one more year is all I can take!!!!!

[350DRIVER]

It does not matter how many or who is hiring present day, that is completely irrelevant since the number of "qualified" applicants far exceeds the current number of available jobs. It is a known fact that a "pilot shortage" is not realistic nor will it ever be and it does not help someone who is in this guy's position. Luck, timing, and being in the right place at the right time can easily determine a person's fate within this industry. It is great to shoot for the stars but plenty of people do end up coming well short of that goal. There will be a point in time (or should be) where enough is going to be enough and family cannot suffer due to one person's dream of making the "big time". "Don't give up", "you have come this far", "hang in there", "it is just a matter of time", "so many are hiring", " you will get there", etc, etc. blah, blah, does not help with the reality of what is going on in many cases. It is great to have that upbeat and positive attitude when you are not in the other person's position and in his circumstances. You are unable to control most of the variables in this equation when you are looking in from the outside. Some would say the glass is half full but many others would say that it is half empty and loosing liquid quite rapidly.

I have come in contact with many in this industry over the years that have had to move on and forgo the "dream" of flying the big iron to save a marriage/family, this happens whether you want to admit it or not. The bank account savings is only going to allow him to pursue this for so long then reality is going to set in. I would sit down with him if I were you and really discuss the future and be realistic and don't let the "hopes" and "dreams" cause you to get financially in trouble.

I am not advocating that he should just "give up" on this goal/objective, I am merely stating that he needs to have a plan B in place and have something on the back burner should his options run out on this attempt. I have seen a few loose just about everything they had since they were so determined to make it and never did, they basically lost it all. If they would have set a time frame where they could pull out then they would have been much better off.

This is a very unforgiving and competitive industry by nature and no matter how badly you want something you may not be able to obtain it. If I were him I surely would have a backup plan in place and limit the time that he spends chasing something that may or may not happen.


He may have all the "right stuff" but without a job, offer, or any leads then he is still going to be looking in from the outside and trying to figure out how to just get by to pay the bills and put food on the table.


The more popular 135/91 departments are pretty selective and you need to have some internal ties in the majority of them to get noticed and get that initial break. The insurance company reqt's are dictating a lot of what is going on present day.


As I previously stated, I can only wish him the best of luck in his career search and hope that he is successful in the end no matter where this takes him.


c h e e r s

3 5 0

 

[Gulfstream 200]

an unhappy wife and kids will only stay SO long while one plays pilot...

whats more important??

How ya gonna live off a regional salary?

Hope you got it all figured out!


All I know is my wife posting here for advice would be enough wake up call for me to quit tommorrow.

 

[TWA Dude]

For the past several years, I was miserable(though I didn't realize it, she did).

TC: I knew it as well but I didn't say anything since you were paying for the beers.
Enjoy the sultry south.

Dude

 

[Ty Webb]

Part of the problem that you two are experiencing is that this is a very cyclical industry, and this is the bottom of the cycle.

I graduated in 1990 with 600 hours TT and 50 multi. Most of the graduates the previous year got on with regionals (called commuters then) or got corporate jobs. One guy even hired on as a Flight Engineer at Pan Am. Unfortunately for me, the bottom dropped out the following few years, and I ended up "sitting out" of aviation for a few years. in fact, I went almost three years where I didn't fly at all.

Then, things started moving again, around 1995-1996, and by 1997 some regionals who wouldn;t previously look at me without 2500tt were running ads in the local papers shouting "PILOTS! If you have 1000 Total and 100 Multi, American Eagle wants to talk to you!".

You don't say where you live, but if you are willing to live near a city that has an active business aviation airport, your husband might find himself able to get on with a corporate flight department, maybe at first as just an "on-call" spot, but once he starts rubbing elbows with corporate pilots around the country, he will eventually find a decent full-time spot. That's what I did. It paid much better than a regional, and of those of us who wanted to get to get to an airline, we managed to do it.

The upshot of what I am saying is that I would temper his need to keep progressing with the fact that unless he is close to competitive minimums for a job, stepping off the merry-go-round while it is slow, and stepping back on when it starts speeding up isn;t necessarily a bad thing for some people . . . but that might not be palatable for everyone.

I will tell you this, though. When I got my class date at AirTran, I told my wife "We did it!" and I meant it . . . because she was there with me all along. It was definitely a team effort.

Best of luck.

 

[Timebuilder]

Pilotswife-

If your husband was much older than 35, I'd say he should cut his losses and go. In fact, this is one of those rare times that I agree with 350 driver. Geeez. First I start ageeing with Typhoon and Mar, now it's 350. Heck, it's almost a miracle!

I wouldn't be too impressed with that Citation thing. Nothing against the airplane, but there are always people who seem to step in a pile of... gold. As an an instructor, your husband should derive some satisfaction from the fact that he helped another pilot along his path. That's important.

You said he is still instructing part-time. Good. Currency is a big issue for pilots in between jobs. I know. A year and a half ago I was right in the zone for AirNet, but I already had a job as a Lear FO. In retrospect, it might have been a better move to ask Craig Washka when he'd like me to come out to his HQ, but hindsight is always 20/20. Make sure your husband gets a bunch of simulated, along with some actual, every month. If he has the hours, get that ATP done.

While these guys who luck into a job are impressive, slow and steady DOES win the race. Study. Fly. Network. Work on interviewing skills while building relationships with pilots who work where you (in this case, he, your husband) want to work. Get to know the people, the places, the airplanes. Focus. Start to get to know the gouge on the employers that are a part of the "next step."

Finally, look at alternatives. Would he be happy selling real estate and flying his own plane on his time off? Remember, find a good job may take a great deal of time and effort, and exact a high emotional price. He must be convinced, along with you, that this fight is worth the trouble. If it isn't, now may be the time.

I would certainly look at AirNet and some other freight operators. Piston and turboprop charters are also good steps to consider. No harm in sending resumes to a few regionals, either.

The pot of gold is not only small, it is indeed getting smaller. It has gotten so much smaller in such a short period of time that we not only have an oversupply of pilots, we have a glut of pilots. Yes, it is a down cycle, but other factors will keep things from returning to the levels of the late 90's. More small jets, personal jets, leaner contracts, and less air travel (by population percentage) are hallmarks of the times to come. Ther are jobs, but they are fewer than almost anyone would have thought. These jobs don't even approach the life earning potential that most of us imagined just a few years ago.

Let me put on my Nomex suit for protection, now.

You and your husband need to pray about this. God's wisdom is not only available to believers; He cares for every one of us. Ask for His guidance. It may be that your husband needs to stay the course right now. Maybe, he needs to concentrate on caring for his family. After considering all of the factors, you need to consider your hearts.

 

[House_X]

I know some part 135 Freight Dogs that are happily married...they are at home every night and have weekends off.
The $$$ issue will always be there. The economy is such that everyone is underemployed...unless he has an Engineering or Medical degree, finding a good job in any field is tough these days. So, I think getting out of flying and selling used cars will only make him depressed.

The kids makes it very complicated...5 years is a long time...but it seems like such a waste not to at least try and fly professionally.

$$$ doesn't solve marriage problems...but having a descent schedule does.

 

[mar]

Easy there big guy.

First I start ageeing with Typhoon and Mar, now it's 350. Heck, it's almost a miracle!

We'll get ya back--back to the garden, so to speak. An old liberal should recognize that one.

My two cents: Pilot's wife has already set a sort of ultimatum with the title of this thread: One More Year.

I think she and her husband should sit down and set some very clear and specific goals to be accomplished within that year. They should both agree on them.

If they're accomplished, fantastic!
If not, fall back, regroup, re-evaluate and decide what's next. They might both find new energy to continue *or* they might both agree to bail.

Either way, it's a decision only they can make--hopefully together.

Finally, Ty Webb, I'm just curious about the guy who got the FE job at PanAm in 1990. Whatever happened to him?

 

[Timebuilder]

We'll get ya back--back to the garden, so to speak. An old liberal should recognize that one.

First CSN album, Woodstock.

Or, the Joni Mitchell version, if you prefer. A little more ethereal and haunting.

 

[bigD]

First CSN album, Woodstock.

One of the best albums ever, BTW. Well, after Legend of course!

 

[mar]

Bravo! Well done brother Timebuilder

Joni actually wrote the song. CSN&Y covered it.

And young BigD mades an impressive appearance. I wouldn't think a "funk master" would know the classics so well.

Then again maybe you're not so young? But I get the feeling you weren't even a twitch in your dad's pants when CSN were strummin' it.