NY Times looks at pilot decline
04-27-2007, 08:48 AM
#61
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Multi
I agree with your point. I was fortunate enough to retire at age 40, have been flying for 20 plus years. I have been trying to get into corporate aviation at my local airport. I own a A36 and have spent a fortune on maintenance, fuel, insurance, etc. I have 1100 tt, 100 multi. I need a minumum of 200 hours multi to get in the right seat of a Kingair 200 that is operated by a local business, as dictated by their insurance company. I am faced with either going out and renting multi time at $200 per hour, $20,000. Or buying a twin, which would cost a fortune. Yet I can get on with a regional now, which is what I may do in order to get the training I need. I might even want to stay with the regionals. But your point is correct, there are not many ways for someone in my situation to gain multi experience without spending a fortune, in order to take a starting salary arround $20,000. This is why pilots are decreasing in numbers.
SkyHigh
04-27-2007, 12:43 PM
#62
Line Holder
Joined APC: Nov 2005
Posts: 45
Have thought of doing something like that. I am afraid of the blowing up part. I have a friend who is a plastic surgeon, owns and flies a Cessna 340. He actually paid $6.00 a gallon in Dallas the other day. I will make a prediction: when the airlines fuel hedges run out, they will be forced to raise ticket prices, double. Passenger loads will, drop significantly, and furloughs will begin again. I hope I am wrong, but sadly, I think this is what will happen.
04-27-2007, 12:47 PM
#63
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2006
Position: BE-20, RA390
Posts: 644
.
04-27-2007, 01:21 PM
#64
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2006
Position: 737 FO
Posts: 148
No harm done. I am happy for you and both of your children.
My problem is that recently I have been trying to sell my plane and as such I am now receiving aviation related publications from the places I have an ad. In the last 5 years I have worked diligently to expunge my house of anything aviation related so my children wouldn't get infected.
Unknown to me my 6 year old has been collecting them from the trash and told me that he likes the airplane pictures. In addition to my horror I also noticed that he like to play with toy airplanes.
If I banish him from all things aviation he will seek it out even more. What should I do?
SkyHigh
My problem is that recently I have been trying to sell my plane and as such I am now receiving aviation related publications from the places I have an ad. In the last 5 years I have worked diligently to expunge my house of anything aviation related so my children wouldn't get infected.
Unknown to me my 6 year old has been collecting them from the trash and told me that he likes the airplane pictures. In addition to my horror I also noticed that he like to play with toy airplanes.
If I banish him from all things aviation he will seek it out even more. What should I do?
SkyHigh
04-27-2007, 02:31 PM
#65
Line Holder
Joined APC: May 2006
Posts: 73
I always loved flying and airplanes. When I was 15 I decided to take flying lessons. I worked in landscaping in the summer and made 210.00/week. I saved this for the summer and was able to buy 40 hours of flight time and instruction. This was in 1991. I am now making in the mid 40's and cannot afford to rent a 152 for an hour, it is just not justifiable. That is the problem. Once upon a time a kid with an aviation dream could fund it with a summer job. Now professionals cannot afford to rent for an hour or two, much less take a cross country for fun.
04-27-2007, 03:01 PM
#67
Line Holder
Joined APC: May 2006
Posts: 73
Are you a professional pilot
Yeah, I have been doing it professionaly for about 5 years. Occasionaly I get the urge to go up in a 152/172, to try and remember what it was like to fly for fun. Unfortunately it is cost prohibitive at the moment.
04-27-2007, 05:44 PM
#68
Moderator
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: B757/767
Posts: 13,088
The number of hobby pilots is declining but career minded ones are on the rise.
Every year since the 1970's the percentage of commercial versus private pilots has climbed. The reason is that if you do wish to fly most realise that the only way to do it is through following a career. University programs and pilot factories have flourished over the years while home town FBO's are fading away. In 15 years virtually every student pilot will have professional intentions. The results are and will continued to be an increasingly flooded pilot market.
It is a fact that people will accept status and position over pay. After blowing 150K on a wasted college degree and flight training most will take any airline job just to save face with their old college friends and to show mom and dad that they are successful.
LoL
Wages will continue to decline. Work rules will get worse.
SkyHigh
Every year since the 1970's the percentage of commercial versus private pilots has climbed. The reason is that if you do wish to fly most realise that the only way to do it is through following a career. University programs and pilot factories have flourished over the years while home town FBO's are fading away. In 15 years virtually every student pilot will have professional intentions. The results are and will continued to be an increasingly flooded pilot market.
It is a fact that people will accept status and position over pay. After blowing 150K on a wasted college degree and flight training most will take any airline job just to save face with their old college friends and to show mom and dad that they are successful.
LoL Wages will continue to decline. Work rules will get worse.
SkyHigh
That amount gets higher with every post.
Give it up. I know no one who spent that much on an aviation degree.
04-27-2007, 06:00 PM
#69
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Accounting
Tuition
Books
Room and board
lost wages
Lost years
you get the picture. Just think of what you could have done with your expensive education and the pain will set in.
SkyHigh
04-28-2007, 01:38 PM
#70
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: E-190 Leftist
Posts: 300
SkyHigh and every other pessimistic person on this board...Yes, the aviation industry isn't the best place to be right now, and its very cyclic and futures are questionable. I've grown up around airplanes and the airlines for my entire life. Despite seeing what has happened to my father's pay/QOL/retirement at one of the legacies, there is basically nothing that could deter me from wanting a career flying airplanes.
Call me masochistic if you like, but I've gone to school, experienced other types of thinking (history and international studies are my major and minor), and cannot think of one career I would rather have. Yeah, it's not perfect. Most careers aren't. Nearly everybody on this board talks about quality of life - my quality of life would not be nearly as good if I were doing another job other than flying because I would not be having fun doing it. I want a job that I have fun at. My number one priority is to be happy with my career, and there is no career I'd be as happy doing as flying.
Maybe I'm just not jaded yet because I haven't actually started flying for a real airline. I can see it on the horizon and I'm excited about it. Yeah - I"m realistic that working at a regional won't be amazing in terms of pay/benefits/QOL, but I'm willing to sacrifice those things to do my dream job.
I know this isn't the way everyone feels about this, but I know there are a decent number of people out there like me. I know one of my students gets the same gleam in his eye every time he sees the 172 that I'm sure I got when I was 15 years old....and I think I still get it every now and again. That is what gives me hope in this industry because people who are just willing to focus on the negatives makes it sound like it blows....and while there are things that suck about it, there are some good aspects.
Call me masochistic if you like, but I've gone to school, experienced other types of thinking (history and international studies are my major and minor), and cannot think of one career I would rather have. Yeah, it's not perfect. Most careers aren't. Nearly everybody on this board talks about quality of life - my quality of life would not be nearly as good if I were doing another job other than flying because I would not be having fun doing it. I want a job that I have fun at. My number one priority is to be happy with my career, and there is no career I'd be as happy doing as flying.
Maybe I'm just not jaded yet because I haven't actually started flying for a real airline. I can see it on the horizon and I'm excited about it. Yeah - I"m realistic that working at a regional won't be amazing in terms of pay/benefits/QOL, but I'm willing to sacrifice those things to do my dream job.
I know this isn't the way everyone feels about this, but I know there are a decent number of people out there like me. I know one of my students gets the same gleam in his eye every time he sees the 172 that I'm sure I got when I was 15 years old....and I think I still get it every now and again. That is what gives me hope in this industry because people who are just willing to focus on the negatives makes it sound like it blows....and while there are things that suck about it, there are some good aspects.
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