Skyhigh,

It must be really lonely on that pedestal.

Who said I'm not aiming higher? What career isn't without it's risks? Ask WorldCom employees how they're doing right now. Ask the folks at National Rent-a-car how they're doing after Enterprise finishes their buyout. Ask skilled laborers how they're doing right now, especially the ones that worked for homebuilders. Ill-informed choices are out there no matter what career field you persue. You failed, get over it.

For somebody that likes to gloat about how great things are and how much he can afford financially you seem to spend an awful lot of time on your computer, at home, doing nothing but waxing idiotic about how you screwed up and went to a failed carrier. Of course the result is that we'll all meet the same end.

 

In other words job = money; career = satisfaction as in " it was satisfying to play the guitar for coins on the street corner".

You are wrong. Try again.

SkyHigh

 

One of the big differences is that most people are accumulating value as they progress though the turmoils of a career. Pilots are worth nothing outside of aviation and the seniority system.

SkyHigh

 

Throw on the 401K and taxes, plus all the other stuff you get taken out for medical/dental, HSA, Insurance, etc. and that $8333.33 becomes a lot less. That pretty much means that more than one check alone is going to the house payment, the rest is going towards heating, electricity, TV, phone & internet, etc. Now how do you save for your kids education, and a newer car someday, vacation once in a great while, not to mention home improvement costs because your mean average home needs a new roof soon.

Where I live a 300K house is 5K a year in property taxes ($400/mo.)

When you really beak it down, 100K is not a whole lot of money in a place like where I live. Personally I want to do more than just get by, that is why I became a pilot back when I did. I like to fly, but I like money more! I'm lucky to not have to worry about one or the other, but neither should other pilots. Like most people; I work to live, not the other way around. If FedEx didn't pay well I would not have applied; UPS did not get an application from me because of their 1st year pay.

 

My blood boils every time I read some a$$ posting $hit like this. GA pilots fly because they love it. Airline pilots, on the other hand, have invested time and money, sacrificed family and friends, quality of life, retirement saving opportunity, and a host of other things for one reason - airline pilot pay (or what it used to be). If money is so unimportant, why are so many guys at the majors beginning alternate careers?

 

It was brought up more than once but these bafoons don't get it.

That jragosta toolbox is a President of some company. That explains a lot.

 

Let's not be dramatic. They have a base in Phoenix and, correct me if I am wrong, but a Vegas base. If you worked at National, you were based in Vegas weren't you?

I have a lot of friends there and they do not fly 9 legs a day. Yes, they work harder, per se, but they have some good schedules flying 3 legs in a day and they make decent money.

 

That seals it. I was only before strongly leaning to getting out of the passenger flying business, but that thread now makes it 100% clear to me that I am doomed to low pay forever as a greyhound-bus-in-the-sky-driver. The very people whom we work so hard to get to their destinations safely through fatigue, bad weather, mechanical issues, etc etc, really have no respect for us. We are seen as spoiled, out of touch, ego maniacs. Thank you hollywood and management teams. BTW, I loved your post there Megadeth.

I chose this career because I love to fly and loathe cubicle farms. But, I want a salary commensurate with the amount of responsibility required of the position. We have to walk a fine line as pilots. It's so easy to screw up, there are hundred of gotcha's we must overcome daily. One second of complacency could mean a career ending deviation, or at least a career limiting one. One mistake could lead to dozens of deaths, and even the bankruptcy of an airline. The burden we bear is immense. We have to be in top form each and every leg we fly. A doctor screws up, one person may die. A CEO screws up, and millions of dollars may be lost. We as pilots bear both those burdens, coupled with very low career stability and a great deal of personal sacrifice (family..).

Look at how fast the cost of living is rising. Sure, there are parts of the country where $50k is good money, but that is short lived. As the cost of big city living in other parts keeps going up, people move to the 'cheap' places, and the cost goes up there. It's inevitable that soon, no matter where you live, 50k just won't cut it in the not too distant future. But then again I have lofty goals. I don't want to be working past age 60. I want to put my kids through college. I don't want to have to make my wife work to make up for what I don't make. I only have one life to live, so I'm going to shoot for the best I can with what abilities and opportunities I have. I don't want to be mediocre or average. But that's me. I think it's a shame that this 'career' is fast becoming a 'job'. In any case, I'll just keep investing every spare cent I can muster. I realized, hopefully at an early enough age, that I need to make my money work for me. In the end, I hope it pays off. In the meantime, I'll keep flying because I love to do it. I hate to say it, but management has me, and so many others, by the balls. We love to fly and therefore accept terms we otherwise would not.

PS - You controllers out there have my full support for high pay also. You shoulder a great deal of responsibility and deserve to be compensated accordingly.

 

Sorry, can't resist..

I'm still trying to figure out how you managed to get around the $25,000 in taxes...

 

We all have dreams and needs in life. I lived in Vegas for years however the goal has always been to get to Alaska Airlines and eventually a SEA base. If I took a job with SWA I could be assured of a lifetime of doing things I did not want to.

SWA was very good to me as a commuter. They fly nice and newer planes. SWA is definitely a strong company however I have no interest in working there. I also have never applied or wanted to fly for UPS or FedEx either.

I know of one local guy who flies for them. He upgraded at 50 after nearly 10 years with the company and mostly lives on reserve in an old camper that is located in the employee parking lot at the Baltimore airport. Doesnt sound like much fun to me.

SkyHigh