However one may view SkyHigh’s perspective, it is significant that he never fails to generate a hearty response.

 

I agree that nothing is certain in life. However it is obvious to anyone who cares to look that the airline pilot profession has been in decline since deregulation.

Years ago I had to ask myself "why is it that airline pilots expect to earn so much"? The skills are not hard to come by and there are plenty of eager soles to do the job. In the free market wages and working conditions will continue to fall until they reach the balance point at where people will stop showing up for job fairs. I think we have a ways to go before reaching that point.

Real Estate has its market swings but just as sure as the sun will rise eventually it will be worth more. Professions come and go but if real estate takes a huge fall then we all are in trouble. Believe me I wish things were different. It was my biggest dream to become a grand respected and well paid airline pilot, but my motto has always been to understand and to adapt. There is no hope that aviation will return to its highs. Every time the pendulum swings pilots will loose more.

Though I love flying as much as anyone my desire to succeed in life forces me to search elsewhere to invest my career efforts.

SKyHigh

 

Question Back in 1974, almost everyone but you thought Vanguard would never get off the ground.

Answer The awful thing is, it was easy. It's amazing how easy life becomes when you realize that your job is not to deal with what might have been but with what is. It's all about attitude.

Question What did you learn from getting a second chance at life?

Answer The right time to count your blessings is every day. If you do it once, then it's worth doing twice a day too, and three times and more. We're blessed with the health we have. We're blessed to be American citizens. We're blessed to be alive in these amazing times.

 

Miserable working conditions?? You talk as if there was a rainstorm in the flightdeck everytime you went up. Literally! As if there was some sort of harry fat guy dressed in leather with a leather mask whipping you as you shoot a CAT3 ILS. Humiliation? Did you have to stand on stage and pee in your pants or something? Unless telling your friends you make $15,000 a year is humiliating. Personally, I'm a very low spender and money isn't my motivation in life. Poverty? I can certainly shake hands with you on that. I think the big fat greedy ceo's need to take a pay cut (from 5 million a year to maybe 2 or 3). Maybe up the ticket prices by about 30 or 40 bucks each. I don't think anyone is in denial about anything here. What's there to deny? We all love to fly otherwise we wouldn't be on this forum. If the planes flying overhead gives you chills, I assume that's good, then apply to Netjets and experience a great quality of life where they pay you fairly well and you get a xmas card thanking you for your dedication to them. They might send you a watch like they did for my buddy.

 

"As if there was some sort of harry fat guy dressed in leather with a leather mask whipping you as you shoot a CAT3 ILS"

National airline's hub was LAS and they catered to the tourist crowd. The bondage thing might not be so far off. I bet some interesting things are seen on flights into Vegas.

 

I LUV IT!!! Cirque Du Soleil's "Zumanity" in the sky. Great production BTW, I HIGHLY recommend seeing it. Erotic!!!!

 

I saw Mystere about two months ago. Frickin amazing.

 

To me it is humiliating to earn 15K after so much schooling and training. I would consider Netjets but I can't imagine being away from home so much. At least as an airline pilot I never had to be away from home for more than three days at a time. A week is too much.

Skyhigh

 

Axis of SkyHigh’s argument seems to be: yas makes yer choices, yas pays yer dues.

Responses to SkyHigh come in two flavors, “real” v. “ideal:”

1. I’m paying my dues (real), and it’s not near the losing proposition you suggest;

2. It ought not to be this way (ideal), and dang ye for rubbing me nose in it attawll.

Regional first officers are woefully under-compensated; not particular to aviation. Same tune in many a profession where the newbie is used and abused for the “privilege” of learning (not saying it is right, just the unfortunate “way it is”).

At the same time, Bureau of Labor 2004 statistics ranks the airline pilot salary as overall #2, behind only physicians. Point: some folks in the industry are very successful; it may never be me, but that’s the way it is in any profession. No guarantees. Got plenty could complain of but I am squarely to blame for where I am, so stand silent. Always going to be CEO crony industry dirtbags – wherever, whatever the industry. These folks always been. Not right. Not new. But I made my choices.

SkyHigh’s pushing personal responsibility. This is what makes his arguments such a hot coal to carry.

 

In the last 2 1/2 months I had 2 1/2 weeks off, a 2 day to Honolulu, 4 off, a 2 day to Honolulu, 2 weeks off, a 12 day Asia trip, 2 weeks off. This Friday I go out on a 7 day Asia trip and then 2 weeks off. I prefer this schedule to working 5 days a week. I would rather be out for a week and then off for a week.