skycowboy

Ewwwkay couple of things...

First of all:
Ok.... medical school and becoming a physician is absolutley not something they just hand you, I worked in surgery a couple of years before hospital politics took its toll. Medical school has gotten extremely competitive and if you don't know someone, good luck getting in. There are just as much politics involved, and by the way, the surgeon lifestyle is that far fetched from the pilots... They are up for days at a time. My father had a friend in pharmacy school who got his RPH and then hated it so he become a surgeon and was dead with in a few years - stress. Becoming a surgeon today is virtually on par with respect to quality of life. Now true they make a load of cash.

It is not arguable anymore that the job isn't what it used to be. Everyone knows that. Its stupid as well, if you want to use the surgeon analogy, that we jump through hoops and have training on par with that of a doctor, just in another sector of the world, and we are not compensated properly.

But honestly how many people end up in trailer parks?

And also this is just a question to satisfy my curiosity, if people are so dispassionate about flying now days, then why exactly do they sign up for forums like this? Why on earth would so much time be devoted to *****ing, when time off from that crappy job could be better spent doing something else, such as fishing, hiking, or spending time with the fam - whatever makes you actually happy...

SexyJeny

I have been bless about my flight experiences..

I love to be in air and seeing continents on a weekly basis.

My pay check is good ( Euro pay check )…I love to live in Miami, and have time to spare with my parents in Rome Italy.

See ya


SexyJeny

Lighteningspeed

Sounds like you work for a European airline. I used to go to Europe often for my last job. Italy is my favorite European country to visit.
It's good you've had no speed bumps in your lying career yet. Most of us have and let's hope the future will be a smoother one.

Skyone

Tom,
When you and I started, there was no airline option for retired military. If there had been, no doubt I would have stayed on active duty for 20, gotten out and had another 20+ years with an airline (if 65 is a reality). Thirty three years old was out of the ballpark for hiring.

And using that inflation calculator, starting pay at all of the majors today is LOWER than what we made in out first year. If you remember, in the late 70s and early 80s, monthly pay for a narrow body major captain was same as the cost of a new American made midsized can. Sure can't say that today.

seaav8tor

[QUOTE]
becoming a physician is absolutley not something they just hand you,
[QUOTE]

They just hand you the left seat of a 777 to fly the world.

[QUOTE]
It is not arguable anymore that the job isn't what it used to be. Everyone knows that..............................But honestly how many people end up in trailer parks?
[QUOTE]

My perspective is over the span of 30 years. Where we were. Where we are. Considering all the forces in motion trying to estimate where you will be 30 years from now. The question is not how many people end up in trailer parks, now; The question for someone starting out, using all the forward looking information you can obtain is what is the projection going forward 30 years? It was a great ride for my Dad, it was a good ride for me, looking ahead, unless you have low expectations on the compensation side, you will be unhappy. But as I said in the first post, if the cash side and time away from home doesn't matter, you will love the job!


They want to give something back to the career since so much has been taken away

727C47

You have to have the fire for this profession,that deep abiding love for lift and weight,overcoming thrust and drag,to put up with all the drama,and uncertainty. But I love it,I really,truly do.

Lighteningspeed

Amen. I agree totally. After 9/11 I spent years in management positions shuffling papers, and I wondered if I would ever get back in the air and get paid for it. I made good salary but I was always looking for excuses to go fly. Now that I am flying professionally again, thank God, I know I am in the profession that I always knew I was supposed to be in.

Bob_Sacamano

I really enjoy my job. Although the 737 is a dinosaur...

727C47

same,same the 727,but she is still the sharpest looking ship up there,at least since the Concorde ceased burning Jet-A.

kouk

Like most posts here, flying is what you make it and to what ends you use it.

In my case, I have a 6 figure gov flying job, home every night, nearly gauranteed a 3% cost of living pay raise each January and all the 401K and gov retirement bennies. This just happens to be my situation, after 20 years of flying for the USAF.

I have considered the people carriers, but like all of you have mentioned, the low pay and instability does not make that market attractive. Why take a pay cut and risk my family's future for a roll of the dice that I may someday possibly could be a captain, and event then, if the company goes bad, it all goes away. The freighters are still attractive, but only UPS and FedEx are worth it for me.

So, like you, I have a dilema, go to the freighters, or stay in my secure job? I can go through the plus and minus of each, but again, to what end are you flying for. I enjoy my kids, my wife and my community, which I am highly involved in. My goal in life is to be a good dad, hubby and community leader. My end is to choose the position that will allow me to do that. Can I do it in either position...sure...but each has it's own form of scheduling and job responsibilities. You have to choose which one you want to deal with.

I love flying, and would never want to work for a living, but I don't love it to the point of making my family suffer low pay and instability. Choose whatever your personal life will accept, because in the end, when you can no longer fly due to health, etc, your personal life better still be there, otherwise, you sold your soul for the wrong reason.