Hello all,
I was a lurker here a year or so back, but stopped due to being busy. I know I'm not really anyone who would know a lot of the ins and outs of the forum; but I have reviewed the forum again and could use some advice. (sorry for the looooong post)

I've been working toward a flying career since May 1999 when I started pilot training at a local Pt. 61 at age 19. I hit Commercial SEL in '03 and snagged a B.S. in Aeronautics from '04-'08 at Kent State. I instructed Pt. 141 from the summer of '07 to '08 and picked up my IA and was working on my MEI when the Plane/weather/and Instructor was working. I got a ride with CommutAir in Cleveland, and started class the same week as I got my degree in May '08. (500 TT, 25 AMEL, 100 Dual Given)

Sounds good right? Unfortunately in the nine years from Intro flight to IOE day 1, I made the mistake of picking up some nasty personal habits (Friends, a house, a wife.) In that time I went from "I live at my parents and have no problem never being home." to "I like hanging out with my friends and sleep in the house I pay a mortgage on." This seems to be a natural change in personality over a Decade. Unfortunately, being busy with school and Instructing I didn't really notice it. Everything was Status Quo so I just didn't think about it (either Un-intentionally or Intentionally.)

Well, all of a sudden last summer I'm rocking 3-4 day trips and random mind shattering reserve schedules that I never got called in on ("you're off today at 10pm and on Tomorrow at 6am.") Which, though challenging given the total paradigm shift of lifestyle in under a month, I had under some semblance of control.

The big problem was the sudden rumors of a Newark base and Furloughs propagated by the company. The Newark Base was fact, the layoffs a month after base opening turned out to be false. Well, I took the job in order to base at home on the pocket change they were throwing at me, and commuting to ERW at under $20,000/year was out of the question. Especially so if a month later I was going to be out on the street. I let my morale slip into the gutter over the remainder of the summer and handed my letter of resignation to the Director of Operations October 2nd, the day I got my shiny new Newark schedule that had me home 2 days out of 28 and flying less then 10 of those days. And that with a company endorsed assurance of furloughs the following bid.

I ended up hating myself and the world and haven't flown since then. But now that the weather is getting nice again I find I still want to fly for pay, but I don't want an Airline type lifestyle. I was a miserable CFI and I have serious Perfection/Trust issues when it comes to the Wx and Mx standards of most small plane operators. Also I found that I really just don't seem to get along with Pilots very much. I tend to just be quiet and immerse myself in the Machine (the reason I got into flying) which is suicide from a CRM perspective (I've learned that Pilots are People persons and quiet makes them uneasy.)

I'm still doing the same job I have always done at the family business making the same pay I've always made. Really nothing else but flying makes me go "Man I wana go through four more years of University at 30 years old for that!" And now that the great white Horror of Cleveland winter has subsided and I can actually see the sun again I'm finding it awful hard not to think again about flying for pay (and how I need a full re-work of all my currencies.)

Do any of you still reading this crappy novel know of other solutions out there for flying during the day and sleeping at home? I'm not looking to make six figures, but I also know I could never do it as a hobby (because I'll never make seven figures.) Or has my 8 month self imposed excile left me with no more career?

 

Well right now with jobs very few and very far between its gonna be tough. Good luck....

 

First off, being a pilot is a social job. You've got to be able to have fun and deal with people. If you are flying "immersed in the machine" only, you'll not succeed very well. There are thousands and thousands of pilots that can all fly the airplanes. The ones that succeed are the ones who network, have/make friends, etc - and of course, luck does go a long way it seems.

You said: "...I'm not looking to make six figures, but I also know I could never do it as a hobby (because I'll never make seven figures.)..."

I call BS to this. First off, I am similar to you in your story. I am currently back in school finishing up a course of study un-related to flying. Assuming I move into that course of study (as opposed to another cockpit), I can easily make $45,000/yr right off. My wife does alright, as well. But even that aside, I can easily afford a C152 or an older C-172, PA28 or the like. You don't need 7 figures to fly as a hobby.

It sounds to me like you ought to consider another path.....

 

Guildenstern - first off... WOOF WOOF! Love the avatar and the movie! Kelly's Heroes is honestly one of my favorite movies of all time! Donald Sutherland will always be "Oddball" in my mind, even though he's had many other great roles.

As for the flying stuff, I can about imagine how you feel, I tried to get get out twice and every time I see an airplane fly overhead I feel like I need to be in the driver seat. Your options will be extremely limited right now but keep your eyes and ears open. Fly MS flight sim on your computer as much as you can tolerate to keep the instrument scan going and brush up as best you can (cheaply) and keep chasing opportunities. Did I see you got your IA? as in an A&P IA? If you do have your A&P certs that might suit you well in a corporate flight dept. someday or you can get back into the flying world that way (at least initially).

I'd look for some 135 jobs in the area honestly - they are usually looking for pilots more often and you might find a livable scenario. Its not always ideal and you'll have to get over some trust/maint issues you talked about (may not be perfect, new or clean, but SAFE is the key, but you will burn oil, leak oil, have deffered stuff, its deffinitly not the airlines.) As far as the WX standards, you wouldn't necessarily have weather radar and you have to go with your gut, what you see out the window, and solicit help from ATC. A little extra planning before the flight is what separates the safe pilots who are sucessful and move on from the reckless onces that end up with problems or worse an accident etc. I'm pretty happy with my 135 gig for now. I"m home everyday, have weekends off and I make more than a lot of regional FOs. Its not someplace I want to stay any longer than I have to but its a good place to be when the industry is upside down like it is. I have a steady paying job that pays ALL the bills, it keeps me current, and I'll be in a decent position when better things come along again. Overall I have many more days where I think "wow, this is great" than ones where I know I"m not compensated enough for flying down to minimums in a snowstorm at 2am with a bug sprayer for de-ice to depart again (as an example of a disgruntled day - but hey sometimes thats fun! sick I know) 135 jobs will also open you up to a lot of corporate flying opportunites that you don't realize are out there or might give you perspective on the other side of the industry chatting with corporate pilots at the FBO you may be waiting at for fuel, couriers, passengers, etc. It could be a welcome change from 121 but your milage may vary. At least I now I know I'm open to both.

Its good you recognize your personality issues or attitudes (if you'd call it that) since CRM, communication, and a positive attitude are important if you want to have a successful *happy* career and since you see that you should be able to adjust if you work at it. Its also good to be realistic about other goals or possibilities outside of flying for hire too - there are many fulfilling things out there and you can still be involved in aviation some way or another, even if its just mentoring some kid at the airport once in a while or the occasional rental. You can say "been there, done that!" which is more than many people who lose sight of the dream (for various reasons) before essential ratings or that first paid job. Good luck to ya!

 

I keep him on all my avatars to remind me to watch out wit' those neg-a-tive waves.

IA as in Instrument Airplane on my CFI cert. We got hollered at about "CFII" because we had some hardcore FARskiteers where I taught. I wish I could fix things, I mostly just brake things diffrently when I try and fix stuff.

You mostly described my Airline experience. Soft spots in the floors, We'll call Mx in at the end of the day, Very dirty leaky PWC-123's, No one knew how to use the DASH-8's Radar (Captains were suposibly taught, and FO's wern't, either way they were turned off or ignored a lot.)

See that was a problem I had in 121. "Dispatcher says go." was the sum total of most of my CA's preflight planning. I liked planning, most of the time I didn't know the route,or even the day's schedule, untill I was pluging it into the FMS. And I didn't have the free time to check the Wx (what little we got) untill cruse.

I'd love to find a good 135 op in Cleveland but it really seems like the Sargasso of the sky up here. There's some Jet operators who won't even look at me, and some flight schools who "offer" air taxi but no one has ever seen them carry a passenger. (they use High Performance twins as CFI bait)

The hardest part for me is the Networking. I'm not a people person, at all. I forget names and faces faster then it takes to finish a conversation. And I practicaly have a phobia towards bothering people I don't know.

I blame my current delemma on kinda being a mentor to two kids that were at the school that I taught . One was a student I had to pass off because I just wasn't clicking with him on a teaching level and the other was just an "older" student who I would talk to because nobody else seemed to want to put up with him since "he's forign and talks funny" (yea rock on colledge kids!) Both of them call me anytime they hit a milestone or need another way of understanding something. And both of them demand I stay in aviation. It was annoying at first being told I did infact like eveything I was angry about at the time by a kid who didn't have their Commercial yet, But lately it has been making me think.

To Byris:
Lest just say I'm the kind of person the Car dealership gets all excited about when I call in a service appointment. I can't sleep untill my stuff is right. That is why I'll need a 7 figure salary to own a plane without loosing my mind.

 

We have even more in common. I am the same way. However, there is a fine line between what is safe and what is required to pass the "OCD" test.

I grew up flying family owned airplanes - I can count the number of times I rented on less than 3 hands. I don't own one myself yet, but am very familair with the cost and its pretty much like having another home. If you can afford an additional mortgage payment on top of your current, you can own. Figure about 12-14k per year. And that includes flying it a good bit.

 

Safe don't factor into it. If it's my machine, it's gotta be pristine. And I know that just aint how it works with small planes, especialy old ones. I'd need to buy new and fix often.

 

A lot of cargo, 121 and 135 outfits fly junk. It is a part of the job to be able to understand what maintenance issues are annoying from what will take you down. The farther you get away from the airlines the worse it gets.

If you really need to fly well maintained stuff, get paid well and fly alone then join the military and become a fighter dude. Otherwise start saving up for a brand new Cirrus.

Outside of that your longings will go away over time.

Skyhigh

 

Sorry for the off thread part again, but "why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something good, and righteous for a change!?" Has got to be one of my favorite, and funniest movie quotes of all time!


Its amazing how little extra time it takes however to browse the essentials, even when doing 20 minute turns at an airline filling a full plane up (or dumping/picking up cargo on a 10 minute turn) - taking the 5 minutes to become familiar with all the important stuff makes a huge difference - and also helps the piece of mind to have ALL your ducks in a row before takeoff. (read - MAJOR benefit in peice of mind & safety) I'll admit that like many other 135 freight guys I've finished writing in my W&B in flight on a common run where I know where the CG and weight is going to fall, but I realize if it can't be finished on the ground so I have no priorities other than FLYING the plane, its not worth it. For many pilots though its a fine line between being very fast and efficent, and risking careless/reckless behavior. Its a fun but never ending challenge for me to be quick, efficent, safe, and thorough.

 

Are you still living in the Cleveland area? Cant guarantee anything but PM me and I can point you in a couple directions to go as to entry level part 135 jobs in the area, as I am originally from greater Cleveland/Akron. I dont currently reside there (I had enough of those absurd winters) but I still have some business contacts there.

It sounds like you really want to get back into flying (the lack of CRM ability could be a drawback for any operator)