Major Airline Captains, would you recommend career to your son/daughter?

[acaTerry]

How about asking major airline FOs who will never be CAs due to the stagnation/downturn? At least those who won't/can't be wide body line holding, non-commuting CAs.

But at least the pay as an FO at the majors is livable. As a pay capped FO at NutJets, with no upgrade in sight for at least 5 or 7 years (that will almost be year 20 for me there), the majors are looking real good around now.
All in all, I did the washing planes, humped hose as a line guy, thousands and thousands of hours of instructing, closed corporate flight dept, layoff, etc and it never dampened my love for flying or fascination with airplanes. I got lucky and am still married to the same gal, and my kids somehow are turning out great.
Aviation has been a rough road, but if you truly have "the bug", you'll get through it. That is the biggest variable in the equation.

 

[pilotyip]

Aviation has been a rough road, but if you truly have "the bug", you'll get through it. That is the biggest variable in the equation.

Well said, fly because you like............disappointed.

 

[acaTerry]

Well said, fly because you like............disappointed.

Don't put words in my mouth and don't put me in the Dick Karl club there. I am definitely NOT one of those who will sign anything (ie a bad contract----lest I rile up your anti union sentiments) just because "I like to fly". That is a tired subject and we are only now beginning to recover from the SJS disaster that struck aviation with the advent of the RJ.
I was just saying that perseverance will come with a passion for something you like doing. Would I work my butt off for a computer coding job? Hell no. Don't care what it pays, I have zero passion for IT, so I would make no great effort. Flying on the other hand, I have loved since I was little. So I have persevered and here I am. Not at the best job in the world, but the next rung of the ladder is reachable and so I will continue the climb. There is a payoff coming, you just have to want it.

 

[FurloughedAgain]

I have to admit after doing it for the last 20 years, I don't love it like I used to. Airline flying sucks the fun out of flying.

 

[pilotyip]

Don't put words in my mouth and don't put me in the Dick Karl club there. I am definitely NOT one of those who will sign anything (ie a bad contract----lest I rile up your anti union sentiments) just because "I like to fly". That is a tired subject and we are only now beginning to recover from the SJS disaster that struck aviation with the advent of the RJ.
I was just saying that perseverance will come with a passion for something you like doing. Would I work my butt off for a computer coding job? Hell no. Don't care what it pays, I have zero passion for IT, so I would make no great effort. Flying on the other hand, I have loved since I was little. So I have persevered and here I am. Not at the best job in the world, but the next rung of the ladder is reachable and so I will continue the climb. There is a payoff coming, you just have to want it.

I'm sorry I thought I took the words out of your mouth. I thought I had run accross someone liked me that had a passion for this flying stuff. Best of luck in pursuit of your passion, in the end you may look back on your career and see it as an unbelievable adventure in which you were lucky enought to participate.

 

[acaTerry]

Well Yip, in all honesty I love props. Jets don't do it for me. If I could make jet money flying props, I'd be all over it.