Does it ever feel like a job?

[charley varrick]

Occasionaly, as mentioned before, waking early, sweating my arse off in a 110 degree cockpit, getting extended when I was supposed to meet with my family who came into town, hanging around in a dead downtown Waterloo, IA on Christmas AND Thanksgiving, etc., it "felt" like a job.

Then I was furloughed and got a "real" job.

I ache to have the aforementioned downsides back. For me, I now know with surety that it was not a job.

 

[buzzer]

Been at it for 14 years. Best job in the world. For some it gets old but not for me. I'm a Captain at a Major and find that the time off and money allow you to do other things outside of flying. Now work, as much as I love it does get in the way of the other things I do. I don't get bored flying on long flights...just bring reading material. It's not the most stable industry and anyone at any airline could lose thier job.

 

[skyward80]

I'm not in the airlines, but I hope to be some day soon. I think that anything you do can turn into a job. I used to work for an airline training academy which promised an interview. Currently, that company is hiring strongly to put people in RJs. I gave up my interview their because I started to hate my job. The pay was low (by that I mean, 7 days a week and netting less than $850), the company had zero respect for its employees... bleh. So I switched companies. Now, I earn more and work less than the friends I have in the airlines. Viewing flying as a job or a love depends a lot on the company you work for and your mindset. For me, I'd rather die than do anything else. I love getting in the Bonanza or the Seminole at 4am and watching the world come alive beneath me as the sun rises. What's better than flying? Nothing.

Happy Landings.

Cool quote: "Once you have flown, you will walk with your eyes turned skyward... for there you have been, and there you long to return." --Leonardo da Vinci

 

[skyslug]

I love it and wouldn't want to work in the real world! Some mornings on the way to the airport for an early show I end up in rush hour traffic and just giggle. These folks have to go to work, I get to fly a plane! It's all in your mindset. I chose to make my work enjoyable, and it is!

However, there is the occasional crew or situation that brings you back to reality but that's far and few between.

 

[Rudder120]

although i've been on furlough for a while, it always felt like a job when i was loaded up for the lake or golf course and crew scheduling calls to tell me i'm the jumior man.

 

[bobbysamd]

Flying full time v. having a "real" job

Just like Timebuilder, I was in broadcasting before I turned to aviation full time. I had been flying for five years before I decided to change careers. It took me nearly a year to get my first job. I was flying all the while. I had always associated flying with fun away from "work," and I remember that after I got going full-time with my students I couldn't believe that I was "working." For most of my years in aviation I never really felt that I was "working" when I was flying. The on-the-ground politics and related BS, though, put that into perspective quickly.

I suppose that when it comes right down to it, flying is just like any other job. It helps tremendously if you enjoy the actual work and can put aside the collateral mickey mouse.

 

[SheGaveMeClap]

"Sorry, just had a beer." That was my answer to jr. manning on my days off. Better yet, tell 'em you just drank a whole 18 pack in three hours. They won't touch you again on your days off.