ChipChelios

That sounds miserable! Where are all these miserable people? I never see any around.

jayray2

That is the exact answer I expect on this board. Tell someone the truth about this job and they always tell you to quit. You said you are not selling your soul, tell that to the people I fly with that are getting divorced, have major alcohol problems, have custody battles and miss the last day of their parents life because of this job. I have yet to fly with one person in three years that hasn't in one shape or formed complained about this job. Everyone in this industry complains. The flight attendants complain (rightfully so) about their 10 days off and upcoming loss of 15 years of seniority. The management complains about pilots being lazy and not coming to work an extra hour early after vacation to update their manuals. Captains complain about being unable to move onto the majors or how PBS only gave them 17 days off instead of 18. The FOs complain about not being able to upgrade and their $29,000 salary. These are just a sampling of the complaints I have heard the last few weeks. If you don't like listening to people complain I would not get into this industry.

jheath

In my experience with people with substance abuse issues, alcoholics would abuse alcohol no matter what they did for a living. That's the person, not the job. People of all professions get divorces, no matter how much they are or are not home.

All I'm saying is what are you hoping to gain by coming here to **** and moan, trying to scare the new hire about how miserable this job is? You aren't telling me anything I haven't heard 1000 times already. Oh no, pilots make lousy pay and are away from home a lot, GASP! I've had a lot of other jobs in my life and flying is still the best one I've done. Yeah, everyone complains because it's human nature, but there's a difference between the guy who whines about things here and there and the guy who just reeks of misery. Some people find a way to make the best of a bad situation, and others find a way to make the worst of a relatively okay situation. Maybe it's not the job that makes you unhappy, maybe it's your attitude. There are upsides and downsides to any job. Once the latter outweighs the former, maybe it's time to reevaluate yourself and what you want out of life. So what do you gain here? By "warning" me of the hazards of professional aviation, do you want me to call up and cancel my class date? That's just one less person in the company junior to you.

AxialFlow

...and they can have all the hillbilly triangles they want!

Jakeb

Sounds like they are a lot of people with a lot of problems to me. You know what kind of lifestyle it is before you get into it and what your gonna have to do. Drinking, divorce, 29k a year? Thats peoples own faults sounds like a whole lot of weak willed people to me. Like I said before, you know what it is before you get into it so either get another career or suck it up and quit complaning. I'm so tired of hearing pilots complain about this stuff, Dang get a new job, please and let the people that enjoy flying come take your job. Yea I know that I wont be at home a whole lot but I know that before I get into my career so I expect that and take it in stride. Its not gonna do any good just talking trash about the job. And all the reasons you listed above can be avioded so there is no reason for that. Go fly, work your way up and get a better QOL. And if you cant wait that long to put your time in then dont get on to the plane in the first place. Im not gonna lie I have not had the chance to work 121 yet just heading to class in a couple weeks. Im sure it is very tough to work long hours be away from home for very low pay. Anyone should know that. And with regionals its all just a guessing game one day to the next. A lot that people dont like but its nothing anyone can do. But all of the complaining will just bring the company down. So just go to work do your job and be happy that your a pilot with a job. Because they are a whole lot that is still on the streets.

jayray2

I'm not warning you of anything and I could care less if you take the job or not. I'm disagreeing with you about not selling your soul. In my opinion everyone in this industry is at one level or another selling their soul. And then in my above posts I gave you reasons for my argument and backed it up with real life examples. I can't come on here and disagree with your posts? Proving my point with real lexamples is "****ing and moaning"? Come talk to me again in three years. Just looking at statistics from classes around my hire date there is a good chance (about 60%) that you will be so fed up by year three you won't be around to prove my point.

jheath

Fair enough. You're right that you're more than welcome to your opinion. Then it's semantics we're arguing about. The degree to which somebody has "sold their soul" is subjective. I don't dispute the fact that my feelings might change three years from now, however I don't think that historical statistics will necessarily hold true in the future. There's been stagnation everywhere in the industry over the last few years which is finally potentially freeing (if only temporarily), and Colgan seems to have been making changes for the better since, and as a result of, the tragedy in 2009. You can say what you will about it being more of the same crap with a different name, but the Colgan of three years ago will most likely (and hopefully) be very different from the Mesaba three years from now. I haven't been living the life the whole time, so it's admittedly easier to say this, but I personally don't see any productivity in having a negative attitude. I try to make the best with what hand I've been dealt and realize that there are a lot worse situations to be in than this.

Fly782

See you all the 11th! 23 Nov

jheath

Congrats man. Looking forward to it.

Fly782

In anticipation to maybe flying the Saab how big of a flight case will fit? Thanks!