pilot career...worth it?
 

Hi evryone!

I am a new member and am a long time lurker. what an awesome forum! i have learned a ton of great info so far. i am a private pilot, 24 yrs old, who loves aviation and anything to do with it. After watching the movie TOP GUN at 3 yrs old i knew that i wanted to become a pilot. since then aviation has been a huge part of my life. my question to all you professional pilots out there...IS IT WORTH IT???

I am about 3 semesters away from graduating with a degree in Geography and have just started my instrument phase of training. with all of the troubles that the industry is going through right now i am wondering if i have chosen the right career for myself.

Would You choose a pilot career if you could do it again? Thanks for your help!!!

Absolutely. Having had jobs in several other career fields I can say that flying airplanes (and the airline lifestyle) beats the heck out of working ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. Not many other guys my age can fly first class to Europe with their girlfriend for a week. Not many guys my age can fly back home for just a day to see their new baby niece. I guess I'm in love with the lifestyle more than I am flying the airplanes, but flying airplanes is still about the most fun you can have with your clothes on.:D

What he said. It sucks at times but I know that If I decided to go do something else, I would long to get back in an airplane........
This coming from someone who complains more than he should

I'm still fairly new in the airline profession. But, I worked in management with a number of Fortune 500 companies before changing careers to aviation. I would never consider going back into business. You'll run into some old guys who seem to do nothing but gripe about the arline management, the union, the passengers, the schedule, contract issues... whatever the topic of the day is, they'll find a way to complain about it. But, in my short experience so far, you can find just as much to complain about in any other job as you do the airlines. The most important thing though is this; if flying is something you really want to do, then do it. I really wanted to fly professionally for many years while I was working in management, and I absolutely hated going to work every day. Now I'm making about 1/3 of what I was before, but I can honestly say I'm much more satisfied.

I made the jump from another career (several actually :rolleyes:) prior to 9/11. I was attracted by the opportunity to do something I really enjoyed, make decent money, and have a flexible lifestyle.

Post 9/11 the money situation is totally different, ESPECIALLY for new people entering the industry today. Personally I could not have justified the move if I had been contemplating today's compensation packages.

I still enjoy it, and have reached a point where my lifestyle and schedule are under my control (at least until my next airline)...so I'm not going to quit at this point.

But I probably wouldn't enter the field today. My perspective was different because I already had a good career and was accustomed to a certain lifestyle. A young person who knows nothing else might be OK with it for a while.

But it really comes down to long-term finances...can you REALLY commit yourself to the idea that you may get stuck at a regional and earn truck driver wages for the rest of your life? Obviously flying is more fun than driving a truck, and you may get more time off, but if you plan on getting married and having a family money is REAL issue...

Some young folks like to say they don't need money, just a shiny airplane to fly. That might actually work long-term for a few bohemian types, but most folks have second thoughts when their friends are buying houses and cars.

Another option is to have a solid second source of income (I have several, and I probably couldn't stay in flying if I didn't).

EDIT: Be very wary of taking advice on this subject from people who are new to the airline business...the shiny airplane is still clouding their vision. You need to take the long-term view...think about the girl you want to marry, and the kids $$$$$.

I complain a lot, and I mean a lot but today I was at the super-market and there was almost 45-minute lines to check out, I got really annoyed, but then like a ray of sunshine :) I said to myself, "These poor SOB's only have off 2-days a week they have to take care of everything on there measly 2-days off a week, it actually put a lot in perspective, but then again I was using Food-stamps............haah j/k (G/F paid muwhaaaaaaaaaaa).

I am trying to figure out how I can save $5,000.00 for a Vortech Supercharger on 2nd year F/O pay , if I had a real job, probably wouldnt be an issue

I fourth what all the guys before said-
It is one of the best careers you can choose. All of the guys that you hear out there crying are for the most part people who decided to do this way to late in life and are never going to have the chance to make top tier money because they will be to old to have put in the amount of years of service to get there. Are we ever going to make the amount of money that pilots did before deregulation NO WAY but most of us were not even born when Pilots made this kind of cash. My advice for you is if you really want this career go for it-the next thing that will help you out tremedously with the low pay at first is to not get into huge amounts of debt doing your training-Good luck and dont let the glass is half empty type of people get you down-people will always need airplanes therefore we will always have jobs- Good luck and hope to see ya on the line one day.

If you are considering an airline pilot career for the money and glamour...then no.

But if it's something you honestly enjoy......go for it.

I'm one of those with the SJS clouding my eyes, but I've been around airplanes long enough to know I'm miserable without them. Is it worth it? I donno yet, but at least I'll know the answer in about 38 years when I sit back in my rocking chair and start looking back.. Then I'll know for sure. Will you know?

If that is how you feel, then yes it is worth it. I know that I would be miserable doing anything else in life. If you, like me, love to fly.... then you will look back with no regrets. I complain a lot, as many others do (I think it comes with the job), but at the end of the day, I look forward to going back to the airport tomorrow.

thanks for all the replies guys

Rickair7777, that is exactly my dilemma... do the job that i want to Vs. what will provide for a future family.

i love to fly, i love the challenge of it. i just can't see myself doing anything else. But it's a rocky industry. it's a tough decision, and one that i have to decide on soon before i get too deep into flight training.

It's a question only you can answer. In some ways, yes this is a great career, you get to travel(sorta) there is no better office view anywhere! You are presented with challenges that sometimes make you wonder why you got into this business(your company looking for any reason to rat you out to the FAA to make them selves look good, even if you really did not do anything wrong, Pax blaming YOU for the weather problems that is either preventing you from leaving, or even starting, along with a hundred other things)Usually you get to work with really good people, occasionally you need to suffer through some jerk's personality issues. Any how it has a lot of good, and an equal number of bad.

i posted this on another thread when someone said just be a doctor and fly for fun.. this is what i said..:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pantera
absolutely not, I love flying and one day it will truly suck when I can't. But aviation has the worst life style. First is AIDS (aviation induced divorce syndrome) which has led to a high divorce rate in the industry. As a pilot you are gone from home way to much and not compensated for that. Home away from the kids and wife sucks.

The airlines are not what it used to be and any job that pays 20k a year to start after paying 60K+ for the ratings and 100K+ for a Embry Ripoff degree is a joke. I'm a second year FO at a regional and I would take a pay cut if I went to Continental right now.

No my advice for someone thinking about aviation would be go to med school or what ever and get a career where you can have a life and make enough money to fly for fun.


let me take this and make it read the way i saw it several years ago..

would you recommend someone to go into the medical field??

absolutely not, I love being a doctor and one day it will truly suck when I can't. But being a doctor has the worst life style. First is RIDS (Residency induced divorce syndrome) which has led to a high divorce rate in the industry. As a doctor you are gone from home way to much and not compensated for that. Home away from the kids and wife sucks.

The medical field is not what it used to be and any job that pays 60k a year to start after paying 300,000 for a degree is a joke. I'm a second year resident at a regional hospital and I would take a pay cut if I went to start my own practice now.
No my advice for someone thinking about being a doctor would be go to flight school or what ever and get a career where you can have a life and make enough money for fun.

yeah that is pretty much word for word what i have been told before.

if you have read any of my previous post you would know i came from the medical field. the stories are the same, just 2 different professions.

i have 18 days off this month
doctors are lucky if they get weekends off

i go to work, do my job, and go home.
doctors go to work, do their job, and then follow up with patients for as long as necesarry, while taking on more patients and being on call.

i get to sleep in a hotel
they get to sleep in the hospital

Not everyone in any profession can be lumped into one ball. Some doctors haven't had to see a patient for several years and make REALLY good money. Some pilots fly 15 days a month and make over 250 grand. Not all doctors are rich, not all pilots are rich, not all lawyers are rich. it is all dependent on what you want to do.

when i was working at the hospital i would hear a plane fly over head and wish i was doing that instead. i knew i would always wonder "what if" everytime one flew by. I don't ever regret making the change. and i know it was good for me because everytime i drive by a hospital i don't wish i was in there working. every worth while career requires sacrifice and patience to reach the desired level. no matter what you choose, you need to do what makes you happy.

and if you don't believe me on some of this stuff just google "should i be a doctor", you will laugh at what some doctors say about their own profession (you will laugh because you could put pilot in their like i did and it is the same stuff!!)

on a side note i am married, have a kid, a house, and 2 cars. if you cant live GOOD on 65,000 a year then something is wrong. we do just fine, and i am home with my kid more than i would be if i were working at the hospital still.

What car you got there? :D

SAAB - take 20% off your paycheck as soon as you get it, throw it into a savings account...don't touch. Ever. For any reason (well, until you can buy your Supercharger).

I scrounged up 5K in savings on 1st year FO pay and never missed it once. And I'm not too stingy when it comes to how I live.

Edit - You can also start with 10%. The idea is to form the habit. You will subconciously adjust to live within your means if you just take the money out and pretend it never exsisted.

Amen! First rule of personal finance: pay yourself FIRST!

Go the military route. If you can handle that training you will be ready for anything life has to throw at you.

If getting into aviation has been something you have wanted to do since you could barely walk then you should give it a shot.

Some wise advice though, make sure you don't put all your eggs in one basket. Always have something you can fall back on. This industry is notoriously cyclical.

If three years ago I had known then what I know now (about the business of being an airline pilot and how my priorities in life would change), I doubt I'd be here. But I suppose that's the beauty and the curse of being human - we can't change a darn thing about what's happened. We can only live with the consequences of our choices and move on.

Don't get me wrong - I love my work, get along with the people I work with, still enjoying flying very much, look forward to making a decent living in the near future, and am optimistic that there will be opportunity to advance my career down the road.

On the other hand, I am now married, wish I spent more time at home, and hope to make additions to our family within a couple of years. Those are the things I couldn't foresee three years ago. And looking back, they would have made all the difference in my decision.

But no regrets. The next few years will be interesting for sure.

i have thought about trying to get a ANG pilot slot after i graduate. i would much rather do that to get to the majors rather than the regional route.

If it's something you really want to do, "do it....do it" (It sounds more like Ben stiller in my head). Anyways, you only get one trip around the merry go round.....remember that..;)

no joke! thats why i am majoring in something other than aviation. what about ATC as a backup?????? any info on ATC for a career?

I would say that ATC is still "aviation." Combine that with the age restriction for starting an ATC career and it's probably not a good "backup."

In other words, it's not really putting eggs in different baskets. More like putting them in different places within the same basket.

For me being young and single, the aviation/airline industry is perfect. You get to see places you normally wouldn't go see. The office has a great view. If you were trying to support a wife and kids in my opinion, this would not be the way to go. I see too many captains and F/O's kicking themselves because they are missing their children growing up, and spouses that are tired of you being gone all the time and only making 20k a year. However, there are people that can balance that out and make everything work if you get on with the right company. This is just my two cents. Take it for what it's worth.

Should've, could've, would've
 

You never want to look back on anything in your life and have 1 of the 3 above words be the first thing that pops into your head. You will always regret the one that got away.

As for the (Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome) a strong partner is essential no matter what career. I once watched a show called Tough Enough on MTV when Triple H gave a promo speach. ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS?!? YOU HAD BETTER COME HOME AND BE THE BEST HUSBAND OR WIFE WHEN YOU GET THERE!

The point is you will be gona a lot, you will miss important events and a strong sound partner will be cruical to your happiness. And you will always have to deal with the face in the mirror if you don't take a chance.

My .02

I don't know
 

I was miserable in other jobs, but recently the BS we put up with now with complaining passengers, crew scheduling, all the time away from family, combined with the decrease in compensation....I probably wouldn't make the jump now contemplating the future.

It's just my wife and I now and she travels quite a bit for work herself. I'm a very senior FO (turned down last upgrade for QOL issues for a few more months), so my lifestyle is great right now as I usually work Monday-Wed/Thurs, and she's often gone then as well. But there have been times I needed to be with her and couldn't get there right away.

And then throw kids into the mix....late Saturday night our phone rang from one of the captain's wives. She'd met my wife 2-3 times, and their youngest needed to go to the hospital to be admitted, husband was in Canada with no way home for at least 15 hours, and with no family around, they needed someone to watch their 5 year old. We were happy to help, but had it been my (hypothetical) daughter in the hospital, it would have been very hard for me to be a thousand miles away.

I agree the rewards are hard to see sometimes, but aviation careers don't have to be 121. They're plenty of 135 places that offer a very good living and a great schedule. If the topic is restricted to 121 only, then that can be a tough call. But if you're open to something else after building time, I think you would hate yourself if you didn't try.

Okay thats .04 from me.

Perfectly stated in as few words as possible.....Nice post. For the newbies, use this as your guide.

The true challenge to flying is all of the stuff you do and endure while on the ground. Once airborne, you'll discover most of the ground stuff just disappears into the past like a distant memory. Getting airborne fast enough so that you don't quit - that is the true challenge. ;)

Enjoy the ride - I have enjoyed flying for the past 21 years and I have another 19-24 to go. I intend to ride this horse all the way to the barn. ;)

Fair skies and following winds

I think money is the very least of considerations in this field. True the money is weak in the beginning. But that's true in many professions. And as has been stated, you can easily make at least 65k after a few years. I'd say a more reasonable expectation in most regionals would be 70-90k. If you can't live off that, you need financial counseling.

For me, the biggest thing you should consider is the lifestyle. Some love the constant change and the ability to travel nonrev. Others can't deal with the vast amount of time away from home and the impact it has on your family life. Missing family get-togethers, holidays, birthdays, etc., is the norm in this industry. That can take a real toll.

Someone said to me the other day, "Man, it must be great to get paid to fly!"

My response was, "They don't pay me to fly. They pay me to spend the night in hotels away from my wife, to sit bored out of my mind for hours in hotels with no crew room, to eat expensive airport food that's bad for me, to have to maintain relationships with my wife/kids/brother/sister/friends over the phone rather than face-to-face, to worry whether the next terrorist/economic downturn will lead to a salary cut or furlough. That's what I get paid for. The flying I do for free." ;)

Wordfromthe wise,
You have a disease that you will not get rid of. Let me say how sorry we all for you. That being said, you DO have the disease. You must jump into flight training and press on. You will make the best of it like we all do, you will continue to come to aviation forums and belly ache about the effects of the disease and how we hate our employers for taking advantage of our addiction. See you on the line. :D

After considering this AND KNOWING what I know now,....no.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxe.

So very true. If you've been bitten by the bug, you can never look back...just accept that your life may not be exactly what you've been planning on!

My .02 cents, and take it for what it is worth;

I cannot tell you whether or not the career is worth it, from pesonal experience. I am merely in the training phases, like yourself. I have had the opportunity to work for a regional airline, as a ramp rat/customer service agent, over the last year. This has given me the opportunity to query many crews, and I have yet to have one tell me they wouldn't recommend it.

I agree with an earlier post, that money really shouldn't be at the top of reasons as why to go into this career, or not. First year FO pay isn't great, but if you cannot live off of regional CA pay, you do need financial counceling. These are still well paying jobs, it is just like any career, it can take time to get there. A VERY SMALL (I believe less than 5%) percentage of Americans make a six figure income, so I am not realistically getting into any career, expecting to make a six figure income; although I will definately fight for it.

I think the #1 consideration when looking at a career, as an airline pilot, is the lifestyle. The time away from home, thus missed holidays, birthdays, etc., can all begin to take a toll. I have to imagine that being young and single, the traveling and time away from home, can be fun. But, after a while, and especially once you settle down, and have a family, it will certainly begin to get old.

I have been bitten by the bug. It is what I have wanted to do, since before I even understood what an airplane, or a pilot was. I've contemplated going into other careers, and still do, sometimes, but in the end, I don't know if I would be happy doing anything else. I will always look up, and smile when an airplane flies over. I just don't know how I will handle it, if I chose not to pursue the career, if an airplane flies over, and I look up, and wonder, "what if?".

I assume this is directed at me? I'm not THAT old, and still have a shot at widebody CA. But I am actually glad that I did do some other things in my youth...turns out that I made some money, and some investments, and I have skills to earn money on the side.

When I break it down for the younger folks it's because I certainly would not want to be in their shoes without a financial fallback plan. Remember, not everyone will make it to the majors...my best long-term realistic estimate is about 50% of current regional pilots will go to majors, and only about 20% to top-tier majors.

What makes YOU think you'll get on with FDX?

If you have a degree (or two), family connections, no black marks, and usually out-compete your peers in life then you're a realistic contender.

If you have an AA, play a lot of video games, and are an "average joe" it's going to be tougher for you...you'll be up against a lot of applicants with well-rounded qualifications.

Remember, when you apply to major airlines, EVERYBODY knows how to fly a jet...that's not good enough. They have ten thousand resumes from RJ drivers, but they are only hiring 30 this month. They will be picky on OTHER criteria simply because they can be.

Rick no I was not talking about you directly. Didnt mean to offend any of the older guys out there. Just seems that the guys that complain alot are the guys that are older -with wife, kid etc., (not that only older guys have these things) and are probally never gonna have the time it takes to make serious money in this buisness. I wish everybody out there the best of luck to end up in the dream flying job that they want, and that they'll have plenty of years left to do it.

Pilot Career , worth it?
If you are questioning it from the start, I would tell you NO.

Flying is my passion, my dream became reality. No better feeling than that.

Thanks so much for the help everyone!!!!!! yes, i have the bug bite, and it burns! i will just have to accept whatever future my passion creates for me.

Geeet er duuuun!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure whether its worth it or not. From a financial perspective, it definitely is not. You'll have to invest a lot of time, effort, and money to make a piteous salary fist as a CFI and then a regional FO for several years. You'll end up several years behind your peers in different fields, and you'll likely have a mountain of debt. Once you actually get on with an airline, its pretty cool, but I question whether getting there is worth it. Unfortunately, I'd have to say that unless you're independantly wealthy... its just not worth it.

Best answer.