AirWillie

Theoretically you will be able to get paid to fly at 18. Assuming you even make 20K, which you will make twice three times more, progressively you will have gained a lot more over time than some 33 yearold resident that just got out of school with MASSIVE debt. Yes you will make 45K or whatever as EMT but as a doctor or lawyer starting out it's about topping out. I have a second cousin who is a dentist, not a surgeon, and they do not make a lot of money starting out.

AirTrucker

Yeah its not allot starting out, the debt is almost more as a physician vs. gaining all your flight ratings. I am looking at physicians assistant school...they have the same requirements but PA school is a heck of allot cheaper! Yes the pay is less then a physician....but still very good even starting out. Well I have debt from flying...got some of it paid before I started back to school. I guess what I should of said is that the managing your debt from school is easer on a physician starting out vs. a regional pilot starting out.

LastTraintoMEM

Not sure why you are giving a lecture on financial responsibility? Most pilots I know are very financially responsible, but most pilots will tell you their first years were very hard financially. For you to say things weren't "THAT hard" makes you one of the lucky one. Plus having a wife pulling in another 21g's doesn't hurt either. Heck, combined you were making close to $50 thousand a year!

BoilerUP

I certainly didn't intend to lecture...but if it comes off that way to you then perhaps there's a reason for that.

I suppose we know a different breed of pilots then; many pilots I know don't (didn't?) have a monthly budget, and of those who do, a large number didn't base them on their guarantee; these are the same people that say "I HAVE to pick up opentime to pay my bills" when their colleagues are out on furlough.

No doubt...but the first years are the entry-level part of the profession. While I'm not attempting AT ALL to justify the crappy pay a new pilot makes the first few years, its also not exactly a secret.

Wife didn't start her job until 6 months into my first year, but yes, that income did help. It also came with her student loans, so the liabilities increased along with the income.

Again, I don't think "luck" had anything to do with it...but on that point we can agree to disagree.

I'm certainly not justifying the low pay probationary pilots get (especially at the regional airline level)...its nearly impossible to support a family on regional airline FO wages and that, to me, should be a major point when trying to get compensation raised. With that said...low pay as a regional airline FO isn't a hidden secret; info about it is widely available on the web including on APC. So please forgive me for hoping people would take a little ownership of and responsibility for their own situation...

SkiBum112

The problem I see is the "Entry Level" job, i.e. regional, is now becoming more of a career for some. Movement has virtually stopped, and even prior to Age 65 it wasn't that great. So pilots are stuck at those wages longer. Now don't read too much into this, I know after a few years at a regional even FO pay is livable, but that does not mean justly compensated for the resposibilities and training required for our profession. Airline management has been so concerned with saving money to remain "competitive" after deregulation that they are looking at their employees like an ATM. Funny how they never give concessions.

tutoradriane

...have to rely on government assistance because your pay was too low? Did you ever receive food stamps? Or WIC?

I'm a documentary filmmaker working on a story about how low pilot pay is. I would really love to speak with a pilot who was in (or currently is in) this situation.

I think most Americans would be shocked to learn how difficult a new pilot's life is, and how poorly paid they are, especially considering the expensive and lengthy training they must undergo, and the responsibility they bear for hundreds of lives. After all, a doctor can only harm one patient at a time, but a pilot holds hundreds of humans in his hands. Seems like pilots ought to be remunerated accordingly.

I recognize that it is a difficult thing to ask you to do, but I hope you'll agree that this is an important issue that needs to be brought to the public's attention. I hope my film will be effective in shaming the airlines into paying a living wage and/or spurring the FAA to enforce reasonable minimum salaries. And while the low salaries at the regionals were briefly reported widely after the February Colgan disaster, I have never seen a pilot come forward and admit that he had to rely on governmental assistance because his employer paid him so poorly.

If you google my name, you'll see that I have worked in documentary film for some time. This project already has a distributor, and will be seen in theaters and on television and DVD. I am hoping to present pilots in a very sympathetic light - you are highly skilled, highly trained professionals, and the airline industry has been cutting costs on your backs for far too long.

Please email me if you'd be willing to consider speaking with me about this important topic. My email: [email protected]

Thank you!

Very best wishes,

Adriane Giebel

[email protected]

unemployedagain

Please do not forget the fact that when a pilot becomes unemployed he in effect has been reset. Unlike any other profession in the United States, that pilot has to start over in pay, even though his past experience and training stand. Look into any other profession, it is a lateral move, not down.

I do not see many staying in or returning to the cockpit for this same reason, once your family has matured there is no way in which an individual can and provide for the family. Some say that some operations are a stepping stone; false.

It is all about the money. Look at how some contracts are formed and who formed them. Chances are those same folks depart from the operation or retire. Sad but true. In some cases the unions are worse then cults, yet sometimes are needed. Then there is the Railway Labor Act, another winner.

Patch

Tack on another tidbit.... once you're let go, your stock as an airline pilot starts to go down the longer you're out of the cockpit. IE: If you get furloughed from a Major and are not flying for a few years, you can probably bet you won't be going right back to the Majors when they start hiring again.

Jack Bauer

Wow, your timing on this is perfect. With the Colgan crash which brought low pay back to the forefront, and the need to attract the best and brightest as mentioned by the now famous Sulley Sullenburger and Jeff Skiles If done right I think your documentary could gain alot of attention. Thankyou for doing this. Low pay is one of many dirty little secrets that have plagued aviation for some time now.

Cruise

I think you'll find many pilots would qualify for Government assistance. However, being the professionals we are, most would never apply for the assistance due to individual pride. Most are highly educated and trained...the thought of being so poorly compensated to perform a highly technical task is insulting. Applying for assistance would just be another kick in the 'nads. Our egos are often a great asset and, at the same time, our largest detriment.