Zayghami

HI,

I am new to these forums. My father is a Us airways, and I am a New private pilot. With the economy the way it is, with gas prices rising, is there a future for me an many other young pilots out there looking for a career in this industry? I know being an airline pilot is the best job first hand, but with all the furloughs and cut backs, is it worth it? My father has been with us airways for 22 years now, and he cant even hold captain (except maybe on a 190). Plus the pay isnt as good as it use to be, I bet an air marshall makes more money sitting in first class than most f/o's. What im trying to say is, is this something I should continue? All iv ever wanted to do my whole life is fly, but unfortunately I dont even know if this is a possibility anymore...

ZapBrannigan

My dad was US Airways too. And, from 1999 until 2002 I was US Airways as well. I was furloughed after 9/11.

My advice to you would be to fly for fun. Get as much joy as you can from it. Maybe even get a CFI and instruct on the side. Get a degree in a non-aviation subject. Choose a growth industry like healthcare or clean energy.

Your dad and my dad did a great job putting a roof over our heads. But the airline profession today is not what it was 20 years ago.

AviatorPop

Do what you love, there will always be some way to make a living flying.

Jetcap37

Being a pilot doesn't mean being an airline pilot anymore.
By the time you might be there you will doing nothing more then pushing a few buttons and sit back and read your newspaper.

If you love flying as much as you say do, get an education and your licenses on the side and then see where the business is going and decide then.
But if you want to do it for the money and the flying, stay away, especially from the airline business. Think Bus driver in a virtual world, and probably less money pretty soon. You said it yourself, your dad has been trying for 20 years now to be a Captain But why don't you ask him, would he do it knowing what he knows now...... I bet you not going to like the answer.

Zayghami

Hes told me my whole life not to get into this business...

Im just hoping that eventually the economy will bounce back

Careercfi

Looks like the words of a wise (or realism driven) man. There are jobs as pilot for people who have the dedication and meat on their behind to sit out the hard times.
The economy will bounce back -> just to get back in the basement shortly after. If you dream of being a pilot NEVER EVER let anyone discourage you from your dream. There are enough naysayers in this market - and you know what - 100+ years ago NO FLYING THING would have ever taken off if they would have been in charge

Good luck - have a second leg to stand on except for flying and you will be just fine. Buckle up - the next ten years will be rough!

ZapBrannigan

Yeah whatever. Get furloughed a few times. Start over at the bottom of the seniority list 3 or 4 times and before you know it you're 40 and trying to figure out how the heck you're going to retire at 60 (or 65) much less raise a family, help your kid pay for college etc.

I love aviation as much as any of you. But the fact of the matter is that this is not his father's career. It's a new generation. One in which a select few will make it to the majors... and fewer still will retire from them. Only the lucky will upgrade in time periods measured in other than decades.

I stand by my advice. Fly because you enjoy it. Fly as a hobby. Do some flight instruction. Heck, if you're a wealthy attorney you can buy a light twin and use it for work.

The original poster asked, is there a future for young pilots? Of course there is. A future of lower and lower pay. Fewer and fewer days off. Nonexistent job security. More and more outsourcing flying to the lowest bidder.

Let's be honest with him and let him decide if he still wants to go down this road.

Most of us didn't listen to the advice our dads gave us when we were young. Only once we were in our 30s did we discover how smart they really were. This gentleman needs to listen to his dad.

Lowtimer77

I'm in a similar situation. Im 21 years old, am majoring in business, and have my private pilot's license. I've wanted to be an airline pilot since I was 12 but now im not sure if it's worth it. I dont plan on having kids soon, let alone getting married, because the thought of having to support anyone else anytime in the next 10-15 years of my life scares the crap outta me. Even so, the whole industry seems so depressed right now( and pretty much has been since 9/11). It's not that I dont believe in hard work and striving for what you love in life, but i dont want to struggle for 10-15 years of my life before i am making some decent money. I dont think Ive ever heard of ANY other industry on this planet that costs so much to get into, but then so often pays so little once you are in. Medical school is damn expensive as well, but how many doctors do you know that make 20k a year???!! Yeah, the UPS/FEDEX guys are doing well, but it seems like everyone else isnt--or has atleast seen their salaries butchered.

For the last two years Ive surfed these forums, trying to feel out the pros and cons of this industry. Obviously many members of this forum are probably quite biased and jaded and may even exagerate their troubles, I wouldnt know, Im not an airline pilot. But what seems to be very very disappointing to me--excuse my language--is the lack of balls of pilots to come together and really fight for what they deserve. I only know one thing for sure, if I ever do become an airline pilot, I want to join the airline with the toughest SOB pilots out there. I dont want to be a part of a group who is afraid to strike or stand up for what they deserve. I think many pilots forget that they really control the airline. Thats right, I said it, and I truly believe it. You guys walk, then wat happens? Is your CEO and CFO going to come out and just hop into that 737 and fly it for awhile while you are on strike? It just makes me sick thinking about how so many pilots are getting pushed around by managment. rant over. flame on. i know nothing, im no airline pilot, im just some 21 year old kid.

Rama

If you really love to fly, then go ahead and get all you're ratings while working another job. It was 10 years between my private and commercial tickets; flew freight for almost a decade and recently landed the job I plan on retiring from. (I know it may not be my choice on how it goes) The industry will always have its ups and downs, but people will always fly and freight will always move. You got 40+ years to go don't give up yet, just be prepared for the inevitable downside.

FlyJSH

What do you love about flying? Is it the talent required to make a flight plan, calculate your times to different waypoints/fixes, or the freedom to hop in the plane on a nice sunny day and go for a $100 (make that $300) hamburger? Or do you like jumping in a plane, confirming the dispatcher has calculated the fuel correctly, gotten ATIS, the clearance, and completed a manifest/W&B in fifteen minutes while munching on a couple bags of peanuts (your lunch) and repeating that 4-8 times a day (and doing that for far less than you Pop makes)?

If you answered "yes" to the first question and "no" to the second, then I would suggest you stay away from the airlines.

There IS an alternative: part 135 or 91. You will do most (if not all) of your flight planning and almost never face a 90 minute taxi. The pay scale is higher right out of the gate, but doesn't increase as highly as mainline airlines. Also, many of the companies have a short live expectancy (half of the companies I worked for no longer exist).

I am not trying to discourage you, I am only trying to express the realities (in a Reader's Digest sort of way).

For me, flying is all I know (I haven't worked outside aviation in 12 years). I, facing middle age, will either weather the current storm and come out smelling like a rose on the other side, or I will be forced to abandon flying and start my four carreer in a more stable, and probably boring, industry.

I wish you luck.