I write to those who are considering entering the profession and to those who are thinking of getting out. My aim is not to tear down sitting legacy pilots but to draw a comparison to those who are entering the profession today and to what their futures might be like. The hardships and challenges they face are different from those who started flying 20 years ago.

I ask those who are here in opposition to ask yourselves if you were 19 years old today would you still proceed into the career knowing what new pilots face? I can understand a desire to oppose me as a sitting legacy pilot to defend your profession. I would not quit either. My question is, would you do it again, now? Could you honestly recommend aviation to others? Sully and Barry Schiff would not and my guess is that neither would most in the legacy airlines either.

I am sure that many here will be forced by their positions in opposition to me to say "yes" but privately would have to think about it.


Skyhigh

 

One of your better posts. Just keep away from the doom and gloom as is applies directly to you.

The best distinction, in the airline pilot business, is that those who "got it" (legacy airline, lots of seniority, stable company), and those who most likely may not "get it".... any of it.

 

I have about 11 years to go in this industry and then I can say good bye. I tell those who want listen that it is sort of like a college football player wanting to make the NFL, it's possible to make it there but a slim chance at that. I feel making a good career today as a pilot is no different.

 

Damn.... Makes me think a lot when I hear this.

 

Yep. I'd do it all over again and twice on Sundays

USMCFLYR

 

+1!! Me too.

For every SkyHigh there are 10 very satisfied professional pilots out there doing the business of aviation in every imaginable sector out there. They are very happy with where they have landed in life and DON'T have the time or desire to share their happy and successful stories on APC nor do they care to read SkyHighs depressing drivel.
I'm not discounting the validity of SkyHighs all consuming woe-is-me saga; I'm just saying that there is a group of aviation professionals that have come out on top and will continue to thrive in the industry. Which one will you be? Not very different from any other profession probably. I'm sure you can find plenty of doctors, lawyers, engineers, Harvard Business school grads, etc. that feel their hard work has not payed off like they expected. Aviation is no different -- it's a gamble. But there are and will continue to be incredible opportunities in aviation that provide for a lifestyle beyond compare with any desk-bound, cubicle-chained, stuck behind a computer monitor career. Best of luck to all who continue to pursue their dreams. Cheers,

Thunder1

 

Pretty much what Sky said... which will you be? He suggests, as I do, that for whatever large number of folks who start an airline career (this is "Alrline Pilot Forums"), not many will be in the left seat of a transcon heavy for an overnight in an exotic location for a stable airline (that won't fail) with a 9 day work month.

Even in good times, it's a gamble. In the past ten years, the odds have gotten longer. Almost without exception, those who are most critical of Sky's message are themselves successful so far in their flying career.

Will the future be better or worse? Lots of moms and dads are still sending Johnny and Sally to a six figure school to pursue a career that isn't what it was. Many of those will fail to reach that left seat; moreso than perhaps anytime in the past generation, in my opinion.

Others, I'm sure yourself, have a different view based on your experiences. Give me a call in 30 or 40 years and see who was right.

It's not rocket science; it could go either way. Like Sully and Schiff, and many other retired career airline pilots who did have a pretty good run, they are not overtly encouraging their sons and daughters, and even steering them away from the career.

I would only suggest that a solid PRIMARY career be established (degree, work experience) before embarking on this one.

 

Tony,
You are mostly spot on with this post. In fact, I give SkyHigh due credit for helping to improve the industry long-term by helping to weed-out those who only have a passing interest in aviation and are lured by Shiny Jet Syndrome vs. a true desire to be an aviation professional. Hopefully, the warnings of potential failure in this industry by Sky and others will have some positive effect in the natural supply-demand relationship of pilots/jobs in the industry and help to restore some of the lost pay and lifestyle of the past. However, to those who loathe the idea of sitting in a cubicle and working behind a computer screen there will be room for you at the top. And by the way, the "Top" is not so narrowly defined in my mind as to be a Legacy Airline wide-body Captain. There are many other well-paying, rewarding aviation venues than just that one. Cheers,

Thunder1

 

The thriving 747 Captain!

Great posts thunder, I totally agree. As is everything worth having in life it comes down to how bad you want it. Some say getting to the top in this business (however you may define that) is a long shot. Maybe it is maybe it isn't, that's subjective but this is fact: the one who gives up on their dreams without ever even reaching for them will be let down every time. At 23 I realize that what I don't know greatly overshadows what I do but one thing I have learned so far through my own personal experiences is that one's level of success in any endeavor is directly related to the amount of enthusiasm, effort, and focus they choose to give.

Just the fact that we all live in a free country already makes us all very fortunate individuals; we are all completely free to pursue any dream however, we must also remember that this does not mean our dreams will always come true. If you want guarantees in life then the American system is not for you; the philosophies of Carl Marx would be more appealing to you perhaps. There will always be external influences that have the power to inhibit but don't dwell on what you can't control. And to those that truly devote and sacrifice all they possibly can yet fall short of their ultimate goal I say stand tall, you have nothing to be ashamed of...

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. " - Theodore Roosevelt.

 

+1

There are winners & losers in every field. The ones who stop fighting LOSE, the ones who stop swimming DROWN..... That's law of nature.

Aviation in specific & life in general, is the combination of 2 things:
1) The game of snakes & ladders (I wonder if anyone remembers playing that one....)
2) The Hare & the tortoise story.

Some will have it easy, they will get easy laders to top, some will have to toil hard for it & will be bit by the snakes & thrown down again & again.
But all those who don't quit & get up & start moving again, are the ones who will reach the finish line.

Those who leave in the middle, may justify for whatever reason that they made a good choice but deep down, they will allways be miserable in their life. Such people never show their regret, will always look up every time a plane flies by & wish that they were there...