Why instructing sucks!

[Iceman21]

Re: Re: Re: perspective

didn't take too long for the zealots to chime in...
oh, well, at least no one's burned at the stake anymore for suggesting the earth may not be the center of the universe

Doesn't take long for the bigots to come in and scew the thread in another direction.

I wonder how it would be taken if he replied with a quote by Socrates.

 

[ShinerBocknabtl]

CFI's........I don't mean for this to sound the wrong way but you cats are at the bottom of the barrel, spent a few years there myself and it did suck a$$ but don't let it getcha down. Remember a few things though, there are furloughed pilots that would give their left nut for your job right now, guys with thousands of hours in the logbook but haven't flown in over a year. Your day will come when you get a better paying job and look back to the instructing days and remember why you did it all in the first place......because you love to fly, not because you love to get paid to fly. So many people I run across do it all for the wrong reasons and those individuals can't understand the other types. I know you've got bills to pay, probably lots of them but if the regionals called tomorrow do you think those bills would disappear? Prob not. The best advice I can give is to keep your chin up, don't turn down that extra couch in the one bedroom apartment that your living in with two other instructors, and above all.....NETWORK!!!! go to the fly-in's, hang out at the uncontrolled airports with the freight dawgs and corporate types, write down names and companies if you can't remember them, make a good impression. You guys know this routine and one day it'll pay off. A good website is RAA.org to check out operators, the equipment they fly and who's who at that company. Instructing is the hardest job in aviation you'll ever have and when you move on you'll be very proud of your accomplishments and have great wisdom to pass on. If it weren't for you, none of us would be where we're at.
Just my thoughts.

 

[wickedpilot]

Chronic Jet/metrodriver... I guess you guys (or girls) were just born Commercial Pilots?

 

[avbug]

All the replies are from people with less than 1000 hrs.

Oh really? Howdja come to that conclusion?

 

[metrodriver]

wicked pilot: no, we instructed for many years, thousands of hours, while 10.000 hr guys from Eastern, Braniff, Pan AM were trying to take our jobs. Most people who are now instructing started to learn to fly when they were shown ads that promised regional jobs almost right out of flightschool, just a few years ago.
And when you see something like that you plan your life on it. I did too. Till things go wrong and you're stuck in a job you don't like for too low a pay check. Is that a reason to get angry and start whining on a bulletin board? No. Just stick with what you've got which is better than no job at all, built up those hours as fast as you can and try to be the best instructor there is. You're next student might be your f/o a few years down the road and you'll be proud of the job he does if you taught him well.
Still don't like it? Become a courier. At least you can put a sticker on your rear bumper that says: I'm not driving fast; just flying low.

And for your info: currently I'm flying a little bugsmasher, probably making not much more than what the average cfi makes, and no I don't like it at all, but I don't come whining here that my previous boss had to furlough a couple of hundred pilots or that I didn't have a flying job for a long time. I took an $8.- an hour lousy job to pay the bills and kept sending resumes and making phone calls till someone offered me a job. Yes, that's a job that in normal times would be the next step after flight instructing. I just wish I was back where I once was, maybe one day. Then a young cfi who meets the requirements will take over my current job and a brand-new cfi will find his first job at a flight school

Avbug: should have stated: the wining replies.
I know some of you guys with higher amounts of flight time were trying to console huskerfan, and I think he realizes what some people are trying to tell him looking at his other post

 

[Huck]

Howdja come to that conclusion?

My sentiments exactly. Last time I was under 1000 was during the FIRST Bush presidency....

 

[bobbysamd]

2003 v. 1990

All the replies are from people with less than 1000 hrs. You know what: come back after you have been teaching for 4 years or 2000hrs. And that might be excactly what will happen if the same early 1990's is any indication for the current times. I (and most other people that started flying in that era) had to teach for a long period back then. Now it's your turn. Another thing you might consider: the sharply rising insurance cost has already pushed many flight schools over the brink, be happy to still have a job in this cut-throat world that aviation is nowadays (at every level)

I take exception! Not all replies have come from 1000-hour pilots. I replied earlier. Look at my profile at the left.

Now, having said that, and being a "child" of the late '80s-early '90s and having instructed for more than 3500 hours, I second your comments 100%. I also second your comments about how in 1990 we were competing with terminated Pan Am, Eastern and Braniff pilots for jobs. I was always grateful that although I was instructing I was still employed as a pilot during those years while these more experienced and better-qualified pilots were not working.

To provide further perspective, I and my peers fretted, worried and whined about needing 500 hours of multi to get commuter (regional) interviews. Therefore, it's hard for me to abide those who fret, worry and whine about build 100-200 multi hours to get their regional interviews. And, as a practical matter, I'd bet that you need at least the 1990 mins of 1500 total-500 multi and an ATP to get an interview these days.

No one likes flight school BOHICA. But, at least Huskerfan is employed while so many more experienced and better-qualified pilots and the furloughees are not. He should keep that in mind.

 

[taloft]

Instructing is fun

 

[LAXSaabdude]

ShinerBocknabtl:

Two words. Paragraph breaks. I'm trying to uncross my eyes right now after reading your post.

LAXSaabdude.

 

[slide33]

**CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED**it. That's my Avatar!

 

[Bai B Nai]

I don't know. I have great respect for all three instructors I have had. They all had day jobs, but instructed for the love of it (if you can imagine.) How can anybody make a living instructing full time nowadays? (Unless you are at a large school.)

Anyway, here's to the CFI's!

 

[chrisdahut24]

I think there has been some misunderstanding here by the "high time" guys. I don't think anyone is complaining about instructing itself, just the dismal working conditions. I'm all for paying my dues, as I'm sure many of my fellow instructors are. However, I think if we want to come onto this board and gripe about getting paid 1/2 minimum wage (at best), for working twice as much as the average guy and in some of the most dangerous flying conditions. We know you've all been there and done that, and thats why we whine here. We hope to get some understanding and possibly some brotherly support. Thanks to those for sharing your backgrounds- makes me feel that things really aren't that bad. And to those who felt they needed to launch a "you kids today are ungrateful, have no idea etc..." , keep it to yourselves.

 

[Typhoon1244]

Chronic you are an A-Hole. Shove it A-hole.

Siu, we're not going to get anywhere if you keep holding back...

Originally posted by Huck
Last time I was under 1000 was during the FIRST Bush presidency...

The last time? How many times have you been under 1,000 hours? You've been losing time periodically?

 

[avbug]

You've been losing time periodically?

I can't speak for anyone else, but yes, I've been losing time for about the last fifteen years now. The days get shorter, nights longer, and there was a time when I could tell you what happened yesterday, or last week.

 

[Timebuilder]

How many times have you been under 1,000 hours? You've been losing time periodically?

Sounds like a temporal loop. "Captain Piccard to the bridge..."

One of the reasons that instructing sucks is that so much attention is in one area of aviation, because this one area has been known, up till now, to have the best pay and benefits. I think this may change over the next few years, as more and more pilots come to realize that a decreasing number of pilots will achieve the traditional big iron income at any time in their life. This will mean that fewer guys will choose aviation as a career, creating not a shortage, but a smaller pool of willing participants who agree to be treated like the least important part of the airplane.

Just my two cents.

 

[Freightdog75]

Typhoon1244,
I got a good laugh out of that post man.

Chronic Jetlag,
Way to kick a guy when he's down you fukstick!!!! Then you come out with this "my career was so much harder than yours ever could be" horse$hit!!! If you want to vent on someone, come vent on me!! I live in Madison WI. For exact directions to my house PM me !!!!!

Huskerfan,
Hey bro hope everything works out for you man. Second job might suck, but it will all be worth it in the end.

FD75

P.S. To the rest of ya'll: Sorry for the outburst, I just got a little mad there.

 

[ShinerBocknabtl]

LAXSaabdude:

Two words... BACK OFF!!!


Nah, I know what you sayin, I was tired and rambling. And just for the record CFI's, your next job might not be instructing but you might have to sleep in a hammock you string up in the cargo zones of your plane if you wanna go horizontal for more than the 3-4 hours you'll get in your own bed at home.

Sounds like I'm joking but I'm not. Not complaining one bit either, bums would give two swallers of Carlo Rossi an AARP trial membership, and the unused half of a roll-your-own cig for my hammock, especially in the shade of a C-208. Sometimes you gotta do things you don't wanna do but you gotta do them just because. And I find a whole **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED**load of character in those individuals that persevere.

Last but not least, please please paragraph space.

 

[siucavflight]

Too all of you guys who said that is is great that this is happening because you had to go through it, fuk off. Just because you guys had a shty time of it does not mean that you should wish bad things for the young guys now in the business, we all envy all of you who get to fly something that does not have a prop on it, remember we all had to pay for our flight training some how, and getting paid 10 bucks an hour hardly pays the bills. Grow up and show some compassion, after all we will be the ones taking your jobs when you are too senile to get a medical.

 

[avbug]

Gentlemen (and others),

This has gone far enough, don't you think? Take a step back and think about it. We're not talking safety here. We're not talking union issues. We're talking about some frustration and a little discontent. We've managed to see it degenerate to profane name calling and a four letter vocabulary, in the space of two pages.

It usually takes three or more to get here.

From a retailer's perspective (which I am not), we're awfully close to Christmas. In the spirit of the season, how 'bout you get together for a group hug and think it through before posting any more, huh? What say ye?

Me, I'll be in the other room, throwing up. I hate group hugs.

 

[Herman Bloom]

Chronic jetlag

Calm down. I've flown with bitter pricks like yourself. Its never gonna change pal.

I'm sure you're just a joy in the cockpit. Rediculous.

 

[ShinerBocknabtl]

[Chronic Jetlag,
Way to kick a guy when he's down you fukstick!!!! Then you come out with this "my career was so much harder than yours ever could be" horse$hit!!! If you want to vent on someone, come vent on me!! I live in Madison WI. For exact directions to my house PM me !!!!!]

Freightdog75,
Judging from that statement I now know you ARE a true freightbrother, just glad you're not ATC. You're not with CAC are ya?

 

[avbug]

 

[Pilotadjuster]

Go Huskers!

A Husker fan AND gettin screwed! (of course, I'm a Husker/Cubs/Bears Fan, so I probably would be on suicide watch were I a serious sports fan...).

Guys, think of it this way--anywhere except aviation, you walk in and are met with a 20% pay cut for nothing you did and not because the business is in any way hurting, what would you think? Businesses exist to make money, but you screw enough people, you won't be in business too long.

Husker fan---hang in there! Independent is not the best place to be, at least where I am. Yes, we COULD charge $40+ per hour, but there just are not any students out there to charge it to! I would also suggest Greg Brown's Book, though I have followed many of the suggestions therein and it has helped me nada in the last two years.

I too was a "career changer" a few years ago; at this point, I am thankful to be doing ANY flying I'm not paying for. Things will turn around, and so will CFI pay. Just wish I had the crystal ball to say when!

On the bright side; just spoke with a friend who recently got hired to fly the Brasillia, and he really cannot believe he's getting paid for having that much fun!

 

[siucavflight]

Chronic,
You are an ashole, you Coksuker.