Don't Become An Airline Pilot

[BOYCAPTAIN]

Nice touch; a little sunshine in a sea of gloom. You must still think it is a good place to have a career. I signed my son off for his private at 17, he is doing well, soloed my grandson at 16, he wants to fly for a living. Sounds like you are going to keep it in the family also. Good for you. Very few are lucky enought to make living doing something they like.

sunshine? i always spread sunshine! i had 4 weeks off which i spent in FL followed by a trip to PHX for a 72hr layover and now back home for another 3 weeks off....how much sunshine do you want???????????????????????

 

[pilotyip]

Lots of sunshine

sunshine? i always spread sunshine! i had 4 weeks off which i spent in FL followed by a trip to PHX for a 72hr layover and now back home for another 3 weeks off....how much sunshine do you want???????????????????????

I am in ABQ, lots of sunshine here also, I am not talking about that kind of sunshine. I am talking about "I get to fly today and that makes getting out of bed something to look forward to". Is that the kind of sunshine you have, that every day you get to fly any airplane is a brighter day than one where you do not fly?

 

[TWA]

Man Boypilot, judging by your avatar, you require A LOT of sunshine to cover everything!

 

[Amish RakeFight]

I'm actually trying to understand how that could actually be sexy to someone... it is isn't it? Those chocolately thighs would drown me.

 

[TWA]

Well, I hope the mods don't ban me for this, but it's what I saw last night channel surfing, it's from Scrubs: "When a woman asks you if her butt looks big, tell her 'NO!', unless she's a black woman, where the proper answer is 'HELL YEAH!'"

 

[BOYCAPTAIN]

Hey......everyone lay off my girlfriend!!!!!!!! i know she has really small feet!

 

[Flightjock30]

Fellow Aviators,

I agree that $80k and flying a 757 and 767 sounds like it's great, AND BELIEVE ME IT IS and truly rewarding and I do consider myself very lucky to be in this position especially after having paid my dues as a CFI and as regional pilot for 6 years and then again my first couple of years at the major. What some of you may not know, is that if you are based in the North East of the USA, $80k is not nearly enough money to live in a decent area in a decent home, (please note I said decent, not luxury) Forget about putting money aside in a 401k, and forget about saving for a child’s education, (and I am sure most of you know how expensive that is). NOW I know we can always commute, trust me I know that this is an option but I prefer to just go home about 30 mins away, and not have to play the standby game and stress out while I just flew back from FCO and am very tired. What a chimera, to be able to live decently at your base! Commuting is very tough and hard on you. For those who continue to think its so much money check out some of the home prices, state income and real estate taxes in the NY Metropolitan Area and you will be shocked. PLEASE fellow aviators, I am not doing this for the love of money, if that were the case I would be with some Wall Street Firm earning the salaries that are required to live DECENTLY here in the tri-state area. Once again I am stressing DECENT and not requesting luxury. I also would like to once again reiterate that I love flying airplanes and don't prefer another profession, but I do think the salaries need to be addressed since many pilots are unable to afford to live in a DECENT area near his/her base so that he/she won't be tired and fall asleep while crossing the pond just because he/she has been hanging around the airport all day because he/she had to catch the 6:43 am flt from MCO because all the later flights were booked. Dear aviators please do realize that we are very underpaid and sometimes miserably treated by our leaders. Now I am not trying to be rude, but if I were to bet, most of you who I think I am acting childish and avariciously, probably are not pilots for AMR, UAL, CAL, NWA etc.
Once again, I want to stress that I am not seeking luxury, I want decency and respect, and most importantly I do not want to be in a fatigued state while flying passengers. They deserve a pilot who does not have any financial worries and not one who has been commuting all day.

Go buy yourself a decent condo in the Dutchess County area of New York and commute down to work in the city to fly out of whatever NYC Airport you are based out of. Contribute whatever savings to a 401K or Roth IRA

 

[azpilot]

If you're pulling in 80k a year and consider yourself poor, you've got some serious problems with your priorities.

Ever think of money for retirement? Money in the bank for furlough protection? What if you are married and have kids. Husband or wife stays at home to raise children vs expensive day care. All I am saying is 80k isn't that much. Some of us don't want to rely on our goverment to take care of us. We want to have money in the bank and be responsible. Me wife yes, kids no so I have chosen to have more money in the bank.

 

[A Squared]

Ever think of money for retirement? Money in the bank for furlough protection? What if you are married and have kids. Husband or wife stays at home to raise children vs expensive day care. All I am saying is 80k isn't that much. .

Okayy, once again, 85% of the folks in this country are somehow managing to scrape by on less.

Not saying more money isn't nice, I'll take more if they're handing it out. However the idea that someone is "poor" on $80,000/year is just absurd. If you think you're poor on $80,000/year, you don't have an income problem, you have a spending problem.

 

[pilotyip]

We agree?

Okayy, once again, 85% of the folks in this country are somehow managing to scrape by on less.

Not saying more money isn't nice, I'll take more if they're handing it out. However the idea that someone is "poor" on $80,000/year is just absurd. If you think you're poor on $80,000/year, you don't have an income problem, you have a spending problem.

We normally don't agree on too much, but there is a dose of reality here. I have never made more than 100K/yr and I am well set coming into retirement. After your second job lost, living below your means becames the key to success.