Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Your views please

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rhoid
  • Start date Start date
  • Watchers Watchers 12

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web
Suggestion

Here is what I tell folks to do to help focus their job search on a company that matches their own personal goals. Write down on a piece of paper the 5 or 6 things you most want out of your aviation career. people vs. boxes, variety of aircraft, max pay, upgrade time, which airline will lead to less stress, job security, retirement benefits, benefits, long haul vs. short-haul, management team, etc. Once you have identified those things that will make "you" the happiest & provide you the most fulfillment, do the research into the various companies that will allow you to achieve your goals.

As you have stated, flying various aircraft sounds like your number 1 goal, maybe not but put them all down & do your homework. Asking other's opinions on which airlines match up to your desires is a good idea and every 5-10 years go back & look at that list of "priorities" & remind yourself why you are where you are. Don't expect the company to change its priorities if you do however & you become "unfullfilled"....that's your challenge in "guessing" which airline to go to.

Most folks become disgruntled or dissatisifed with their career because the priorities they, the pilot, have changed. Or in the case of some airlines, the same priorities that put these airlines at the top of someone's list have led to the downfall of these companies but not always. That's a simpleton way of looking at it & that's generally how I operate....not enough brain cells left to do much else...hope that helps.
 
What's the big deal about flying different kinds of aircraft anyway? In this business I figure minimizing your formal schools, upgrades, checkrides etc. would probably be a good thing. I've flown exactly seven aircraft over a 17-year period, counting the Schweitzer 233 glider I flew for about a week back at school, flight screening in the T-41/C-172 Mescalero, and the 4.5 hours I have in the Piper Seminole for my ATP. While I've always enjoyed the process of learning a new aircraft, when it comes to my career I'll be happy to settle into the 737 and eventually master it. So what if that's all SWA flies...it's partly because of that fact that they're so successful, and I could do a lot of fun flying on my own with a steady paycheck from them. But I'll probably just buy shoes for my kids and a new minivan for my wife every now and then. Maybe a new sailboat someday.

Good day!
 
Last edited:
I could fly an FMS equipped MD-80 ( say the later MD-83s or MD-88s ) but never a 737 for the rest of my career :p . However, if I have to fly the 777 for the next 20 years that would be okay too. :D .

Seriously though, I see his point. While Southwest is a good job, it doesn't provide the widebody international experience that many aspiring airline pilots see as the pinnacle of achievement.


Typhoonpilot
 
After the honeymoon with a new type, an airplane is an airplane is an airplane. the only difference is where you are going and how many people/boxes you are carrying, and what you are being paid.

My ultimate flying job would be in Alaska, where I would be a pilot/fishing guide... if it paid $200,000/yr. and you only worked 3 days a week.
 
Hey, you could always hold out for Virgin Galactica in a few years... That would be more exciting than flying a 737 between El Paso and Midland every day...
 
RedBelly said:
My ultimate flying job would be in Alaska, where I would be a pilot/fishing guide... if it paid $200,000/yr. and you only worked 3 days a week.
You mean I'd have to work 3 frickin days a week!!!!! Forget that!
 
I'll fly a Piper Tomahawk for the rest of my life if I can get paid a six figure income, good medical benefits, stability, and have a good retirement plan.
 
If flying one type of airliner is that important to you, then I guess you should chase your dream...but...

I have loved flying the F15. I have my "Eagle driver" and my "2000 hour" patches in a drawer, and I smile whenever I'm rummaging through to throw some patches on my flightsuit for a day in the ANG. However, there will come a day in the not so distant future when I have to step back away from that. While it will be a bittersweet day, it will be much easier for me at 40+ than it would have been at 30.

Why? As you go through life, other things become more important to (some of us) than our identity as a pilot. As my daughters have grown and gotten involved in sports and activities, I noticed a few years back I was more interested in being at a gymnatics meet over the weekend instead of a cross-country I passed on. I'm my airline job, I'm a lot more interested in being able to have some control over my life and indulging my hobbies, side interests, and family instead of being able to say I was an A300 or MD11 pilot (that had to commute a looooong way to get to work).

In my opinion, 121 flying SHOULD be boring. As a passenger, I don't want my captain/fo combo up there working their butts off every time I fly dealing with challenging weather and aircraft issues. I want it to be another safe, uneventful, boring leg. When I'm flying boxes on the 727, I feel the same way--the less excitement the better!

So how do you get "fulfilled" as a pilot at a major? Well...looking around FedEx, I see some guys who move into LCA or instructor jobs and become the "guru" of the respective aircraft. I've seen other pilots who got very involved in the ANG/Reserves, while others are big General Aviation buffs who stay very active in those circuits. Quite a few people start various businesses on the side. While people don't walk up to me on the street and ask about my side efforts, I take a tremendous amount of satisfaction in running with idea and watching it develop into something big. If you are blessed enough to land a job that pays your bills and gives you enough time off to think and develop our interests, you will be surprised at how many other things in life will step in to fill the void of a "boring" job.
 
AlbieF15 said:
Why? As you go through life, other things become more important to (some of us) than our identity as a pilot. As my daughters have grown and gotten involved in sports and activities, I noticed a few years back I was more interested in being at a gymnatics meet over the weekend instead of a cross-country I passed on. I'm my airline job, I'm a lot more interested in being able to have some control over my life and indulging my hobbies, side interests, and family instead of being able to say I was an A300 or MD11 pilot (that had to commute a looooong way to get to work).




Thanks for a great post, Albie.
 
I can understand an individual decidiing they didn't want too spend a career at a major like SWA because it didn't have the breadth of flying some other carriers might have. In specific international and long haul flying. If someone dreams of doing that, they should go for it, I don't think you should settle for something that won't make you happy in the long run even if it is a stable paycheck.

For me I realized quickly when I started flying at a regional that for me it was less about the type of plane or even the destination and more about the flying itself and the kind of people I work with. Because of that there is no better dream for me than SWA and I am still giddy to be treading water for SWA at this point.
 
I was always one of those that didn't want to be stuck in a certain type of airplane for ever. Once I got into the 717, that changed. I would have stayed in that until I retired.

What you enjoy about flying is very subjective. I still enjoyed the view(no matter how many times I've flown over Iowa...). I enjoyed hand flying approaches w/o the FD and working around thunderstorms(even though I hate the f***ers!).

Some people will be happy working at SWA, some won't but that's true of any situation. JMO.TC
 
Wow, I saw this thread yesterday when it was about 4 hours old and nobody had touched it. I come back and today and it's got 30 replies.
 
saabcaptain said:
I can understand an individual decidiing they didn't want too spend a career at a major like SWA because it didn't have the breadth of flying some other carriers might have. In specific international and long haul flying. If someone dreams of doing that, they should go for it, I don't think you should settle for something that won't make you happy in the long run even if it is a stable paycheck.

For me I realized quickly when I started flying at a regional that for me it was less about the type of plane or even the destination and more about the flying itself and the kind of people I work with. Because of that there is no better dream for me than SWA and I am still giddy to be treading water for SWA at this point.

Well said, Saab. I have many long-haul hours in AF airlifters, and I don't think I'll miss it too much when it's over. It's nice to go to Hawaii or Australia or Germany occasionally, but ten hours at cruise is ten hours at cruise. I'm really looking forward to SWA because the flying will be much more interesting and busy. Long-haul brings with it a whole list of physical and physiological stressors too: circadian rhythm disruption, long exposure to high-altitude radiation, dehydration, food and stomach problems, etc. I think flying for an operation like SWA will minimize all those things. Each to his/her own though! Cheers!
 
[QUOTE=Dinger]The best airline to work for is............the one who hires you![/QUOTE]

How did everyone miss this post?? Dinger said it hands down...well, at least for the civilian types.

Back when I was a corporate jockey I had my app in with EVERYBODY. I updated regularly, kept in touch in ex-co-workers, did more networking, flew my a$$ off, etc, etc. All I wanted was a frickin' interview with one of the majors...any of them!

Luckily that day finally came and fortunately for me it was FedEx, thank goodness for the mail contract. I did have a Delta interview set up a couple of months later but 9/11 hit and all future interviews were cancelled.

So unless you are coming out of the military, and even those guys are lucky to get an interview right now, you take your shot when the phone rings cause you don't know when it might ring again. The "being picky" days are long gone.
 
Last edited:
Yeah no kidding Purple. Kinda reminds me of the first few days of pilot training when EVERYBODY wanted to be a fighter pilot....until they barfed a few times in the plane or decided maybe this flying stuff wasn't as easy as it looked, and maybe that C-130 job wouldn't be so bad after all. A job with any major or national is a great thing in this environment. Can't blame the guy for dreaming though! Cheers
 

Latest resources

Back
Top