This is an important point. If you have a family you are supporting, 121 aviation can be VERY detrimental to them. Remember, when you have a family, it's not about you anymore. And airline flying will impede on the most important days of their lives. Most people believe they can put up with anything for a short period of time and it will be worth it. That may be so, but currently there is no "short period of time." You are going to be on the bottom of a seniority list for a while which is no picnic.

Things might change, but they might not. This is not the career it once was. I still smile when I fly, too. That's not the issue. It's the havoc that airline management creates that is the problem. It's a hard life. Period. And if flying wasn't so much fun, NOBODY would be willing to do it.

 

Solution.... Marry a independent wife with a good job, she provides the money and you provide the fun

 

This is part of what is wrong with the profession.... and is exactly the mentality that was address by the Aviation ARC during the regulatory process. The part 121 airline job was never meant to be the entry level position, not even at regionals. Yet, we have an entire generation of pilots who have just recently, and still are, getting their tickets thinking regionals are to be their first job. Thankfully, the regs will soon change.

Why people honestly expect that they are entitled to go fly jets with passengers, when they can not even fly a C172 carrying cancelled checks is beyond me... it's a flaw in the regs that is long overdue being corrected.

 

Actually that's not a bad formula.

The problem with professional aviation (especially at regionals) is that it can no longer reliably be viewed as a career and a means of providing primary income.

If you understand that and accept the reality, you can view your aviation job as a component of a non-traditional lifestyle. You accept certain tradeoffs for certain benefits not available to 9-5 types. You just need a financial and retirement plan that makes sense. Not sure I'd rely entirely on the sugar-moma though...people do get AIDS.

But if you are a regional FO just sitting back and waiting for the money to roll in, you are probably in for a rude awakening someday.

 

I've had three different careers and I can tell you flying will turn in to just another job within a year. Try having 11 days off and not being able to get home for some of your days off due to commuting. Have you ever worked for a company that makes you bring a doctors note for calling in sick 3 times in two years? In the non aviation world have you ever worked for a company where you lose your job that pays $55 an hour and you get the same job at a different company with starting pay at $21 an hour? If you like flying there is a good chance you will learn to hate it. I never use to complain but I've just been worn down too much by this industry. If I had it to do all over again I would not have tried to fly for a living. I would not recommend this profession to anyone. There are many people that feel the way I do, there is a large exodus of regional pilots leaving the industry for careers that are stable and where one is treated with respect. If you must fly, find a way to do it with little to no debt so you when you do leave you don't have a $80,000 gorilla on your back.

 

Don't worry, I'm sure you smiling will turn around soon enough.

Seriously, there is a difference between someone who loves to paint, and a painter. Or someone who loves to work on old cars, and a mechanic. You get the idea. Go into this with your eyes open, and you won't be dissapointed as soon. Good luck to you.

 

Flight training is fun. As a pilot in training everyday offers something fun and new. Your hands are on the controls. You are in charge of your destiny. You are given challenges and the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing your goals. All that changes once you make it to being a professional.

As a professional the focus shifts from your satisfaction and enjoyment to that of the companies and of your passengers. As a result a lot of the unbridled joy and fun dissipates as you become a servant. The flying is boring in comparison. No steep turns. No stalls and spins (hopefully at least). You fly the plane to the satisfaction of management. Up and down. day after day. Nothing changes.

Your life becomes the play toy of the company and flying becomes a job. Sometimes there are sparks of joy but mostly you sit there fuming in the despair that comes from the ensuing poverty and insecurity that the life of a pilot offers. If you really want to preserve the joy of flight then get a real job and fly for fun on the side.

Skyhigh

 

This is a brilliant analogy.

I am into radio controlled airplanes as a hobby and spoke with a guy who just loved R/C flying so much he decided to open a hobby shop and try to make a living with it. However, he soon discovered that when you mix business with pleasure, you start to see the bad side of the thing. Needless to say, the hobby store business (all discretionary spending) is a tough business. The logistics of running the store made him really question his motives.

I don't understand this whole "real job" thing. I've held "real jobs" for many years and also did the airline regional thing for about 2 years. I will admit the regional flying was more enjoyable than a "real job", no doubt. But, when I consider other things in my life besides ME, it didn't meet the bar anymore. I flew with captains that missed their child's birth - I mean, you can't get that back. If you commute, its horrible to know that your ability to be with your family at night is dependent on a bunch of grumpy gate agents and whether there is a seat on the airplane - or you walk up to the gate only to see 6 other pilots wanting a ride too and you know there aren't that many seats. Looks like another night at the crash pad, get up at 4:30am to try for the first flight out the next morning - "sorry honey, I won't be home tonight." Happened to me.

We thought about moving to STL - but had we done it, I'd have been displaced to IAD. We would have pulled ALL our roots up, moved away from friends and family, wife would have resigned from a great job, only to be stiffed in the end. Nevermind, getting furloughed. Had I moved, I'd be living in STL instead of Florida, after moving myself 900 miles.

There were other pilots who did this very thing. The airline was so generous, they gave these guys 3 days between the end of their last domicile trip and the beginning of the first new domicile trip. 3 days to figure out how to go 800 miles!! Most other companies will entirely pay for your move for you.

In my opinion, the greatest benefit to the airline job is the volume of flying - 20/25 hours a week and the cool equipment you get to fly. Thats it. Otherwise, the greatest stuff in aviation lies outside the commercial realm, much like my R/C airplane contact. Jumping in a single and taking a sunset flight, going where ever you want, whenever you want, the friends you make at the airport, the beautiful sunny days flying over the beach, etc are where the fun is. Doing it on your terms is where the fun is. I am part time CFI'ing and I love it. If I can't fly, I just reschedule. My students are cool with it, flexible, and we just have fun. Compare this to a chief CFI breathing down your neck all the time.

A "real job" might feel more like a job. And there are some bad "real jobs". However, there are many good ones too that most often do a much better job of filling in the blanks of providing for a family with greater stability, being home to enjoy being a father on a daily basis, knowing that whenever your wife goes into labor, you just leave and go to the hospital IN YOUR OWN CAR, etc. Holidays are guaranteed to be off - you can plan Christmas out and be there, not wait until Nov 25th for the bid results to confirm/deny it. And, given the right field, you can go out and work on your own and be your own boss. This is not even a possibility with commercial aviation.

Working for yourself, making good money, keep an 8KCAB out at the airport to jump into when you feel the itch, then coming home at night and sleeping in your own bed has its value.

 

I am currently flying for an airline, so the ATP was really just a job requirement. There was nothing fun about it. Sad. I even said that to the instructor. I never intend to fly the piece of junk airplane again that I rented for the event.

But, since I'll conceivably get paid thousands more dollars to fly per month with the ATP, it's a good investment (I hope).

I still enjoy flying, but I could go to another job without much coaxing.