Career change to pilot
05-20-2008, 09:24 PM
#41
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2007
Position: CL65 First Officer
Posts: 274
its a good job ....it pays well overall .....and you will make most than the majority of americans having more days off and benefits inculding travel bennys and what not but its a great job...if someone wants to persue this career and they want it.....then let them do it and figure it out for themselves...you tell me any other job that you can think of that pays 6 figures in the long run and gives you half the month off..matches 401k ......tell me cuase i wanna know .....stop your complaining .....i m on this forum a lot and dont talk negative but for some of you ..stop your b---ing for real ... you have a good gig so enjoy it
05-20-2008, 09:47 PM
#42
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Ahh Sweet Success
I will not debate weather one can actually reach a jet powered plane or not. Actually today it is quire easy. The real question is what is the measure of success?
So what then does it mean to be successful in aviation anymore? Is it merely reaching the right seat of a RJ or does it meant to actually make a good living in a sustainable career that is worthy of the risks and cost it took to get there? If that is the case then pilots today have a huge hill to climb.
Even at some of the better major airlines FO wages are not that much better than what the neighborhood UPS driver makes. So my question is: just where is the brass ring anyway? How is all the effort, loss and risks suppose to be even worth it anymore?
If pilots have seen their wages slashed in half over the last 20 years where will we be 20 years from now?
Besides all that to me it is not a good plan to invest a small fortune in training and education into a field that is very dependent on the price of fuel. If oil hits $200 a barrel and we really are experiencing a "peak oil" situation then in 5 years the airline industry will be cut in half.
I am not negative. I just have a different opinion.
SkyHigh
So what then does it mean to be successful in aviation anymore? Is it merely reaching the right seat of a RJ or does it meant to actually make a good living in a sustainable career that is worthy of the risks and cost it took to get there? If that is the case then pilots today have a huge hill to climb.
Even at some of the better major airlines FO wages are not that much better than what the neighborhood UPS driver makes. So my question is: just where is the brass ring anyway? How is all the effort, loss and risks suppose to be even worth it anymore?
If pilots have seen their wages slashed in half over the last 20 years where will we be 20 years from now?
Besides all that to me it is not a good plan to invest a small fortune in training and education into a field that is very dependent on the price of fuel. If oil hits $200 a barrel and we really are experiencing a "peak oil" situation then in 5 years the airline industry will be cut in half.
I am not negative. I just have a different opinion.
SkyHigh
05-20-2008, 09:52 PM
#43
On Reserve
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Posts: 22
So, as the industry is surrounded bybad news all around from these threads on APC, is it worth getting flight training and actually going for my dream or find another government job after I retire and make more money and not have to worry about all the stuff pilots are saying through these posts altogether??
Thank you for your advise. I don't want to engulf myself in a dream that won't come true or unattainablea and be able to progress in the occupation.
Thank you for your advise. I don't want to engulf myself in a dream that won't come true or unattainablea and be able to progress in the occupation.
A goverment job is more stable and the benefits are much better so if this is highest on your priority list, you know where you should go. I personally left a federal government job after finishing my ratings so that I could make $45,000 less per year flying night cargo. Some of my friends called me an idiot because I was well established in my career with 9 years civil service and another 8 years of active military time that counted towards seniority. Fact of the matter is that I left to do a job that I enjoy and I still have no regrets, even though times have been tough recently.
I made it to Aloha Airlines just 4 1/2 years after my first flight in a cessna so I was feeling pretty excited about my career choice. Unfortunatly I was terminated as soon as I finished training because the company shut down. It sucks, but I look at it as just another bump in the road. If you can have a similar outlook, the airlines are for you, if not......
05-21-2008, 09:12 AM
#44
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2006
Posts: 193
If you're single, it will be a much easier ride. If married/married with a family, it can be a difficult career choice. I've been furloughed once, and may be again in the near future. I cannot bear to put my family through this again, just so I can fly a plane and miss out 50% of their life for less than what nearly all our friends make. It's not fair to them. If I was single, well I guess I wouldn't care quite as much.
05-22-2008, 11:30 AM
#46
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2007
Position: 747 FO
Posts: 937
Yes, you do indeed have a "different opinion". What makes your opinion different is the negativity.
As is evidenced by your posting history, not only are you negative, you are profoundly negative.
You're not part of the profession. Your opinions aren't welcomed here so go be a troll somewhere else.
As is evidenced by your posting history, not only are you negative, you are profoundly negative.
You're not part of the profession. Your opinions aren't welcomed here so go be a troll somewhere else.
05-22-2008, 01:27 PM
#48
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 40,108
Pay attention to SH, you could end up just like him. No point in investing in an aviation career if you're not reasonably certain it will make you happy.
05-22-2008, 02:27 PM
#50
Line Holder
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Posts: 63
Sounds like you're going to retire from the military soon...that puts you in a different boat than most folks.
The up-side is that you will have a base income stream to help survive the entry-level, that your family is probably used to moving frequently. Also, if the whole industry collapses (remotely possible if oil doesn't drop or level off) you can coast on your military pension while you re-organize.
The downside for you...
At this point in life are you really up for new adventures, or more interested in settling down somewhere? What does the wife think? Any kids in school? For somebody your age family is THE most important factor...if you lose them to aviation, that shiny RJ cockpit will NOT make up for the loss.
I assume you want to use your GI Bill for flight training...what if aviation falls through? Can you afford to get retrained for another civilian career? (I'm assuming you have a grunt MOS with no real-world marketability).
Considerations:
Do you aspire to major airline international widebody flying? Unless you already have a 4-year degree, odds are slim that you will get there and have enough time left to achieve any quality-of-life.
Would you be happy as a career regional CA? Military retirement plus regional CA pay would likely put you over 100K, which might be enough.
Somebody mentioned that we are in uncharted territory...true statement. Fuel is the big bogeyman, but I'm reasonably confident that artificial jet fuel can be manufactured at a competetive cost this decade. As long as the artificial stuff can be had for $120 equivalent or less, we should be able to sustain the industry. If it gets to $250-300, the airlines are probably DONE...there will be so few pax wealthy enough to fly that the fractionals will be able to handle all of them. It's a reasonable assumption that the american voters will NOT sit still and lose their right to air travel...the government would likely have to do a manhattan project to ramp up artificial fuel production.
The up-side is that you will have a base income stream to help survive the entry-level, that your family is probably used to moving frequently. Also, if the whole industry collapses (remotely possible if oil doesn't drop or level off) you can coast on your military pension while you re-organize.
The downside for you...
At this point in life are you really up for new adventures, or more interested in settling down somewhere? What does the wife think? Any kids in school? For somebody your age family is THE most important factor...if you lose them to aviation, that shiny RJ cockpit will NOT make up for the loss.
I assume you want to use your GI Bill for flight training...what if aviation falls through? Can you afford to get retrained for another civilian career? (I'm assuming you have a grunt MOS with no real-world marketability).
Considerations:
Do you aspire to major airline international widebody flying? Unless you already have a 4-year degree, odds are slim that you will get there and have enough time left to achieve any quality-of-life.
Would you be happy as a career regional CA? Military retirement plus regional CA pay would likely put you over 100K, which might be enough.
Somebody mentioned that we are in uncharted territory...true statement. Fuel is the big bogeyman, but I'm reasonably confident that artificial jet fuel can be manufactured at a competetive cost this decade. As long as the artificial stuff can be had for $120 equivalent or less, we should be able to sustain the industry. If it gets to $250-300, the airlines are probably DONE...there will be so few pax wealthy enough to fly that the fractionals will be able to handle all of them. It's a reasonable assumption that the american voters will NOT sit still and lose their right to air travel...the government would likely have to do a manhattan project to ramp up artificial fuel production.
For your information, I have many marketable skills I have acquired since I've been in the military. I will have no problems getting another job after the mliitary. I WOULD like to be a pilot and Will have my degree before I retire from the military, since you get FREE college while serving Active Duty.
If you have never served your country in the military, you have no idea what benefits/education you get and have no clue about all the "real world" experiences you attain that makes you MORE marketable than those who never wanted to serve their country.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Lbell911
Regional
23
04-22-2012 10:33 AM
