What keeps you in aviation!

[CrownandCoke]

wait, you're telling me I can't make 300K and have the glamour of being an airline pilot? Dang, I did get in the wrong field then...

I do it cause I like to fly. And I have always wanted to work in the airline industry. Beats the hell out of working a drill press or selling crappy carpet at Home Depot

 

[Flying Ninja]

fried chickens & climbhappy,

So what you both are saying is that the flying job is pretty much easy and the low pay scale is justified by the fact that you're not really working hard anymore? *sarcasm*

 

[14RF SUX]

There is not much to be happy about in Flying at the moment!

And who says something else must be some old guy flying some small 4 engines jets and that is all what they can accomplish!

You'll never remember why you wanted to be in this industry in the first place unless you've been pulled out of the game early for events out of your control. If that happens, God forbid, you'll know why it was a great job and be anxious to get back.

The best part is the camaraderie.

 

[Beanie]

It is funny how a lot of pilots think there are only two jobs out there. Being a pilot or sitting behind a desk. There are lots of jobs out there that pay better than a pilot and are not behind a desk. I love being a pilot because of the satisfaction of accomplishing a complicated task without being "micro-managed". I think pilots enjoy the challenge of doing a complex and highly techincal job without any real supervision. We crave the responsibility and control that goes with living up to that responsibilty. We are given a set of rules and procedures, then given a job to do within them. We can then go about that task in a way that we tailor personally, yet within the guidelines of the rules. It reminds me of sports. Here are the rules, now do whatever you want within those rules to accomplish the stated objective of the game. For us, it is getting from point A to point B safely and efficiently. I would not be miserable at a desk job. I would be miserable in a job where I didn't feel like I was accomplishing anything, wherever I was sitting.

 

[JettBoii]

Hand flying a kamakaze (short) approach into ATL or CVG...still fun...Cowboy hat wont fit over my headset though.

 

[SBD]

I've worked corporate America, it sucks donkey d*ck. I've worked at Home Depot while being a flight instructor, it sucked big time. I maybe a low time FO at the regionals making low pay(hopefully this industry will get better). But nothing is better than the view at FL330 on a clear day. Also my other skills have gotten me fired from corporate America and Home Depot so what I am suppose to do? Dental school seemed to hard.

 

[RichardRambone]

Because I have a hope that maybe, just maybe, I'll be one of the fortunate few that enjoy their professions and make a descent living at it. Also, I'm too stubborn to listen to your advice. As long as I can attempt to have a good QOL, descent pay and get what I want out of my short life then I hope to be fulfilled. I have high aspirations but I can keep them in check, especially with all the "positive" feedback on this forum

 

[xjlifer]

My CEO says cause its in my blood.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

My CEO says cause its in my blood.

Maybe cause crack is in his....

 

[Crizz]

fried chickens & climbhappy,

So what you both are saying is that the flying job is pretty much easy and the low pay scale is justified by the fact that you're not really working hard anymore? *sarcasm*

You should ask "D'Angelo" his opinion...

 

[FN FAL]

Jesus Christ... 2 freaking years and you resurrect this?

WTFO???

Who you calling you?

 

[climbhappy]

flying ninja:

what i said was the return for ME on my investment of time in an industry on the downslide doesn't match the benefit I can obtain from private enterprise and throw in the QOL with family.

also, hand flying the turboprops into boston for example on a morning with a baby nor'easter whacking you ove the marker with an 85 knot tailwind at 3000 ft was certtainly more challenging than some of the mindless autopilot flown approaches in the boeing.

i do agree with jetboii , though, trying to configure a boeing on a slam dunk inATL when you haven't had that second cup of coffee can become a$$holes and elbows real quick.

i love flying airplanes, but when , where and how you do it nowadays is the subject of much debate obviuosly

 

[PBRstreetgang]

This is just like the "Is anyone happy in this job!" If you don't like your job, LEAVE! Quite whining like a little baby and get out. Make room for the people who really want to be hear. The days of big money are still in aviation but it takes much more time to get there than it used to. If you can't wait to make big money, LEAVE! It is so tiring listening to you people complain. Say something positive for once in your life and maybe you will be a happier person.

WAAAAA,
My rj upgrade is being thwarted by those pesky senior guys.
Looser
PBR

 

[Joshrk22]

What's wrong with $100,000 a year for a pilot? My parents both work (Teacher & autoworker) and together they make about $120,000 a year. We are far from poverty; nice house, friendly city & school district we live in, new cars, etc...

I want to know what pilots do with their money that makes them complain that they don't have enough of it. If you are paid $100,000/yr to do something you love then you should consider yourself lucky.

 

[RichardRambone]

Maybe us as a pilot group are just bad with our money. I barely make peanuts and I bought a new car. Smart financially? No. But its a great decision I'm happy I made. Breaking 30K would be a windfall for me so I hope I can just keep in mind what I started with in this business. Then again this is coming from a single guy with no responsibilities to anyone outside myself. My old man makes 100k+ and he's had to cut back a lot, even on cable TV. Throw in taking care of the family and your two grandmothers plus college expenses for the kiddies and I'm sure its a different ballgame. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Regul8r]

I have tried to figure out, why am I still flying?

What keeps you people in aviation?


QUOTE]

I'd have to say it's a combination:

1) Only having to work 3 days a month while making 200K per year,

2) Living in a really rad house w/ three levels & a six-car garage.

3) Garage holds four cars now, including a used Ferrari 360 Modena.


OK, I admit that last one kind of sucks. I'm gonna have to ask the company to update that Ferrari.

So what are you staring at? Don't all the rest of you pilots live like me? Gad, you must work for some sucky companies...

C

Sorry to hear about that C, it sounds like my guest house. Hang in their little buddy, you'll make it to upgrade eventually where the real fun begins.

Why do you continually hear about CEO's, Lawyers, and Doctors killing family members, committing fraud, and abusing drugs??? My guess is because they have reached the "top" only to find out two things:

1) They can't buy their way out of life, and

2) They did all that work at a job they are bored with just to find out they are still human

I am not about to go voluntarily kiss some mid level manager's a$$ at a job I don't give two $h!ts about to chase a buck. I'd rather work to improve myself and the company and above all else, get paid more for doing something I enjoy.

 

[Flying Ninja]

I want to know what pilots do with their money that makes them complain that they don't have enough of it. If you are paid $100,000/yr to do something you love then you should consider yourself lucky.

Most people live above their means. But then there are those like me, where even if I do happen to make $100k a year, with a huge debt after flight school and an interest rate on the constant rise (currently at 8.5% and rising), that money quickly falls into the "$100k/year is not a lot of money" category. You also have to remember, $100k GROSS is not $100k NET. Which is to say, at the end of the day, you're not taking home as much.

But I do agree that if you are making $100k/year doing what you love, you should consider yourself lucky.

 

[Peter Griffin]

I sometimes have to take a little reality check. The AVERAGE person in the US makes about 36K a year. Now, even I admit my first year FO pay almost qualifies me for food stamps, but for the majority of my career, I will be well above that. Money isnt what keeps me in aviation though, so wtf anyways.

Its the shiny wings they give me.