Well, the same can be said for most careers. I actually have a TON more free time now compared to when I was an engineer. Some of my friends in that industry are working 60+ hrs/wk (and getting paid for 40 hrs).

 

Yes.

I should elaborate and emphasize that individual experiences will vary. I screwed up in a few ways. Had I looked for a cheaper flight school and been more selective in choosing a place of employment, I may have a little different opinion.

 

I started training in 1999 when I was 20. (just worked after High school.) Worked all week to fly one hour a week or less. Got my Private after much instructor attrition and miserable winters in 2001. Got a loan for Instrument and Commercial at the place with the professional instructor (but expensive new aircraft). Killed the loan and got commercial by fall 2003 at age 24.

Finally caved in an went to University, Spring 04-spring 08 as a commuting Adult student while still working (and as you can guess being paid ok by now.) Picked up Multi and CFII and started teaching my "Senior" year Fall 07 when the classes started getting sparse. At that point I dropped down to weekend work and Instructed during the week. My Tuition and Books were paid by family but the flying wasn't. Got hired by a bottom feeder with 500 or so hours and 25 multi two months before graduation '08 and went to ground training literally the Monday after my last day of school at 28 years old. (Instructed about 8 months.)

So overall I spent '99 - '08 getting to the point of being barely able to be hired by a crappy regional. So 9 years of dedicated study.

Cost was estimated with school and books and such at ~$200,000 partially thanks to the expensive 61 school with the good instructor, and partially due to the slow progress early on.

Left the job 6 months later, for LOTS of reasons. But mainly after almost 10 years, love simply became comfortable familiarity, it was just a part of my life and something I did well and wasn't hard to do, which wasn't enough to re-dedicate myself to an indeterminate duration in the bottom feeder lifestyle. Luckily the old job was still there for me, but it's not really a career.

 

In short, I would say this job cost me my soul....

 

now you work 40hrs and get payed for 20hrs/wk. how is that any better. i'm mean yes 40hrs work is less then 60 hrs work but the pay loss has to be worse, 40hrs to 20.

 

I'm on row 9, just after the sixth comma.

Started flying at 18. How I got there/here is a mystery to me. Me lucky charms might've had something to do with it.

 

Man, I am one lucky son of a gun.

I work for a good contract regional, live in base am pretty much the bottom line holder, am currently 25 and am sitting in the right seat at AWAC, loving life Here is the story.

Started flying and working at the local FBO when I was 16 and in high school. Got the private ticket at 17 by working for 50% and paying for it with savings 50%. At that point my parents helped me out with the Instrument, but I still worked at the flight school. All told I paid 2000 for both the instrument and private. After graduating high school, I went to an instate aviation college, and was pressured into flying at the big named school, and the commercial cost 10k. At the same time, I still worked at the FBO and paid for half, and took out loans for half. The CFI cost me 8k, which I was only able to pay for 3k of it. So I was up to about 10k in loans. I returned to the FBO and worked full time as an instructor and went to school. I left when I was a Junior (dumbest thing I have ever done) and went to California for a good paying CFI gig. Out there, I did the Comm. Multi, CFII and MEI, all on the company dime. I paid off the student loans from both college and flight training, which cost me about 18k. After doing that for 2 years, I was able to come back to the east coast with zero debt. I got hired at AWAC in 2007 and had to live with my parents for the first year, then on second year pay I was able to move into base, and life is great. I met the girl of my dreams; she understand this job can suck, but the flexibility of living in base and being a line holder makes all the difference. I don't make enough for what I do, but I make the most of it as it now.

Overall the job is great for me. I have a great group of friends, a girlfriend whom I love, and a job that I enjoy. Currently I'm going back to school, full time (online) to prepare for the future. Life is good overall.

 

Oh lets see here,

Started flying at 14 at 06C (6 W of ORD), solo at 16, took a break until 18, started again in HNL, got my CPL in late 2007, flew skydivers for a few months after, went up to AK, flew outta FAI and BET up there; in the Mighty Beech 1900 and the Lead Sled 207 for about a year and half, just getting ready to step back from the flight controls and sit down sideways in a 727 back in HNL.

Got a slight debt load (from non-aviation non-school things), but that's about to be taken care of, and overall enjoying life in the tropics at age 23.

Would I do it again? God yes and then some.

 

+1 and I'm not a fan of rush hour

 

I typed out a long story of all the hard work and dedication I had to put in in order to land my dream job. But then I realized that my personal story was not unique nor was it interesting, so I started over. My path to a major was about half luck and half hard work. The few years after I graduated high school were not fun. I flight trained or flight instructed all day and went to college all night. My reward was 6.5 years at a regional and a job at a major starting at age 26. Total time from my first flight to being hired at a major was 9 years 11 months. Not exactly record time. Total cost for my flight training, college and room and board until I was hired at the regional was approx. $70,000.

Personal sacrifice? In order to get to the airlines as quickly as possible I felt like I had to forgo a traditional university experience. I was one of the few fortunate to be hired at a regional around 20 years old (with a college degree). I don't regret the position that choice put me in. 20 at a regional and 26 at a major isn't half bad. The sacrifice I feel like I need to be compensated for is the fact that I am a highly educated, highly trained professional. I have to spend days at a time away from my family, and I have to miss out on the little things in life (holidays, birthdays, etc.) Perfection is demanded and expected while I'm work--if I'm a part of a crew that makes a major mistake, people can die. This job is certainly routine, but every year when I go in the sim, I am reminded of the nuances that make this job a challenge.

When I'm eating my breakfast, sipping on coffee, and enjoying the sunrise at FL350, I feel so fortunate to be paid for what I love. When I'm making an approach and landing at a short field when it's raining sideways and almost perfection is the minimum standard, I feel like we are all SO underpaid.