Just for giggles, What is the true hourly rate for a airline pilot?

Published hourly rate + expected bonus percentage + employer 401 contribution. Typically at top/middle tier majors that's going to about 120-125% of published rate.

If you're talking about actual pay for duty time, that varies wildly based on the type of flying. Long-haul flying will be very close to the same as the published rate, ie very high. Some regional flying will look a lot like minimum wage. So somewhere between about $10 and $350 / duty hour.

If you really simplify it down to “total income divided by total time spent at work” it would probably look something like this for a regional...

Avg days in a month: 30
Avg days off: 12

That means average days worked is 18 days a month. 18 x 24 is 432 hours a month. Multiply that by 12 and you get 5,184 hours spent at work.

Say an avg pilot makes 60,000 and divide that by 5,184 and the true hourly pay comes out to around $11.50 an hour.

I wouldn't go to that extreme, there are many other professions which involve travel or living at the job site, none of them get paid 24 hours/day while on travel. Income per hours spent on duty is a reasonable metric. When you're off duty, that's your time wherever it happens to be. There are normally some perks available during off-duty TAFB, such as per diem, hotel points, or sometimes just an opportunity to enjoy a travel experience on the company dime.

If you think you should be paid full rate by the hour for TAFB, then you should find a profession which doesn't involve travel. No industry does that.

I'd go INSANE if I had to do 98% of the white collar jobs my non-pilot peers do.

Answering emails and calls from home when I'm not actually "working" makes me want to vomit! Plus all the office politics, "merit based" raises/promitions, butt kissing, etc in Corporate America.

Not to mention that while we are away a lot, we also have a ton more of time OFF than those people, in addition much better schedule flex when ones gets some seniority as well.

Honestly, as imperfect as this profession is, I can't imagine doing anything else and being content.

Maybe the OP is asking our true hourly rate in terms on time on duty to time off duty? A 10hr duty day might only pay 5-7 hours of block/credit.

Do you commute?

This Quote!!!

I work on power plants, travel for work, and have to be available for calls at all hours. Just got off the phone with someone that said they would let me know about an issue first thing in the morning. Today is Friday, so he will call Saturday morning after I worked all week. I used to work 7X12's on night shift for months at a time, so guess I have some seniority. I laugh reading some of these QOL complaints.

I'm looking forward in a few years when my daughter gets older to make my transition to the airlines. I'm a little worried about the initial large income cut and jump off the deep end, but I think the lifestyle will be much better. I'm at 1200 hours, and want to get my ATP, along with some jet time in next few years to make sure I'm ready to go.