How long til $100k?

[Flight94]

I'm at year 5 of commercial flying, and will see just over 100k base salary next year. I'm curious to know how long it took you to reach the 6 figure milestone in aviation.

In my opinion it takes all of that, and maybe more depending on where you live, to raise a family these days on one income.

[ant_321]

I started flying commercially in 2011. My first $100k+ t4 was 2016, but that took a lot of OT. The following year I was below and then back again. I consider myself pretty fortunate compared to most people starting out in that era of aviation. It took one of my classmates 7 years to break $50k.

[flying4dollars]

Started in 2007 making $24k on a Navajo, made my first 6 figure income in 2016 on a 1900 and made the most I've ever made in 2022 on a 737. Then immediately like a popped balloon, I went back down to $58k on an Airbus and will be back at 6 figs in 2024 LOL Canadian aviation in a nutshell

[Core]

12 years and hadn't. Laid off during the pandemic and it was the first time.

[Roundel Randy]

Started in 2007 making $24k on a Navajo, made my first 6 figure income in 2016 on a 1900 and made the most I've ever made in 2022 on a 737. Then immediately like a popped balloon, I went back down to $58k on an Airbus and will be back at 6 figs in 2024 LOL Canadian aviation in a nutshell

Flair then Air Canada?

[Heavy Rayn]

Started flying commercially 3 months before covid. I broke 100k this year. Fastest way to 100k in the industry right now is to be a medevac captain in my opinion. If you go medevac FO make sure you have the PIC requirements accomplished prior to accepting the FO position or else upgrading becomes a challenge.

[Bingo Fuel]

13 years and still haven't broken 100k. I've been up in the 80-90k range a fair bit. Left seat on an Airbus next year will probably put me over 100k next year, depending on when the upgrade happens.

EDIT: typo

[Ash Ketchum]

I hit 100K in 5 years as a regional captain with a bit of OT. Now 8 years in (with a break from flying during COVID) I'm at 60K questioning my career decisions.

[C-FDPB]

2013: under 20k working the dock.
2023: over 100k still on floats.

Took 10 years. Like one of the previous posters said, that barely covers cost of living on 1 income these days, for a new family.

[Inverted2]

100k isn’t really a large income these days. I think it took me 12 years. I’m closing in on 200k finally (next year?) after 24 years of flying as a career.

[altiplano]

I started in 2001.

15 years to crack $100K, 17 years to crack $200K.

[Col. Panic]

Got my CPL in 2005… took until 2012 to break $100k… dropped back below that level in 2018, didn’t break it again until 2022… then had it broken by May 17, 2023, and broke $200k for the first time ever on Nov 17th.

[Dronepiper]

These numbers represent my base cash salary at the end of each year. They do not include per diems, overtime, or RRSP matching (only really applicable to 705 jobs)

I also include which job I was working that would have garnered me the highest base salary that year (had I worked the entire year doing that particular job). Some years I mad multiple jobs (IE 704 FO, 703 FO, and instructing all happed in one year).

2014 - $32k (Instructing)
2015 - $26k (Bush)
2016 - $65k (Instructing)
2017 - $59k (704 Captain)
2018 - $59k (705 FO)
2019 - $70k (705 FO)
2020 - $103k ($71k in construction job + $32k CEWS)
2021 - $120k ($105k in corporate pilot job + $15k CEWS)
2022 - $55k (705 FO)
2023 - $95k (705 FO)

Assuming I don't get laid off again, I should be making $115k base (not including per diems or rrsp) in 2024, and it should continuously go up from there.

Because of CEWS, I actually broke $100k during covid which is kind of dumb.

[W5]

I'm at year 5 of commercial flying, and will see just over 100k base salary next year. I'm curious to know how long it took you to reach the 6 figure milestone in aviation.

Some of us asked ourselves that question in 1986, after more than 15 years as a professional pilot

[yowflyer23]

I'm at 4 years and haven't cracked it. Finished training in 2019, made 31k at my first job, made the jump to 705 in feb 2020 but the job disappeared due to Covid, left flying for 3 years and peaked at 65k, 2023 back to flying making less than I would on EI. Sure hope it pays off eventually.

[yowflyer23]

I'm at 4 years and haven't cracked it. Finished training in 2019, made 31k at my first job, made the jump to 705 in feb 2020 but the job disappeared due to Covid, left flying for 3 years and peaked at 65k, 2023 back to flying and making less than I would on EI. Sure hope it pays off eventually.

[cjp]

8 years -
First year 45k
Next few years hovering slightly above that.

2017 - 80k
2019 - I went from 90k to 130k.

[Meatservo]

I'm at year 5 of commercial flying, and will see just over 100k base salary next year. I'm curious to know how long it took you to reach the 6 figure milestone in aviation.

Some of us asked ourselves that question in 1986, after more than 15 years as a professional pilot

This is what makes this conversation so pathetic. In the early '90s I started this career listening to whispered tales of Twin Otter captains in the 1980s who made "OVER 100 GRAND" probably flying in the Maldives. In the 'eighties and 'nineties this was significant income. You can make that kind of money as a "social-media manager" or other similar kind of ineffectual f**ott nowadays.

I've been a Twin Otter captain, and I've been a CARS 705 jet captain and everything in between. Looking back on my career, I would say I've been chronically underpaid the whole time. It's only since 2010 or so that I've been making over $100k, and when I look back at the backbreaking work and conditions of no scheduled days off, no benefits, no statutory holidays, mileage pay, 12+hours per day, all the hotels and flophouses and sleeping bags; plus the risks, the weather, the broken machines and bitter cold and scorching heat and gruelling schedules: It makes me REALLY FUCKING PISSED OFF. I'm not even talking about the requirement to actually be a good, competent, responsible, conscientious leader, navigator and company officer- subjected to constant career-jeopardizing evaluation and medical scrutiny, and also subjected to constant denigration by fat, comfortable, pampered, self-important office-wankers who get all the perquisites and somehow get to look down on us as "machine operators".

There are a lot of people doing a lot less for a lot more dough.

This thread is a really shitty one. People talking about working their way up to making $100,000 per year in a society where a normal, humble home with few luxuries costs seven times your yearly gross income, in a country that greedily helps itself to a third of that and allows provinces, municipalities, and insurance companies to leech off what remains before you can even make a mortgage payment or buy yourself a fucking steak for supper.

F%ck this, f%ck all of you, f%ck Canada, and f%ck aviation.

PS, plus flying planes is really cool and fun and I wouldn't do anything else because I'm really good at it.

[DanWEC]

I hope the takeaway for anyone from the public reading this thread is how utterly obscene this is.

Not only should we be asking "How long to 140k" given that's the same buying power as 100k in 2010, but look at these timelines after investing nearly or in excess of 6 figures for a professional education. This is the only field with this sort of horrendous return, and not surprisingly, there's now a major pilot shortage that affecting the ability to provide flights to the travelling public.

The only way to quickly make decent money in a reasonable timeframe now is to stay at your 703. This didn't used to be an avenue to 100k but it is now. But regardless, for most it isn't a lifetime job due to the conditions. So we try to get on with the airlines, who, as we can see, pay so horrifically that even after getting hired with 10 years of sub 100k of experience, you can still go another 4 or 5 years below that threshold flying wide body airliners. This is apartment-with-roommates money in the major cities, after over a decade of work.

What a total cluster f*ck. And operators are trying to apply for foreign pilots to fill the void....

[cdnavater]

I'm at year 5 of commercial flying, and will see just over 100k base salary next year. I'm curious to know how long it took you to reach the 6 figure milestone in aviation.

Some of us asked ourselves that question in 1986, after more than 15 years as a professional pilot

This is what makes this conversation so pathetic. In the early '90s I started this career listening to whispered tales of Twin Otter captains in the 1980s who made "OVER 100 GRAND" probably flying in the Maldives. In the 'eighties and 'nineties this was significant income. You can make that kind of money as a "social-media manager" or other similar kind of ineffectual f**ott nowadays.

I've been a Twin Otter captain, and I've been a CARS 705 jet captain and everything in between. Looking back on my career, I would say I've been chronically underpaid the whole time. It's only since 2010 or so that I've been making over $100k, and when I look back at the backbreaking work and conditions of no scheduled days off, no benefits, no statutory holidays, mileage pay, 12+hours per day, all the hotels and flophouses and sleeping bags; plus the risks, the weather, the broken machines and bitter cold and scorching heat and gruelling schedules: It makes me REALLY FUCKING PISSED OFF. I'm not even talking about the requirement to actually be a good, competent, responsible, conscientious leader, navigator and company officer- subjected to constant career-jeopardizing evaluation and medical scrutiny, and also subjected to constant denigration by fat, comfortable, pampered, self-important office-wankers who get all the perquisites and somehow get to look down on us as "machine operators".

There are a lot of people doing a lot less for a lot more dough.

This thread is a really shitty one. People talking about working their way up to making $100,000 per year in a society where a normal, humble home with few luxuries costs seven times your yearly gross income, in a country that greedily helps itself to a third of that and allows provinces, municipalities, and insurance companies to leech off what remains before you can even make a mortgage payment or buy yourself a fucking steak for supper.

F%ck this, f%ck all of you, f%ck Canada, and f%ck aviation.

PS, plus flying planes is really cool and fun and I wouldn't do anything else because I'm really good at it.

I love this post, it’s like you’re in my head, f%@k Canadian robber barons(politicians) it fucken pathetic how much I pay in god damn taxes!

[digits_]

I hope the takeaway for anyone from the public reading this thread is how utterly obscene this is.

Yes it's bad. But which public are you talking to? The public earning a median 50k a year? (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en ... 1110019001)

Do you think they'll feel bad pilots don't make double their salary from the start?

[DanWEC]

Well, yes.
This average person who's making 50k (Which is much higher than an entry level flying job.) isn't generally upset that a doctor, engineer, lawyer, etc make more money than them. They understand the rigors of education and that fact that they're different careers for different folks.
People are surprised and sympathetic when they find out just how little physicians really make at first.
The public doesn't have some sort of jealous hate-on for pilots like some strange ducks have mentioned on here. I have never, ever, ever, had someone come up to me and say "Pilot eh? I've heard that's really easy to do." Yet the shock from people when I talk about training costs and compensation for the pilots who they've entrusted their lives to is universal.

[Meatservo]

I have never, ever, ever, had someone come up to me and say "Pilot eh? I've heard that's really easy to do."

I'm not calling you out, but I actually have. It's annoying.

[digits_]

The public doesn't have some sort of jealous hate-on for pilots like some strange ducks have mentioned on here. I have never, ever, ever, had someone come up to me and say "Pilot eh? I've heard that's really easy to do." Yet the shock from people when I talk about training costs and compensation for the pilots who they've entrusted their lives to is universal.

I'll give you that they are surprised that you need to take a pay cut when going from 'small planes' to 'big planes' at Air Canada, but I haven't witnessed any shock. I doubt any would consider it 'utterly obscene'.
Perhaps you might get some support from the public to get 'the pilots of the big planes' to make at least 100k, but that's about it. While I doubt there's any hate, I doubt there's support for much higher wages either. Again, you're talking to people with a median income of around 50k.

Well, yes.
This average person who's making 50k (Which is much higher than an entry level flying job.) isn't generally upset that a doctor, engineer, lawyer, etc make more money than them. They understand the rigors of education and that fact that they're different careers for different folks.

Ok. Why bring this up in a pilot discussion? Sure seems like a big part of avcanada pilots are upset some doctors and engineers and lawyers make more than them! I've encountered the occasional doctor/pilot, engineer/pilot and lawyer/pilot career switcher. Why don't you ask those people if the rigors of education in their old profession compares to the ones of a pilot education?

[DanWEC]

The public doesn't have some sort of jealous hate-on for pilots like some strange ducks have mentioned on here. I have never, ever, ever, had someone come up to me and say "Pilot eh? I've heard that's really easy to do." Yet the shock from people when I talk about training costs and compensation for the pilots who they've entrusted their lives to is universal.

I'll give you that they are surprised that you need to take a pay cut when going from 'small planes' to 'big planes' at Air Canada, but I haven't witnessed any shock. I doubt any would consider it 'utterly obscene'.
Perhaps you might get some support from the public to get 'the pilots of the big planes' to make at least 100k, but that's about it. While I doubt there's any hate, I doubt there's support for much higher wages either. Again, you're talking to people with a median income of around 50k.

Well, yes.
This average person who's making 50k (Which is much higher than an entry level flying job.) isn't generally upset that a doctor, engineer, lawyer, etc make more money than them. They understand the rigors of education and that fact that they're different careers for different folks.

Ok. Why bring this up in a pilot discussion? Sure seems like a big part of avcanada pilots are upset some doctors and engineers and lawyers make more than them! I've encountered the occasional doctor/pilot, engineer/pilot and lawyer/pilot career switcher. Why don't you ask those people if the rigors of education in their old profession compares to the ones of a pilot education?

Interesting, your stance then is that the overall current pilot compensation structure in Canada is perfectly fine then? No problem making half of what we used to? It not the comparison to other professions, it's the erosion that's happened to ours.

For reference, in 1983 Pan Am's entry level was almost 60k US. Top scale around 150k.