Airline Pilots, Wht is your job worth????

[FN FAL]

...Is it any wonder pilots are PO'ed?

No need to worry, a new crop of fresh replacement lemmings is on the way!

 

[Herman Bloom]

Let me guess, you've never worked in another career besides aviation, right? $80K annually is a pretty darn good wage. Don't think so? Bail out of aviation and try and do something else to make $80K. It can be done but you are gonna work your a$ off to get it. There are exceptions I'm sure, but most folks making that kind of money are putting in 60+ hour work weeks. The majority of newly minted attorneys aren't making anything near $80K unless they live in NY or SFO. Try $35K for a rookie member of the bar and their student loans aren't any less than yours.

35K for a first year lawyer? Maybe if that lawyer had gone to "John's College of Law" in Juno. Every lawyer I know who went to a decent school made at least 60 to 80 the first year out, and I know of one who came out making 150 his FIRST YEAR. For an industrious, well educated, and amply motivated individual, 80K should be considered way below par.

 

[Publishers]

Yes things have changed. Now it is time to move on. Will it ever go back, not in time for you so make up your mind that this is what you want or do something else.

 

[Immelman]

Let me guess, you've never worked in another career besides aviation, right? $80K annually is a pretty darn good wage. Don't think so? Bail out of aviation and try and do something else to make $80K. It can be done but you are gonna work your a$$ off to get it. There are exceptions I'm sure, but most folks making that kind of money are putting in 60+ hour work weeks. The majority of newly minted attorneys aren't making anything near $80K unless they live in NY or SFO. Try $35K for a rookie member of the bar and their student loans aren't any less than yours.

Not true. Look further outside the box. They may be exporting tech jobs overseas left and right (knocking on wood here), but if you are a talented engineer or have good leadership skills (engineering management) you ramp to that sort of pay (and higher) pretty quickly. And yes, there is a repuation for working your ass off... at first, or once in a while at crunch time. I see a lot of kids doing this right out of school; then they learn about how to keep a schedule and start leading normal lives.

 

[Publishers]

Immelman

What exactly is a normal life anyway?? Is a schedule a normal life?

The attraction to aviation in the first place is that it is not that normal to strap yourself into a tube and fly along at 500 knots at 35,000 feet.

Most people would not consider it normal to work 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off or any of the other weird schedules we have.

Most would not find it normal to fly to whereever you were going to work that day.

There is good about this lifestyle and bad but it is not necessarily normal in most peoples thinking. To get in it is a choice and the fact is that there are sacrifices like with other jobs/professions where you have to decide if it is worth it to you.

 

[Immelman]

Sorry, by normal I was referring to a 40-hour week (in an office or some other ground-bound home-every-night profession) rather than a 60-hour week as described by Mr. Caveman.

I love flying too...for several years it was all I wanted to do, and I went down the path for several years with the help of great mentors. I just realized one day that it was something I enjoyed doing immensely for fun, but was lousy for getting into the profession compared to others I had available at the time. The other nail in it for me was that I saw it as, no offense, not very challenging intellectually after basic experience is gained (and what profession *isn't* that way after a while?).. but there was only so far you could go driving airplanes around for a living while being challenged.

That was my perception anyways, that helped shape my personal decision making process. As I move through my present career (which I don't want to do forever) I am thinking more about how to incorporate aviation into my profession once again; however this time I'm thinking I'd like to be the boss. A small sustainable business that has regional transport needs.... I'm all there... that is my long-term goal anyways. Hopefully I can lead a somewhat 'normal' (home with the family) life in the process.

 

[secks]

I find it hard to believe that there are some here who swear they've never cheapened their profession, and never will. I'm sure each an every one of you has done at least one of these things:

1) Worked as a CFI for little pay.
2) Worked as an FO for little pay (remember that first year?).
3) Flew airframes on the verge of meltdown.
4) Flew into thunderstorms/busted mins because the boss is a b!tch.
5) Ever accepted underpayment in exchange for hours.
6) Accepted pay anything less than what you think you're worth.

The bottom line is that if you're still working, accepting the pay as it is, then you are, by definition, being paid at or above your value. So, you can either 1) leave 2) accept a lower standard of value or 3) renegotiate your union contract until you're being paid what you're "worth". Given the number of resumes raining down upon any outfit with their doors open, furloughs, and an economic slump, I wouldn't count on number 3 happening to your satisfaction.

 

[A Squared]

The Russian,

I never really paid much attention to pay-scales at places like yours. I knew I would never pay an airline to fly its airplanes, so I just never bothered to look. However, today I, was browsing Airlinepay.com and I noticed Gulfstream so I took a look. I must say, I am certainly impressed. I had no idea just how much of a bottom feeder Gulfstream was. It was the lowest pay scale I could find (although I didn't check all of them) Jesus christ!!!!, our new hire flight engineers make more than your 3'rd year captains, and our pay scale, unfortunately, is nothing to brag about. Add to that that an FO has to fly for almost 2 years *after* training to just *break even* ..... daamn !!!!!

Soooooo, don't even come around here, talking tough and yapping about how those other worthless pilots are *settling* for poor wages. You've already settled for the lowest of the low. I'd recommend that at this point, you hang your head in shame, and keep your mouth closed.