TV Report: PILOTS ON FOOD STAMPS

[HalinTexas]

Are you considering income tax? When I had a 9 to 5 job with a salary of $50K, I walked home with $2,800 a month. These days with second year pay at my regional is $31. After per diem, I walk home with about $2,500.

Apples to apples...one could argue that I make equal to someone with a $45K salary.

Now....an income equal to a $45K salary for a airline pilot in the year 2007 is shameful/pathetic. The minimum pay should be at LEAST enough to support a family.

No. Taxes vary based on total income and deductions.

Excuse me, but per diem is not supposed to be counted as "income." It's to reimburse you for meals and incidentals. If you go to the CONUS pages at the IRS you might be able to deduct still more from your income taxes based on P/D shortfalls.

I am once again counting on P/D to supplement my income, but that's not how it supposed to be. I also use those funds to budget my commuter hotels each month. Most employers give P/D when they send their employees out.

Don't use P/D payments when arguing pilot payrate comparisons. It's a specious argument. For example, when you are on reserve, you're not getting P/D. Many airlines don't give P/D when flying turns. If you also go to training in the same city as your base you won't get P/D. You might not even get a hotel paid for.

 

[capt. megadeth]

Wanna get married Cpt. Mega??? J/K.

Finally a girl that get's it in today's world. I'm actually married with a baby on the way and my wife is a nurse. She works 2 days a week for 12 hour shifts. She brings home as much as I do. All she has to do is work one more day a week and she brings home 50k+ I'm trying to get her to do that while I think of how to get back into the 121 world and all I get is bitching. That doesn't stop her from coming home from the parents on Southwest and saying, "babe, do whatever it takes to get to Southwest..." I tell her, "Hon, you couldn't handle what I would have to do to get to Southwest." and then I just laugh and walk away.

CM

Why isn't she working full time now before the baby comes? Sock away as much as you can now. Just make sure when the little bundle of joy comes, she doesn't quit. She's got the perfect job for you to get back into Part 121 flying. There is NO excuse for her to not be able to work on your days off especially since there is a severe nursing shortage.

 

[Lear70]

So with a wife and multiple kids you accepted a job that pays food stamp wages? Sad you had nothing else going on for yourself.

I didn't say that I had done it, I said I had SEEN it, genius. I've never applied for food stamps, never had to, thank God, and knock on wood.

If no amout of pay later in your career justifies for the abysmal pay then why did you do it? You are nothing more than a hypicrot for preaching on your soap box whilst at the same time you were the one who flew for food stamp wages.

You're not real quick on the uptake, are you?

First, it's spelled "Hypocrite".

Second, no, I never did that. I was hired in as a street Captain into the CRJ after getting furloughed from the Captain's seat of a 727 when Express One died in 2001 (see EOI thread on page 2 or 3 of the major's section right now).

Yes, you can take your foot out of your mouth now.

Idiot.

As far as $100,000 to get your ratings without going to college, again Lear70 you show your ignorance and prove you are the biggest tool on flightinfo.

I was talking about getting your ratings and going through one of the "Puppy Mills" like Gulfstream. Having flown with these pilots, I have direct knowledge of it, so yes, I know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.

Not to mention that no one's really defending you on here... Who does that make the "tool"? Or maybe it's the whole d*mn shed?

Keep posting away pal, I'm sure you will catch up with your idol, General Lee, really soon.

Never. Been on this board for several years, the General posts 3 times as much as I do. But thanks, anyway.

p.s. Mega, the hardest part about the wife working is when you have 2 infants and the wife didn't graduate college and doesn't bring in enough to justify working.

An infant costs between $500-600 a month to take care of during the work day. 2 of those = $1,200 a month. About the best a non-college graduate does in TN is $3,000 a month pre-tax, $1,900 a month after taxes, insurance, and 401(k).

That means she's actually only making $175 a week after covering the childcare bills, or about $35 a day. Why bother?

This is all from one of the guys I flew with who was a 1st year guy at PCL trying to cover his budget. I actually helped set him up with an eBay business for his wife and she started making $200-300 a week, but I did see his point if they hadn't had that.

 

[time builder]

Being a stay at home mom does not make a woman lazy. In my opinion, it shows where your priorities are. My daughter is more important than money, and it was worth being on food assistance to have my wife at home with her.

It's one of my biggest pet peeves when people treat my wife as if she's lazy or stupid for being a stay at home mom. She's very capable and had a professional career before she sacrificed it for something more important.

If you're a "modern woman" flying a big ol 767 and making bank, enjoy your money and prestige, more power to you. Just don't disrespect my wife for having different priorities.

 

[NEDude]

He was not fired. He left for a corporate job in Wisconsin. Don't post rumors and hearsay.

If it was rumors then I apologize. I don't know his name, but the story came right from a member of the Air Wisconsin ALPA leadership whom I was flying with. If you can't take your union leadership at face value when it comes to stuff like this then I guess they are worthless.

 

[highsky]

Being a stay at home mom does not make a woman lazy. In my opinion, it shows where your priorities are. My daughter is more important than money, and it was worth being on food assistance to have my wife at home with her.

So I guess it's up to all of us, the American Taxpayers, to subsidize your dinner table so that your wife can enjoy more time at home with your daughter?

She's very capable and had a professional career before she sacrificed it for something more important.

If you're a "modern woman" flying a big ol 767 and making bank, enjoy your money and prestige, more power to you. Just don't disrespect my wife for having different priorities.

I'll tell you what my important priority is: Keeping the money I earn in MY pocket, not watching it get sucked into YOUR grocery cart.

We all have choices to make in life Pard. Put the wife to work and the daughter in day care, or get used to eating a lot of canned tuna and Top Ramen.

It's not OUR responsibility to bail YOU out.

 

[XJohXJ]

SplitBar:

Regarding median pay, I was working off of incorrect numbers. You were right, as Captain I will earn around median earnings, and don't get me wrong I am looking forward to the raise! However, even as a 3rd yr. FO, I earn slightly less than (individual) median pay.

Mainly I was just razzing because Instructor Dude agreed with you.

Cheers!

 

[time builder]

So I guess it's up to all of us, the American Taxpayers, to subsidize your dinner table so that your wife can enjoy more time at home with your daughter?

We all have choices to make in life Pard. Put the wife to work and the daughter in day care, or get used to eating a lot of canned tuna and Top Ramen.

It's not OUR responsibility to bail YOU out.

You'll be relieved to know that it was church welfare, so, no, your precious tax money didn't pay for my food. Not only that, but my church recommended that my wife stay at home, imagine that.

Your response is motivated by greed, I'm sticking up for someone who's giving selfless service and making a difference. Again, it's a matter of priorities, and I can see where yours are.

 

[highsky]

You'll be relieved to know that it was church welfare, so, no, your precious tax money didn't pay for my food.

Yes, I am relieved.

Not only that, but my church recommended that my wife stay at home, imagine that.

Your response is motivated by greed, I'm sticking up for someone who's giving selfless service and making a difference. Again, it's a matter of priorities, and I can see where yours are.

It's a matter of principle Pal: You lie in the bed you make. If I would choose to get in over my head with starting a family when my means don't support it, I couldn't imagine accepting a handout from someone else...be it the taxpayers or my church.

My daughter is more important than money, and it was worth being on food assistance to have my wife at home with her.

Interesting. Yet you yourself realized that IN ORDER TO SURVIVE, you required MONEY in the form of a food subsidy.

 

[Captain Morgan]

Highsky: Let me ask you this, do you put your whole life on hold until the time is right to start a family? If so, you'll be waiting a long long time. Also, what happens when/if your medical fails and you devoted your life only to flying/work and not developed a family? It's a devestating thing I'm sure and even worse doing it alone without a family to support you through it. I honestly want my wife working on my days off because she enjoys it and I would be there to clean the house/help out/take care of the child. I will not put my child in day care and I would live in a trailer park and eat ramen and tuna if that's the sacrifice that was required. I support women who stay home to take care of a family. I remember coming home from school to a day care because my mother had to work and I wished that I could've come home to someone. Unfortunately that wasn't how my life was made out to be and I want better for my children and there is no shame or anything wrong with that.

CM

PS: Maybe we should use your tax dollars to subsidize stay at home moms and families instead of destroying them through abortion and other negative family programs.