wheresmyplane

Got furloughed and that kind of made the decision for me. I'm actually back to what I was doing before I started flying and you know what? I can actually afford to do stuff and I'm home every night. I've even had steak! The new company gave me a vehicle, phone, computer, and I have a great deal of freedom. It's the closest thing to being my own boss. I DO miss flying. I was on a roof in Queens yesterday and could watch planes landing at LGA - that made me miss it a lot. You don't have to be at an airline to fly, though. You can always work a day job and go fly for Rich on the weekends. I remember you saying you missed that kind of flying anyway.

TonyWilliams

Excellent choice.

rdneckpilot

I'm out also. Hopefully this fall. Will still be flying just not with the airlines.

JoeyMeatballs

good discussion going on here, makes me not feel so guilty for wanting to get the hell out despite what i went through to get here

TonyWilliams

That's what they'll hear.... Woo Hoo !!!! Guys are VOLUNTARILY leaving to make room for us !!!!!

Blueskies21

I am considering my ways out, things that may be aviation related or share skill sets.
I tell as many people as I can if you want to keep loving aviation, do it as a hobby. It rapidly becomes a J - O - B. I think pilots are our own worst enemies with the bragging that goes on. "I have 15 days off" well that's great but the other 15 days you're completely gone. Pilots may be gone for 300 hours a month and get paid for 75-100, doesn't sound as good now does it? Well sure but they're not working that whole time, lots of that is layover... OK sure, that's true. Let's go ask the average cubicle worker whether they're interested in only working 75 hours a month, but wait, you still have to be at the office 300 hours a month. How many people do you think are going to be interested in that deal?
"I get to fly whereever I want" Sure, standby. So with the reduction in capacity you may not get on, and you may have to go though 3 airports to get where you want to go, and you can't probably go to popular places during popular times... ever tried to nonrev somewhere warm during spring break??
How often do you really use your flight benefits that aren't somehow getting you to or from work or maybe back home where you had to leave to live in base?
Wouldn't it be just as nice to be able to afford regular tickets for your regularly scheduled vacation?
All that before you start talking about the setbacks within a career of furloughs, loss of medicals, getting canned for something that makes the press, and lets not even discuss the possibility of dying and having all your last actions scrutinized about how aweful a pilot you were.
I started before 9/11, obviously that was a game changer.
Guys that say "Well yea, I'm suffering now but I'm going to get to work 5 days a month for 300k a year" I just want to SHAKE those guys hard. It's OVER, that doesn't exist ANYMORE! And even if you want to say yea, but fedex etc etc that's after what? 5-10 years in industry? and then for the huge paycheck is... 10 years at fedex? There's also the whole, you have no idea what will the the IT airline in 20 years, hope you're willing to bet your career on it. 10 years ago guys wanted to be at UNITED, ask those same guys now if they want be at united? 15 years ago, NOBODY wanted to be at FEDEX, how about now? It's darn hard to be able to tell what will be an awesome airline over the course of a career.

Rant off. We're all a bunch of dream chasing idiots.

alwaysflying

From someone who has been furloughed from 2 majors since 9/11.

I am currently out of the industry, working in a cubicle. I have some freedom. I meet clients in the field, I control my appointments and after two years of employment I can work from home. I have the potential to make six figures and I am home everynight. Sounds really great. (By the way this is my third career. My first career was a cubicle and I was getting promoted every two years or so.)

I know alot of furloughees who went down the path of working in a cubicle thinking it was going to be great.

I can tell you from experience, working in an office is a tough environment. Can be alot more stressful than flying aircraft. I was told when I got hired at my current job, there was very little stress, yeah right. Me, along with others that got hired at the same time, think they lied to us. Can I handle the stress yeah, but its get old after awhile.

Let me tell you have a backup plan and degree if you get furloughed. I did and was lucky in 2008 to get a very secure government job. Do I miss not having management breath down my neck, you bet. My have to account to somebody regularly for my work. I have meetings to attend, sometimes three in a week, which get boring. I work 8am to 4:30 pm. Bad thing, sometimes I have to bring the work home on the weekends to get it done. Deadlines can not be missed.

In the corporate work place, you sometimes don't get to leave the job behind. Sometimes you do. But as you get promoted, its gets even harder to leave behind.

In a flying job, you leave the aircraft go home or to the hotel and you don't have to worry unless scheduling calls. Only deadline is getting the flight out on time and making your commute flight home.

I am not saying the corporate world is bad, just real different. Many of my fellow furloughees thought it was wonderful, in the beginning, to have a secure job and be home everynight. A year or two later, they hate life and some are back flying already.

I don't mean to preach, just give the opposite picture. Would I return to flying if given the chance, depends on the industry and if I get recalled to the major I was furloughed from in 2009. I am grateful everyday I have this job to gain a wealth of knowledge that I can use to start a business if I so chose. But don't think the corporate 9 to 5 and home everynight is everything.

Do what you love and enjoy life. Its to short. Many people in the corporate world hate what they do for a living, but they need the money and have families.

odog1121

Day care cost more than what I make. Wife makes decent money. This job have the flexibility for me to be a house husband wihout losing career progression (seniority wise). works for me

Blueskies21

Take note, this is one of the few ways to make this career work now. Marry a woman that will make enough money for your hobby to continue indefinately. Sad but true, the guys who's wives make money have waaaay more flexiblity. Very much the same idea as someone else mentioned about starting a side business, flying is great if you don't have to rely on it for income.

fatmike69

Will add my 2 cents.... was fortunate enough to be hired at the beginning of a boom. Flew right seat for a couple years (by choice), and upgraded 2 years ago. Bid in the top third on my equipment, usually fly 3 or 4 4-day trips a month (12-14 days off/month), and do not commute (at least by air, a little bit of a drive). Gross a little over 60k /yr, wife also works full time. Also use the travel benefits alot, have flown first class to many international destinations, something I would have never been able to do otherwise. So, all things considered, I guess I'm happy where I am, not actively looking to leave.

I realize I probably am the minority here. I've been lucky with my progression so far, and would definitely by singing a different tune if I were six years in the right seat commuting across the country. My current position has little to do with my own efforts, but rather luck of the draw, or right place at the right time. However, with all the negativity on these boards, I guess I just wanted to offer a different perspective. So, I guess I will continue to enjoy what I can, while the industry allows me to.