Grumble

I grew up as a kid of an airline pilot with a mother that worked too. While my dad couldn't make every baseball/soccer game/swim meet/cub scout meeting/whatever.... I did always feel bad for the friends that had dads with 9-5 jobs as they were more like 7-7 jobs. The only time they saw their dad was sat/sun and Sunday was usually getting ready for the work week. My dad would be home for days, sometimes weeks at a time. I'd venture to say I got way more face time growing up than any of them.

We get it, aviation failed you (or you quit because it was too hard). Take your bad attitude elsewhere. And quit saying "we" "our" etc. You quit remember? From what I can gather, quite a while ago.

SkyHigh

My university had a policy of inviting sitting airline captains to come and speak to the student body several times a year. Over the last few years especially their enthusiasm for the profession has grown dark in nature.

The tipping point came when one of the regulars, a UAL captain, openly told the student body that they were wasting their time and that they should quit now. Out of the pack the UAL guys were the most angry and spit as they spoke with vile hatred for the industry. Of the few UAL guys that I personally know they are overwhelmed with rage in regards to their employer and profession to the point that you would think they had stolen their birthday.

What Amazes me is that you can maintain even the farce of a positive attitude after your employer has slashed your wages nearly in half, stolen your retirement and pushed you back into the right seat. Not everyone reacts to this kind of thing with anger, some choose denial. You can not tell me that life at UAL is nothing less than a punch in the gut and the pilot group a bunch of sad sacks who with simmering rage are passing the time until they can get out.

Sometimes the view from the outside offers the best perspective.

Skyhigh

SkyHigh

Yes siting legacy airline pilots are out of touch with the lower ranks of aviation. Some of the worst advice I have ever heard has come from sitting airline captains. Everyone looks to them for guidance on how to make it but the last time they had to get a job was when Ronald Regan was in office.

They have no clue as to what it takes to navigate the lower ranks of the industry today. In addition they have no clue even with what their FO has to deal with. Once you make it to the upper ranks of the seniority list changes slow to a crawl. There is little risk of furlough. You live at your top choice base, fly the fuselage that you want on lines that suit you best.

How would they know what life is like at a regional? Regionals were not around back then. What advice could they offer to new hire hopefuls? Nothing, the average legacy line captain today could not even get an interview with the resume they had back when they got hired.

The best information on what it takes to make it in the industry is from the guys who live in the trenches.

Skyhigh

GoPats

Grumble,

As long as the rules are followed, everyone on this forum has as much right to be here and publish their opinion as you do. Sky presenting the downside of this career path is appropriate for a forum titled "Leaving the Career". Wouldn't you say?

If you feel he's too negative or simply wrong then say so and present the plausible alternative view.

A lot of us have had Sky's experiences, at one level or another, in this industry. While everyone here will always be attracted to flying and airplanes in general, we shouldn't equate the profession with the passion. Not necessarily the same thing.

SkyHigh

Yesterday my Cessna 150 passed another annual inspection with flying colors. The compression checks were all in the mid to upper 70's. Everything else looks good. Tires, windshield, brakes and the rest all good for a while yet.

However I did not put as much time on the tach as I had hoped, but I have been busier this year because business has picked up. In addition we spent much of the spring and summer welcoming a new son into the family.

Hopefully next year I will be able to fly more.

Skyhigh

HotMamaPilot

My dad is retired UAL. He was hired in 1959, and was employed there for my entire upbringing. We moved between Chicago and Denver a couple of times (which didn't disrupt my life too much), and our family always had things; but I can say as a young to teenage girl, that I missed my dad very much. Spending time with my girlfriends as a youth, I was perpetually envious that there dads were always home(9-5 ers).
When I read your post, it brought back memories and I can say that what you wrote was NOT my experience.
Like I said, we had a great life financially. Vacation every year. Nice home in castle rock(co), long grove(il); we weren't starving, but there was a price. And note, this was during the "golden age" when pilots made a ton. Nowadays, that time away from home, family etc sacrifice........is it worth it for the sub-par wages of today?

GoPats

Also, not every spouse is designed for that kind of lifestyle (relocation, self-sufficiency). I don't have stats handy but I'll bet the divorce rate in the airline industry is higher than average. I think a lot of people go into this thinking they know what it entails until the baby needs to go to the emergency room and the car is making that funny noise again and we don't have any hot water...
It's not for everyone.

Airhoss

[QUOTE]So you are still attending these meetings? You still go to your university the center off all of your knowledge and "inside" information which you so freely share here? Are you kidding me? Really? What school was it anyway?

The few UAL guys you know is the key here, few being the key word. All are ****ed as to what happened but at UAL you can either dwell on the negative or get over it. Righteous anger and continuing the good fight are a lot different than bitterness. Bitterness is what you seethe from every pore in every post.

My employer has NOTHING to do with my happiness. Some people when confronted with adversity choose denial, some anger, some on the other hand some take the cards that are dealt and make the best of it. Anger and denial are choices just as happiness is. UAL is nothing more than a paycheck and place that provides benefits for my family. I am not UAL I am not a failure because the company I work for is not what it used to be. I am me a person who has a very involved happy life outside of work, UAL is not who I am, it's just the place I work for.

Perception is such a tricky thing especially when you don't have all or even very many of the facts.

HotMamaPilot

Saying your employer has "NOTHING" to do with your happiness is a bit untrue. You can't possibly mean that. Unless one lives in the land of unicorns and rainbows, our employers have much influence on our happiness.
What you said is in line with those that say "money can't buy happiness", to which I say, true but neither can poverty.

atpcliff

Off topic but...
Actually YOU are the only one that controls how happy or unhappy you are.

Other people (or employers) can do things that make your life more complicated, or simpler. They can do things that add stress to your life, or reduce stress.

However, how YOU respond to the stress you are under, is YOUR choice! You can be in a ****ty situation, and be happy, or be in a "perfect" situation, and be ****ed off.

Your spouse cannot make you happy or sad. YOU make yourself happy, or sad. So, what I do, is try and see the positive in everything, and be happy. If you are not happy, the best way to be happy, is to fake it. Pretend like your happy, and act like you're happy, even if you're not. At some point, your "pretending" will work, and you will be happy.

In the US, the Amish have no electricity and no engines, which sounds very "bad" to most of us. However, they are among the most happy groups in our country.

YOU are in control of how YOU feel. If you feel like crap, then change how you feel.

Good luck, God Bless, and Namaste.

cliff
GRB