reevesofskyking

I would venture to guess if you are still sitting reserve, or ready reserve you have not been online too long.
I would hang out there and give it a few months. I am not sure where you work and I guess for the discussion it does not matter much, but when I started at TSA it took me a good little while to realize that I had not ****ed my life away. I still have days that I wish I did something else, but most days once I get to work I am just fine being there. For me, the last day in a sting of days is when I hate my job the most. But you suck it up and go in anyway, more days off will come again.

I suggest that you hang out on reserve and give a honest six months to form your decision. There are things that just take time to expreince when you are on reserve, and if you are new to the line there are alot things left to see and do. But for the days that I just could not stand my job and wanted to give it up I would express my concerns to my wife or a good friend. Just getting the chance to ***** about to someone else was often enough to get my over the hump.

I have found there is alot of value in venting your frustrations and complaints with either memebers of you family or your spouse. I call my dad and tell him how bad I feel, and to this day he still spends his time on the phone to bring back to reality. I am almost 29 years old, and complaining about that airlines to my dad has made us closer than we have ever been in the past growing up. So it has been an overall good experince for me..

Then the day you become a line holder will be your jumping off point on a whole new set of expreinces with an airline job. I think you find your life and mood improving.

With all of that, it might do you well to think about our predecessors. Think about some of the past rj drives that sat reserve for years, not months, weeks, sometimes never. In the past 5 to 10 years this was never the norm. I was always greatful for my short reserve time, but again never ment to throw that into the face of someone that sat reserve for years and years

With that all that said, there is nothing wrong for looking for other options. I still do it to this day. Always looking for that opputunity that might present itself and I leave the industry. Postive attitude and no expectations has left me not being too bitter.

Best of luck

Reeves

Rascal

It shouldn't be...Name another profession where you invest so much money to get a "blue collar job"? It's exactly that type of comparison that makes this job so unappreciated. Any 4 year degree job pays more than a regional, but instead comparing ourself to lowest paying jobs in the country maybe we should stop for a second and think how much money and time it took to get this "dream job" and we still end up making 20K a year.
Some of you mentioned that your wifes make enough money to support the family.... I think that's pathetic! While there is nothing wrong with woman being the bread winner at home. What's pathetic is the fact we all got used to the idea that a nurse or bus driver makes more than pilots do. Pilots used to be the guys that had a wife at home and 3 kids in college without student loans. Nowadays half the pilots in regionals live with their parents. Why is that OK? Anytime some mentions the bad pay and qol they get blasted with negative comments like" we don't need you here" or "stop crying" Management could not give two @@@ about you and yet most of you here would rather criticize your fellow pilot.

SAAB, I couldn't agree with you more. I don't know you personally but from the previous post here and on the crack pipe I feel that you and I have a lot in common and share the same values. I am just about your age and started to get a little envious of my friends being home for the holidays and weekends. Seeing my long time girlfriend every day would also be a great bonus. But I don't ming working holidays, weekends, and being gone 4 days a week if I had something to show for it... I work my @@s off and then come home to find out that maybe on the next rip I should pack food because my savings account balance is getting low. Most my friends bought hoses and until recently I had to rent a crappy studio just to keep me going. I don't want my kids to be poor and without a father half the time. That's why I made a decision to quit and so far I have been more than happy with that move.
While I am not saying that this career is without a future, I will say that the future of the career has to do more with luck than skill. I have friend that's a minority and he got hired at CAL at the age of 24 and 1500 total time. At the same time I know plenty of people that have more 6000 tt and 3000 turbine PIC but not even a single interview. In addition todays best airline maybe tomorrows nightmare. You could be a 20 year captain making 200K a year but tomorrow you maybe just a new hire making less than 30k. No other job has such messed up pay.

Oh and SABB: We don't your kind around here!! Go get a job at a bar because that the only alternative that a retired pilot has...

molson247

I'm going to add my take here and experience about the airlines in my year flying 121.....

I am currently flying for an airline and am not thrilled with it. What I have experienced is there are some good things and a lot of bad things with this job....with nothing inbetween. Great view and the speed is high on my list, but that is about it. Reduced rest, time spent away from home, lack of physical activity, and periods of just doing nothing is a killer for me.

I can't see myself doing this career forever. This job definitely ages you faster and staying healthy is a constant task to be had. Talking with guys who have done this job longer than myself brings more of the same opinions and experiences; Divorce, fatigue, boredom, burnout, and obesity are things I hear from senior people in this industry.

Don't get me wrong, I do love to fly....but flying an airliner is easy. I would say I am more of a manager and a button pusher. I watch the plane fly....that's about what this job turns out to be. I feel the ERJ that I fly requires almost no skill....I felt more challenged flying GA aircraft than I have flying a transport category jet. I also despise the 4 hour airport sits between legs....there is alot of hurry up and wait which feels unproductive.

I'm going to be pursuing my masters degree here shortly and take up flying as my hobby. While I am still very passionate about flying, I am not so much passionate about the airline career. I find instructing and sharing your love for aviation with someone else who has the same pasison is the most rewarding. I would love to get a job where I am at home and can instruct for nothing more than the love of it. I have a few freinds who have done that and they love it....and they get to go home every night.

But to each his own....someone has to do this job and I am also thankful for those that do and can tolerate the lifestyle. But for me, I like to ride in the back drinking an ice cold beer and fly my GA planes where I want and when I want for fun.

Good luck! We all need it in this business!

JoeyMeatballs

Bro, no offense but I would of left this industry some time ago if I would of stayed at Colgan. XJT is 10x better QOL (at least for me), and the sad thing is, for the flying you guys do at Colgan and the BS you put up with, you guys should be making double then what you are......

Its the crews I flew with at Colgan and here at Express that keep me from calling it quits.......

sandy69

[quote=Rascal;361234]It shouldn't be...Name another profession where you invest so much money to get a "blue collar job"?
I can think of teachers, Military offericers, and most entry level engineering jobs. While its true that these jobs have potential for high levels of pay so does airline pilots. Not every pilot makes it to a six digit salary, nor does most of the other professions.,
I quess what I'm trying to say is that you have to pay your dues, and in most professions its 10 or more years not 1 or 2 as most of you seem to think. Just jumping to another profession doesent mean instant sucess.

BoredwLife

I told you that this was a good thread!!!!

JoeyMeatballs

[QUOTE]It does'nt, however, any lateral moves, chances are you will move up in compensation and your QOL will not be affected, just think of what a 20yr airline guy's QOL would be like if he went from a 20yr guy to a 1st year, bottom of the list F/O.

Again a lot of "dues paying" going on in the airlines, for what though? A concessionary contract or for potential bankruptcies? Airline management does not care if their airline goes under, chances are they do better off financially if the airline does in fact fold.

My dream, as sad as it is, is to have EVERY AIRLINE PILOT who flies for a US 121 airline NOT TO GO TO WORK for a few days, I know it is illegal and would never happen, but could you imagine what kind of message that would send

sandy69

While its true that if my company closed the doors tommorrow, and 3 of them have, I can usely get another job paying close to what i make now, but I still loose all senority vacation insurance. If the economony is bad I may not find a job in my profession and have to take a lower paying job till something better comes along.
I can also say, that no management in any industry gives a rats a$$ about any of the employees. thats not confined to the airline industry.

SeatMeat

I wonder if people in other jobs have these same discussions. I can just hear it now: "Man, this accounting job stinks. Every day it's the same thing: spreadsheets, spreadsheeets, spreadsheets. 60 hours a week and all I do is work spreadsheets. The worst part about this accounting gig is that I am on salary. So I get paid the same amount even when I work all weekend. At least those airline pilots are smart enough to get paid extra when they work more hours. Them pilots are the smart ones."

This is my first post on APC. Can't wait to join in on the fun.

Rascal

Yeah, but people in the office at least ***** about it and as for airlines every new hire Fo defends them. Just look some posts form Colgan pilots.