Word of encouragement

[Hansel]

Just wondering if there is anyone out there that has left flying for one reason or another and found happiness. I left last year after 9/11, felt it was best for family and future being 40 years old and all.
I just can't get over it, so many what if's(had 1200 hours since 1990). I know Bobby S has gone through it, anybody else out there?

 

[airtoair]

Hansel,

I can relate, perhaps for different reasons and timing. I recently put a post entitled "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" I recently left flying to go back to school to complete my degree which I plan to have done by next summer. This was difficult to do and took alot of "soul - searching." I am wondering how this will impact my career in regards to currency in equipment. I was flying Learjets as a F.O. with a go-nowhere freight company.

I was all set for the regionals with interviews lined up prior to 9-11. I managed to stay flying and aviod furloughes for an additional year. My decision was based on lifestyle and equipment flown; I couldn't justify living off the pager with a 1/2 hour response going to all kinds of places at all kinds of times throughout the night, flying all kinds of well, let's say freight aircraft. My goal was to do freight for a year, then get on with something better, I gave it an additional year, then decided if I'm going to do this, I better get the degree - so here I am.

Do I miss it? Heck yeah! I can't stand being out and away from airplanes. I've been doing this for about 13 years in one capacity or another. I think it will be worth it though. I hope all future employers look at this as an opportunity to "better myself" through education... Time will tell.

Best of Luck,

J

 

[phishn@daves]

Well, I'm not sure if I can give you any advice.......but I'm kinda feeling the same way.

I cannot say for certain what the future holds for flying as a carreer. I don't know if I want to retire at a regional airline.
I love flying, but I would be kidding myself if I didn't do it partly for the money. Doing it for the love of it lost it's luster when I got married, and I would be a bit selfish to just do it for the love of it.

I cannot afford to keep my flying job. I'm at a regional and just finished ERJ training, but my bills are worth more monthly than my pay.

I don't just want to give up either after spending so much time, effort, and money getting here.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do, I wish I had some advice to give, but I come here soliciting some as well.

 

[bobbysamd]

Happiness is a . . . .

Apologies to Charles Schulz and Charlie Brown.

I didn't realize how much I missed flying until I happened upon this board the summer before last. I very much miss flying, for it's own sake. I absolutely, positively, do not miss the bullsh-t associated with it.

I do not miss the age discrimination. I do not miss the regional airline H.R. coneheads. I do not miss unfair managers and similar moronic types. In no way do I miss the frustration of knowing my resumes wind up in the round file and reading where less-qualified types than me are being hired. Read some of my posts to learn more about what I don't miss.

I miss the comaraderie of pilots. Maybe that's why I spend so much time reading and writing on this board.

As far as pay is concerned, I will be the first one to speak out against low regional airline pay. Regional airline pilots have as great a responsibility as their brethren at the majors (note carefully my choice of words), yet, they are not paid commensurate with that responsibility. It takes as much skill and ability to operate a 1900 or an RJ into an uncontrolled field in East Armpit as it does to operate whatever heavy into DEN, ORD or wherever with CAT III ILSs and ATC holding your hand all the way. Of course, the problem with low regional airline pay boils down to the perrenial oversupply of pilots, with some of them being willing to pay for the job. However, if I had gotten my chance to work for such sucky pay, somehow I would have made it work.

As it worked out, I make decent money and am better off than I was ten years ago overall. That's worth a lot. I have no regrets. At least I tried and did make a living as a pilot, which, in reality, few people get to do.

 

[dsee8driver]

Wow..

A few years ago I got my chance of a lifetime. I was hired as FO of a heavy jet with barely enough hours. After 2 months of ground school and a week to go for sim my dreams were shattered. I found myself furloughed. I had given up a decent paying job for my flying dream and it went bust. A wife, a daughter, a mortgage and no job. I was feeling pretty lousy. Just when I thought things could not get any worse, what seemed like then end of the world a week before all of the sudden was forgotten. My daughter passed away at the age of three from a medical condition.

It took alot of soul searching between my wife and I. We looked at every aspect of our lives for strength. My wife found it in her job, one she adored and was great at it. (She is a speech therapist with mostly handicap kids and adults) Dealing with people and children gave her the desire to go on. I got a job flying freight in NC for a few months. Although far from home (FL) and commuting on weekends, doing what we loved helped cope with our loss.

I was eventually recalled 6 months later. To be furloughed again a year later. This time with a newborn it was tough. I was hired by a regional that promised the world. Just as we got there all their promises went to hell and I could not afford to live on barely 18000.00 per year so I had to let it go. I was recalled at my present airline job (freight dog) almost 2 years ago and it seems to be going strong.

A lot of times I asked myself whether I can just go away from aviation and get a real job and I can't. Since I was a little boy it's all I wanted to do. Yes I can go and get a day job. But life is too short to settle. In my situation I thank god I have a strong relationship with my wife who until now has supported my decisions and at times our family. Even when I found myself furloughed the encouragement was always there to look further and not give up on your dream. I think if you really have a passion for flying (yes some of us still do) you will not settle for less and hopefully your family will understand and support you.

 

[bulldog]

Just like all of you who posted before me I too was furloughed after 9/11. I have a wife, son, mrtgage and immediately took an office job. After 3 1/2 months my wife told me to find some sort of flying job or she might kick my butt out. I was so miserable I didn't even want to be around me, I could hardly blame her. She was and continues to be very supportive, which makes a huge difference. We have attempted to make things work by setting up a game plan. It looks something like this. She enjoys her job and continues to work at it. However it doesn't pay all the bills. We made a budget that allows us to pay our bill and take a few small vacations. Camping, two day trips, relatively inexpensive things like that. My role is to work to make enough money to accomplish the rest of the bills being paid and the mini vacations. All other time I devote to an aviation career, which is quite a bit of time. We also made some adjustments as to where I am willing to fly. Previously, I was based about 1,000 miles from home and worked 5 days a week. While I enjoyed the flying, it affected my wife and son adversely. I will only accept aviation employment if I can be based where I live and I can pay the remainder of our bills and the mini vacations. I am very fortunate that my financial contribution is only about $1500 a month. This does open the door for most flying jobs at the level I am at. I do realize that my unwillingness to work away from home significently diminishes my employment choices, however the work I am doing only requires about 10 hours a week. I can live with that for a long time. I sincerely hope my post will give some encouragement and ideas to anyone struggling with the current dilemma many of us are facing.

 

[HappyFlying]

Hansel,

Shortly before 9/11 I had gone to part time at my job because I was flying a King Air enough each month to keep the kitties in kibble. I now am back in my former full time position keeping a desk company. I am lucky I guess because I still fly the King Air some. I have a C150 that I fly all over the place for fun and to build hours. I would be totally lost without my little bugchaser(can't catch em to smash em). There is something to be said for grassstains on the prop and pancakes in the belly. This spring I had two weeks off, an AOPA Mastercard, ten pounds of charts and absolutely no itinerary. Three time zones and eleven states later I landed back home after having the best cross country and time of my life.
My $.02 is even if you can't fly for your paycheck, FLY. Until things pick back up, Flying along at 80 knots is still flying.
Best of luck,

HappyFlying