lakehouse

It is al la gamble, you will be broke for a few years if you want to do it full time, but you could luck out big time, I know a guy who got a job instructing with 300 hours after 1 year of school. He did that for under 2 years and went to Great Lakes, he was there 2 years and is now on deck for Airtran. I also know a guy who did time builder jobs for 4 years, went to Eagle and is still an FOs after 5 years.

N9373M

As a long time Fed and former private sector worker, I'd stay with the Government. The benefits are very generous (especially after 15 years service): Annual and Sick leave, TSP with employer matching, health care, insurance, etc. The automagic step increases and usually reliable COLAs are not the norm in the private sector.

From my perspective and career/flying goals, you've got it good. Gov't benefits and you're working in the aviation field. I'd love to be in your position.

By owning (or getting into a partnership) a plane, you can fly when you want, whenever you want, and not have to deal with the issues, time, and pain of getting to be senior enough to have QOL in an airline career.

My opinion only, obviously. Hope this helps you make your decision and good luck.

clipperstall

I have zero complaints about my current position other than the lack of flying. It is a big mental adjustment to expect your entire life to be sitting in a cockpit and then in one swift move, you find yourself behind a desk. The QOL is very good and I have to agree that I am in a great position; however, I worked very hard to end up here. Like I stated earlier, I don't plan (nor do I want to) leave and jump into a professional flying job.

I am looking to find opinions on the differences (good and bad) between hobby flying and professional flying.

Interesting Sidenote: If I had not been reading APC throughout my flight training & college, I probably would have turned down this opportunity and instead focused on getting a job as a CFI and making it to the airlines.

N9373M

After reviewing the thread, I do see that your degree is aviation related and that you have the ratings, so I can see your desire for a line job.

I'm not sure that I've ever seen anyone post the pluses of being an airline guy, just the QOL of getting there.

Let's hear from the line pilots: what's your greatest satisfaction in flying the line?

Cubdriver

In the spring of 2006 when the hiring boom was on I was a regional airline hopeful. I had a ton of school loans to repay though, and reading here about how little regional FOs made strongly steered me away from the industry. I was astonished how little they made, it was astonishing. Entry level engineering pays 3-4 times as much as a new airline salary. I made good money in engineering and by 2008 my debts were paid, but the regional boom was over then even if I had wanted to do it. I really didn't at the time and still don't. It sounds like too much time in hotels, not enough stability, and a huge daily grind. Glad I played it the way I did because there is little doubt I would have been out of a job and still had all that debt if I had gone to an airline. Now I have eliminated my debts, but I have almost no interest in working for a regional airline. Not one of my regional airline acquaintances tells me it is worthwhile, although I can think of a couple who have no other choice having committed all their resources to it. Why people throng to regionals is beyond me and I meet them every day.

featheredprop

own an airplane for 8 years and also had a taste of 121 experience ... flying your own plane gets old quick I would sell off my plane if /when I get a flying gig . Its nice to have my own plane but aside from flying hard IFR its boring the only challenge is instrument flying at this point . I am considering offering my plane to time builders just to have someone to talk to during flying .Hope this gives you some insight guess the "grass is greener on the other side of the fence" would apply ....

If i was legally allowed to fly passengers and cargo for compensation in my plane that would change everything.... flying somewhere for a purpose beats out just flying for pleasure

USMCFLYR

You're right in my opinion. It is a 'grass is always greener' situation.
I looked forward to the flying withOUT a purpose!
Just go out, get in an airplane, and fly where I wanted to go and do what I wanted to do.
No long brief. No mission success/failure metrics. No many hour long debriefs covering every possible detail in depth.
Just flying for fun.

This is the type of flying that I would think that a professional pilot who flies for a living (with a purpose) would crave.
I've seen it mentioned on this forum that the light GA pilot looks up and wants to be in the fllight levels leaving cons, and the airline pilot looks down at the Cub/Aeronica Champ at 1,000' VMC and wishes he was down there just enjoying flying.

USMCFLYR

clipperstall

I have read on other forums that 121 gets boring too due to the monotony of the destinations and is only challenging on the rare approach to minimums. Care to chime in on this?

What you say IS very interesting though... The reason the $100 Hamburger book was written was to "give purpose" to airplane owners as an excuse to fly.

So is it the purpose or the challenge of the type of flying that drive enjoyability? I have a brother 750NM away- flying my family in a Cessna to see him for an extended weekend would definitely be challenging and purposeful; however, I could see how that would be also become boring and result in get-there-itis (much like a long car ride). The planning for such a long trip seems like part of the challenge though.

I should clarify that when I say hobby pilot, I still mean flying with SOME purpose ($100 hamburgers, weekend vacations, flying friends to sporting events etc..)

Cubdriver

I don't think it is all "grass is greener" USMC. That is part of it for sure, but as there are many different types of flying they all have a particular kind of appeal and each is real. I found Part 135 boring on the whole but it challenged my IFR skills and I valued it for that. I found the limits of my IFR skills and took it as a challenge to improve, and I found the whole thing enriching in that way. I find skydiver flying quite thrilling on the other hand, lots of yanking and banking, but it leaves out most of the cool hardware and there is no real public image associated with it. People see it as something akin to fooling around with airplanes. So I will always want to be doing a variety of flying endeavors. For that matter, theoretical aspects of aircraft design as well as the social and historical culture all serve to contribute something. I can go to work testing a new jet design, go to the FBO and teach someone how to do a chandelle, then go home and watch WWII aviation history and each aspect informs and enriches the others. Without all these aspects I think I would lose interest. They all need to be there. Not to be corny, but it is like a plant that has to be fed and it needs a little of each ingredient to bloom. I have observed in all of my aviation mentors this variegated approach and I am sure that is why they do it. You get tired of one thing, then you go to the other. The trick is to keep all the plates wobbling on the poles, but it's not all that hard to do.

SkyHigh

I have to agree with USMCFLYR. Aviation needs a purpose, a goal, destination or reason. Flying as merely a hobby is not the same. I shy away from passengers who do not hold a valid reason to be there other than for a joy ride. It needs to be a flight student, paying passenger or instructor.

I don't get hobby pilots either. They mostly stand around and argue about the usage of Marvel Mystery oil and the like. Most do not seem to fly at all.

If I were to start completely over in aviation it would be with the expressed purpose of just doing it for its own sake. However XBox 360 is almost as much fun for a lot less. Go COD Black Ops !!

Skyhigh