Me too blastboy, me too.

Hey! Maybe they should bring back.....Oh, forget it!! I'm living in my fantasy land again. The glory days will never come back. I'll just face the music and move on. I sure do miss the industry I knew as a kid; flying airplanes and getting paid good money for it. Ignorance was bliss! :D

My Grandpa got hired by TWA in 1953 upon his return from Korea. He flew from 1953 until his retirement in December of 1984 - about 6 months before Icahn bought the airline. Not sure if it was the "best" time - but living in Kansas City (TWA's headquarters at the time) it seemed pretty glamorous. The transition from props to jets was a huge and exciting transition, the airlines were regulated, pay was great - just seems like he hit the timeline jackpot.

Heyday
 

Every career and industry has its hey day and natural life cycle. In the 1950's the airlines were new and pilots were closer to astronauts than bus drivers. I am sure that Blacksmiths watched in dispair as their careers faded away too with the coming of the industrial age.

Though every one of us here wish things were diffrent there is no doubt the good times for pilots are gone and we havent even found bottom yet.

SkyHigh

Thanks for shring this, Stinson! This is the kind of story I was hoping for. :)


I'm terrified to ask what age we're headed for but I have a twisted gut feeling that I already know the answer to this. Haven't seen you here is a while, sky. Good to see ya! :)

Wheel of Fortune
 

Well, maybe. Age permitting, the bottom of a cycle is the best time to get aboard and the top is the best time to cash in your chips and walk away. Your story indicates that you probably did the right thing by going into construction when you did, but the wheel continues to spin. No matter what becomes of the airline pilot profession, there will be those who say "I knew that would happen.":cool: But they really didn't. And there will be those who kick themselves for having made the "wrong" decision.:o But they really shouldn't. Research, choose, work, and then accept. Repeat as necessary.:)

As everyone knows, the airline industry is very cyclical and affected by factors outside its control. Price of oil, new technological innovations, new business models, domestic and international economics, terrorist attacks, fickle flying public all conspire to produce an industry that is almost difficult to predict. People who choose a job in an airline are assuming no more or less a risk than those choosing to work anywhere else. We each do what is best at that point in time of our life, based on the facts that are known to us at that time. It is akin to buying one’s first house. Do some research, evaluate your own skills, abilities, education and training, look for the best possible job out there. If it happens to be at a major airline, and that is what you’d like to do, then by all means accept the job. However, no job is a fait accompli. As human beings, we try to better ourselves and look for validation.

The original question asked for the best times. I think the answer is necessarily subjective. And as I understand it, many people on the forums are in their 20s, so not alive to personally experience flying the great birds of the 70s. Of course I like the good old days of people dressing up before boarding an airplane, where one is served real food on real china by employees who seem happy to be there. Packing myself into an aluminum tin can (well, ok, composite now) with hundreds of people, many of whom wearing sandals and shorts, smell bad, talk loudly or carrying backpacks is not my idea of glamour. (I hope my CAL flight tomorrow won’t have these people!! :)).

I still remember some of my flights in the early 80's with many of the people dressed well for the flight. To this day, I still wear a tie with a nice blazer, especially when I'm non-reving on UAL. I'm not sure about the food in the 80s but I remember my dads' stories from the 70s when "real food" was served by genuinely happy employees. Certainly was a glamorous job then. >sigh< Maybe a retro airline will pop up soon that will bring back all the greatness of flying and the service that once came with it. We can only hope. :)

Cycle
 

If one were to step back and survey the industry from the early 1980's until now it is obvious that it is on an overall downhill slide. It is still cycling but overall the main direction is obvious to anyone who cares to look.

SkyHigh

Its already here.

Its called NetJets.

The only problem is that all us plebs can't afford the ride. Well, its not a problem to them. To them its a highly desireable feature.