Who else is happy?????
 

After watching Saab's thread "Who else is tired?", I thought a less glum thread might be in order. So let's hear from you folks who are generally happy with where you are (especially those of you who have changed carreers to start flying).

I live at my base and love stand ups: two legs per "day" and roughly 22 hours per month. So I get only get gaurntee, but why work 3-4 times as hard to get 10% more take home? And since nobody else seems to bid stand-ups, I can pretty much get the pick of the litter.

By no means, is everything perfect, but, not a horrible gig either. Yeah, I would like better pay, but there is no company that could afford to pay me what I am worth;)

Thanks FlyJSH. Glad to see it's not all gloom and doom.

Have you upgraded? If not, are you on the 6 year plan? Just curious because if you are a FO it is all about hours for upgrade and if you are a CA it well, is all about PIC hours for the majors.

I agree with the Juice. I live in base and LOVE highspeeds (CD's, standups, naps, etc). Unfortunately, I got NO flight time out of the two or three months I did them and realized if I wanted to ever get hired elsewhere I would need the turbine time.

By the way, I love going in to work. Not saying I'm going to go out of my way to go to work, but I enjoy it while I'm there (so long as I'm not sitting next to a miserable ass for the next few days).

Im happy.................happy when I block in at the end of a trip and put the top down and drive home ;).

I am a happy guy I just want to see conditons improve, unfortunately it will continue to go down before it can go up.

I can say that I'm happy right now, and I'm moving up faster than I thought I was going to be able to. I had a smile on my face all day while I was flying. Listening to music and just looking outside getting rocked around in my cessna is great cuz I'm getting paid, and enough to get by. And soon I'll be flying better equipment and getting paid more so I'm happy.

im miserable!

it may have something to do with the fact that im going into the last week of sims and have been sharing a room in a hotel since the beginning of march.

last week though, ready to be done with this thing!

Im happy, but totally agree with Saab. I can say that I have a different outlook on this job/career since I entered the 121 world. We do have a good life style, but in turn make a lot of sacrafices in our lines of work....so they kinda cancel each other out. Lots of time off, enjoy our jobs, travel bennys etc, but a lot of time away from home, sleep disruption, medicals, pro-checks etc. Then when you do consider that not everyone can do our job and all of the discipline, education, skills, $ it takes to get to even a regional job (minus the ATP kids with no degree....Yes we do deserve better!

Juice,

No, I havent upgraded. This bid, I did go for more hours, but we shall see what happens. I don't need the total time, just time in type.

Anymore, I am a patient guy. I have raced enough and it doesnt seem too many folks are leaving right now.

yeah its a good life.

Bottom line is I like the job but I like my time off more. Everyone thinks they deserve more pay for what they do and I am of the same thought. If I could do another job that wouldn't bore me to death that had the opportunity to make me money where I wouldn't have to live from paycheck to paycheck I would do it and do something in aviation as a hobby.

Saab, I also look forward to getting home to work on the car (5.0 Mustang). It's almost race season. Love to go heads up with a S2000 turbo :D

Not sure how much the PIC really matters for the next year(s) to come. With: Skybus, ATA, Skyway, Aloha, and mergers, there's plenty of guys with lots of PIC time. Other than the money, I'm not sure if i'll upgrade till I can hold a line as a CA

I'm happy i guess, reserve is wearing on me, but that's the price i paid for upgrading when i chose to. But life in general is pretty good, just can't wait for more days off, move to the new house, and the weather to get warm enough to pull the motorcycle out, and finally dig into that ole' firebird again.....think it needs a turbo...or two.

I Love my Job, but I find myself looking forward to my days off a bit more each trip ;) I guess it's just all about that right balance...and with a new car, moving back home to the airplane, and a motorcylce to ride with a soon-to-be new two-wheeler license, I'm a pretty happy camper at home...

But on the Saab side of things (can I coin that LoL), pay certainly does need to come up, and for everybody.

I'm very happy! there are a ton of jobs that I could be doing that wouldnt be anywhere near as enjoyable. Didnt we all get into this job because we loved to fly? I think some forget that around here sometimes.

I flew professionally for over twenty five years. I retired in 2004. At the end of the 2004 season, I was pretty much burned out. I couldnt wait to hang it up. I did, and proceeded to mope around for about a year or so. I couldnt stand not flying. Now, I am working on getting the ATP and making my move back in, although it will be a different type of flying. It is kind of like starting all over again. I am really enjoying this. My advise, Dont retire at 45. It will make a grumpy old man out of you, and it is OK to be happy with your job.

Thanks folks. Nice to see that in spite of some crap, there are folks who think this is good WORK.

I love the flying, and the pilot group, but hate the 2 leg commute...so I am getting married, and taking my girl to my base and starting a new life there. Life will inevitably be so sweet!!!!

Love my job
 

I love my job and find huge satisfaction in knowing that I am able to provide for my family a life that we had dreamed of. I like feeling good about my future again. It pleases me a great deal to know that I own my schedule. I like being here everyday for the needs of my wife and children.

Many of my duties are less than glamorous. Yesterday I mowed lawns but I find happiness in knowing that everything I touch is something that I own and I am increasing my net worth by the effort.

It took my time as a pilot to learn the value of manual labor. I enjoy being outside and working with the land. Creating something new is very satisfying to me. As a pilot I felt that I had few outlets for personal expression. Designing a house or landscaping and then watching it come into reality is hugely uplifting.

Today the weather is not so great so I think I will stay home or work in the shop. Hopefully someday I will find a way to return to aviation. If I have not spoiled myself too much by then that is....

SkyHigh

Having not read all of Saab's thread (read the first page or two and then needed to go find a drink!:eek:) I can honestly say that I am happy doing this job. I worked in the IT world for 2 years before getting into professional aviation and even though I made good money and was home every night I HATED it. The work was tedious, the scenery never changed, had to spend lots of my free time studying to stay on top of upcoming technology... In short, I was miserable. The line in Office Space where he says "every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life," LITERALLY changed my life. I think if you have had the oppurtunity to have a real job outside of aviation you start to appreciate how good we really have it. Early mornings, late nights, unexpected delays, being jerked around and loads of BS from morons who don't know what they were talking about...saw just as much of it in the IT world as I do in the aviation world.

I work at the same company as Saab, I live in base and I can honestly say that I look forward to this job more than any other job I have ever had. I made $50/k last year as a second year FO, bought a house, am actually building wealth instead of eeking by, traveled the world for next to nothing (in BusinessFirst most of the time), had some good times on overnights and both the girlfriend and I enjoy the hell out of "day-4 sex":D So yes, I am happy. Are there some things that I get annoyed with? Yes. Do I wish I got paid more? Who doesn't. Would I trade it for something else? Not a chance. So yes, I am happy.

I guess I should add that I am not one of these guys that gets bent out of shape if I don't upgrade in 2 years or have to spend more than 3-4 years at a regional. The main reason for that is I don't know what's next. With all these places going bust and merger mania starting to take off I don't know what and when my next move will be. So maybe I am happy because I came to a company that I knew I'd be fine being "stuck" at for a while. If you went to some poophole of a regional then I can see why you might be hating life. Better get used to it though...seems like we might be here a while.

The fact of the matter is that this job isn't that bad if you don't mind being away from friends and your girlfriend for a few days every week. I also enjoy averaging a whole ten dollars an hour while I'm away. That way when I return, I get to watch my buddies do fun things that I can't afford. Can't wait to upgrade... then at least I know that I won't have any weekends off for at least eight months. I also enjoy watching the executives of our companies screwing us, filing for bankruptcy, then receiving a few million dollars to leave; great to know someone will always be willing to do my job for less than myself because they didn't like working on their farm or steelemill prior to this. Fantastic comparison.

Nice
 

Vipers wish they could spit venom as well. Nicely written. ;)

Skyhigh

To each their own.....

For a person who's married with house and kids etc, this job would be a killer to life in general. Add in a commute/reserve and anyone would go nuts.

On the other hand, for someone young, single, or otherwise not tied-down, this job us the ultimate. Many more days off than the average job, JS/Non-rev privvys, travelling around and overnighting in different cities....

Both groups of people likely got into the job because of the enjoyment of flying itself and you can't lose sight of that.....If you ever don't enjoy the "getting paid to do something you love" part then its not for you. There are many things that everyone has mentioned in the other thread that make it a "job" like any other..... Gone from home for days at a time, low pay for the starting years, reserve schedules, commuting for some, constant feast-famine industry changes.

But there are many, many benefits that you wont get in other jobs as mentioned above. The industry cycles on about 10-ish year cycles. You basically have to do the best you can to ride through the lull's and get up on the waves. Despite what is the majority of the "major" passenger airline market, there are still TONS of opportunities, current and future, in the cargo and charter/fractional markets, domestically but even more so internationally. I have been very happy/successful/lucky by NOT following the group-think mentality when it comes to this job. When everyone is running to one place and getting all their friends in, I didn't assume it was the right place for me. When other people are content where they are and sitting around, I'm always keeping my eyes open for the next best opportunity though if nothing comes around, I'm still happy.

At XJT I think too many people see CAL as an end goal for no reason other than they think they have the best shot to go there.... People need to really think about their career and where they really wanna be (company wise) in 20 years instead of "what bigger plane can I fly tomorrow."

Don't short sell yourself. Set high goals, and enjoy your path getting to your dream job. It is still possible. Networking helps, but its your desire/ambition (or lack thereof) that will determine how your career ends up, recession or not.

My path so far: (IM VERY PLEASED)
Internship at my dream job
Flight instruction
Crappy Regional (furlough)
Good Regional (2 years)
Now switching to Charter

Its not for everyone, i know my days off are going down with the new job, but my situation allows for me to ENJOY this schedule since my "work days" may be at a nicer location that my "home days."

To each their own.....

PS: Saab and others, Enjoy the +1 even though i'm currently an offline guy.
PPS: Saab, lay off the pipe..... i can see, you've had too much! (im very serious)

What is it with the IT industry? It seems to cause people to want to make a career change. Quite a few go into flying.

The problem with this career is that we all decide to get in as poor young single people and usually end up as poor pilots with a wife and children. If people could look past short term desires and make a career decision that is in the best interest of the future then perhaps we would have fewer miserable pilots and more happy single loners who can't wait to get out of their lonely studio apartment and get a trip.

SkyHigh

This is not a short-term desire for me or most. It is in fact a career decision in the best interest of my future. There are many people who have chosen this career and lead very successful, fulfilling and family oriented lives. Not everyone turns into a "single loner looking to get out of their studio" or "poor pilot with a wife and kids" as you suggest.

Like any job, there are those that are successful and it works, and those that are not. Im sure there are many (insert your job here) out there that travel a lot for work or are miserable about their job/life....

You all need to quit being such "debbie-downer's" and see that like all jobs there is good and bad. Stop focusing on all the bad things, there is some good left even though its not like it used to be.

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/111272

I'm good! :D

I'm married with kids and yes, my wife works (she could never sit home) and I have to say I am pretty happy as a pilot. Yes of course I could always gripe about the pay and some of the other things even the happy guys take issue with, but seriously its like a self fullfilling prophecy that the more you are negative and a downer, the more the universe will continue to keep you down. I know, I used to be that way BIGTIME and it was a drag. I just shifted my thinking and it made all the difference. It takes much less effort to think positive for me. Take this for what its worth.

I thought I explained it pretty well:D I could go into more detail but it's actually boring me just to think about it... Lets just put it this way...I can't think of any normal person who gets a rush from pulling cable through walls, configuring routers or designing networks. No little kid ever stuck his head in my cubicle or into the wiring closet and got eyes as big as saucers while exclaiming "Wow! Cooooool!". But don't forget the best part of this gig: I NEVER have to deal with some obnoxious, paper-pushing boss unless I screw up:D

Conditions vary greatly in the office environment, and I have noticed more unhappy people coming from IT than anything else. For me there was a big increase in quality of life in making the jump from blue collar to white collar work. However even within that category conditions vary and not all companies realize that treating the employees with respect pays off in the long run. There is a lot of variation just as there is with regional airlines, and majors for that matter. Whether you are in office work or airline flying, you should always look at the other companies and see what they have to offer. Unfortunately airline flying impedes lateral movement with its seniority system. I guess you have to know all you can about an airline as an employer, before accepting their offer.

You're a pain in the a$$ to fly with too! :)

Well, I'm kind of glad that we have some happy pilots. As for the ones that are unhappy, why not consider a second career? I met a pilot who is a successful real estate agent and he loves both worlds. With today's technology, you could do so many other things and manage to fly....

I'm happy. I may be part of a small group of people who is actually happy at Pinnacle. Still on reserve but I fly a lot and live in base. It's not the best place to work but both my wife and I are happy.

I would say the average guy who posts on this thread, saying "I love my job whoohoo" probably has less then a year in the 121 world, again not all, but most, I like my job, I am getting tired of the downward spiral the industry has taken, just wait until the furloughs at the major level happen, and if you think they won't you are VERY VERY niave

It's what you make of it:

If I want to like it, I can.

If I want to hate it, I'll quit...

Hard times
 

I think each one of us has a limited amount of difficulty and hard times we can face before our attitude begins to sour. I put up with 10 years of crummy low paying jobs before I could make it to a regional. By then I was so burned out, broke and miserable that it was difficult to even be happy when I finally got the job.

I bet it is easier to be happy if you were able to jump into a regional when you were ready for it and then move on to a major while you are still young enough to survive the down turns and benefit from having the job to begin with.

If things get as bad as they seem then there will be a lot of long faces for perhaps the next decade. I was one of the younger guys in my regional new hire class at 29 or so and had the lowest time of 4800 hours. It will get back to that here real soon.

Skyhigh

In mine time (both at the airlines, corporate flying, and office/service jobs), I've often found that two things influence how I perceive the job.

The first is what I get/want out of anything. Like SmoothOnTop said: "If I want to like it- I can." I'm an optimist- always have been. Even sitting on a sinking ship (Independence Air), I enjoyed the company of good friends and the good times.

It's the attitude that you bring to the table that sets a lot of how you perceive your job/position.

Second, is the attitude of those people with whom you associate. If on your days off (or overnights) you spend time reading webforums and posting bitterly about how much you are getting screwed by management, and then you go on a trip and complain all the time about this and that, you're bound to get negative (same thing if you spend all of your time with people that do the same).

I'd much rather not talk while flying, than listen to somebody's gripes about why life sucks.

As for my current job, I couldn't be happier. I get a great work/life balance, and am secure in my future and that of my family. I get to golf on the occasional overnight and am thinking about heading back to school for a master's degree. Not all jobs in aviation suck- you just have to find the right place for your personality.

I think a lot of you guys are misinterpreting what I said, I LIKE THE JOB, I am tired of the Industry BS, does that make anysense?

SAAB.....have you done anything professionally except fly?...... LOTS of industries SUCK.....Most are what we make of them....My wife is a career IT person ( 24 years ).... and guess what ....she thinks her industry sucks......

Herc, can you honestly say you are pleased with this Industry? I love the job, but 10 years ago, a DC-9 CA was making 190/hr, guess what they are making now????????? Dont forget about inflation, not to mention they are working some 30% more. I love the Profession, thats why I get so bent out of shape when I see whats going on with it.