The “lifestyle” is probably the most significant hurdle in the process for mid career changers. Even for those who come to the profession as fresh faced 23 year olds, few seem prepared for the life on the road. I have no idea how the pilot parents make it work.
The lifestyle, and this come from four years on experience as a flight attendant for a regional, is not for everyone. I have tried most of the various versions of the life, and have found a number of truths:
For the first few years, maybe more, you will miss every single event of ANY significance in you life: weddings, births, retirement parties, birthday parties, voting, concerts, plays, favorite TV shows, opening day for the Cincinnati Reds (my personal bummer!), bill payment day, garbage day and the list goes on and on. If you want to do it, and do it at a scheduled time, forget about it. Weekends off will become a memory.
Commuting just plain sucks. There is no good way to commute. When I recruited flight attendants for my company I told them straight up, and will tell anyone else the same: DO NOT COMMUTE. I was lucky, I only did the hard core commute (waiting for seats on planes before and after your trip) for six months. After that, I lived within driving distance of my base, and hometown (2 hour drive). If you can live near (driving distance) of your base, your life, especially while on reserve, will improve dramatically.
Healthy Habits: the food you eat on the road is delicious, but not terribly healthy. You have to learn how to make it work. Most of the hotels the company’s put crews up in have gyms or workout rooms. Use it every day. Bring your own food/snacks. I remember in college that all my friends suffered “freshman 10.” Well, in this business, it’s the “reserve 20.” If you smoke, quit or learn to do without. Smoking areas, and the time to grab a smoke, are few and far between.
You will indeed be tired much of the time. This is especially true the first day back from a three to six day trip. If you have kids or other duties at home, they will most likely wait until your second day off. I have found this to be especially true of crewmembers over 35 to 40 years old. Most duty days are nine to twelve hours, but frequently, and without warning, they grow out to FAA limits.
This is my personal experience. This is by no means the definitive description of life on the line. The wonderful things about this business go without saying. And the negative things regarding the financial state of the business are well covered in the media and other threads.
All this said, after a short vacation, and at age 42, I start flight training full time in two weeks. I cannot wait to get back to the line, only this time up front, doing the most amazing thing I have ever done, flying an airplane. For those of you doing the career change, feel free to PM me (I’ll have to figure out how that works!) if you would like to discuss life on the road.
The lifestyle, and this come from four years on experience as a flight attendant for a regional, is not for everyone. I have tried most of the various versions of the life, and have found a number of truths:
For the first few years, maybe more, you will miss every single event of ANY significance in you life: weddings, births, retirement parties, birthday parties, voting, concerts, plays, favorite TV shows, opening day for the Cincinnati Reds (my personal bummer!), bill payment day, garbage day and the list goes on and on. If you want to do it, and do it at a scheduled time, forget about it. Weekends off will become a memory.
Commuting just plain sucks. There is no good way to commute. When I recruited flight attendants for my company I told them straight up, and will tell anyone else the same: DO NOT COMMUTE. I was lucky, I only did the hard core commute (waiting for seats on planes before and after your trip) for six months. After that, I lived within driving distance of my base, and hometown (2 hour drive). If you can live near (driving distance) of your base, your life, especially while on reserve, will improve dramatically.
Healthy Habits: the food you eat on the road is delicious, but not terribly healthy. You have to learn how to make it work. Most of the hotels the company’s put crews up in have gyms or workout rooms. Use it every day. Bring your own food/snacks. I remember in college that all my friends suffered “freshman 10.” Well, in this business, it’s the “reserve 20.” If you smoke, quit or learn to do without. Smoking areas, and the time to grab a smoke, are few and far between.
You will indeed be tired much of the time. This is especially true the first day back from a three to six day trip. If you have kids or other duties at home, they will most likely wait until your second day off. I have found this to be especially true of crewmembers over 35 to 40 years old. Most duty days are nine to twelve hours, but frequently, and without warning, they grow out to FAA limits.
This is my personal experience. This is by no means the definitive description of life on the line. The wonderful things about this business go without saying. And the negative things regarding the financial state of the business are well covered in the media and other threads.
All this said, after a short vacation, and at age 42, I start flight training full time in two weeks. I cannot wait to get back to the line, only this time up front, doing the most amazing thing I have ever done, flying an airplane. For those of you doing the career change, feel free to PM me (I’ll have to figure out how that works!) if you would like to discuss life on the road.
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