I am sorry aviation did not work out for you. I was a HS dropout loading bags in the late 80's when I decided to "go for the majors". Ten years after my first flight lesson, I ended up at UAL. Since then, I have flown all over the world, I have flown brand spanking new 777's from Everett to SFO as they were delivered to UAL. I currently have 33 hour layovers in four different HI cities flying the awesome 757/767. Sometimes I rent a Harley in HNL and drive to the north shore just because. Life is good. Oh, and BTW, I just got a bid to be a 737 Captain. Just waiting on a class date. SO, you say that was then, this is now eh? Well, I know 2 buds who are at SWA. One was hired in 2002 from his King Air corporate job with about 2 years of college. The other worked at a funeral home when he decided to "go for it". He went to MESA college for 2 years, worked for Mesa for 3 years and now he is a senior FO at SWA. The difference is some people don't give up.

AMEN!

A positive attitude is refreshing.

the cycle continues!!

Some have an easy ride most do not. For every Disney movie career story you have I can share one where an impoverished young pilot dies on the job leaving a wife and small children.

Your perspective is predicated in large part by your outcome. Mine is as well. I am sure that every year a few lucky ones make it however, my story is more common. UAL isn't out of the woods yet. Now is not the time to recover the old UAL arrogance. If they go under your fairytale world will change forever.

SkyHigh

Maybe. But if UAL tanks, and believe me, I know it can, I will stay in aviation. My furlouged neighbor is a 757 Captain for Omni just waiting for his number to be called. Meanwhile, he earns enough to pay the bills. I figure I can land a good aviation job if need be. But do you realize I have been "living the dream" for 10 years now? A person can put a lot in the kitty for a rainy day after 10 years at the majors.

SkyHigh's opinions are very valuable...he's speaking for many others just like himself who you don't hear from simply because they have moved on and don't spend time on aviation forums.

For those of us that are still in the game, it's a constant reminder to keep our options open, don't rely 100% on anything aviation, and to keep that fall-back plan on the back burner.

For the youngsters who grew up with an entitlement outlook and simply haven't been around long enough to get kicked around by the real world (yet!)...listen to SH! Be aware that you will likely have some bad experiences in this business (and life in general). Maybe it doesn't seem like it could happen to you (it never does in the movies), but if you anticpate the sucker punch a little bit you will be better prepared to roll with it. Ultimately, how you respond to adversity is up to you, but there's a lot to be said for perserverance (and luck, don't ever forget luck!).

For your sake I hope you have been saving every dime. I flew with a lot of ex-Eastern guys who thought they had it made. By 60 all they had left was an old 1970's corvette and a two bedroom apartment.

The world of aviation can change in a heart beat.

Eastern, Pan AM, Flying Tigers, Braniff, TWA. Most of those guys never flew again. You could find another flying job but you would never forget what it was like to be treated like a real person. It is no fun to be at a miserable B grade company earning less than half of what you make now. More skyhighs are created every day.

Your story isn't over yet. Lets all say a prayer tonight and hope that karma isn't coming your way.


SkyHigh

Flying Tigers?...gee what ever happened to them?...hmmm....

FEDEX MAYBE!!!

Oh. Come on. There are 800+ Eastern guys at UAL. And they were captains within 5 years. There are another 800+ Eastern guys at AMR. Some Pan Am guys came to UAL with their DOH seniority after UAL bought PanAm's pacific routes. Flying Tigers? They were bought by FedEX. Almost all of those guys went to FEDEX. You are just a glass half empty kind of guy. I am a glass half full guy.

Send in your statistics and maybe the discovery channel will make the sequel to "The Deadliest Catch"...

Until then... your argument both isn't very relevant, and is a gross exaggeration. The most dangerous part of flying (especially in the US) is the drive to the airport.

Perhaps a better analogy would be the pilot who went through flight school with intentions of flying wide-bodies, only to spend a decade or two instructing in a C-172. Even then... mistakes were probably made and opportunities were probably missed.