viktorbravo

Hey man, if I could make a living riding that 450 EXC I would do it too!

CaptainMark

Attachment 569if u want to make a living better ride my 525...

Skyone

We have discussed this before. My dream when leaving the military(1979) was to fly for Piedmont (the original). Same as you, hometown area etc etc. It didn't work out, they weren't interviewing at the time. I pressed on with my second choice, Eastern (thank goodness), never got called for interview. Finally, there was some little airline out of Georgia that gave me the call. Except for the last three years, it was a fantastic run. And I did end up living where I wanted. No one can predict where this industry will be in a decade. Who knows, JB might just buy Alaska and have a SEA base. And then you could have your SEA dream by not limiting yourself. As Garth Brooks sang, "Thank God for unanswered prayers".

Continued good luck

SkyHigh

I did cast a wide net and did consider many options. I simply ran out of time and the industry has changed dramatically since 9-11. I knew that the odds were getting slimmer by the day that I would ever secure one of the better jobs with a base in the Northwest. You are right no one can predict what the future will bring. My chances were thin and I have a family to think about. I didn't have enough years left to waste on another dead end.

My "unanswered prayer" was that I didn't pursue a job at Frontier, Gemini or JetBlue. If I had I still would be living in places I didn't want to and doing things with people I didn't know struggling to find a way to make my family happy while living in a strange city. To me living where one wishes is one of the most important standards of living. My wife and kids enjoy a life with relatives, old friends, wide open spaces and a rural lifestyle. I can't imagine dragging them to a suburb of NYC to live in a three bedroom condo.

My last hope is that either Alaska Airlines gets desperate or a start up comes to the NW. I was able to find a way to support my family well and live in my hometown. The price was to give up my Alaska Airlines pursuit but never the dream.

SkyHigh

reddog25

Yep it was Carter...I remember cuz peanuts were cheap, billy beer was cheap and gas was expensive! ( and flying was dangerous and sex was safe!)

Skyone

Well, all the best to you sir. Without a doubt you have your priorities straight, IMHO. But don't let Greenface or others hear you speak the unspeakable-STARTUP. He will start quacking, "scab, scab, scab."

de727ups

"My "unanswered prayer" was that I didn't pursue a job at Frontier, Gemini or JetBlue."

Hey, that's your problem. You'd have been a Capt by now at either Frontier or JBlue, yet, you long to tell the world how awful that must be. You'd rather whine about what a crappy hand the career lent to you.

Whatever....

I'd guess there are good many folks here that wouldn't mind being a Capt at Frontier or JetBlue with what your seniority number would have been. They certainly wouldn't be telling the world what a crappy job being a pilot is and why they should run the other way from this career.

You made some choices to not continue the career that were the right choices for you. That you assume they are the choices others should be making is nonsense.

SkyHigh

Sure I could have gone to a JB, Frontier or Gemini, but what really would that have bought me? In 5 years I would have upgraded to captain in another few years I would reach 1000 PIC but my family and I would still be living in a place not of our choosing awaiting a future that is unknown. Most likely at least one of those companies will be bought out, fail or furlough. I would have a better than fair chance of being thrown out on the street again but this time in my mid-40's.

My only reason for making a move like that would be to tempt an Alaska Airlines however by the time I would be competitive most likely I would be too old to start over at new hire pay again. My entire career goal was to reach a stable form of gainful employment at a company that allows me and my family to live a reasonable standard of life in a place we are happy to be at while still young enough to enjoy it. To continue along the broken path in time I might have produced those results but most likely would have resulted in open ended misery.

The main thrust of my mission here is to point out to young people that increasingly aviation is squeezing out what one needs to build a successful family life upon. 20 years ago it was common to get hired at a solid major airline while still in your 20's and build seniority and income by the time kids come along. Today it is a crap shoot of luck and circumstance and most of the time it is difficult to determine just who the lucky ones are.

I loved flying and it broke my heart to have to let it go but at my age and given the circumstances I faced there was no other reasonable choice I could have made. I spent many years sitting next to captains who should have let it go a decade or two earlier but held on to the destruction of everything else in life that they loved.

We all sit down at the table with so many years to gamble with. At some point it is wise to walk away before you loose everything.

SkyHigh

ProfessorJoeVee

As the JetBlue boys will soon find out.

727C47

the ignore function on this website was invented for mr.skyhigh, who must have been sheer joy to share a cockpit with...