For those who spend time flying, here’s an interesting thread.
Over 4,000 posts.
A lot of us are making more than the 767 pilots that fly us to our jobs…, and other interesting information.
When I was a wheelman in the '90’s I lived on an island. Flying home one day, in an 8 passenger plane, I recall overhearing the pilots talking about pay. I was 21 and making $13.81 an hour, they were in their late 20’s making $7 an hour. Something about one of those jobs they take to build hours so they can get a real job some day. A year or two later I was in the NAtional Guard with a pilot who made $20,000 flying for a regional airline, Turboprop.
I had long wanted to be a pilot, after that I changed my mind.
When I owned Express Airlines," Those were our airplanes they used to film the TV show WINGS." I would get a dozen resumes a week from guy who were willing to move their wife and two kids across the country to fly for $800.00 a month. Even though it was the 80’s that was not good money.
Now with the introductions of the Regional Jets the Salary stars about $26,000. a year. There is no money to be made being a pilot unless you get a good corporate job. I was going to go back last year to fly in Afghanistan and that was only going to pay $400 a day, with a 90 day on, 30 day off schedule. I don;t know of any pilots that encourage their kids to go into aviation.
There is something missing in the equation on this thread, some commercial pilots make little money, some make good money, what we all have in common is the love of flying, being a pilot at the controls of any aircraft is a delight. One can not place a monetary value on that but we all need to make a living. I have a friend who left his good paying job with an Airline because he rather be a bush pilot in Alaska. If someone wanted to be a pilot but changed their mind because of money than that person really didn’t have that much interest in flying in the first place.
By the time you have enough time and experience to get a decent paying job the FAA and Airlines have squeezed every bit of pleasure out of it.
[QUOTE=Sweat-n-Grease;90586] If someone wanted to be a pilot but changed their mind because of money than that person really didn’t have that much interest in flying in the first place.[/QUOTE]
Not really. I went from the left seat of a regional turboprop to the control room of a RoRo via a leave of absence in the first Gulf War and never looked back. The pay tripled, the time off quadrupled and the job satisfaction increased exponentially. I still love to fly, always have always will and own two planes today.
I can finally afford an airplane, and have the time and energy to use it for fun. The only thing I miss is the jump seat.
It was not simply a matter of money, it was job satisfaction and as skycowboy alluded, the joys of scheduled air carrier flying are short lived and the sparkle is pretty much gone by the time you get the left seat. The life of a line swine is far from the glamour that bright-eyed young men think awaits them in a flying machine.
[QUOTE=Steamer;90596] the joys of scheduled air carrier flying are short lived and the sparkle is pretty much gone by the time you get the left seat. The life of a line swine is far from the glamour that bright-eyed young men think awaits them in a flying machine.[/QUOTE]
You are forgetting though when you get the nice long layovers in Puerto Rico and your company puts you in a nice hotel room on the beach.
[QUOTE=Steamer;90596]Not really. I went from the left seat of a regional turboprop to the control room of a RoRo via a leave of absence in the first Gulf War and never looked back. The pay tripled, the time off quadrupled and the job satisfaction increased exponentially. I still love to fly, always have always will and own two planes today.
I can finally afford an airplane, and have the time and energy to use it for fun. The only thing I miss is the jump seat.
It was not simply a matter of money, it was job satisfaction and as skycowboy alluded, the joys of scheduled air carrier flying are short lived and the sparkle is pretty much gone by the time you get the left seat. The life of a line swine is far from the glamour that bright-eyed young men think awaits them in a flying machine.[/QUOTE]
Perhaps I need to clarify, I intended my post to spell out something, first be a pilot because you want to fly. I had no intention to debate the pros and cons of the Airlines, the same goes for Air Cargo, scheduled or not. I am a commercial pilot but never desired either Air Cargo or Air Lines. Although I’m not a bush pilot I sure have thought about it, lots of times. I did however fly the right seat on slurry bombers, done some crop dusting (I didn’t like breathing the toxic chemicals so I would only broadcast rice), and every so often I still accept a flight student if I think the student and I can stay on the same page. In conclusion, if someone wants to learn to fly because of only obtaining a job with the Air Lines, perhaps it is best to read this thread first. Steamer, basically you are I are on the same page.
[QUOTE=Whiplasher;90606]You are forgetting though when you get the nice long layovers in Puerto Rico and your company puts you in a nice hotel room on the beach.[/QUOTE]
One man’s meat is another man’s poison. There are many facets involved to paint the complete picture.
There are two things that have powers over me I can’t control.
One is flying Nap of the Earth on a moon lit night, with the doors off, under night vision goggles. Extra points if I have 6 gunships in tight formation behind me and were flying up a windy river for a Time on Target mission.
The second is flying the Dc3 at 200 Agl spraying for Mosquitoes. If either of these opportunities presented themselves to me again, I’m afraid my seafaring days would be over.
You guys should go over to PBS and watch the Frontline episode “Flying Cheap.”
What an eye-opener about the lives of airline pilots from the regionals. More than 51 percent of domestic US flights are flown by regional “code-share” partners now. Listen to these guys tell you how little they were paid and the kind of hours they had to work and the conditions.
Here’s the link. It begins with the tragic crash of Colgan Air (Continental) flight 3407: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/flyingcheap/view/
[QUOTE=skycowboy;90620]There are two things that have powers over me I can’t control.
One is flying Nap of the Earth on a moon lit night, with the doors off, under night vision goggles. Extra points if I have 6 gunships in tight formation behind me and were flying up a windy river for a Time on Target mission.
The second is flying the Dc3 at 200 Agl spraying for Mosquitoes. If either of these opportunities presented themselves to me again, I’m afraid my seafaring days would be over.[/QUOTE]
skycowboy - I think I like you ~
[QUOTE=catherder;90638]You guys should go over to PBS and watch the Frontline episode “Flying Cheap.”
What an eye-opener about the lives of airline pilots from the regionals. More than 51 percent of domestic US flights are flown by regional “code-share” partners now. Listen to these guys tell you how little they were paid and the kind of hours they had to work and the conditions.
Here’s the link. It begins with the tragic crash of Colgan Air (Continental) flight 3407: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/flyingcheap/view/[/QUOTE]
I know about it, pretty awful shit.
[QUOTE=Steamer;90596]I still love to fly, always have always will and own two planes today.
[/QUOTE]
What planes do you have?
I’ve had a couple of T-Crafts in the past, but am not presently current.
Sold the Starduster Too and bought an Ercoupe and a Tripacer …
Previous mounts: BE-18(C-45), BE-58TC, Mong Sport, Scout 8GCBC, G model Bonanza, C-206, Aeronca 7BCM and 1938 65C with up exhausts, and the Duster. Sigh, miss them all.
I flew freight and mail out of MSO with the C-45 for a couple of years … got gray hair doing that in the spring and fall but loved it winter and summer. Flew rafters into the middle fork of the Salmon River with the 206.
Lately I’ve been enjoying the stories at http://oddballpilot.com/. These guys are profiling all sorts of jobs outside of the realm of traditional airline flying.
[QUOTE=renoun;90669]Lately I’ve been enjoying the stories at http://oddballpilot.com/. These guys are profiling all sorts of jobs outside of the realm of traditional airline flying.[/QUOTE]
I like this - I’m an Odd Ball Pilot but content to stay home these days. Thanks for the posting, renoun.