ebaybob
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2002
- Posts
- 65
I too was the kid with my nose up against the window wishing to fly an airliner...still am to some extent. I read the AA pilot's column in Flying every month...the surgeon from Tampa who owns the Cheyenne also writes an interesting column every month. There are two perspectives of guys who love to fly and have chosen alternate routes to get there. I recall that recently the surgeon got to fly the delivery flight of a Southwest 737 and was giddy. I think I would be too...flying the heavy metal seems like such fun to a guy looking from the outside in.
I chose to get a PhD in accounting so I can pay the bills, feed my kids, and fly. I'll finish my PhD this year. I still have dreams (illusions) that I could get on with an airline and fly a jet...maybe when my kids are grown. I would say that it's a rare day that I go to the airport to fly and don't get jealous of the guys flying RJ's or Boeing products. I have friends doing both but I've never understood the economics behind aviation careers. I think the risk of layoffs, bankruptcy, etc is just too great for me...at least right now.
I still instruct as much as I can in order to get in the air and stay current. I've flown around 100 hours in the last year. I expect that going forward if I stay in an academic career the number of flight hours I can get in will increase rather dramatically. I really only HAVE to be somewhere about 8 hours a week so I've been successful fitting in all of my school duties around flying. Recently I've been thinking of getting a part-time cargo job where I could fill in around other pilots' vacation / sick / scheduling issues. I've had some offers but I haven't taken the plunge yet.
At the end of the day I hope to get a part-time spot with a busy 135 / corporate / airmed operator flying a King Air or a Citation. I'm hoping that with my relatively open availabilty I will be able to convince a chief pilot that I'll be a good risk. Ask me in a few years if it all works out...as for now it seems to be the right thing for me.
Bob
I chose to get a PhD in accounting so I can pay the bills, feed my kids, and fly. I'll finish my PhD this year. I still have dreams (illusions) that I could get on with an airline and fly a jet...maybe when my kids are grown. I would say that it's a rare day that I go to the airport to fly and don't get jealous of the guys flying RJ's or Boeing products. I have friends doing both but I've never understood the economics behind aviation careers. I think the risk of layoffs, bankruptcy, etc is just too great for me...at least right now.
I still instruct as much as I can in order to get in the air and stay current. I've flown around 100 hours in the last year. I expect that going forward if I stay in an academic career the number of flight hours I can get in will increase rather dramatically. I really only HAVE to be somewhere about 8 hours a week so I've been successful fitting in all of my school duties around flying. Recently I've been thinking of getting a part-time cargo job where I could fill in around other pilots' vacation / sick / scheduling issues. I've had some offers but I haven't taken the plunge yet.
At the end of the day I hope to get a part-time spot with a busy 135 / corporate / airmed operator flying a King Air or a Citation. I'm hoping that with my relatively open availabilty I will be able to convince a chief pilot that I'll be a good risk. Ask me in a few years if it all works out...as for now it seems to be the right thing for me.
Bob