How do you do it?

[pilotyip]

Point here: you are not a regional F/O forever; it is an entry level position. No more than I was an Ensign forever at $300/mo

 

[English]

The fallback value of a degree is greatly over rated. I have a BS and a Master's in Management, but at age 53, I was making $250/wk loading cargo. After Zantop pretended to go out of went out of business in 1997, I had been a temporary High School Chemistry Teacher up until two weeks before the cargo job came along. However, they do not teach school in the summer so I had to take the cargo job. The value of an unused degree is highly over rated. 53 year old unemployed airline pilots are not eagerly greeted in any industry that I know of, even of having a couple degrees. Of course, I did not apply for many of the "College degree preferred jobs" such as apt manager, telephone direct sales, plumping floor manager at Home Depot, etc. If you get a college degree you have to use, the knowledge gained in college to develop a career or the degree is useless. After getting a degree, flying an airplane is not a knowledge expanding experience; it is skill development experience. Anyone care to chime in and share their experiences on entering the non-aviation job market after being out of college 20-30 years?

Yip, do you have this saved on your hard drive somewhere so you can just keep posting the same thing over and over again? I swear sometimes you sound like a broken record.

Was I married to you before?

 

[Socalplt]

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.


And this is precisely why the job only pays 20K. If your profile is accurate (600hrs with B1900 and ERJ experience) I'd say you bought yours.

 

[AGuyThatFlys]

How do you new hires that make $20k a year survive? I have a chance to get on with an airline and make around that level, but have no idea how I'd make ends meet. I have a nice car and a decent place to live, but I sure don't live like a king. I could get rid of the car and get some crapmobile, but thats not going to make a huge difference. How do you do it???

Regional FO is a third career for me.

Started out in the Navy. Did my time, knew I was leaving, saved money for the career transition.

Second career was a Boeing engineer. Good pay, saved money, earned my ratings over several years. In the meantime, joined the Navy Reserve. Drilled one weekend a month, two weeks a year. And saved that money. Continued to build hours. I joined the Civil Air Patrol and flew missions (paid for by the Air Force). Flew CAP aircraft to maintain proficiency, a CAP requirement. Really cheap flying; $30/hour plus fuel for a Cessna 182. Thought flying would remain a hobby until...

...I was laid off from Boeing after 9/11. For a year immediately after 9/11, I was recalled to active duty in the Navy. Actually took home more as a Navy officer than as a Boeing engineer (taxed less). And saved that money. With the free time, I was able to get my CFI and CFII. Decided to try a career as a professional pilot.

Worked as a CFI for a year. Built more time. Met and married a woman who works in the health care industry (never out of work, and her pay is OK). Saved more money.

We had well into the five figures saved when I finally got the call to a regional. Still giving flying lessons when I can. As a free-lance CFI, I charge my own rate.

All this time I was living below my means. Still driving the four-cylinder rice burner I bought 15 years ago. Shared living expenses by having roommates.

You got to live cheap and save, save, save for those first couple of years flying for a regional.

 

[49W]

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.

There is more to this career than making money. There is also more to life than this career. One day, you may want to own a home, have a family, and enjoy life. Upgrade times are getting longer and longer at many regionals and even our relatively low current payrates seem to be threatened.

 

[BOHICAgain]

Cause the airline I'd be flying for is based at MIA and thats where I'd have to commute to.

Thats not a commute.... you live in base so you wont have to pay for a crashpad or hotel room there. So when you do start flying just try to pick up 4 day trips to limit the time you have to drive a month...good luck

The reason I stay where I am is because I worked my aZs of to get here.. yeah yeah I went to a 4 year school got my degree along w/ my ratings...got all loaned up..so now what am i supposed to do, go work a sales job or go work construction. Yeah it pays 24K first year, but i make more than I did as CFI.
I decided I wanted to do this when I was out of high school so now I am paying for my decision... and im not complaning but that is why I do it... and hoping ti gets better.

 

[Groundpounder]

Thats not a commute.... you live in base so you wont have to pay for a crashpad or hotel room there. So when you do start flying just try to pick up 4 day trips to limit the time you have to drive a month...good luck

I define a commute as getting in my car and driving to work.

Also, this airline doesn't do much overnight stuff, so I'll be stuck driving alot, which stinks.

 

[coolyokeluke]

Are you talking about Gulfstream? Not trying to turn this into a PFT issue...

 

[PadFull'oTrim]

Try this....

Sell the wife and rent out the car......
Oh wait, it's sell the car and rent out the wife....


Really though, I don't have to do anything like that. I'm one of those pilots you hear about in all the salary surveys that say pilots make $300K/year!!


If you need to get extra cash right now, try getting your paper route back!


Pad....

 

[Groundpounder]

Are you talking about Gulfstream? Not trying to turn this into a PFT issue...

Ummmmmm...........NO!!!!