Attrition and the aspiring professional pilot

[Catbert]

Just got off the phone with a friend from flight school (5 to ten years back). He's waiting for a call to walk the aisles at home depot. Another has taken a job with ATC. In fact, out of a dozen I've kept in touch with over the years, I'm the only one left hammering it out in a plane (slowly but surely -- very slowly).

A simple 'discouraged' is kind of an understatement. Do most folks find similar sitiuations all around? What the he*l? I'm not a weeney in need of positive fuzzy feedback here, I'm just wondering if others have found similar attrition rates among friends and aquaintances.

 

[GogglesPisano]

This career is like acting or music. The stint of low-paying jobs wears down a great many who set out to "live the dream" but slowly realize they don't have 100% of the genuine desire -- that succeed-at-all-costs determination -- to fulfill their dream. Only time will tell if you throw in the towel 5, 10 years down the road when you reach a glass ceiling at a regional or face your first furlough. Many who realize they will never make it succumb to the numbing warmth of heroine, the consolation of the white pony dust -- smack as they call it on the streets .... no wait, those are the actors and musicians who don't make it, sorry. No, you're right, ex-pilots wind up at Home Depot.

Anyway. You'll never know if you don't try. Find an understanding wife and never look back. You only live once.

 

[Mooseflyer]

Find an understanding wife and never look back.

By "understanding" do you mean "independently wealthy?"

 

[mcjohn]

That's the most depressing mess I've seen on this forum. Working at home depot would suck. Wouldn't be much different than Wal-Mart.

 

[Resocha]

My experience is similar. Of all my old chums, I'm one of the few remaining in the cockpit. I'm still enjoying it.

 

[typhoonpilot]

Of my 4 high school friends that also went into flying, one is a widebody F.O. at AA ( was a 737 Captain ), one is furloughed United, one is a Captain at Skywest, and the other I lost track of ( think he got into the sales end for GA airplanes ).

TP

 

[pilotyip]

Likewise, it ain't easy making it in this industry. You have to make at least a 10-year commitment, maybe longer, to this industry to get to a decent job. But if you like to fly and are not in it for the things in my trailer, it is worth pursuing. I got out for about 5 years and missed it came in and never looked back.