Twenty-year-old FO!

[Knightball]

He got what he wanted, good for him.

However, if you really want noteworthy stories of 20 year old "wonder pilots"
read "Flyboys." WWII, Pacific theater, good stuff.

 

[JTrain]

I remember in 1999, AOPA Pilot ran an article on the back page about a FedEx FE (retired line pilot) who had been a fighter pilot in WWII - this guy was in his low 80s. Anybody know if this guy is still active - this guy's career seemed an amazing story.

 

[Regul8r]

If that's what he wants to do, great. Let's hope he can keep a positive attitude and help contribute to the airline industry and make it a better place.

 

[Flyingdutchman]

I was a 20 year old corp. captain (BE-20/BE-90/BE-350/CJ2).... No pins for me...

 

[Longhorn]

Whats you address...I will send you a pin if it makes you feel better!!

 

[Green]

You know I feel a little sorry for the kid. Welcome to the Blue Collar grind....Miss out on college life and all the once in a lifetime fun/opportunities involved in order to sit on an overnight in FAY with some haggard old fa and some grouchy/bitter captain for a salary of about 25k/year. Then when you are about 26 you might make it out of the regionals and get your dream shot at the majors. When the exitement of landing something a little bigger wears off you'll realize that you are working just as hard as you did at the regionals for a few grand more a year. Thanks to the low cost revolution you will never get rich off this job and the glamour has long ago left the building.

Getting hired unusually young was the lottery ticket back when you could make 350k/year working ten days a month. Unfortunately those days are probably gone for good and now an average ability real estate agent makes as much as an airline captain. And to make as much as that real estate agent as an airline pilot you'll have to work your a## off to the point you rarely see your wife/girlfriend and when you do you're a walking zombie.

I know I sound all doom and gloom but unfortunately I don't think I'm far from the mark. The only good reason to be a pilot anymore is if you just can't imagine doing anything other than flying airplanes. Sounds like that's the case for this kid so best of luck to him.....cheers...

 

[Carl_Spackler]

The whole real estate thing is just like lawyers. I think the average pay for a RE agent is around 30-36K/year, about half of what a regional CA makes. Yes there are ones that make big bucks, but they are good at sales, marketing, and networking. The average new agent last about a year. If RE were such a great thing, everyone would be doing it. Getting a license is pretty easy, can be done on the internet.

 

[PCL_128]

You know I feel a little sorry for the kid. Welcome to the Blue Collar grind....Miss out on college life and all the once in a lifetime fun/opportunities involved in order to sit on an overnight in FAY with some haggard old fa and some grouchy/bitter captain for a salary of about 25k/year. Then when you are about 26 you might make it out of the regionals and get your dream shot at the majors. When the exitement of landing something a little bigger wears off you'll realize that you are working just as hard as you did at the regionals for a few grand more a year. Thanks to the low cost revolution you will never get rich off this job and the glamour has long ago left the building.

Getting hired unusually young was the lottery ticket back when you could make 350k/year working ten days a month. Unfortunately those days are probably gone for good and now an average ability real estate agent makes as much as an airline captain. And to make as much as that real estate agent as an airline pilot you'll have to work your a## off to the point you rarely see your wife/girlfriend and when you do you're a walking zombie.

I know I sound all doom and gloom but unfortunately I don't think I'm far from the mark. The only good reason to be a pilot anymore is if you just can't imagine doing anything other than flying airplanes. Sounds like that's the case for this kid so best of luck to him.....cheers...

I'm pretty "doom and gloom" myself, but that's a little bit over the top. The average Realtor in America makes about $32,000 a year. Realtors in the 75th percentile of earnings are only in the $45,000 range. Very few agents make more than that. Unless you work your ass off, Realtors make quite a bit less than the average regional Captain. I'm pretty dang lazy and I'll still break $65,000 this year at one of the crappiest RJ operators. The guys at Comair, XJT, and Eagle are doing much better than that. Not quite as bad as you make it sound, albeit nowhere near what it should be.

 

[DrProc]

I was a 20 year old corp. captain (BE-20/BE-90/BE-350/CJ2).... No pins for me...

I was a Cessna 172 Captain at 17....no pins for me either...

 

[Longhorn]

Ok Ok....Pins for all!!!

 

[Flyingdutchman]

A beer will do!!!

 

[Aviation Geek]

You know, I am growing increasingly tired of people complaining about crew jobs. It is not that bad.

Go get that real estate license and see what your life is like. Instead of flying an airplane around four days a week you will be schlepping an SUV or minivan full of fickle home buyers as you go from house to house to house listening to them whine about their personal opinions about every house you take them to. Oh yeah, and you know when you will be doing that? On Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Oh yeah and when you are not doing that on Saturday and Sunday you will be sitting in that cute little three bedroom bungalow talking to random strangers while you host an open house. The best real estate agents I know work six or seven days a week and their phones ring constantly. If you get a day off, it will be Monday. So many family picnics, soccer games and pool parties happen that day. And you might make 100K a year.

So maybe real estate is not your bag. Go get that law degree… Three years of constant study and huge state bar exam at the end. Yeah, if you go to one of the better schools you’ll come out at 90-100K if you get on at a great firm that you clerked at for two summer while in law school. When you get that great job, you will work twelve hours a day six or seven days a week for two to four years while you build up your reputation and billable hours for the firm. You will be home every night, but you will be exhausted. You may get a vacation, but only if you are willing to miss out on the potential clients the next new guy or gal gets while you are gone. And your billable hours do not drop. Yeah, you might make 200K, but your kids aren’t going to know you too well and your wife is getting banged by the pool guy.

OK, so that does not sound to hot? Go get an MBA. Get into big business or start your own business. You want to be successful? You will suck up to every dweeb, jerk and putz up and down your corporate food chain trying to get the next promotion, bigger office and larger expense account. You will work six day a week fighting the good fight all the while dealing with corporate culture, office politics and losers who make it hard for you to get ahead despite your best intention and abilities. At least there is the two to four weeks of vacation you get every year, until they take it away as business demands that you NOT take it this year. And remember 9-5 Monday through Friday is a thing of the past – especially if you run your own business. Oh yeah, and if you are really lucky, you will get to the Senior Vice President level and make 125K a year and watch the clock until you retire at 65, 67 or 72 depending on your current age all the while making sure the next MBA grad new hire is not stabling you in the back to get your job.

Give me 150K, haggard flight attendants, ten to twelve days off, a different city every night, the daily challenges of flight, vacations that actually happen, free time that is free from the worry of work or the phone ringing constantly, days off with family friends and kids where you are really there and really enjoying yourself.

The biggest problem with crew members is that many have never had to make a living dong anything else. Try it. The grass is not always greener. There are drawback to every career. If you have been there and done that, remember what it was really like – especially if you got to high wage end of the career path.

Yeah, I agree, I feel sorry for this kid that he will not get to enjoy the college years the way many have. College was the best time of my life (and the lives of most of my friends). The second most fun period in my life was the four years I spent being a flight attendant. I made less money than the flight crew, but had a great time. I literally loved every minute of it (and I was at a regional… so I know the drill). I cannot wait to get back to it as a flight crew member.

We all need to step away from the drama of our work and realize that it is actually a pretty good gig – warts and all. And I wish this kid all the best, hope he has a great time with the aging FA's and comes out of it at 65 a happy man.

 

[Longhorn]

Flyingdutchman.....No pin for you, but all the beer you want!! Let me know if you ever get to FLL/PBI

 

[Flying-Corporal]

"You have to love it and want it. It's a long process, but stick with it and do your best. Everyone has to pay their dues," Szanto said.


Long process?? His first flight was in April 2003.
What dues is he talking about???

 

[check6]

You know, I am growing increasingly tired of people complaining about crew jobs. It is not that bad.

Go get that real estate license and see what your life is like. Instead of flying an airplane around four days a week you will be schlepping an SUV or minivan full of fickle home buyers as you go from house to house to house listening to them whine about their personal opinions about every house you take them to. Oh yeah, and you know when you will be doing that? On Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Oh yeah and when you are not doing that on Saturday and Sunday you will be sitting in that cute little three bedroom bungalow talking to random strangers while you host an open house. The best real estate agents I know work six or seven days a week and their phones ring constantly. If you get a day off, it will be Monday. So many family picnics, soccer games and pool parties happen that day. And you might make 100K a year.

So maybe real estate is not your bag. Go get that law degree… Three years of constant study and huge state bar exam at the end. Yeah, if you go to one of the better schools you’ll come out at 90-100K if you get on at a great firm that you clerked at for two summer while in law school. When you get that great job, you will work twelve hours a day six or seven days a week for two to four years while you build up your reputation and billable hours for the firm. You will be home every night, but you will be exhausted. You may get a vacation, but only if you are willing to miss out on the potential clients the next new guy or gal gets while you are gone. And your billable hours do not drop. Yeah, you might make 200K, but your kids aren’t going to know you too well and your wife is getting banged by the pool guy.

OK, so that does not sound to hot? Go get an MBA. Get into big business or start your own business. You want to be successful? You will suck up to every dweeb, jerk and putz up and down your corporate food chain trying to get the next promotion, bigger office and larger expense account. You will work six day a week fighting the good fight all the while dealing with corporate culture, office politics and losers who make it hard for you to get ahead despite your best intention and abilities. At least there is the two to four weeks of vacation you get every year, until they take it away as business demands that you NOT take it this year. And remember 9-5 Monday through Friday is a thing of the past – especially if you run your own business. Oh yeah, and if you are really lucky, you will get to the Senior Vice President level and make 125K a year and watch the clock until you retire at 65, 67 or 72 depending on your current age all the while making sure the next MBA grad new hire is not stabling you in the back to get your job.

Give me 150K, haggard flight attendants, ten to twelve days off, a different city every night, the daily challenges of flight, vacations that actually happen, free time that is free from the worry of work or the phone ringing constantly, days off with family friends and kids where you are really there and really enjoying yourself.

The biggest problem with crew members is that many have never had to make a living dong anything else. Try it. The grass is not always greener. There are drawback to every career. If you have been there and done that, remember what it was really like – especially if you got to high wage end of the career path.

Yeah, I agree, I feel sorry for this kid that he will not get to enjoy the college years the way many have. College was the best time of my life (and the lives of most of my friends). The second most fun period in my life was the four years I spent being a flight attendant. I made less money than the flight crew, but had a great time. I literally loved every minute of it (and I was at a regional… so I know the drill). I cannot wait to get back to it as a flight crew member.

We all need to step away from the drama of our work and realize that it is actually a pretty good gig – warts and all. And I wish this kid all the best, hope he has a great time with the aging FA's and comes out of it at 65 a happy man.

I'll bet your average real estate agent/lawyer is healthier in the end.

Anyone remember that picture of the 25 year-old Airbus captain at British Airways?

I heard Expressjet has a 22 year-old ground instructor.

 

[Flyingdutchman]

Good friend of mine is a 24 y/old A320 captain at Spainair. (got hired at 19).

Longhorn -

Deal ! drop me a line if you ever get to my hometown.

FD

 

[Midnight Flyer]

Good for him, seriously, and I don't mean to rain on his parade... but he hasn't been at it long enough to work really hard. High school, flight school, instruct for a few months, then straight to ERJ FO. What's so hard about that? Everyone is doing that these days with very low time, big deal. No college, no freight, no long days in a ragged out BE-1900 or Metroliner... he hasn't even started to pay his dues yet.

Sorry for the rant, but it's just too cuddly and sweet...

I agree.

On another note, I don't know if I'd want my family in his RJ if the captain was incapacitated and this 1400 tt wonderpilot with only 3 years total flying experience was at the controls alone. :erm:
Thinking back when I had only 1400 hours, I didn't know jack $hit.

 

[SkyBoy1981]

I agree.

On another note, I don't know if I'd want my family in his RJ if the captain was incapacitated and this 1400 tt wonderpilot with only 3 years total flying experience was at the controls alone. :erm:
Thinking back when I had only 1400 hours, I didn't know jack $hit.

This kid is no different than 90% of the new hire RJ FO's out there. He may be younger, but no less experienced. Do you really believe an RJ is that difficult to fly?

 

[Midnight Flyer]

This kid is no different than 90% of the new hire RJ FO's out there. He may be younger, but no less experienced. Do you really believe an RJ is that difficult to fly?

It's more of his judgement and decision making skills that concerns me.

Sure, I don't personally know the guy, and I'm aware that I'm generalizing a little.
He had to demonstrate a basic level of performance when he took his checkride, so everybody knows he can physically fly the plane. But when under pressure, I've heard of normally good pilots fall apart and nearly kill their captains.

You know, for example, if you're riding in the back of a Delta 777 and something happens to the captain, you can rest assured the f/o can handle it....because airlines like delta don't hire 1500 hour punks off the streets.

 

[FN FAL]

This kid is no different than 90% of the new hire RJ FO's out there. He may be younger, but no less experienced. Do you really believe an RJ is that difficult to fly?

As long as the cockpit is too small to allow a pilot to assume the fetal position, the passengers always have the chance of an outcome.