for all of us.....................

[shindler]

Airline Pilots Salary Woes Are Pi Ssing Me Off

FROM ANOTHER SITE:

Hello all.

New to this forum.

Been around flying my whole life. My dad the TWA captain (1944-1981) who was civilian-trained by Rosco Turner, the flamboyant entrepreneur of the 30s-40s era...Pop (as I affectionately called him) was hired by TWA, flew FO in a DC-3 for six months then was upgraded to Capt; then flew left seat on the Connie, the 707, and the 747, respectively.

Mom was a FA for TWA.

Cousin Fred flew F-4s in Vietnam.

And, yes, as you've all described, my mom to this day has retired FA friends who live with alotta cats.......

I came out of high school in 1982 longing to learn how to grease a 747 like I had witnessed the old man do countless times...oh what youth has lost...no longer can a teenager go on an international trip with his pilot-dad, sit in first class, and meander up to the cockpit whenever he desired, knock on the door, and be granted access...I'm 41 now and I still have vivid memories of Pop in the cockpit...level with the autopilot on over the polars doing a crossword puzzle, or cruising the aisles, me at his side feeling the oohs and ahhhs of the passengers in the presence of the Captain, sitting in the ACM seat motionless since I felt the intensity of Pop in the zone of a to-mins ILS approach, etc etc

So I'm ready to sign up and get some hours circa 1982.

"DON'T DO IT", Pop incessantly lectured.

Here's a dude who's felt what its like to be a rockstar during his airline career, a man who I'm sure fielded endless FA propositions and who was treated like royalty on layovers. The latter I witnessed. The former I assume.

Same rockstar dude telling his son NOT to pursue an airline career.

Looking back 25 years later, the Old Man was right.

I make my living as a physician now. I heeded his advice, got a college education and went to med school, then residency.

Now ten years into private practice as an anesthesiologist, money isnt really an issue anymore.

And I've enjoyed my own flight accomplishments.

Almost 1000 hours with a few hundred turboprop time (mostly PAY-1).

So, you ask, why am I here on this airline pilot thread?

Because I was almost in your shoes.

And looking where I'd be now had I not listened to my old man...what with MAJOR industry instability, continued downward-spiral of pilot salaries, and threats of eliminating pensions...

IT P ISSES ME OFF.

My father was was my rock. And he was in the industry when pilots ruled.

I wish some of you new pilots could've witnessed what I witnessed when I was a snot-nosed pilot's son following his dad on trips....how he was treated...how he felt....his flying was euphoric to him, and rightly so...deregulation hadnt happened yet, TWA was showering him with money to fly to exotic destinations in charge of the biggest airliner known to man....and being his son I KNEW how he felt....I knew he was like..."WHAT? YOU'RE GONNA PAY ME HOW MUCH FOR FLYING A 747???".....

Flash to current day.

No more rockstar status for pilots.

I have two close friends in the industry...one an FO for AirTran, the other a Capt for Continental.

Man, how times have changed.

Times have changed for doctors, too.

We are no longer rockstars either.

But at least our pay (at least mine) is more than I'd ever dreamed of.

So I'm here, in your corner, wondering why you guys are having to beg, plead, and strike for half of what you should be paid. I'm incredulous to the airline industry right now. Seems with all the attention on safety/terrorism companies would be increasing your pay, not fighting to decrease it.

Godspeed to all of you who remind me of my dad.

And when you're standing in the cockpit door saying goodbye to exiting passengers, if you come in contact with an overly gregarious, thankful individual, it may be me.

I'm thankful for your knowledge. And your ICEMAN decisions when the chips are down.

Yes, I'm a pilot.

And I can fly a turboprop.

But I can't fly a plane like you Line guys.

Seems like the industry would realize the importance of this, give you guys more money, and more job security.

Jet





why we bunch of morons have to give in to people like Ornstein and Hulas??
Oh forgot, they are smarter than us..............
Indeed they are,because they prawl on peoples like us that are chasing the dream (in 20 years at this phase) chasing to sow our next door neighbor the euplets, or the round hut.
You know something? all those regional CEO' s deserve their money. They make money on other peoples ego, sense of esteem, look......(uhm sonds like a pilot that just greased his brand new crj 700 and carry tuna fish and soup 'cause can afford 2 meals per day.
Came on wake up!!!!
I wish to see Hulas face the day that all TSA pilots agree not to go to work............
that will cause the biggest packard effect in his underwear....

 

[Buda6868]

Thank You!

 

[MEL'ed]

Ironic, my dad was a doctor and I didn't like his hours, so i became a pilot. Now I'm away from home several nights a week and still put in 16 hour days. No better life if I had a family now, but hopefully things will improve soon.

 

[YourPilotFriend]

The battle for market share has put this profession where it's at today. I was recently at a party with a former CEO of NWA and I asked the question "when did this industry go bad?". He responded that he didn't know, but he said if it was anything, it had to do with the way the airlines go about business these days. He said back when he was still working for NWA, routes were started to better serve customers. He cited the example that NWA had started service to Florida, so it could easily deliver grapefruits to its top clients on the holidays. He said today it takes hundreds of analyst’s months to determine if a route is viable. Those same analyst's are the ones looking at your pay, and looking for ways to cut it.

 

[LoneStar123]

Thanks for your thoughts. I hope to live up to the professional that your Dad surely was. Question. Why, with it being the rock star days, did your Dad want you to stay clear of aviation? What did he see the future bringing...and what would he say to you?

 

[Checknsix]

How many years to become an anesthesiologist??

- Checknsix

 

[Shrek]

Great post.........

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Thanks for your thoughts. I hope to live up to the professional that your Dad surely was. Question. Why, with it being the rock star days, did your Dad want you to stay clear of aviation? What did he see the future bringing...and what would he say to you?

dude, this was cut and pasted from another forum. You're not talking to the orginal poster.

 

[LoneStar123]

Ooops.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

I was wondering the same thing though.

 

[Metro752]

15 lol

 

[Peter Griffin]

Yeah, Im a little confused why you would sign up for these forums just to tell us you are a pilot, make more money than us, and we missed the good old days of aviation.

Regardless, its too bad its all true...