if someone askes me (and everyone else) what I think about them being a pilot, I am not going to blow smoke up there ass .
I am going to tell it like I think it is.
What would I do instead, who cares its to late.
What would you do?
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, North Shore, I WAS Birddog
-
Bcn-In-Bnd
- Rank 3
- Posts: 125
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2004 7:29 pm
- Location: NWO
Gelbisch:
I am really impressed with your clarity (or is that clarica?) of thought. If anyone was to be bitter I thought it would be you. Did you get out of YXL finally? Hope all goes well for your dad and you.
Seiger:
I have been really lucky over the past couple of years in aviation. I started out really slow. Bad luck, bad timming just "plane" bad!!!
All I ever wanted to do was to fly. I can't imagine going back to a real job.
right now the future is so bright I gotta wear
Just make sure that this exactly what you want because all the bad stuff here is true!!!!! but if this is what you want. It can be worth it. First thing in the morning when I climb through the murky over cast to see the full pallet of the sunrise. I think I get paid to do this
I am really impressed with your clarity (or is that clarica?) of thought. If anyone was to be bitter I thought it would be you. Did you get out of YXL finally? Hope all goes well for your dad and you.
Seiger:
I have been really lucky over the past couple of years in aviation. I started out really slow. Bad luck, bad timming just "plane" bad!!!
All I ever wanted to do was to fly. I can't imagine going back to a real job.
right now the future is so bright I gotta wear
Just make sure that this exactly what you want because all the bad stuff here is true!!!!! but if this is what you want. It can be worth it. First thing in the morning when I climb through the murky over cast to see the full pallet of the sunrise. I think I get paid to do this
"Hey pile it, you wanna hold my bottle?"
Seiger... I can relate to your situation.
I am in my late 20's, married, no kids, 2000 hours, and make an ok living (not flying), but I HATE MY JOB!!! I feel like I've sold out for a paycheck, and I hate myself for it. I too am wishing to get back into flying.
I'm lucky in that my wife is supportive this way. Also, my wife is in school pursuing her own ambition and I support her there. What this means is that I'm paying the bills and we're as poor as church mice anyways. So, the way I figure, I'm poor anyways, and still (despite many setbacks and disappointments) have not lost my desire to fly. So I'm for one am taking one last kick at the can. Now my next step... get hired.
If I was happy at my present job I probably would not think twice about it. I'd probably stay we're I was. However, I, like you am not happy with my job. I remember hearing someone say: Many people sit at their desk, wishing they were flying; but not many pilots wish they were working at some desk job
In closing, if you're wife is supportive, and you know what you're getting into, and you still want it.... Go for it!
Good luck.
I am in my late 20's, married, no kids, 2000 hours, and make an ok living (not flying), but I HATE MY JOB!!! I feel like I've sold out for a paycheck, and I hate myself for it. I too am wishing to get back into flying.
I'm lucky in that my wife is supportive this way. Also, my wife is in school pursuing her own ambition and I support her there. What this means is that I'm paying the bills and we're as poor as church mice anyways. So, the way I figure, I'm poor anyways, and still (despite many setbacks and disappointments) have not lost my desire to fly. So I'm for one am taking one last kick at the can. Now my next step... get hired.
If I was happy at my present job I probably would not think twice about it. I'd probably stay we're I was. However, I, like you am not happy with my job. I remember hearing someone say: Many people sit at their desk, wishing they were flying; but not many pilots wish they were working at some desk job
In closing, if you're wife is supportive, and you know what you're getting into, and you still want it.... Go for it!
Good luck.
Seiger wrote-
"I just want a job where I can get up in the morning and be excited. I can't wait for each weekend to come so I can fly for an hour. I want to feel like that every day."
You will feel that way about flying when you're actually doing it for a living, for sure.
"I'm just very nervous that I may screw our lives up. My wife is supportive, but I don't want to put her through poverty. We like our house, we like taking vacations, we like and have been raised liking expensive things."
Guaranteed, if you get into aviaton now, considering what you have, and what your family expects for a lifestyle, YOU WILL SCREW YOUR FAMILY UP, guaranteed. If you remember nothing else from these discussions, remember that aviation will screw your family as it stands right now.
YOU have the dream, they have the lifestyle they expect. Can't really blame them for that, as that is what you have rightly sacrificed for them at your "terrible" job as a good provider and father.
Just remember the stats: About 3/4 of pilots suffer today from AIDS (Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome). In the rotorhead community, it is probably something like 90%.
"I just want a job where I can get up in the morning and be excited. I can't wait for each weekend to come so I can fly for an hour. I want to feel like that every day."
You will feel that way about flying when you're actually doing it for a living, for sure.
"I'm just very nervous that I may screw our lives up. My wife is supportive, but I don't want to put her through poverty. We like our house, we like taking vacations, we like and have been raised liking expensive things."
Guaranteed, if you get into aviaton now, considering what you have, and what your family expects for a lifestyle, YOU WILL SCREW YOUR FAMILY UP, guaranteed. If you remember nothing else from these discussions, remember that aviation will screw your family as it stands right now.
YOU have the dream, they have the lifestyle they expect. Can't really blame them for that, as that is what you have rightly sacrificed for them at your "terrible" job as a good provider and father.
Just remember the stats: About 3/4 of pilots suffer today from AIDS (Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome). In the rotorhead community, it is probably something like 90%.
Seiger wrote-
"I just want a job where I can get up in the morning and be excited. I can't wait for each weekend to come so I can fly for an hour. I want to feel like that every day."
You will feel that way about flying when you're actually doing it for a living, for sure.
"I'm just very nervous that I may screw our lives up. My wife is supportive, but I don't want to put her through poverty. We like our house, we like taking vacations, we like and have been raised liking expensive things."
Guaranteed, if you get into aviaton now, considering what you have, and what your family expects for a lifestyle, YOU WILL SCREW YOUR FAMILY UP, guaranteed. If you remember nothing else from these discussions, remember that aviation will screw your family as it stands right now.
YOU have the dream, they have the lifestyle they expect. Can't really blame them for that, as that is what you have rightly sacrificed for them at your "terrible" job as a good provider and father.
Just remember the stats: About 3/4 of pilots suffer today from AIDS (Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome). In the rotorhead community, it is probably something like 90%.
"I just want a job where I can get up in the morning and be excited. I can't wait for each weekend to come so I can fly for an hour. I want to feel like that every day."
You will feel that way about flying when you're actually doing it for a living, for sure.
"I'm just very nervous that I may screw our lives up. My wife is supportive, but I don't want to put her through poverty. We like our house, we like taking vacations, we like and have been raised liking expensive things."
Guaranteed, if you get into aviaton now, considering what you have, and what your family expects for a lifestyle, YOU WILL SCREW YOUR FAMILY UP, guaranteed. If you remember nothing else from these discussions, remember that aviation will screw your family as it stands right now.
YOU have the dream, they have the lifestyle they expect. Can't really blame them for that, as that is what you have rightly sacrificed for them at your "terrible" job as a good provider and father.
Just remember the stats: About 3/4 of pilots suffer today from AIDS (Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome). In the rotorhead community, it is probably something like 90%.
Ever hear of Aids?
Aviation Induced Divorace Syndrome?
If you love your wife more than flying, do your flying on the weekends.
If you love flying more than your wife, do your girlfriend on the weekends.
400 hrs might earn you the right to use the big broom. $70,000/yr? Isn't that in the top 5% of earnings for pilots in Canada. Do what you do now, buy an experimental, fly whenever, wherever, with whomever you want to and you'll still be way better off financially and you might still have a wife to come home to.
Aviation Induced Divorace Syndrome?
If you love your wife more than flying, do your flying on the weekends.
If you love flying more than your wife, do your girlfriend on the weekends.
400 hrs might earn you the right to use the big broom. $70,000/yr? Isn't that in the top 5% of earnings for pilots in Canada. Do what you do now, buy an experimental, fly whenever, wherever, with whomever you want to and you'll still be way better off financially and you might still have a wife to come home to.
Hard decision
It is a tough decision; I use to instruct and got paid dirt wages/long hours and I was happy!
I have almost got all my debt paid off at 24 years of age and have multi-IFR etc as well with 815 hours.
I am considering giving up the thought of flying as a career and pursuing medicine, or for starters working on a Bachelor of science degree. I just turned down a couple of opportunities because I feel if I pursue aviation any further and it doesn't work out in the long run I'll be screwed.
At least with a science degree you can do a job where your not on your knees.
Mack
I have almost got all my debt paid off at 24 years of age and have multi-IFR etc as well with 815 hours.
I am considering giving up the thought of flying as a career and pursuing medicine, or for starters working on a Bachelor of science degree. I just turned down a couple of opportunities because I feel if I pursue aviation any further and it doesn't work out in the long run I'll be screwed.
At least with a science degree you can do a job where your not on your knees.
Mack
Seiger,
be very careful of your decision. like others have said look farther down the road. do you want to be broke for the next 20 years, if not I would suggest you look seriously at what the cost difference would be for you and your family.
try this - 1- amount of money you will make at your present job for 20 yrs. 2- the cost of a well equipped nicley powered a/c (you will eventully want to take your family on your weekend vacations) 3- learn to fly ifr so it does not kill you 4- the cost of your vacations in said a/c.
these numbers might take some investigating as to a/c type, and cost per hour
now add up your expected income from AVIATION.
your first job might be working on the ramp up north. now i am not saying that you can expect to make exactly what i did but my first job was 1300/month, I worked 7 days a week, 14 hrs a day m-f, and 5 hours a day on s and s. (of course there was an hour for lunch in there somewhere) the cost for a family to live up north is probably the same as a city of course the mortgage you pay now on your house won't be that much more than a 20 yr old 2 bedroom apartment. now 4 years later captain multi twin less than 2000 per month. next you might make 40-60 for the next 10 years and then MAYBE your current 70+ for the last few. the first ten years at least you won't find a company that has a pension. now that is assumming you can get a flying job and keep it, with the volatility of the business.
add up those numbers compare them. i actually have not done the math so i am also interested in what you come up with.
the human side of the coin, you are gone from home a lot. probably figure on 10-19 hours a day 4-5 days a week depending on the type of flying. i am not sure if your wife works now but what will she do up north (if that is where you have to go) it is very hard to get two careers to coincide in the same city. mostly pilots are treated like meat not like people. I was once qouted from a manager of a company I worked for the "pilots will get there own cell phones so we can get a hold of them when we need them, if they know what is good for them." a lot of those guys could barely afford to go out for a beer and wings once a week
the first people to get a wage cut are pilots. depending on if you work for a half decent company (because to get your first job in aviation usually you take what you get) expect to be gently pushed into doing things or flying airplanes that does not quite seem right. I am not sure what you do now but I hope you don't feel that you could be hung out to dry by your company if you do get caught doing a flight just beacause it had to go when the regs say you shouldn't. All good if you don't get caught they say!
my suggestion, let your wife read all the aviation posts on this forum.
for me it can only get better from here.
for you it can get a lot worse, think about being happy as a FAMILY and flying to your next family vacation in your Lancair 400!!!
be very careful of your decision. like others have said look farther down the road. do you want to be broke for the next 20 years, if not I would suggest you look seriously at what the cost difference would be for you and your family.
try this - 1- amount of money you will make at your present job for 20 yrs. 2- the cost of a well equipped nicley powered a/c (you will eventully want to take your family on your weekend vacations) 3- learn to fly ifr so it does not kill you 4- the cost of your vacations in said a/c.
these numbers might take some investigating as to a/c type, and cost per hour
now add up your expected income from AVIATION.
your first job might be working on the ramp up north. now i am not saying that you can expect to make exactly what i did but my first job was 1300/month, I worked 7 days a week, 14 hrs a day m-f, and 5 hours a day on s and s. (of course there was an hour for lunch in there somewhere) the cost for a family to live up north is probably the same as a city of course the mortgage you pay now on your house won't be that much more than a 20 yr old 2 bedroom apartment. now 4 years later captain multi twin less than 2000 per month. next you might make 40-60 for the next 10 years and then MAYBE your current 70+ for the last few. the first ten years at least you won't find a company that has a pension. now that is assumming you can get a flying job and keep it, with the volatility of the business.
add up those numbers compare them. i actually have not done the math so i am also interested in what you come up with.
the human side of the coin, you are gone from home a lot. probably figure on 10-19 hours a day 4-5 days a week depending on the type of flying. i am not sure if your wife works now but what will she do up north (if that is where you have to go) it is very hard to get two careers to coincide in the same city. mostly pilots are treated like meat not like people. I was once qouted from a manager of a company I worked for the "pilots will get there own cell phones so we can get a hold of them when we need them, if they know what is good for them." a lot of those guys could barely afford to go out for a beer and wings once a week
the first people to get a wage cut are pilots. depending on if you work for a half decent company (because to get your first job in aviation usually you take what you get) expect to be gently pushed into doing things or flying airplanes that does not quite seem right. I am not sure what you do now but I hope you don't feel that you could be hung out to dry by your company if you do get caught doing a flight just beacause it had to go when the regs say you shouldn't. All good if you don't get caught they say!
my suggestion, let your wife read all the aviation posts on this forum.
for me it can only get better from here.
for you it can get a lot worse, think about being happy as a FAMILY and flying to your next family vacation in your Lancair 400!!!
