Pilot Lifestyles

[Ravengirl]

Vik, Rvrrat...

Yeah, the 2 hour drives to go 35 miles are beginning to get to me. I actually like SoCal, but all these PEOPLE are getting old. I'll get home at 7 pm or so, thoroughly enraged after hours of stop-n-go on the way home from class, and then the lovely Huntington Beach Police spend all night making circles over this end of town at roughly 300 feet. Talk about road rage the next morning! If the FAA decides to send me to some tower in BFE when they hire me, I'm GONE.

Stephanie

 

[JBHewlett]

Hey SDF

You live in louisville? I may fly up there either tommorow or monday, for a little visit.

Which is easiest SDF or Bowman? I heard SDF is easier to get in and out of.

Trust me possum trot and monkeys eye brow still exist and fancy farm, ehhhhh might as well live in mayfield if you going to fancy farm. Water Valley is a interesting place, or hey how about the city of Kirksy.

J.

 

[flywithruss]

SDF

I don't live in KY, but my company goes there a lot on business. I would vote for SDF. AvCenter is a nice FBO and SDF is convenient to most of town. Land 17L/35R for closest access to the GA ramp.

Of course, I'm biased toward the big airports ... our King Air will do 4000' runways just fine, but I still like seeing two miles of concrete in front of me when I'm left seat ... even if I do stop the airplane in a third of it without touching the brakes. Beta rocks!

To add to the lifestyle conversation, it is entirely a matter of personal taste. I am a big city guy living in a small city for the job ... you have to have that flexibility in aviation, I think. If and when I head for the airline game, commute vs. live in domicile for me will depend entirely on the domicile. I have no desire to live in Minnesota or South Florida, but if I were domiciled at DFW, I'd move in a minute and be loving life.

Like I said, depends on what you want in life. The turbulent living situation is part of the price of admission in this business.

Tailwinds, y'all ...

R

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

Hey JB, don't live any Louisville any longer. Moved away in 2000. Really enjoyed living there. As far as flying into SDF or LOU. Timing is everything. There is also Clark County (Indiana) which is about 7 miles north of Louisville off I-65. Nice airport and two decent FBO's - Aircraft Specialist and Haps. Both LOU and JVY are your best bets for GA.

I thought Orlando was bad traffic wise and congestion, but it sounds like Southern Cal (and Chicago, Newark, etc.) are much worse.

 

[EWRJ0225]

If you go into JVY, ASI has the cheapest fuel in a 5 state region(disclaimer not factual data).

 

[Fugawe]

Hey folks,

I have a question for you. I live in Murray Kentucky. I don't know if any of you know where that is or not, but its a small town in far western Kentucky, that has a population of about 18,000 people in perminant residence. The population shoots up about 9 to 10,000 when MSU is in session. I am willing to bet that some of you are from small towns as well. I personally love this little town.

There is a senior airline pilot that lives here. He has lived here many, many years. He just drives to BNA and jump seats to Cleveland where he is based.

My dad sat next to a 767 pilot on a flight who lived in the town of Fayettville TN. He too, drove to BNA and jump seated to Chicago to go work.

There is yet another airline pilot that flies one of Northwest Airlines asia routes. He is based in Minnesota. He is a resident of a small town called "Water Valley". I mean this place is tiny and out in the middle of no where, south of Mayfield Ky.

I find this interesting yet comforting that these people can live in a small, non crime infested town and still fly for the Airlines. Is this sort of thing fairly common to people of the airline industry?

Thanks,
J.

Just under half or our pilots and FAs commute. They live at least one flight away from their base. Many live in nice areas and don't want to live near the major hubs. Many drive an hour or so to catch the flight that takes them to their hub to start their trip. Takes planning and flexibility, and sometimes adds a day to your trip (or a day to time away from home, however you look at it).

I commuted over 3 years, most of the time it was 2 flights to my hub. It sucked IMO. Stress of full flights, missing flights, extra days gone, etc was not worth it. Some don't mind it and/or have no choice -- ie, spouse must live in XYZ, kids are there, other family is there, etc.

I moved to be within a 2 hr drive of my base. Much less stress.

Commuting works for many. Gives you lots of options if you can handle it. To each his own.


Fugawe

 

[Fugawe]

From The Dallas Morning News, Aug 2006

---MANY IN AIRLINE INDUSTRY CHOOSE TO COMMUTE, DESPITE HASSLES---
Pilot David Groves lives a 15-minute drive from DFW Airport. But his
trip from Colleyville to DFW is only the first part of his commute.
Groves' job is based in New York. Getting there takes six hours, assuming
he secures a seat on the first flight he tries.

"You just feel lucky to get a seat," said flight attendant
Kathryn Scott, a Memphis resident who was on her way to New York.
Commuting is worth the hassles, she said. By living in Tennessee, she's
closer to her family, and "when you get to be in London for the day, it's
still glamorous," she said. "You have to plan ahead more. You can't count
on being on a flight anymore."

Even with the headaches, Flight Attendant Nancy Simonton isn't
willing to change careers. "It's worth it to me," she said. "I get to the
live in the place that I love and still have a great job."

(Web address for the above Dallas Morning News article below. Internet
access required)

 

[Superpilot92]

I met a pilot at the security checkpoint in SJT that just moved out there from HOU. He had a nice piece of land with a landing strip. and worked for eagle

(the only airline that flys to SJT)

Not true. Continental via Colgan flys there also. Just keeping you honest!!