yeah those 4 leg weeks and class B 10,000 ft runways are a ***** aren't they?

Would love to see you land a -200 in a strong wind.

let the peeing contest continue....

 

I've landed plenty of -200s in a strong wind, but all my -200 time has B727 preceding it. I bet yours has CRJ.

 

This is one of those threads where I cant even

 

I would have gotten a 4 year aeronautical engineering degree before I committed to any flight training debt. Then I would have gotten an engineering job at Boeing and worked on flight training at the Boeing Employees Flying Association (it is super cheap).

Considering CFI pay and regional pay, I think that, in principle, committing to any debt to fund flight training for a future job is a mistake. Unless you are making enough money in your CURRENT job that you are comfortable committing to some debt (knowing that you will have to pay the payment when you are making $18,000 year)...
Depending on how much you can save up in your current gainful employment with your degree to pay your loan when you are making $18,000 a year... I think that taking out more than $10,000 would be a mistake.

Kids who love airplanes like I do need to not focus solely on their love of airplanes and flying, but really sit back and think about the lifestyle of living out of a suitcase in hotels for most of their life.
I don't have any problem with that lifestyle, but there are people who want the conventional wife and family...
Except for 2 weeks of "online training" at a part 135 operator where I got up at 3:30am and worked from 5:00am to 6:50pm and then rushed to eat dinner as fast as I could so that I could get enough sleep... I haven't actually lived the lifestyle. But people need the reality check.

Of course, if you love flying enough, you are willing to make any and all sacrifices... I sort of still feel that way, but not quite... for example, I've never been willing to commute across the country to a city that I can't afford an apartment in (like that Colgan F/O did).

Prior to my loan going to collection, commuting across the country to Chicago or New York to make $24 a flight hour was not even financially possible- even if I did use crash pads.

There was one distinct moment in my part 135 online training where it was very apparent that I was an wholly-owned commodity who had basically signed away my right to live my life or have any control over me (or if I got to eat or sleep)... this moment was NOT during flying- I would be more than happy to fly 10 or 12 hours a day, but the particular instance of feeling like an owned slave really left a bad taste in my mouth- again, this moment had nothing to do with flying really.
Anyway, that's why I'm still a CFI and am not willing to be based anywhere not on the west coast (also I suspect that my CFI pay rate is, by far, the highest in the GA industry).

I'm really really happy about the new part 121 rest rules.
Freight dogging part 135 IS the fastest way to PIC turbine, but it seems to me that you sacrifice your life to the "PIC Turbine" idol.
Yet, I still would have done it to get it and get to my goal. Nuts huh? But it didn't work out.
I do NOT think that people who did/do part 135 freight or Great Mistakes made a mistake. In fact, I used to work with one of them- he is now flying at a major airline.

I would also tell kids not to think that happiness is out in there in the future. Don't think that life will be perfect and that you'll be happy "When I'm an airline pilot." or CFI.
Happiness in life doesn't come from some supposed status you think you will get from being employed in particular profession. I haven't been an airline pilot yet- but I have made this realization.

Airplanes and flying are awesome, but don't forget to give yourself a reality check and stay out of debt.

If you are going to take out a $50,000 student loan, the job that it gets you better pay at least $50,000 in the year you start. And get the degree first.

If you have the money to solo or get your Private (or whatever) before college- go for it, but don't take out a loan.

That is what I would tell the younger me.

 

I stand corrected!!!!

 

waaaaah. Any "professional" pilot who feels the need to pull the "my plane is bigger than yours" is obviously lacking in other areas and compensating.

 

If I had the money to pay the collection company the 30% off deal they are offering that money would not even go to Key Bank! Key Bank "charged it off" (that's what the credit report says) and they write it off on their taxes.

My "loan" (the right to collect the cash) has been sold from one collection agency to another 5 times.

For the people who think that I don't want to pay my loan back- or that I feel justified to not pay it back... I would be MORE than happy to begin paying Key Bank back on my loan, as I promised to in good faith, as soon as I can afford to live and pay the payments. I was begging Key Bank for just another 6 months of forbearance when they sent it to collection.
I don't feel justified in not paying.
It's just simply not possible to pay with my income at this time.

 

I think you won.

 

Seriously?

 

It tells a lot about the economy.
It tells that places like ATP were advertising the MASSIVE PILOT SHORTAGE OF 2007 to people in 2005. They were NOT wrong or dishonest or misrepresenting the facts... it's just that the economy tanked and the mandatory retirement age was increased... and I had taken out a $60,000+ loan that was going to be paid for by the airline pilot job I would start in 2007.