So really why do we fly if we ain't gonna get paid?

[Gulfstream 200]

really man...

you are whining after sitting at Eagle for the last SIX years?

did it take 6 full years to see that was not going anywhere, no place to make a career out of at least...get off your arse man, you are coming across as lazy.

you say the good corp gigs aren't calling, but your resume says Eagle F/O as your current job. humm....shocker.

Then, 7 on 7 off is too much time away from family?...yeah, those decent corp gigs dont go away for a week ever...GVs stay local...see ya tonight, dear. sheesh..even a Netjet job will keep you away. Want a day job in aviation? try American Eagle.

venting is one thing, but if you are seriously wondering why this is going nowhere and you cant figure it out....

you will have problems in any career, not just aviation!

 

[Munga]

Sigh....Look you guys, I am not whining. You all know we whine too much anyway.

I gave you the situation, and asked for your opinions that is all. I could bitch a lot more - but why. I just wanted to know how you felt about leaving if you were in a similar situation.

You are correct that 6 years as an Eagle FO on my resume looks bad. Just that I didn't think it would take me that long to find a decent jet job. I didn't really want to go back to props, until recently and those(around here) are pretty bad.

Get off my arse? That is what I am doing.

Day job? No, I like overnights, just not 6 in a row.

There are other factors that have kept me at Eagle. Like being 50 numbers away from upgrade twice. Can't just jump ship when things start to look good, but then they have always just fallen apart. I have a few friends who have been displaced out of their CA seats 4 times.(I should have taken the hint, eh? lol) Also, when you have a wife and kids, its tough to go to a place that may not have heath care.

I am now in a situation that allows me to jump.(wife's new job) So now that I can, I am just asking for opinions from people who have jumped and come back or others that have jumped and stayed away. For some people this is a only a job and for others it is a passion. I am trying to weigh that passion against QOL.

I will never truely leave, hopefully I can budget some GA flying and stay current.

Thanks for all your input.

 

[100LL... Again!]

Thank ALPA, for starters.

 

[PacoPollo]

Thank ALPA, for starters.

True Dat!!

 

[askdanny]

Sounds like you caught the flying bug.

Tough dilemma.

(BTW, ALPA is not a union. They say they are, but they are not. If ALPA was a union, we would not undercut each other.)


There is a season in your life for flying, there is a season to be with your family...

If you feel it's time for a change. Follow your heart.

 

[avbug]

I think you need a nap.

I do know how this industry works, I know there are ups and downs. I was warned of this by mentors who have spent years on furlough, jumping from job to job or have now retired. This down looks like their won't be much of a recovery so I am trying to get happy with a change. Evertime I have started to get a better job, something has gotten in the way. Did 2nd interviewe at Reno - AA bought them and shut the door. Hired at TWA, class cancelled by AA when they bought them too.

I guess I am just looking for opinions from people who got out, only to come back because they were miserable at a 9-5er. I am also looking at opinions about why we do this. Some of us are willing to give up more, some have different ideas about QOL.

This is a big descision, that needs to be looked at from every angle and I am trying to get different angles from other people to see if I have missed any

Yes, you asked, and you were answered by someone who had done that. Left, come back, changed jobs, taken second and third jobs, and done it more than a few times. You just didn't like the answer. And yes, I always could use more sleep...but that wouldn't change my reply.

Talk me out of it, cruel world. I'm thinking of leaving the industry. Can anybody give me a good reason not to do it?

No...we can't. Have a ball.

 

[Regul8r]

Alot of people don't want to hack a 9-5er. You can get lucky and have a decent boss to work for or you can get a D****Bag. Chances are you'll get the latter. A desk job will give you things you can't get in a flying career, and vice versa. Flying = Great Job with a shaky lifestyle. Desk Job = Can be boring as H*LL, but at 5pm, you get to do what you want to! Do some research, there are plenty of companies out there that start you off with 2 weeks paid vacation and decent 401k programs. Some companies even have workout facilities. Either way, you know that a lifestyle can be made at either job so just do what your family needs you to do. Just a word of caution though, we did have a guy come to work at my company who used to be a pilot and sadly enough it did kill him (J/K)

 

[Munga]

Yes, you asked, and you were answered by someone who had done that. Left, come back, changed jobs, taken second and third jobs, and done it more than a few times. You just didn't like the answer. And yes, I always could use more sleep...but that wouldn't change my reply.

Talk me out of it, cruel world. I'm thinking of leaving the industry. Can anybody give me a good reason not to do it?

No...we can't. Have a ball.

Well, avbug, you could have said that before - I had no idea you left, only to come back. Instead you gave me a drill seargent response about not whining and telling me to suck it up. This ain't the army, and I am pulling my sack up and making the change.

Thanks and good luck.

 

[RichardRambone]

Im just getting started and reason for it is Im young, single, and only a little debt (just bought a car). I love flying and hope it takes me to interesting places. I do fear someday that Ill be like you guys and freak out about having no stable future and sh!thole pay. I plan on staying away from the airlines for now and we'll just see where aviation takes me. I actually dont plan on being simply a pilot for my career but I dont know what else I can do just yet. Good luck to all.

 

[Ralgha]

So I have been offered a job, 9-5er, no experience, no training - and it is a decent pay raise with weekend and holidays off. Now I get to see my kids grow up, spend time with my wife, and possibly have quicker money.

So you think you'll be done at 5 and have weekends off huh? Not with most well paid 9-5 jobs. You take your work home with you often (doesn't happen in the airlines), and you'll be in on the weekends too. Best part is you'll be on a salary so you don't get paid extra for it.