How do you do it?

[Groundpounder]

I'm in kind of a screwed up situation, I have an apartment that is bigger than I need, but I had a girlfriend at the time and we needed a place this size. I now don't have a g/f, so this place is way more than I need. I can afford it on my present pay, but I'm stuck with it until March. I have a nice small SUV, but it doesn't get very good gas mileage, and I'd have to commute from north of Ft Lauderdale to MIA. Good thing its worth more than I owe, but I'll cry if I have to sell it.

Well, I haven't even gotten an interview, so maybe all this worrying is for nothing.......lol

 

[BOHICAgain]

I'm not sure about your situation (married, kids, mortgage, etc?) but it's certainly do-able as a single person with a frugal mindset. I just finished up my first year at Mesa (obviously not one of the best paying regionals) and don't have a problem with making ends meet. However, I also caveat that with having no debt...car has been paid off for years, live with a roommate to cut costs, and limit my spending habits to a need basis. Also, I made sure back in my days training to always be able to pay for a lesson before I took it (thus ensuring, through two jobs nonetheless, that I'd at least not owe anything when I started starving as an instructor). Instructing was a challenge as we all know, but I just tightened the belt even more.

Just to give you a realistic snapshot of what first year pay is like (again, this is specific to Mesa): Normal line is around 85-90 hours per month...take away a few cancellations (no cancellation pay here...urrrrghh!!) and it usually comes out to around 80 or so. Assume 80 X $20.88 and generally around $350 for per diem (tax exempt!). So, a little over $2000 a month gross. Not a lot, for sure, but liveable if one's frugal with their spending. I try to avoid a lot of "going out" on overnights...beer and meals can add up in a hurry. Of course, every now and then I'll reward myself, but you really need to exercise self discipline (especially on first year pay!). I'm sure others (ExpressJet, etc with far better contracts) pull down better than that, so consider my example a "below average" indication.

Hope that helps in at least giving you an example of what first year pay can be. It kind of sucks, but we all know going in what it's going to be, so just plan ahead.

-Earl

I dont fly for mesa but What he said is pretty accurate. The only thing I do is pick up open time so I avarage about 95 hours of pay.. Wont time out for the year b/c I got online late Feb..


You have to commute from north of FLL to MIA.. Why??

 

[synchoff]

. Girlfriend who work and refuse to let you pay for more than every other date are a god-sent. .... I think the hardest part will be making $20K and still living like i make 10. .

Oh, they're keeping track of this. It's an investment for them. Marry them, and you'll be paying it back for the rest of your life, with lots and lots of interest.

(trust me on this one)

 

[~~~^~~~]

Maybe the question should be, WHY do you do it?

Knowing what I do now after 6 years flying for the crappy Company I work for - I wouldn't do it. Most of us keep hanging on hoping that it gets better, but it doesn't.

 

[jaxpilot]

groundpounder, do you really make a lot more than 20k as a line guy? just asking cuz I've been a line guy for almost 2 years now and am just now brushing with 20k a year, I might make it this year if my calcs are correct. I guess if you are a line supervisor you could but if you are a regular line guy than Banyan must pay damn good.

 

[Metro752]

From the outside looking in, why do college graduates even think they are worth less than lets say a local police officer, who probably starts at 33k+ a year.

What kind of morons are you, $20k a year? WTF is that. Why can't you bargain for better?

Sh1t brains! Thanks for making any thought of ever flying for a regional or any jet job completely pointless. Especially you guys at the top, who are making a little more than 20k, and have greater bargaining power.

I also saw a sh1tbrain doofus at ORD the other day with his big @ss backpack on his back, both straps, with an Ipod. What kind of freak-tard does that. Don't you know alllll the people in the airport are LAUGHING at you.

Regional Airline pilot ain't no better than puttin gas in a C152 in Cowpie, Iowa.

I'm not expert, but like everyone else but you guys getting paid $20k and less to fly a jet on $100,000.00s school bills, a Bachleors degree in something or other.

 

[idoitupsidedown]

From the outside looking in, why do college graduates even think they are worth less than lets say a local police officer, who probably starts at 33k+ a year.

What kind of morons are you, $20k a year? WTF is that. Why can't you bargain for better?

Sh1t brains! Thanks for making any thought of ever flying for a regional or any jet job completely pointless. Especially you guys at the top, who are making a little more than 20k, and have greater bargaining power.

I also saw a sh1tbrain doofus at ORD the other day with his big @ss backpack on his back, both straps, with an Ipod. What kind of freak-tard does that. Don't you know alllll the people in the airport are LAUGHING at you.

Regional Airline pilot ain't no better than puttin gas in a C152 in Cowpie, Iowa.

You're right. It makes no sense, yet I can't think of anything I'd rather do than fly airplanes for a living. If I could afford a pshrink, I'd probably try to get help....

 

[Metro752]

have some self respect, what was the point of going to college if you can't make more than a burger flipper who works full time?

You guys are like the illegal aliens working at WalMart for $4/hr when everyone else makes like $6.50, and gets the store discount.

 

[idoitupsidedown]

What, exactly then, do you do for a living? and if the answer is that your a pilot, what were you making when you had 1k hrs?

 

[Metro752]

I'm a college student, i just quit my comcast job I had for about 6 months so I could pick up another major. (reason why I said from the outside looking in)

I posted elsewhere, that comcast job (cable disconnects) in a year could make about 45k, so I made about 20k during the time I worked there.. Hard work yes, but no more hours than flying a regional jet.

Why do you college grad regional pilots put forth so much effort in school, and building hours, only to live paycheck to paycheck on cup noodles and mooching off your folks, girlfriends, and buddies.

Why don't yall stand up for yourselves and get a decent wage.

20x75 hours @ Colgan = 19.2k a year (airlinepilotpay.com). Not includin per diem, whoopdee do What I don't get is why you get paid about $20k your first year, then it jumps like 5-10k 2nd year. Because you sit on reserve means you don't need anymore money to survive on your own?

 

[SeaLord]

Metro,you needs to chill out dude. Since this doesn't apply to you, stay out of the discussion until it does. Spewing negativity doesn't answer the man's question, and only seems to tick people off.
OK, back to question at hand. Noone so far has mentioned the one true American way.....credit!! Most guys I came up with used the credit cards and loans until they picked up a working wife, or a pay raise. I'm flying for one of the lowest paid airlines (Skyway) on the planet, and we've all came out the otherside without things being repo'd.
Yes it sucks, but you'll make it through. And sell that fricken SUV man.....

 

[idoitupsidedown]

Hard work yes, but no more hours than flying a regional jet.

Ehh. I guess I'm just lazy.

And I appologize, I'm not upset at Metro's Q (it's definatly a valid one). I just dont have a good answer and wish i had worked on a business degree while i was getting my certificates instead of an aviation degree.

 

[Metro752]

kk im out, but in a few years, can ya'll fix it!?

 

[HMR]

What, exactly then, do you do for a living? and if the answer is that your a pilot, what were you making when you had 1k hrs?

How about this for an idea? A few years back, I was CFI'ing 40+hrs a week for $20/hr. One of my students hired me to fly a T210 for $32K/yr. I flew one day per week and had a fixed schedule so I was able to double dip with my CFI job (do the math; that's pretty good dough). I took a pay cut to fly PT135 King Air's for two years. I was able to build enough experience to get hired as a captain at a PT91 Corp. Dept. Our first year captains make more than an 18yr RJ captain @ SkyWest. We're scheduled 60-90 days in advance and fly a lot less than any 121 guys I know of.

If the Regionals/Majors are your thing, great. Just wanted to highlight some other options. You guys who make ends meet on $20K/yr with $100K in school debt are a lot smarter about finance than I'll ever be.

 

[msuspartans24]

From the outside looking in, why do college graduates even think they are worth less than lets say a local police officer, who probably starts at 33k+ a year.

What kind of morons are you, $20k a year? WTF is that. Why can't you bargain for better?

Sh1t brains! Thanks for making any thought of ever flying for a regional or any jet job completely pointless. Especially you guys at the top, who are making a little more than 20k, and have greater bargaining power.

I also saw a sh1tbrain doofus at ORD the other day with his big @ss backpack on his back, both straps, with an Ipod. What kind of freak-tard does that. Don't you know alllll the people in the airport are LAUGHING at you.

Regional Airline pilot ain't no better than puttin gas in a C152 in Cowpie, Iowa.

I'm not expert, but like everyone else but you guys getting paid $20k and less to fly a jet on $100,000.00s school bills, a Bachleors degree in something or other.

I guess that we should all hope that you get hired at our regional carrier so that you can imput all your valuable knowledge so that the problem can be fixed. Get a life A$$hole! Did you ever think that there is more to this career than making money? Gee what a novel idea, work a job that you actually enjoy doing even though it's not the top paying job out there. Your attitude shows why you will never make it in this industry.