$3000 a month working only two days?!?!? Is it fair to assume you'd make $6-7000 a month if you were working a full time schedule?

If so, be the PA and then rent a plane on the weekends to get your flying fix.

 

Move to MSP just in time for winter. Set up shop in your new PA job, then apply at Compass, Mesaba or Pinnacle all of which have bases here. Hopefully someday you will get hired at DAL and then would really be sitting pretty.

 

I hear this from a lot of people. Man, flying is totally a disease or a horrible addiction. I have other opportunities to make a large amounts of money but I choose to fly and be broke. I really don't know why but I know that if I were to leave, all I would want is to be back flying.

I always thought it would be an interesting topic to build your thesis on: "Pilots and their overwhelming desire to fly."

 

I always wonder why some airlines give a psych eval as part of their hiring process. Obviously we are all insane for picking this profession in the first place!

 

They want to see just how much time we'll be willing to sit on Reserve, sleep in a ****ty crash pad and work for wages that we currently earn. The crazier about flying we are, the more we'll put up with!

 

Stay in medicine!

I wanted to be an airline pilot since I was very young. I was very fortunate to have a first career which allowed me to retire young enough for a second career as an airline pilot. Say what you will about Mesa, and I have heard it all, they tossed me the keys to the Dash 8 after I was there about 4 months. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to be a captain, until I was furloughed.

If I had a "do-over", I would not change my first career choice. The pay and benefits were great, but the most important positive was the stability. Airline flying was a tremendous experience, but the pluses do not outweigh the minuses. Too much time away from home and too much instability to which to subject a family. Sadly for us, employers know that many of us remain horny to fly no matter what.

 

come on, i am with republic, how much more stablilty could you ask for.

 

I appreciate your circumstance. I was hired as an FO in 2007 and tried to commute to my base and keep my paramedic job. The paramedic job has a pension that begins paying after 20 years of service and I make about 7k a month.

I had originally planned to commute to my base and work 7/24 hour paramedic shifts for 3 years and then retire from my paramedic job. It would have been hard but I figured that at the end of three years I could collect the pension and then only work as an FO.

As the economy slowed, the number of flights to my base were cut and the planes were full or to heavy even for me to get in the jumpseat.

I couldn't walk away from a job that had a pension so I resigned from the FO position with a regional.

I am retiring next week and happy to collect the pension but I took another full time job as a paramedic. I don't get to do the job that I really love. I hope to make it back into a flying job as the economy improves.

My point is that its tough to make the right decisions for your financial future and family. But put them first. Try not to leave your FO job if that's what you love but you may need to move until a new base opens or you can find another place to practice as a PA.

I don't regret my decision but I also don't enjoy flying around in a C172 for fun. I need a mission or a reason to fly in order to be satisfied.

 

unfortunately, it's not about you anymore. It's all about your kids, wife, and family at this point. if you are unable to support them with your FO salary then you have to let it go and do whats best for your 2 kids. Difficult to leave the flying behind but we always take our love ones for granted!

 

Isn't it amazing that you can't even make a living as an airline pilot?