SkyHigh

On the contrary. I have it a lot better now than when I was working as a pilot, so be happy for me.

SkyHigh

SkyHigh

My point is that if people think that spending a fortune on college and flight training to be followed by most of a decade earning less than a mailman is a good idea, it is not.

Airline careers made more sense 20 years ago when even regional pilots made twice as much as they do now and when it was common to reach the majors while still barley in your 20's.

After such an investment it is urgent to reach a strong wage early on in order to have a fighting chance at being able to reach middle class. The average experience today leaves the pilot on the back side of the financial power curve for way too long.

Some here like to justify their poverty by claiming that everyone else is greedy and somehow is missing the true essence of life. It is romantic to be poor when you are young and a horror when you are old.

SkyHigh

contrails

What about a fourth year RJ captain that makes $7,000 a month all summer long?

EAHINC

Thats the problem, you think $7000 a month is good enough for a captain, considering the responsibility of the job, instability of the career and all the previous training, investment/sacrifice he put into it? You guys deserve much more!

HercDriver130

Id fly left seat on any 50-70 seat regional jet for 85K a year. Now some might way thats stupid, but thats pretty good change. the cold hard fact of the matter is there is a limit to what they can or will pay pilots flying aircraft in the regional arena. that doesnt mean that QOL cant be better ...etc....

contrails

No, please! I don't think it is enough! I agree with you.

But I am saying it is more than the mailman makes, which SkyHigh disagrees with.

de727ups

Look. Skyhigh makes stuff up to enhance his pleasant conversations here at APC. Baseless statements of fact run through his diatribes. It's easy to see that if you read a few of his posts.

If you disagree with him, just keep telling it like it is. Most of us already know better.

Iceman310

Skyhigh is an idiot. Period. Why are we giving Skyhigh so much attention. Lets just all unite and just ignore him... All in favor reply.

HercDriver130

Sky is no idiot. He is just bitter at the twist life dealt him. the problem with his rational is that just because someone wants to be an airline pilot AND that they want to reach the very top rungs of aviation is that its available to everyone. Its is not. In every profession there are varying degrees of sucess. In this particular case Sky is ****ed that the twists of fate that dealt him left him in a position in life at a point were HE felt he had to change his career. There are others who reach that pinnacle..( lets say left seat on a UPS MD-11 )... yet others are happy making that 85k at some said regional flying whatever. Are there those who just always seemed to be in the right place at the right time etc... YES.... are there those that no matter how hard they tried they just always seemed to be on the wrong equipment with the wrong company causing them to continually be displaced and or furloughed or shutdown. Certainly. Not everyone gets the brass ring in life or their career. Many just get to enjoy the ride and deal with the problems along the way. Sky's view of being an airline pilot is clouded with some mythical "way it use to be". Is the pay what it was just a few years ago, NO, AND it might not ever be in REAL dollars again. But like many of you I have known people who have been or were in this business going back nearly 40 years, and they can tell you upgrade stories from HELL. Guys at many of the Glamour Legacy carriers in the 60's and 70's who spent a decade if not TWO sitting side saddle in the 72 etc..... who barely upgraded to FO in their late 40's or early 50's. EVER to sit in the CA seat on the line. BY contrast many of todays FO's even at PREMIUM carriers can easily expect to upgrade to CA WELL before retirement.

I know..blah blah blah....In the end NO body is holding a gun to anyones head getting into this business. I dare say that most of the people getting in NOW or in the past few years KNOW a hell of alot more about the industry than those 30 years ago. Cold hard facts are that NOT everyone gets to be a 777 captain... no should they. Not every lawyer ...doctor.....scientist will get to have their DREAM job before retirement..some will many wont... just like in aviation. Its just my opinion that if you are simply in aviation because you want to make or think you should make a HUGE amount of money you are in the wrong business. Is there a possibility that if all the stars line up you will get to that point yes. Problem is the facts are that aviation is a difficult business, commuting, QOL issues, etc... and if you are only in for the monetary gain you may be left bitter. If on the other hand you get in realizing that you might but might NOT ever get your dream job but you love to fly then just maybe its okay that you just keep trying and take what you can get and accept the fact that there are only so many spots at the top.

Sorry for the ramble......

ChinookDriver47

I totally agree. Here is a good example:

Afghanistan: Instead of "hunting down and killing those little bearded bastards", we now have to "search, verify, and neutralize"