either way you look at it we are all under compensated!!! 50-60K should be the norm for fisrst year pay.

There come's a time when you'd rather walk your property line and water your tomatos than spend so much time on the road doing nothing productive in any sense of the word. It's the cumulative effect of just sitting around, not even being able to do a load of wash.

Unfortunately, many pilots are unwilling or unable to make the break because they're beginning to make okay money and can't change industry or careers and make similar money elsewhere because they have no other marketable skills. So, at say, 37 years of age, they're stuck looking at more than two more decades of dragging themselves from Point A to Point B, over and over, only to end the day waiting on airport transportation to haul them to another miserable hotel.

As you get older, and I don't mean when you've retired, you value your time more and more because the years go by much too fast. It's a no brainer that I'd rather spend time tinkering and puttering around my two homes, than to profess excitement at an 0530 continental breakfast at a Holiday Inn Express.

That was a funny one EYELS. I remember the other week telling a Capt. how great I thought their breakfast was at the Express, hahaha...

So you are willing to stop the bashing back and forth and name calling?

I work for the same company as SAAB, and just for perspective, I'm on schedule to make $31,000 before taxes. (2nd year FO also)

I have never broken min guarantee, and I get about $80-$120 / month in per diem.

If you can pick up open time and hold a line, you can do alright on second year pay. But it sucks to still be struggling so hard on second year pay.

Actually I think whats more important is to reduce all your debt as much as you can before getting your regional job.

Great post - describes me to a tee. I'd like this job more, lousy pay excepted - if I could be home every night, and live at home and not have to commute. Flying itself can be fun, but living on the road sucks horribly and the thought of several more decades of it is like a kick to the gut!

I don't think I have ever seen the 2 opposing points of view expressed so succinctly.

I have had both of these thoughts before. I guess maybe it's normal, and not multiple personalities!

Live in base. I've figured I'd make about 30% more if I lived in base at Chautauqua. However not worth it for me.

Living in bas, especially a base nobody likes (EWR), is where this job really works for me. I can hold line numbers around the 50's, and I am bidding in the low 100's. I am waiting what kind of terrible QOL the fall brings, but either way, I enjoyed it while it lasted