F/O's low pay

[urflyingme?!]

OK, so he's talking about people upgrading out of order/ scab-bing?

 

[JB74]

urflyingme, grab a copy off amazon. It is a great book. Click on the used link, they are around $4-$5 plus shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671636030/qid=1110160442/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-7234437-7044041

 

[NuGuy]

OK, so he's talking about people upgrading out of order/ scab-bing?

You really ought to read the book...he is a million times more eloquent than any of us.

But to answer your question: No. What he was saying is that in this industry, if you try to hop around looking for the next best thing, you are very often disappointed, and you do yourself more harm than good.

For example: You are sitting at airline "a" making ok money, but upgrade seems a bit long. You hear that airline "b" is upgrading faster, even taking into account starting all over. So you jump over there, and as soon as you do, airline "b" stops its big growth for one reason or another, and if you had stayed at "a", you would have been better off and saved yourself a bunch of hassle.

In other words, promises mean d!ck in this business. Don't believe it until your name is in the logbook and the gear is in the well.

Nu

 

[urflyingme?!]

Aha "A bird in the hand..." and so on.
This book is definately on the buy list.

 

[Kawasumi_Kichou]

Wow. Didn't realize Delta paid like that in 1973. That's about what my base pay was as a TV cameraman right out of high school in 1973 (TV is another industry where starting wages aren't much). But after a year at that local non-union station I was able to join the union and my hourly pay for union work just about doubled.

F/O pay at Scenic in 1992 was $900/month, $1100/month if you had an ATP. Starting pay for captains was $23,000/year on the good ol' DHC-6-300/barf bag bomber/kool aid bomber/"Vistaliner".

Yeah, FotH is a great book. "The High and the Mighty" and "The Left Seat" are favorites of mine too. BTW the rights to the film version of "The High and the Mighty" have been negotiated and currently the film is undergoing restoration. A DVD release is in the works, finally after all these years.

 

[C-150ETOPS]

banfanguy,

Your $600/mth is equal to about $2550/mth today. It just so happen to equal my first year pay at another Major in 1990 of $1800/mth.


check out:
http://woodrow.mpls.frb.fed.us/Research/data/us/calc/index.cfm

 

[HowlinMadMurdoc]

Fate is a must read for all professional pilots. Like another poster wrote, Gann wrote far more eloquently about being a line pilot than anyone else, at least IMHO. I also have his autobiography "Hostage to Fortune" and he talked about the low airline pay and the effects on his family. Another good read. I'd like to read "The High and the Mighty". Just need to hunt down that book.

Did anyone else get the impression that the pilot Gann wrote about at the end of the book, who disappeared from his dingy in HNL harbor, actually committed suicide? This was the pilot who retired and couldn't ends meet so came back to aviation as an F/O.

Just wondering...

HMM

 

[LearLove]

I concur, one of the best aviation books ever written. Anybody ever read Gann's autobiography? I believe it was called "Hostage to Fortune". I'm sure you could find it on the internet somewhere, but outside of that, the only place I've ever seen it is the gift shop at Old Rhinebeck a few years back. It's a good book, not as good as Fate is the Hunter, but it talks about all the other things he did in his life aside from flying. So if you're interested in learning more about the author, check it out, he did alot of interesting things in his life.

Lear, I hope you don't think I'm a hyena for the move I made! After all, I gave up my 5 years to start practically all over.

Yes his Autobio is Hostage to Fortune and is back in print. Many of his old books you can find on ebay and amazon, my Gann collection includes:

Fate is the Hunter
Band Of Brothers
The Black Watch
Hostage to Fortune
Blaze of Noon
In the Company of Eagles
The Aviator
The High and The Mighty
Flying Circus
Twilight for the Gods
Gentleman of Adventure
Island in the Sky
Soldier of Fortune

I first read Fate is the Hunter in college and have collected his book for the past 8 years. I estimate I spent an average of $10 on each book thru ebay,amazon and used book stores.

Fate is the Hunter, Hostage to Fortune and Flying Circus should be required reading for any who makes a living flying.

 

[urflyingme?!]

Not to hijack Yip's thread, but does anyone have any books to reccommend?

 

[FN FAL]

Not to hijack Yip's thread, but does anyone have any books to reccommend?

Yea..."No Second Place Winner"...by Bill Jordan. He's kind of like law enforcement's Gann.

 

[Flyingdutchman]

Best aviation book ever. I love it.

 

[Ty Webb]

Ernest Gann wrote some outstanding books, and I, too, would highly recommend his autobiography " A Hostage to Fortune ".

I would also point out that he was hired by AAL without even an Instrument rating, and upgraded at about 14 months, so comparing his pay situation as a newhire (seniority numer approximately 250) and the situation of today's pilots is not very accurate, unless it is one of us at an LCC who can upgrade inside of two years time.

 

[bafanguy]

banfanguy,

Your $600/mth is equal to about $2550/mth today. It just so happen to equal my first year pay at another Major in 1990 of $1800/mth.


check out:
http://woodrow.mpls.frb.fed.us/Research/data/us/calc/index.cfm

C150,

Yes, I agree. I was just commenting on how hard it was for a guy with a wife and a couple of kids to get by on $600...as it would be today on $2550...same idea.

All I had was a 1967 VW...and everything I owned would fit in it.

Can't say for sure, but I think DL's newhire pay was improved in recent years.

$1800 is about what some regionals are paying newhires today.