light at the end of the tunnel?

[Flyingdutchman]

''Let me make one point clear...I LUV my job''

That sounds better mate!

Happy landings,
Fld.

 

[Bumble Bee]

Hey... Flying is a disease that has gotten the best of me... I love my job and even though I complain after six days in a row on line... Give me a day off and I'm ready to go again! Can't beat the view or the perks... And with a little luck and a lot of hard work I will get away from dirty sock soup... Yeah living my life at less than 30k isn't what I was planning on... But this is sure better than working! Light at the end of the tunnel??? Sure there is, it may just take a little longer for me to fell the LUV.

 

[Huck]

I flew with a captain at GAC that had bounced around 5 or 6 freight operators, including a couple in Africa. He said it best: when you boil it all down, the only things that matter are friends and family.

 

[Saabslime]

It's interesting to read all the different viewpoints shared here. I used to believe that flying an airplane for a living was the most important thing in my life. The more hours the better and the pay didn't really much matter as long as I was in the air. After all, I was single and didn't need much money. There's nothing you could have said to me at the time that would have discouraged me from pursuing my dream of becoming an airline pilot, or anything I would have given flying up for. I was much younger then without many ties or responsibilities.

Flash forward about a decade. A wife, child, two dogs and a mortgage payment. I've finally made it to the airlines. Been a captain for two years (soon to be downgraded back to F.O.). The pay is decent, the schedule is average, and I love the airplane I'm flying. It's the job I always dreamed about and you know what?, I'm starting to think about looking at different career options.

Like someone else above was saying, as you go through life, you're priorities change. My life isn't just about me and my desires/needs anymore. Those things are important for your personal health but you also have to compromise and strike a balance with the needs of your loved ones. Personally, this career has been hard on me and my family. After all its just an airplane and not worth destroying whats become most important in my life, and thats my family.

 

[tredding@swa]

Saab

Be careful..... you may not know it, but you just might be in the right place, at the right time.

Downgrading may hurt, but being senior enough to move quickly back UP when this gloom & doom is over might be better than a career change. Think about what you have been through (family too) to get where you are. Any change will put you back at the BOTTOM of wherever you go......

I did the career change thing in '94, came back to aviation in '97. It was a challange, but long-term it cost me BIG time.

Good luck - have fun, BTW you are doing the correct thing just by having the attitude you have concerning your priorities.
Tred

 

[duckman]

I flew with a captain at GAC that had bounced around 5 or 6 freight operators, including a couple in Africa. He said it best: when you boil it all down, the only things that matter are friends and family.

I think your old captain is about right HUCK...I've also heard that the older you get....the less $$ means to you. (How old that is I'm not sure....nursing home maybe??) And you start to look back and say "Did I make a difference anywhere along the line". Anyway....face it...airline jobs keep you away from those family and friends much more than other jobs. SO it better make up for the absense in quality of life (= $$ and time off) so you CAN make a difference to them. I really can't say that it appears the job has a whole lot of what I call "SOUL" to it either. Successful takeoff and landing--getting people where they need to go..ya maybe. Doesn't seem like it would compare to commanding a military unit, being CEO of a company (small or large) or running your own business-- where the success or failure of the unit/company rests on your leadership/management..and the feeling of accomplishment with that success. Like most guys allude to...it's a job.