Originally Posted by rickdb

No, I am not an airline pilot. I am going to be in the next year or so. The difference is that I know what I am getting into. My uncle is a retired Delta pilot and said the airlines were great to him. Obviously, he retired before Delta cut pensions, but I asked him if he would do it over again in this day and age and he said yes. He told me if you love to fly, then do it because you only live once. He also said that a lot of pilots like to complain. He said that today it is a different industry, and pilots will not make nearly as much as they used to, however, a pilot at a major will still make six figures with some seniority. So I know what I am getting into. I have been contemplating since I graduated from college. Believe me, anything is better that sitting behind a desk for the rest of your life.

Originally Posted by SAABaroowski

sorry, but you don't know what your getting into. I am sure I could tell you all about rolling over 4 times in a car, but lets face it, until you experience it, you really don't know much about it.............

Originally Posted by rickdb

I 100% agree with you to an extent. I dont 100% know what I am getting into, but I definitely have a good idea of what life at a regional is like and what life at a major is like, considering I know pilots at both. I am making an informed decision to become a pilot, but you are 100% right in that I will not know until I am there. Let me tell you this though, anything beats sitting behind a desk the rest of your life. Every job has its positives and negatives, and every job becomes a job when you continually do it. Lucky for me I have an Accounting degree, and I am going to have an accounting practice on the side to supplement my income.

Originally Posted by rickdb

I 100% agree with you to an extent. I dont 100% know what I am getting into, but I definitely have a good idea of what life at a regional is like and what life at a major is like, considering I know pilots at both. I am making an informed decision to become a pilot, but you are 100% right in that I will not know until I am there. Let me tell you this though, anything beats sitting behind a desk the rest of your life. Every job has its positives and negatives, and every job becomes a job when you continually do it. Lucky for me I have an Accounting degree, and I am going to have an accounting practice on the side to supplement my income.

Originally Posted by Lighteningspeed

Looks like you are off to a good start. Stick to it if you love flying but like others have stated, expect lots of ups and downs. Having an accounting degree is a smart move. You need something to fall back on when you hit the big detour in your career, because you will hit one sooner or later if you stay in this business long enough.

Hopefully pay will come back up to the way they were, but I think the golden era of airlines in the sixties and seventies like your uncle are gone.

Originally Posted by rickdb

I know that I will not have it as good as my uncle did. Pilots were paid a "kings ransom" back in the day. I am not becoming a pilot for the money, but at the same time I dont understand why everyone on this website thinks that pilots are paid the "lowest wages on earth". Of course when you start out you dont make good money, but the same goes for most occupations. My friend is a pilot for SkyWest, and he is not even sure that he wants to go to a major airline in the future because once he upgrades and gets seniority, he will be making 70K+ a year, and once he becomes real senior then he will cap out at around 90-100K. In my opinion, that is pretty good money and nothing to complain about. As far as time away from home (my friend was an accountant before he became a pilot at SkyWest for Deloitte and Tousch) and he said becoming a pilot was the best decision he ever made. It improved his QOL, and time at home. He says he is at home more now than he ever was back at Deloitte. I am not sure what company you worked and your commute to work, but the majority of business professionals are not home that much. On average, most business professionals work a 45hr week (I am not including commuting which can be anywhere from 45mins+ to and from work) which would mean that they are at the office for 225 hours a month. This is just a conservative estimate, most work 50+ hours weeks if they ever want to get anywhere in the company. So that leaves 447hrs (672 hours in a month-225 work hours) for personal time. In the begining of a pilots career, I would say they can average about 13 days off a month which would equal around 330 hrs of personal time (I am assuming 4 day trips and not any turns where you are home at night if you live in base). So just based off the numbers, you are correct. Except there is one major difference. As you move up the corporate ladder, you have more responsibility, which in turn increases your work hours. As a pilot, as your seniority grows so improves your time off. So as a business professional it is an inverse relationship. Life gets less enjoyable as you advance. And let me tell you, the more money you get doesnt make you happy.

Originally Posted by rickdb

I dont think pay will ever be the same as it was back in the day. However, I do think that airlines will become more efficient. I think the Legacy airlines are eventually going to merge, and drop off short routes to its regional partners and focus more on international and long domestic routes. I think this a positive move in the long run for the industry as a whole. In turn, I think this will make a career as a pilot a safe choice (not including medically disqualifying).

Originally Posted by SAABaroowski

more flying from the Majors to the regionals has never, and will never be a good thing!

Originally Posted by SaltyDog

rickdb,
Time Away From Base (TAFB) is work, in any profession, that is compensated in some fashion as it should. For the road warriors, it is a higher salary or other perks. Both professionals accept the fact.
TAFB affects quality of life. Period. I miss life events. Kids birthdays, Holidays, friends weddings, my wedding anniversary, kids ball games etc. Even most other professionals work it out to have major events at home. I can't work it out in this profession unless you are #1 in seat. So get used to the idea of missing life events other professionals attend.
Something to add to your understanding: The first day you operate any 121 aircraft, you have the liability VERY few executives have even those far up the management chain. I don't care what there reponsibilities are to the company. What is the liability of the two Comair pilots accident in Lexington, KY in August 2006? Crash one full of passengers and you and your Capt can bankrupt your company (even if not your fault' Valujet) or seriously cost the company hundreds of millions (AMR at Cali). How many professionals are operating a 100+ million dollar jet on a daily basis. That is some liability. The more senior you are, often the greater the liability. Food for thought

Originally Posted by SAABaroowski

more flying from the Majors to the regionals has never, and will never be a good thing!