I think the context is different now. Have a friend who's flying a pilatus right now. Before college (when we were all wanting military) he said "screw that, im going for the money" then came 9/11 the money was drained away and he said "i'm just happy to have a flying job" he was able to land a good corporate gig w/ the pilatus though, so he's doing alright, but not making 300k/yr. If you got in it for 300k, well, it's gonna be a tough road to get there. If you joined up for 150k, you might have better luck. Heck, if you never leave the regionals you could make over 100,000 year and have more than half the month off, and despite that it's still not what it used to be, in reality it is still a "good" profession. The bar just needs to reverse it's trend and start working itself up, and not down anymore.

 

Good post. I agree. If I listened to all the negativity from people for the last 15 years (from no ratings and flight time to a job at UPS), I would probably be a doctor right now (which wouldn't be bad but I'd rather be a pilot). Of course, I am sure I would have heard the same thing about being a doctor as I heard about being a pilot. "You mean a nurse/flight attendant?" "It's soooo hard/competitive to be a doctor/pilot" etc. etc. People like to be negative because they don't have the drive/motivation to do things themselves. I just don't listen and do what I want to do.

 

"I thought this website was to ENCOURAGE people to be airline pilots"

Naw, I don't see it that way. Go to the websites of DCA, Pan Am, Gulfstream, ATP, RAA, MAPD, or Riddle. Those places ENCOURGAGE people to be airline pilots.

I see APC more as a place to get information. I'd like to say unbiased information, but that's kinda hard. Anyhow, the career information here is much less biased than the big academy marketing programs. There is less BS to sift through at APC than the other aviation career sites, too. That's why I spend most of my time here.

But if you want some encouragement, start a new thread along those lines and maybe you will see it. I think it's human nature to rag about the negative before talking about the positive.

 

APC isn't a marketing arm for flight schools or airlines. Instead, the web site and this forum serve to inform working pilots on a wide range of issues that affect working pilots.

During the past year, we have seen a huge number of aviation students and those interested in the profession join the forum. Although this group is not our target audience - if you read through the threads in this forum, you'll find working pilots are very generous with information and answer questions from neophytes.

An excerpt from the forum Terms of Service:
Since 9/11, there has been considerable ugliness in the industry, and many pilots have experienced considerable erosion of pay and working conditions. As you read through the negative posts, consider that this is the perspective from pilots working "in the trenches".

Anyone considering pursuing an aviation career should consider the negative posts as disclosure of what the industry has to offer new pilots. The career progression landscape for pilots has changed dramatically, unfortunately, not for the better.

 

Despite alll of this I would not dare change my course of action. I love to fly, I want to fly, and I will fly....period. I'll take the 'good, the bad and the ugly' with it.
I never wanted glamour or the fame of being of pilot, I just wanted to be the one in the cockpit. I like the view from the front, not the side.

 

go to the cargo section...lots of laughs over there...

 

pprune always seems to be very positive. I never post I just read there. But they have a good attitude

 

1. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

2. Anything worthwhile is going to require work, dedication, and sacrifice.

3. As in most things in life, we start out at the bottom...see # 1 and 2.

4. Every day that I go to work, I'm working with folks who are pursuing their dream. None of them complain about their working conditions or the status of the industry. They are far too busy trying to be part of that industry.

5.. Beware of the quitters and failures who want you to become part of their pity party. Don't join in their self-fulfilling prophesy.

6. Nor should you waste time with what once was...deal with what is and how to maximize that for you.

The golden ring is out their for you. Grabbing it won't be easy...but people do it every day. You can be part of that if you only do your part. Go to success...it won't come to you.

 

I will have to say thee is a lot of positivity on these boards. I personally had a bad view on one regional mainly due to rumors and hearsay. Once I started reading comments from people actually employed there, I decided to send in my resume. They called the next day with an interview invite. So I view that as a very positive experience. You have to take some things with a grain of salt, there a re always going to be those people who see the negative in everything.

 

Looking back on my life, when employers were constantly pushing for a great attitude, employees were getting screwed. You will always have some folks with a negative attitude no matter what happens, but when a majority of folks have negative attitudes, there is probably a reason for that.

Best way to determine who to work for, look at the turnover.

Since I have been hired skyw has had over 50% quit for a better job and life. Most outside of aviation I would guess. Wonder why? It’s a great place to work.