flynavyj

When I exited the industry in 2009, my company wouldn't allow voluntary leaves of absences or voluntary furloughs, even though we were furloughing pilots at the time...really sucked, because I was hoping to take one and explore outside options. At the end of the day, I simply decided to resign my seniority number and leave.

My situation was similar to yours, although I had a few hours less than you did when I left. I had upgraded to Captain and spent 10 months on reserve as furloughs began several months after I upgraded. Eventually I moved back to the right seat, and started looking for other opportunities outside aviation, found one, and took it.

The pay on the outside was similar to my regional life. I started in the mid 60's (what I was making as a Captain at my regional) and eventually was promoted and earning around 100k.

All that said, i hated the work. It was office work, moving papers, working with customers, etc...some aspects I enjoyed, some i hated. It was INCREDIBLY secure work, and the job will be around for ages, but I just loathed going into the office, sitting in a cubicle (and later my own office) for 40+ hours a week, while LIVING for the weekend. After doing the job for six years, I decided to get out. I was hired by a small charter company making significantly less $$ than I had made before, but i LOVED going back to work again...much more than flying for the airlines as well.

After 1.5 years, I was hired by a corporate flight department and spent the next 3 years flying their airplanes around the country. I was making more money than I made at my non-flying job, and more than double what i made flying charter, all while working significantly less. All was well until Covid destroyed their business model, and half their company became unemployed...include 2/5 pilots.

The sad truth is, I'm still "low time" at about 4,000 hours and 1,000 TPIC. My corporate flight job had me flying approximately 200 hours / year, and that definitely doesn't lend well to building flight time (but at that point, flight time was NOT my goal). I'm happy to be back in a cockpit, and I definitely feel it's one of the easiest jobs I've done. Also of note, I find corporate and charter flying to be really interested in comparison to the airlines...overnights long enough to explore, take in the locations you travel too, and the locations on average are better and more exotic than those i flew to in the airlines.

Personally, you'll have to make your own call. I don't think exploring your options is EVER a bad idea. Will it be everything you ever wanted? Likely not...will $80k make you feel wealthy? Depends...But if you can find a way to take a break AND have the ability to return, I don't see a good reason to not give it a try!

Richmond454

Thanks for taking the time to share your story. I enjoyed reading it. It seems this industry is quite a crap shoot. But nothing ventured ...

Joachim

There is only one correct answer in my opinion.

Go with your gut.

Hedley

An airline career is like investing in the stock market for the long haul. There will be big swings, some good, some bad, but in the long run it can really pay off. One area where this is like long term investing is that trying to time the market rarely works. If you aren’t in position when the big swings happen, you miss the boat. If you can ride this out, you will be in much better shape than if you leave and try to get back in when things turn around. Also, consider the thousands of highly qualified pilots who are now unemployed due to their airline shutting down. If you decide that you want to get back in later, the competition will be fierce and you might not be able to go back for a while. This industry always has been very volatile, and it always will be. If you can deal with that, ride this out and learn from it, because you will definitely see it again. If you decide that you want a career that provides stability, looking outside of aviation may be what you need to do.

Southern Fried

Richmond, here's my 2 cents.
I once flew with an FO who had taken an LOA for an IT job making 40k more than he made at our airline. He also wanted to be home more. When he left the airline, he thought he wouldn't be coming back. When he came back(!), he told me that the whole time he was gone he thought about flying every day. He missed it. He also described how he would take work home after working long hours, including 6 day weeks.
Another point. If you leave, you will be giving up your longevity and seniority. Also, if you decide you would rather fly after working outside of flying for a year or two, you will be competing for scarce jobs with thousands of other furloughed airline pilots. Perhaps you interview well and don't worry about that. Sometimes, the problem is just getting an interview.
I was furloughed after 9-11 and was out for a year and a half. If I had been hired one month earlier, I wouldn't have been furloughed. Years later, I am behind by thousands of dollars due to a loss of longevity during the furlough. Longevity means something, especially if you get "stuck" at your stepping-stone flying job.
Unless you are SURE, I wouldn't leave until you got furloughed. When I say SURE, I mean you are looking at a career that you would have done instead of flying and been just as happy. If you leave on an LOA, you will have to explain why you did that if you decide to come back to flying (which could be easy to explain, depending).
Bottom line, don't do it unless you are sure it is what you really want (would rather do instead of being a pilot), and it's not just a temporary dissatisfaction with your current situation.

firefighterplt

Lots of great advice.

The allure of a 9-5 job when it comes to spending time with the family tends to be a trap. Once you factor in the commute, getting ready, prep for the next day, etc etc, you quickly realize that you can’t really get much family time in during the week anyway. If you work more than 40hr/wk, forget about it—working for the weekend, as mentioned earlier.

If I had my pick, I’d rather be GONE 14 days and home the rest. It’s actually way more family time in real world conditions...especially if you live in base.

For me, COVID was the final nail in the coffin for my professional flying career...unless this whole thing turns around much faster than expected. I’ll be one of those “9-5” drones soon enough. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about flying (even gets into my dreams). I loved every minute of it while it lasted.

If I were you, I’d stick around unless you find something that you just HAVE to try...and not because of the salary, either. Something that stirs your loins, so to speak.

LoneStar32

Yeah, I agree. Been there did that. The whole "40hr a week" thing is a misnomer. Sure, if you work at McDonalds where you clock in and clock out, yes you may only work 40 hours a week. But if you work any type of office job, or a job where you need to continuously advance if you want to make more pay, you are going to work way more than 40 hours a week and not get paid extra for it. Just whatever your salary is.

DashAviator

Given the current environment, I don't think you'd have any problem explaining your decision to take a leave. If you DO take a leave of absence you should probably limit this to 12-24 months. This would give you enough time to make some kind of decision regarding your future.

Finally, it's possible that you can use the skills you learn in your non-flying job when you return to your aviation career. You mentioned that your specialty is finance. This could be a big plus if you decide to get into management or a union role later.

firefighterplt

You either die a hero...

HulkaBurger

Another consideration is that with some LOAs (medical, COLA, military, etc.) a pilot continues to accrue seniority and longevity. Of course, that's spelled out in each company's CBA, but it is worth exploring if one's company is offering COLAs ( or equivalent) and what the provisions are.