What company did you work for at SFO? I spent 2 years at JAL & ServisAir doing weight and balance... maybe we know eachother?

I worked at Signature. My name is Ryan Evans.

Thanks 2dots,
just glad that i didnt butcher your metaphor too badly.

It will not be long before i am home FINALLY...i obviously can not say when, but it is a very obtainable goal in the forseeable future. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement.

-Shawn

Skyhigh,
If you are so happy being out of the business why do you consistently get on here and try to discourage people from pursuing this career?

I LOVE to fly, I have worked many other jobs including one as a nurse and I can't imagine doing anything else besides flying and truly being happy going to work every day. If you have the motivation, the funds (or another career) to pursue it, you should. And I was raised in a trailer park with a single mother who never made more than $30K a year in her life. I didn't have it just handed to me. I believe there are too many people that are not happy in life....there is no reason for people to NOT pursue something they love. Life is too short. You just have to be smart about it, work your a$$ off (which is something people today just DO NOT want to do....they want instant gratification) and make sure you have a back up plan.

Ah ok, my name is Joe Crudo... I worked across the field then. Were you around when John Kerry's plane was parked over on that side? We did his ground service... what a crazy plane on the inside though!!!

You have an understanding of aviation and a love for flying that SkyHigh has never and will never see...Cheers

Skyhigh should give up, and shut up!

Ah, come on... leave Skyhigh alone. It's good to have some sort of balancing factor. He's no Brownstain or Cynical... he raises some good points!

SkyHigh and I disagree on some things, but he gets the point out there warning people of the dangers of not considering the pifalls of aviation. People out there looking into aviation "for the big bucks" need a dose of SkyHigh. Especially before they fall for those glossy ads that tell them they can go from zero time to 777 capt. in 8 months, because they are guaranteed a job interview, and there are positions held for them, and etc.

I agree completely.
When I first began flying, I had no idea of the financial ramifications of being a flight instructor, which is a phenom particular to this country alone.All that I knew was that flying was pure magic, and that there was no other way for me.I was fortunate to have a scholarship to pay for my training, but I still had to pay the bills on my own which was hard as a single mom. I drove limos at night to fly in the day
All I ever thought about ,talked about or coveted,were airplanes ( still havent changed much!)

In The Netherlands, I made over 50,000 a year teaching,my husband made about 110,000 as a senior instructor/examinor.He also had a slot for the 747-400 with KLM and was three months from that when he was killed in a midair.
After that, I had a hard time. I still loved flying,but there was now a new element: fear.I was bound and chained by an unyielding, relentless horror that I wasnt good enough, and that I would crash, and burn, and worse cause other people the nightmarish suffering that I had seen and been through.It took me 4 years to get control of that beast, and it still rides in my back pocket every time I go up.But my love of flying overcame that fear,and even though I have lost the naaive freedom and fearlessness that I once enjoyed,
I believe that I am a better pilot now,and that I have earned myplace in this aviation world of ours.
And I make a pretty good wage to boot!;)