I compare wages with a comparable level of effort and sacrifice. The average of every wage earner has every McDonalds worker and newspaper boy thrown in there. Pilots live in a false word of expectations. Pilots at the regionals have been kept down so long that they throw a party if they break 40K.

You have to look at the big picture. I would have much rather earn a living wage from day one than to have burned almost 20 years at below poverty levels dreaming of making the big 50K to 90K. Things have been on a down hill slide for the last 30 years. Project that slide into the future and a Greyhound bus driver probably will earn more.

In the end I have to ask myself what is the real path of a winner ? To find a place where my efforts are appreciated or hang on to a suckers bet? Horizon Air might be a safe place to hide out but I am not satisfied with mediocre. To me to have stayed there and not reached for my dream would have been would have been a loser's choice.

I made more last year than in all my years of flying combined. Every firefighter, teacher, union heavy equipment operator, long haul truck driver, urban police officer and 18 year old recruit in the military will earn more, have more and retire better than a pilot at the regionals over the same time period.

SkyHigh

 

Check out some of the wages of metro bus drivers in the big cities. 50-60 grand is the norm-for driving a bus.

 

Well there you go, you went for your dream. If being in some other career field was your dream, you would have went that route. Since we're talking about QX, let's compare Northwest wages of some jobs you've mentioned. I dated a gal (she was hot) who was a teacher in Salem for 13 years. I recall her saying (4 years ago) that she made about 45K. Granted, the State of Oregon pays exhorbinate amounts of cash to her tier-group for retirement, but not so the past 4-5 years for new-hires. So, 6 years of college and that's all she gets? OSP Troopers start at 40k/year...it doesn't go up that fast. An 18 year old military recruit?! Come on! The best they could do is 18k/year.

 

Yep. And you have to drive a bus! Have fun! Life is more than what you make.

 

skyhigh likes to play the role of the destroyer,it is a self imposed role, those who persevere will realize their dreams, for some the path is gilded,their exertions light,for others, boulders and mountains loom along the way,making ultimate success all the sweeter when the goal is attained. my story so far,10 years DC3, 2 years CV340, 6 years 727 and counting,I have loved the journey,even the 0'dark 30 nights,and fierce wx battles in the 3, I WAS A PILOT ! Hang in there, consult your inner compass,trust in God, your dreams,and go for it !!!! end of rave

 

Let me try to summarize this for any airline career hopefuls who may still be reading SkyHigh's lament.

Here's how he 'reached for his dream'.

He left a secure position with an established regional (Horizon) to start a new career at a start-up (National). He did so at a time when the economy was in a downturn and a time when airlines were anything but safe bets for a long term future.

No matter...he wanted to move up the ladder to the 'majors'...better equipment, more money, a brighter future. Many folks do that.

Some choose wisely, some do not.

SkyHigh did not. He chose a loser, a company that went belly up in three years. Start-ups, particularly those that go after a niche market with large equipment tend not to have much success. SkyHigh, with all of his touted experience in aviation, should have known that.

Apparently he either forgot what he knew...or he never had a clue to begin with. The 'loser's choice' in this story is his and his alone.

So, new folks...here's the moral of the story. Don't make a bad choice. Even more to the point, if you do, don't make a nuisance out of yourself on aviation Internet boards by insisting that it was the career field's fault and not your own.

Good luck!

 

In summary:

If you are into flying as some sort of life quest then go for it. There are pilot geeks who live alone, go to airshows and play FS2004 on days off.

Some of us love flying but have a life and goals that are outside of the flight deck. A career should be the rock upon which a bountiful life is built upon. It is the engine that powers dreams of family, home, future and hobbies. A good career is somewhat stable, will provide for your future retirement needs and pay for your past in regards to student loans. As you move through the years a good career will grow with you and your value, respect and abilities will increase.

I believe that compared to most other careers aviation is out of balance by a huge margin. By comparison I have a friend who just started as a high school biology teacher last year. As a new teacher he is being paid 42K, Works a 7 to 3:30 shift, will have all his student loans paid off by the school district after five years, will get a full retirement after 20 years and has every weekend, holiday, two weeks in December, one week in the spring and the entire summer off. Pilots like to focus on the salary numbers and like to forget about the details but it is the small things that make a life.

My friend was in the flight program but backed out and switched to teaching. It will take his flight buddies almost ten years to get to pass the 40K mark. Along the way a pilot usually moves several times and is afraid to put down roots for fear of another move. No pets few friends some boxes and a futon in a shared two bedroom apartment.

Aviation is not in balance with the needs of a happy, growing and well balanced life. A pilot is out of sync with the world around them. In my estimation if one is going to have a normal life outside of flying then they need to earn enough and have the stability to build a life upon. Horizon Air might be able to provide the stability but the money isn't there. It is a suckers bet. The company dangles a carrot of earning 75K in 10 to 20 years of flying the line, and little else, but by the time you get there an enlisted person in the Army would be receiving a retirement check.


SKyHigh

 

Alas, twenty years from now, a large percentage will be kicking themselves for having made a bad choice, even if they did not do so. New developments often make past decisions look foolish, even if they were quite reasonable at the time. It's then tempting to say, "Ah, I should have known", or "It might have been", and be miserable. That misery is real, but it exists because of our choice to embrace it, not a long-ago career choice.

 

>>Aviation is not in balance with the needs of a happy, growing and well balanced life<<

FOR YOU, it wasn't. For me and a lot of others it has been all that and much more.

It is your sweeping generalities and blanket condemnation that are flat wrong and paint you as a sore loser. You would take my position or its equivilent in a gnat's heartbeat.

I don't really care about you. I just don't want to see your poison deflate some young person's dream. There are still great careers in this industry at many different facets and levels, and there always will be. Likewise there has always been and always will be the naysayers standing on the sidelines seeking company to their misery.

If you've left the industry and are truly happier then God bless you. Just move on and quit trying to p!ss in everyone else's porridge and seek constant reaffirmation that you did the right thing.

 

Dude...you are so wrong with this statement. I know you set values based on what seems to be "raise a family and be responsible for that family"...Good for you!...I'm glad for you. But!...Don't you dare preach I am out of touch with the world because I'm a pilot. Your out of touch with that comment...I could say your out of touch because you surround yourself with your family protecting yourself from the world...I surround myself with the world...And love every opportunity the world presents!...Dang dude you are going to be a very unhappy old man...Since you love to give everyone advice about how bad the airline biz is...A biz for the past 15 years that has provided an average income for me well over 100K and given me the time off to pursue other opportunities that have given me the lifestyle that most people think are out of reach and only dream about...Here is my advice to you...Get off this site and seek help...you are on a road of failure in whatever you do because you can't let go...And don't tell me your doing good...it's short term dude with your inability to just let go of aviation...I've seen it before...Your not the first and won't be the last...Dang dude...lol