Airline Flying: just a job after a while

[RJAAguy]

>>I have NO desire to fly heavy jets across the ocean, up all night, sleep all day, autopilot on for 12 hours, one or two landings a month and always an ILS to get you there. Boreing.... I would go crazy with a job like that.<<

Many pilots choose to stay on smaller domestic aircraft and routes for just that reason. Others choose to spend their entire career flying only international, sometimes passing up a captain upgrade on domestic equipment until they can hold the left seat international. Like they say, different strokes.

Working for an airline where you can make that choice is certainly nice, just in case you change your mind down the road.

 

[profile]

Personally, I love the flying I do. I enjoy international more than domestic, as it is even more interesting and challenging. Domestic flying has more potential to become "just a job" to me, especially if you fly a lot of legs to the same spots all the time. However, flying the airplane never gets old. Does that mean that I don't want to be home sometimes instead? No, it doesn't. Of course, having to be away from family is less than ideal, and that doesn't matter who fly for. However, in terms of a job, I think it's one of the better ones.

As to the 8 hr rule thing, as I stated in the other thread, this issue isn't so simple. For you WN guys, put yourself in this situation. You are scheduled for 6:50 block for the day. Due to some weather around LUV there, you end up projecting a total block of around 7:50, including one more flight out to say Lubbock and back to go. Does WN have you stay at the hub on the chance that you would exceed 8 hrs, or do you still get launched out to LBB? I would venture that you are still going to LBB. Now, let's say you get there after a bit of delay outbound (11 minutes) and you land in LBB and are now, with the scheduled flight time back to LUV, scheduled to exceed 8 hrs. The airline is now stuck, no reserves in LBB and you don't get to go home that night. Assume that was the last flight for the night back inbound. How does WN handle this sort of situation? (If LBB happens to be a crew base, substitute some other location. If you happen to live in LBB, substitute some God-forsaken location that you'd hate to layover in and add miserable weather).

Anyway, the above is the scenario we are talking about. Many airlines already have some sort of excemption to this rule. Not saying that it's right, but people do need to know what the issue is.

 

[GuppyPuppy]

AK737FO -

You really have it figured out. If I never make it to AS I will try to stay on the Guppy for as long as I can and do the shorter hops into MFR, BUR, SAN and EUG. AS was my first choice, I just happened to get hired somewhere else first and AS has never called me in. Don't get me wrong...I work for a good company and I just may stay here for the remainder of my career...or until I can afford to retire and go back to JNU.

I know that AS was worried/upset that pilots with 5+ years experience were leaving for the "big majors". How would the recruiters look at someone leaving a "big major" to go work for AS...and still no turbine PIC with no prospects of turbine PIC for many, many years? Hopefully they'll be hiring again sometime soon.

I'm returning to my bush pilot roots for the summer. I'm looking forward to doing some real flying once again!

See you in JNU. I'll be the one flying the Big Six with a Can-Can dancer on the tail!!!

Cheers!

GP

 

[acaTerry]

Not me...

You can have it! Day VFR for me. Maybe it's 3 years at 7000 to 15000 feet in crummy east coast weather in props, but I just want to take it easy! PHX-TUS-PHX-TUS-PHX for me any day (except monsoon season). I don't know how you bush pilots do it. Holding the record for World's Greatest Cold Weather Wuss....
Terry

 

[FastCargo]

Beats Working...

To all,

Personally, I can't imagine doing anything else! I had an 11 year run in the active USAF, and there were days (hand flying supersonic at 300 AGL in the Bone at Red Flag) where I thought I would gladly pay for flying. On other days (night, stuck in clouds to FL390 with lightning flashes all around me, in the equivalent of a C172 with jet engines) I wondered what in the hell I was thinking. Most flights were somewhere in between, mostly closer to the fun side.

In my current (hopefully final) airline job, it is more routine, maybe less exciting, but I still find it hard to imagine being as jazzed about sitting at a desk, wondering when I can finish that next report for the boss, etc. I did that kind of job in the USAF for a bit, learned a lot at the desk, but you can have it! I guess one other way of looking at it is that in flying, you make decisions that can directly affect your life, and in some other professions, you make decisions that affect your living.

Finally, I have two outlets to relieve the 'blah' flying. One, I'll be flying T-38 reserves for as long as I can, and two, I plan to buy/build my own plane once my pay goes back up after first year. Thank God my wife is understanding of that goal (she's a plane nut too)...

As with anything else, it's gotta fit who you are...and I'm just happy to be here!

FastCargo

 

[captain]

hope the desk job garauntees a moving panoramic view of the country!

nuff said!!!

 

[sentry]

Sweet

It's very Sweet

 

[ivauir]

naysayers and doubters

shon,
No matter what you do people will mock and ridicule it. Dogs will bark, rain will fall and losers will ponificate on what cannot be done. They will call themselves "realists" or "pragmatic", but you need to see them for what they are: people so afraid of failure they don't try anymore. To these people your efforts, trials, and ultimate success are an afront. Clearly these voices are to be ignored.

Not to say that pursing an airline career is easy: I've never heard of a message board on the internet devoted to getting a job at McDonalds. Anything you do that is worth while is difficult - that is why you so often hear "do what you love".

I'd like to recommend Colin Powel's decision making process: gather all of the information in the available time, and then go with your gut.

Best of luck

 

[AlbieF15]

Shon,

C'mon....flying isn't a "puss game", but there are tons of success stories.

My bio is out on the boards....civ CFII, AFROTC, fighters for 14 years, and recently hired by FedEx. As some might say: "standard military guy".

But...a week ago as I was starting IOE I saw a familar face...a great guy and classmate from Auburn University days back in mid eighties (who hadn't changed a bit) walking around the FedEx AOC. I recognized him, pulled him aside, and we quickly caught up. His bio:

NROTC at AU...but eyes didn't pass test. He said "See ya'" instead of being an NFO (nav) or surface officer.

Did CFI/CFII job at part 61 operation during school (actually took position I vacated when I moved to A.U. Aviation department)

Flew corporate for about 4 years...variety of turobprop stuff.

Did ASA for 2-3 years. Tired of low pay and frustrated by lack of hiring in majors (92-94) took part time job slinging boxes for FedEx. Got internal preference interview and hired in 94-95 timeframe.

Now an MD-11 FO...could hold Capt on 727 if he desired. Makes gobs of money, holds good lines, and is pretty happy with life.

So....mil guy with ins? No...he knew NOBODY. Rich kid? YGTBSM...he was a starving college kid just like me, and made beans for several years at ASA. What he did have were A)Vision...the ability to see his goal and a path to get there and B) persistence....not letting the frustrations stop him (i.e...corporate job's dead end, commuters low pay, box tossing's lack of "pizzaz"). In aviation, as in life, there are always those blessed with more resources, contacts, and advantages. However--I've seen enough doggedly persistent types be successful in many endevours to say my money will be on the guy who is pragmatic enough to give himself options, but when decision time comes choses to follow his heart with reckless perseverence. In any case...good luck to you in your choices.

Albie

PS...all you mil verses civ flamebaiters. This old boy got to Fedex at around 29-30. He'll have a 30+ year career. VERY few mil guys can ever do that. Remember that as you weigh all the pros and cons...

 

[JOHN LA HAYE]

There are people out in the regular world that work 9-5 for twenty years trying to get an office with a window, ten more years and they get a view.

We are payed to see things that others can only imagine.
The sunsets and sunrises, the stars. I used to fly for a freight operation out of HNL, there were days when I flew Honolulu to Kona then around the Big Island to Hilo. People pay huge money to take air tours of Hawaii and don't see half of what I was payed welllto see.

Of course flying becomes just a job after a while be D@MN ! Can you really think of more than a hand full of things you would rather be doing. OK the Victoria's Secret gig I can see that as a career move.

Believe this, ground pounder out there want the do what we do. Take stock in what you have, what you are, and be proud. Not everyone is able to do in life what they love. I have never met a pilot that doesn't love to fly.