what kept you going to pursue your dream

[shon7]

Just wondering what you guys did when you felt down and dejected with aviation, the industry or when the road seemed long and the airline dream rather far away and unattainable.

What motivated and inspired you- what keeps you going?

 

[Dignan]

As this is posted on the MAJOR board I don't know if you're just looking for responses from guys at the majors, but I'll put in my 2 cents (3 cents Canadian) as a regional FO.
For me, the best inspiration to keep going was how much I disliked the "real" jobs I took to pay for my flight training (from furniture mover to corp. desk job). However you make your money, I would suggest getting something that keeps you around airplanes & aviation--even if it's washing airplanes part-time for some local airline or airport. Just something to keep you involved in aviation until you get your first CFI or 135 gig. After that, it gets easier to keep focus on flying as a goal. It doesn't necessarily make it easier to pay the bills or eat at the best restaurants, but that's a trade off you can make a call on when you get there.
I heard a saying once about getting married: "You should only do it if you can't imagine yourself NOT doing it." It seems to work in marraige, and from my limited experience the same is true with an aviation career.
I hope this helps and good luck with your flying career.

 

[shon7]

Re: Dignan

Thanks Dignan for your response. I just posted this on the Majors board since it seems the best place to put it. I had put a similar post on another website in a CFI area and all the answers I got were real smart-ass answers which were fun to read, but really didn't help. So I guess that contributed to my decision to put this post here.

Thanks oncea again for your reply.

 

[bin LAAidoff]

My family has provided me lots of encouragement and support. When things were slow as mollasses, I took a computer type job, with a better salary than aviation. My brother called to congratulate me, and yell at me. He knew I needed the dough, but also the encouragement to not give up.

I worked there 6 months.

Hope your friends and family can do the same for you.

 

[Jobhunter]

Radio-control airplane flying!

I used to go R/C flying during those slow times in my career. Now I take my (young) son to a nearby park to watch the R/C planes fly. When he is a bit older, I will teach him to build and fly. The initial investment may seem a little steep, but you can spend an afternoon "flying" quite cheap.

I also would rent an airplane for a couple of hours for a local flight. Just tooling around the sky to feel the freedom, and see the vistas. Sunrise and sunset flights were especially inspiring!

Another thing you can do is to go to your largest airport and just watch the large jets, especially in strong crosswind conditions.

If you don't feel the passion, you may not be happy in this career.

 

[T-handle]

I came across the mounting college and flight training loans that I took out many years ago!

 

[say again]

I lost all motivation, and now enjoy being home!

 

[Ralph Cramden]

During my first furlough I did roofing and pool decks in Tampa. Never worked so hard for so little in my whole life. Great motivation to go out any find any flying gig to restart the dream.

If a simpleton like me can make it to senior captain at a lcc, you can do better. Hang in there and fly safe.

 

[gutshotdraw]

I was flogging away at flight instruction and occasional charter work at a small aviation company. It was right in the middle of the first Gulf war and as a relatively low-time pilot, getting a job flying a piston twin took an act of Congress. Let alone a turbine job. I was ready to quit this silly trade and go back to my college degree career field.

And then the father of one of my students, a USAir pilot, took me for a flight in his rebuilt Stearman. Flying an open cockpit airplane, wind in the face, leather helmet and all, reminded my why I started flying. I stuck with it and less than 3 years later I was flying a corporate jet for one of the most recognizable Fortune 100 companies in the world.

Thank you Tom.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

I've had the rug pulled from under me many times on cargo, corporate and airline jobs...., but for some reason I always landed another gig right away, even better gigs than before. Not typical I know.., but I was never unemployed although I lost many jobs, LOL!

 

[Nindiri]

What motivated and inspired you- what keeps you going?

Dreams of avarice beyond my wildest imaginations.

 

[fareview]

Positivity is the elixir of the subconscious.

All the solid guys with a great attitude and a positive professional demeanor that I knew in Flight School or the regionals - have had solid careers (all relative).

The moaners, slouchers, know it alls - who spend all their time seemingly expanding their waistlines - while blaming the world, are still there.

Never give up, tomorrow is going to be a great day.

fv

 

[crxpilot]

Its definitely about the Journey, not so much the destination.......etc.

 

[pilotyip]

You fly because you like to, ........................ disappointed

 

[Muskycat]

I lost all motivation, and now enjoy being home!

At home bored and digging up 12 year old threads?

 

[intooclose]

If you hit the ball over the fence, you can take your time running the bases.

I tried to find the enjoyment at each stage of my career. It was there, just hard to find sometimes.

 

[jonjuan]

If you hit the ball over the fence, you can take your time running the bases.
.

Until that is, the catcher punches your teeth down your throat crossing home plate after you've taken "your time" running the bases.

 

[roughneck]

Just wondering what you guys did when you felt down and dejected with aviation, the industry or when the road seemed long and the airline dream rather far away and unattainable.

What motivated and inspired you- what keeps you going?

I went out and got a real job. It didn't take long before aviation seemed like a great idea again.

 

[justgrieveit]

Bourbon and water.

 

[densoo]

Bills.

 

[densoo]

Bills.

And this,

http://youtu.be/oj0ZRz4YxWs

 

[Tail Gunner Joe]

I'll tell you what kept me out -

P.F.T.

(that is until I could borrow ten thousand dollars)

 

[Whine Lover]

" what kept you going to pursue your dream? "

Cocaine, Acid, and Ho's...


Why do you ask?


YKW

 

[$$$4nothin]

Just wondering what you guys did when you felt down and dejected with aviation, the industry or when the road seemed long and the airline dream rather far away and unattainable.

What motivated and inspired you- what keeps you going?

Take a night. Grab a bottle of booze, grab your girl, wake up, put your big boy pants on, and cowboy up son.

 

[CX880]

Nike commercials.

 

[Jetdriver69]

When I was about to retire from the USAF, I thought the be all of human existence was to fly the the whale.

Then 9-11 happened right before my retire date, so don't call us, we'll call you.

Now I'm flying a new G550 and couldn't care less about the airlines.

 

[relief tube]

Just wondering what you guys did when you felt down and dejected with aviation, the industry or when the road seemed long and the airline dream rather far away and unattainable.

What motivated and inspired you- what keeps you going?

I'd walk down to the international terminal and simply walk by a few 74s or triples.

Also walking to your car or the hotel van, I like noticing families/friends embracing after a long time away. The job is to bring people safely to others.

And anytime I get stuck in rush hour traffic, it helps knowing I don't do this every day.

 

[Ticker]

Got bitten early when my dad was working on his private/instrument. We were out flying, me riding shotgun. I must've been 5 or 6. I was a bit breezy that day. Inbound to the pattern we crossed a ridge and hit a decent downdraft and I did the superman routine pinned to the ceiling for a couple seconds. Still have no idea how the seatbelt came un-done. Dad, with panic in his eyes says "you ok? You ok??" Without missing a beat I say "DO IT AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN!!"

As a teenager I worked weekends and summers with him in his plumbing business. Sometime after the 50th crapper I had to snake out his comment "Find something you love to do and find a way to get paid for it and you'll never work a day in your life" became indellibly imprinted in my brain. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of "suck" to go around in the airline/aviation buisness but still loving what I do adds a bit of BBQ sauce the the occasional excrement sandwich.

An occasional lucky break is always nice too. I finally got one after about 20 years since getting my CFI.

I also made the best career decision a pilot can make...I married up. ;-)

 

[pilotyip]

Why I did it

Flying solo close finger-tip formation in a flight of four in the T-28 on the way to the boat for your first landings.

Somehow, all the jet-lag and other problems had some compensating balance!

Your first CAT shot off number two Cat on the Enterprise into a gray overcast sky

Sunrises seen from the high flight levels that make the heart soar.
Taking off with 55,000#?s of fuel for a 12 hour flight then stretching it into a 16.8 hour flight on two engines

The patchwork quilt of the great plains of Kansas from 37,000' on a day when you can see forever.

Doing close to a 400 KT run in on a target in a P-3 in the South China Sea

Knowing you got to land at Bermuda at night with a 35 KT gusting cross wind in blowing horizontal rain after shooting a GCA.

Punching out the top of a low overcast while climbing into a clear blue sky
The majesty and grandeur of towering cumulus.

Taking off from Sangley Point 6,000 over MGTOW and losing water injection after V1

The delicate threads of St. Elmo's Fire dancing on the windshield at night.

The twinkle of lights on the Japanese fishing fleet far below, on a night crossing of the North Pacific.

Cloud formations that are beautiful beyond description.

'Ice fog' in Adak on a cold winter morning.

Seeing the approach strobes appear through the fog on a 'Must do' zero, zero approach when there is no other place to go.

Seeing geologic formations that no ground-pounder will ever see.

The chaotic, non-stop babble of radio transmissions at O'Hare during the afternoon rush.

The quietness of center frequency at night during a "Transcontinental flight" ... or over the Amazon at any time.

Watching St. Elmo's fire all over your windscreen in the winter night skies over Alaska.

Landing on an aircraft carrier at any time

The welcome view of approach lights appearing out of the mist just as you reach minimums.

Finding yourself in a thunderstorm with because you have no weather radar on broad your airplane and you are 1000 NM South West of the Azores

Lightning storms at night over the Midwest.

Picking your way through a line of huge Thunderstorms that seemed to go all the way from Chicago to New Orleans.

The soft, glow of the instrument panel in a dark cockpit.

The dancing curtains of colored light of the "Aurora Borealis" on a winter-night "North Atlantic" crossing.

Passing 30 west . . .

The taxiway names at O Hare before they were renamed: 'The Bridge', 'Lakeshore Drive', 'Old Scenic', 'New Scenic', 'Outer', 'The Bypass', 'Inner', 'Cargo', 'North-South', 'The Stub', and 'Hangar Alley' !

The majestic panorama of an entire mountain range stretched out beneath you from horizon to horizon.

Lenticular clouds over the Sierras.

The brief, yet tempting, glimpse of runway lights after you've already committed to the missed approach.

Taking off VFR from Puerto Rico reroute to Rota Spain with no flight plan filed, using big sky theory

The South China Sea so smooth that you leave waves in the water from 75 feet above the sea as you fly over it.

Seeing a torp you drop hit the target and knowing you had all the parameters right.

 

[fareview]

Doing a transcon on a clear night on the 4th of July....the silent fireworks popping below like a scene from avatar.

fv