Originally Posted by freightdawg (Post 622542)

True, it starts out this way - I used to love the job. Love of the job just goes so far. After swimming a few laps of @#$@#$!, it starts to smell. After a hundred, it tastes bad, and after a thousand, it just isn't worth it. We may be approaching the point where people just have had their fill - and the resignations start to pile up.


FD

Originally Posted by bryris (Post 621884)

Most of the compensation is the satisfaction of doing the job. As a whole, the pilot population would swim laps in a pool of #$@* to continue to fly airplanes for a living because "it beats working", has an awe factor when you tell your friends, the ladies dig it - all of the above.

Accordingly, the ranks will still be filled and lines out the doors if pay was cut even more. Pilots do this job because they love it - then once in, they'll talk about how important pay is. But pay is a secondary concern to most new entrants. Just getting a jet job is the primary success.

Major pilots are paid fairly well. But, even if they weren't, they'd still stick around because after that investment, there is little ability to start over in another career path.

Pilots are their own worse enemies.

Originally Posted by DeltaPaySoon (Post 622603)

Here's what I'm amazed with. How in the #$%%, in today's economy and training costs, can so many people afford to even ATTEMPT to get ratings for this job?

Seriously, how many lenders can look at this profession with all the job cuts and furloughs and believe lending is a quality choice? I know the number of people that are starting training is down but I figured that we would hear reports of closings all over the nation.

Originally Posted by block30 (Post 622806)

I'm wondering when the foreign countries are going to stop sending their students over here to train, and start doing it themselves...Any bets?

Originally Posted by wheresmyplane (Post 622911)

On the plus side, with Sallie Mae no longer writing aviation loans, and Key bank getting out of the aviation loan business a few years ago, less people will be able to get the funding to attend flight school. This should equal fewer pilots, and push demand up. I think we all agree that a big part of the problem is an abundance of people willing to fly fo peanuts, so this should look good for us. If demand for pilots goes up, maybe pay will too. The other thing to consider is that people are starting to realize that flying pays better overseas. The more pilots over there chasing a decent paycheck, the fewer pilots here to work for food.