot. After six weeks of indoc, ground school, sim training, I resigned three days before completion. QOL sucked, they would not base me where I chose, even though I had "seniority" in my class because of my age, etc.. Nowadays I just fly when I can, mostly with the locals who need BFR's or IPC's in their own aircraft. Not what it was almost 40 years ago when I got the urge to fly. Sorry about the wandering rant...

tomgoodman

I suspect that in most other professions, motivation starts to wane long before the 39-year point.
Sounds like you made a good career choice.

sinkrate3278

Aviation is pretty amazing. And it always will be. But aviation is a wet dream compared to the inconvenient fact that one must also work to make it fly. Work sucks. Flying is beauty. Flying for work is a mixed bag.

Flying is great but eventually it becomes like driving a car. To stay motivated is to resist a natural human feeling of getting "used" to something. Remember that hot girl you dated and all that exciting time you spent with her? What happened 5 years later? Is she still that new, hot chick? What changed?

Things grow and get old. Thats life. But that's no excuse to give up on flying. It's the amount of happiness one gets from life that is the real wealth. Do what makes you happy and do it until you lose your smile.

But don't go to sleep with a poster of Hawaii airlines over your bed. It's a tough industry, one that resists personal plans and screws you over from time to time.

Work hard, play hard, and follow your heart.

HercDriver130

QOL sucked and you never got to the line??...oh and poor you they would not base you where YOU wanted..... gimme a break.

This industry certainly has issues.... but it has ALWAYS had issues.... ask the old timers who spent most of the 70s on furlough... or the guys who spent 15+ years sitting side saddle because there was no movement....

If you really love aviation...find your niche...and make it work for YOU. The job I have flying many would consider crazy for many reasons....it works for me.... find what works for you... or move on... no shame in that either.

Ewfflyer

My experience has been a positive one. Not saying it wasnt challenging at times either.

For me it wasn't just the opportunities that presented themselves, but making the most of where i was at also.

It's good to have goals and that eventual "dream" job, but if you focus just in that direction, you could be missing a golden opportunity right infront of you(which for me happened at all three aviation jobs). I thought I knew where I wanted to go, but the CFI gig was the only one that I had predicted accurately, everything else just fell into place and I couldn't be happier for the experiences I've had and where I am today.

JamesNoBrakes

I think the biggest things to focus on are aviation opportunities other than airlines and ways that you can work and be able to enjoy flying on the side. What fun is it being a slave running passengers all day from point A to point B, restricted to ATC routes and clearances? Very quickly that gets boring. If that's what you love, then great, but I love the freedom of flying, and I don't have to be an airline pilot to enjoy that. As the airline industry and opportunties are dying off, we are seeing the entire "machine" start to slow down and grind to a halt. Yes, there needs to be a reason to get trained and become a proficient pilot. There need to be opportunities. There aren't as many of them now compared to how many people want them, especially in the areas they want them (airline pilot). Don't be an ass to your students and be filled with negativity every day, but also honestly tell them about the state of the industry and how it really works (or doesn't) these days. We tend to think that "they'll just figure it out" or "they are responsible for knowing what they are getting into", but you can't blame these people that simply don't have the information or understand what we know. It's not fair, and then at the end they think you just tried to steal their money, which isn't true, but there is some responsibility to let people know the state of the industry and how it's changed over the last 20-30 years.

Loving aviation doesn't mean you have to work for an airline. Figure out a way to ENJOY aviation, not necessarily making a living doing that work.

snippercr

Pearl,
I was in a similar situation as you and not the much further ahead of you on the aviation road. Been at a regional for about 6 months now after doing the CFI gig for a couple of years (Got hired around 1200 hours). It was around after a year or so of being a CFI where I found myself in a similar situation. Before I would jump at every opportunity to get into the air. To fly and remember why I love aviation. There were times where I would just think "ugh... I dont want to go to work today."

I'll offer some advice, again from someone just a little further down the road than you. Hopefully it helps and provides some insight.

Like it or not, flying IS a job. It IS something we do to pay the bills. I wouldn't be flying a 50 seater jet with 430AM east coast wake up times (when I am from central) if I wasnt paid (sometimes it feels like that). So while it is something we love to do, it IS a job. Once I realized that, I actually felt better. All my previous jobs, even the ones I really liked (non aviation) that had great employees, fun tasks, good pay, etc etc... there were still days I didnt want to go (usually when the alarm clock went off), or thought to myself "Gahh... I hate this job." But again, it's something we have to do and as long as the good outweighs the bad by a considerable amount than it is worth it. I once had a job I was miserable at the WHOLE time and just too many reasons to hate it. Well, that didnt last long.

Now that I am in a jet at FL370, it again is fresh and exciting. I am challenged by flying in most days and bringing a plane full of passengers down to a safe landing requires my full attention. Sure once I get 1000s of more hours in type, it will become more routine, just like point landing a Seminole was. But until then, it keeps me on my toes.

As far as motivation, I guess I think to myself that I need to do what I need to do in order to get back home.

Another thing I've noticed with pilots are in anonymous forums, the negativity tends to abound without limits. Yet I've found in reality, it is not as negative and generally once you make the call "Cockpit door, locked and secure" the negativity goes down even more. I still have captains with 10, 15, 20 years talk about how much they love this job and that they could never see themselves behind a desk. That's not to say I've had my fair share of crotchety old guys complain non-stop while I nod obligatorily with my mic cold.

On the same note of avoiding negativity... stay away from APC as much as possible. I remember when I was a rising CFI I was on here religiously looking for advice, leads on jobs, hints a lower hiring minimums, etc. Now I try to limit my time as much as possible. There is just WAY too much negativity. Asking for motivation or advice on here is also risky so hopefully you'll get some actual good and useful advice.

And my last piece of advice I'll give that probably will be agreed by 95% of all pilots. Chances are you are going to get married (or already are) or have family you want to be with. With that in mind, do what ever you can to live in base - especially while on reserve. This includes not applying to all airlines, or being selective on which ones you choose. This last part people may disagree with since some are of the mind set to get on with any airlines immediately. To me, pay is only one small portion of the equation. Quality of Life is equal, if not more important. And to me, you can get good QOL if you live in base and can be home more nights than you are away.

Well, my coffee cup is empty. Hope there was something useful you gleamed from this.

Keep your head up and things WILL work out.

wizepilot

Do you know me? My situation? I didn't think so. I realized that I may not have gotten the base that I chose. Besides QOL, I resigned because of the hit in pay I would have taken. I thought I could make it work, because of my own business, on the days off. Didn't work out that way. Regional pay took out about 70% of what I normally earn at my business. I still love aviation, I have my niche. Also, do you think I was not aware of what was going on in the 70's? I learned to fly in 73. Tried to get on with UAL in 77. Didn't happen. Yes, I am an old timer by your standards. Over the years I interviewed with Comair, PSA, CHQ, a 135 cargo carrier (got that job, but had to decline because my wife was diagnosed with a pre-cancerous condition) and others. Just did not work out for me. I am glad your job works for you. Another "poor you" comment will get you nowhere.