Leaving a flying job

[shon7]

Have any of you ever left a flying position to start back in the general "non flying" world. What were your reasons?


I was speaking with a CFI at the airport yesterday and he said something that has stayed in my mind. He stated, " one can fly and do a lot more. Why only stick to flying when you know you have the potential." I have just not seen/met any pilots who are running regular businesses or doing something else professionally in addition to their flying. I realize this must be hard but am looking for any comments/experiences where people have successfully taken on such projects.

 

[2000flyer]

I know of two people off the top of my head who had a side business in addition to their flying. Both were so sucessful at their business that they eventually left flying all together. It's not for the lack of love of flying, but the economics. Both went from ~$90K a year jobs to owned business making $3-5 Million a year. While I have no idea what their salaries became when they left flying, having contracts for that amount over a decent term, well...you do the math!

Regards,
2000Flyer

 

[bigbird]

I have left my flying job to start my own business. Flying is just too unstable of a career for me. Plus I started getting a little bored with the lifestyle. I started a part time lawn and landscape business years ago. Now am doing it full time. I make GREAT money, have my weekends off, home everynight, I'm in control of my future career. The harder I work to build my business the more results I get. I starting to really think this was the best decision I have made in a long time. Aviation will always be part of my life, just on the recreational side.

 

[peepsmover]

Options

Yes I know of a couple of guys two are attorneys, and another guy owned a couple of hardware stores, the guy had his own Pilatus to haul his stock around, besides, he could have retired years ago but he loved the madness of doing both, he just retired and must be at least worth $25Mil easy. What could be more smarter than investing in your future and keeping your airline job to keep a roof over your head, best of luck to those who have and are doing it.

 

[bobbysamd]

Leaving flying

I left flying ten years ago and retrained for a job in the legal profession.

I had left my first career at age 37 for full-time aviation. At the time there was a hiring boom. Two friends had gotten hired by the regionals; one of whom was in television and the other had been flying for a few years. I figured that if they could do it I could do it. My goal was the regionals. I received advice that I was not too old.

I started applying initially to the regionals and to freight, and got nowhere. My first full-time job was instructing at ERAU. I continued to apply to the regionals, and finally heard from them in the summer of 1990. Two days before my first interview, Hussein invaded Kuwait. A recession had already begun. All the buzz at my interview was that hiring industry-wide had stopped. I wasn't hired from that interview, or from three others and a cattle call. I continued instructing. Each successive job was worse than the previous. In 1993, I lost two jobs. I did not feel I was treated fairly for the first loss; the second I definitely (and objectively) was hosed.

At that point I was 42. I realized that with two strikes on me and seeing younger pilots with like or lesser quals being hired ahead of me that I was getting nowhere fast. I needed a job that paid money, so I turned elsewhere. I continued to apply for flying jobs for another year or so. In all, I spent about six years applying to the regionals.

At times my job is extremely hectic and stressful, but it's been steady and I have a relatively normal schedule. Though I miss flying, legal work has worked out well for me.

 

[greyhound]

Drive and fly!

I plan on instructing part-time while driving a bus full-time since most instructing jobs don't offer medical insurance or a "STEADY" paycheck. Some do I know, but it's rare and until I land one that does, I see no other way of making ends meet and having coverage for my family!
Driving will always be my plan "B" in case I ever get furloughed.
Look in the paper and you will always find driving jobs.
It will be funny to get laid-off from an $18k a year job, and go back to driving at about $25-$30K"s per year.