Lowtimer77

SkyHigh, I enjoy your perspectives even though I dont always agree with you( however, I have never been an airline pilot, so I cannot really tell you that you are flat-out wrong). I am just interested in your life backgorund. I am not trying to get personal, but when did you get interested in aviation, what was your path, and what caused you in the end to hate it? I know you have already probably answered all of these questions before, but I was just hoping you could just give a little bibliography of yourself. It also fascinates me that you own a plane that you havent flown in 3 years!!! While im sure there are more people than we all realize who own planes and never fly them, I speculate that you arent totally ready to give up aviation because you held onto that plane. I am not interogating you here, I just want to here your story. I know you have a lot of knowledge because you seem to be able to weigh in on almost any subject related to aviation.

mccube5

Someone please delete this post, this can't be going in a good direction!!

favila008

In my opinion that is personal. One thing SkyHigh should tell us is to not limit ourselves to wanting to work for one airline (AlAir). Second would be to not go into a regional where pilots are making it a career, thus you'll be stuck there for years (Hor), and third is to not jump ship that fast into the first non reliable carrier one set eyes on.
LowTimer 77 do some reasearch and you'll find out why sky high hates aviation, its obvious. If not the previous paragraph should explain something, I do not know exactly what happened, and dont blame him either. One day you may also have to quit your dream to raise a family. If it was not for him I would be more naive about the airline industry. Now I now the risks and I'm adjusting so that I do not repeat the mistakes of others However the answer is not to quit, I'm aware of the harsh reality of aviation and have decided to continue.
SkyHigh just clears the path for us by eliminating young aspiring pilots who are unsure about becoming pilots. Way to go.

Pilotpip

Look through his past posts. He's been very open about his career path. I'm sure after time he'll see this and post.

SkyHigh

I am like most of you. Took my first lesson at 14. Got my private at 18. Made the classic mistake of getting an aviation degree. Worked my way through college and paid for flight school as money became available. Became a CFI at 21. Went to Alaska to find work. Flew as a CFI in ANC. Spent a few years living in a small remote native village working as a bush pilot. Moved on to fly for the forest service for a few years as a contract pilot working air-attack and as a smoke jumper pilot. Got hired to fly jet air ambulance, charter and corporate. Made it to Horizon Air in the Dash 8 for two years. moved on to National Airlines for almost three as a 757-200 FO.

Throughout all those years I lost three good friends to plane crashes. Built over 6300 hours. Lived in my truck for 9 months and lived out of a suitcase, in hangars, huts and cabins for a few years more. Had many forgettable one and two bedroom apartments. Moved over sixteen times from the age of 21 to 36. The most I ever made was 41K during my last year as a working pilot. I averaged around 16K.

National Airlines shut down almost four years ago during my 36 year on the planet. It left me my pregnant wife and two sons down during a fragile time in our lives. It was a cross roads for me. I had to admit to myself that at my age and place in life things were not going to get better. In my heart I knew that if I stayed the course as a pilot I did not believe that we would be better off in five years. I did not believe that I could make it to one of the better employers given the industry at the time and I knew that anything less was unacceptible. I have seen the wreckage of pilots who held on too long and I did not want to end up that way.

To the benefit of myself and family I made the difficult decision to go home and attempt a new life. Out of my graduating class I am among the few who made it past CFI. I miss flying everyday but do not believe that it is the industry I started with nor do I believe that it has a future worth risking a career on. I pass on my experiences and opinions here.

SkyHigh

Old Coastie

Good to see another side and I admire Sky for being very open about his aviation career. He's the Afrin for the Air Inc sinuses.

LAfrequentflyer

Few people would be so honest or sincere about their beliefs.

I've certainly learned a lot from reading Skyhigh's posts.

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I'd like to add a story about my CFI. He went to a small school in the west for an aero science degree that he paid way too much for...He and his wife worked two jobs each so they could live in California on his CFI salary.

He had been flying as a CFI for 6 years and have a little over 1,000 hrs and 25 ME hours. I asked him why he didn't move or do something to get more hours and hired. I had to tilt my head a bit to make eye contact- he rarely lifted his head , always spoke/moved like someone constantly looking for approval / acceptance / validation. You know the type?

He couldn't afford to move - the risk was too much for him. With his loan payments he needed the stability / any stability he had.

In the end he ended up interviewing with the local police department. He wanted to become a helo pilot. I think he was just holding onto any part of the aviation dream he could...

He seemed a rather pathetic site in the end. For him the dream ended as a CFI with 1,000 hr SE and 25 hr ME...

I honestly felt bad for him...

He was one of the many reasons I won't step into an FBO again. I found the whole set-up to be one of the most negative environments in my life. Kids putting up with abuse just to get another hour in the log books...

-LAFF

JetJocF14

OK guys .. a little relucktant to bare my soal but it sounds like some of you guys need to here this. I grew up in CA near the Long Beach Airport final and at the age of 5 I knew I wanted to fly and be an airline pilot. Moved around with my parents and at the age of 16 started to earn my private out of Houston Hobby. This was around 1972. Paid for it by working summers digging ditches at the Houston ship channel. At the time when going for my third class medical the doc says hey I think your color blind. Which I knew I was not and got a second opinion. What a pinhead. Did I mention I wanted to become an airline pilot. Got my private and commercial in the following year and then it was off to college. Not being the steller student in high school and with an SAT of maybe 850 I had to do a year a JC to get the grades up. Ended up at a small school.... Southwest Texas State just south of the big UT at Austin. Flew for fun during college and got an instrument rating and a multi and at the end of 4 years got an BBA in management. Did I mention I always wanted to be an airline pilot.

Meet a Navy recruiter one day on campus and he said here take this test to see if you qualify to fly for the Navy, won't obligate you. Got accepted. Did the same thing with the Air Force and after taking there 6 hour exam on a saturday they said I wasn't qualified to fly (even though the FAA said I was)but that I could be a missle silo commander. GO NAVY. Got down to Pensacola for the first of 9 weeks of running around with the marine drill instructor and my head shaved. Really dug it and knew this was for me. Initially found out that I had a slight heart murmor but to the navy it did not matter. Went back to finish my senior year and while waiting to return to Pensacola for the final 9 weeks of officer canidate school got a letter from the navy stating in reviewing your initial test scores you did not score high enough to become a pilot therefore you will be ordered to become an NFO (Naval Flight Officer) back seat driver to you and me.

Wasn't gonna take that so after much letter writing and talking to my recruiter he said the only thing he could do was to let me take the test again. Its sort of like an SAT hint,hint. Crammed for the next 3 weeks and skipped class as much as I could. Did I mention I want to fly. Finally in a nut shell got the word that when returning to Pensacola for commisioning and flight training I would be in the pilot pipeline.

Went on to fly jets and got F-14's after flight school. Flew them for 4 years did the TOPGUN thing, chased the Blues, (did not get picked up) and had a blast. Next assignment was to be an advanced jet instructor in Kingsville, TX. Primarily because I was an LSO I taught the kiddies ACM and how to land on Navy carriers in the TA-4J skyhawk. Again a lot of fun except that south texas sucks as a place to live. But made friends there that are buddies for life. Did I mention I really dig flying

Finally got out of the Navy and got hired with the great silver fleet (Eastern). During my A/A phase 2, nurse ratchet told me I was color blind. I said lady I have 650 carrier landings and about 200 of them at night. The navy dosen't let color-blind people fly off carriers. Needles to say she was ****ed. Wonder why? Interviewed with NWA and got turned down maybe because of that heart thing. Talked to a FAPA rep who said you need to call this guy named Steven Reignheart who is an airline expert. Talked to him and he said you need to make up a medical packet to give to the airline docs stating that your A-OK and why. Finally got hired by Eastern. This was in the hey-day of Frank Lorenzo. Need I say more. Did that crap for 3 years. Most of my other buds got hired at at either A/A, NWA, or USAIR, DELTA. Remember that heart thing not to mention I don't look like that Cruise guy, more like Tom Arnold. Did I mention I really love to fly. Only knew 1 navy bud who threw out an app, interviewed, and was hired in 12 days by DELTA. The rest of use just dropped our jaw when the dude said gee that was'nt hard at all. Flew with the reserves while flying with Eastern for 4 years out of San Diego flying as an aggressor pilot. The other half of the Topgun movie.

Finally quite Eastern and went to go fly cargo with the Flying Tiger Line. Company merged with FEDEX and the rest is history. Been at FDX 18 years, first 6 sitting sideways, and have been to 6 different scools, flown every airplane we have, and typed as Captain in 3 of our jets. Still have 9 years to go. Will FDX still be around, hope so but nobody knows the future. What was once up is now down, what was once down is now up. Time will tell.

Sorry this is a little long. As for Skyhigh and others like I feel your pain. But you either keep going when you trip stumble and fall or quite and sell shoes. Personally for all you little rug rats I'd join the military. What is it the haircut, the uniform. the commitment? Gee I might get deployed. Combat? Some people live for it like Navy SEALS. If I had to do it all over again I would not change a thing. Age 25 flying an F14 or a C-172. Uuuuummmmm. Sure seems easier to me than slugging it out at 20 buck an hour living in SOCAL. But thats my thinking.

So the bottom line is that if this is the career that you want go for it. But it takes dedication, hard work, planning, and some luck. You can't goof off forever and then one day say gee I think I'd like to be a Captain on a 747. For you young kids in high school and college keep you nose clean. Meaning no DUI's, absolutly NO DRUGS. Let me say that again NO DRUGS PERIOD. Somebody offers you something, say no thanks I trying to get laid tonight. If you need to get a buzz learn to sip bourban or scotch (in moderation). Well thats all for now. If anybody wants to talk privately Email me at [email protected]. Good luck to you all.

Did I mention I always wanted to be an airline pilot!!!!!!!!!!

SkyHigh

He is right you know. You all should join the military if you wish to succeed as a major airline pilot. As for myself perhaps my biggest flaw was that I wanted to succeed in life most of all and sometimes that requirement does not allow you to fully dedicate yourself to an airline or military career. You can have anything that you want in life but not everything. People who sell shoes often trade their dreams for something that is worth much more in the long run.

SkyHigh

JetJocF14

You don't need to conquer the world.... Just a piece of it.....