Living the dream

Shuswap BC said:
I get bored flying at high altitude and not seeing anything, or limiting bank to less than 30 degrees, not circling something i want to see, its just not me. So i do know about it. But thanks for chiming in on what i would like or not like...
Click to expand...
I agree.. I struggled a lot when I was younger (and even still do sometimes) with career choices.. but ultimately being able to afford to fly GA and still having time for friends, family, relationships, myself won the battle. Obviously there is something very "cool" about flying a commercial transport jet but I'm pretty sure that after a year of spending 90% of my time at 40,000 ft on autopilot doing EXACTLY. WHAT. I'M. TOLD. with zero autonomy and sleeping in "crash pads" and hotels would get very old.. flying Gulfstreams and executive jets would be cool too, but then I'd hate to feel like I'm just playing chauffeur to some rich dudes in the back

I do have 2 friends (and know of a few others) who fly both "simple single engine GA" and turbine jets (one flies DL A320s and also a privately owned C150!, the other a Phenom, owner, single pilot, who also flies an SR22) and at least the people I've talked to all prefer the simple stuff, for exactly the same reasons you mentioned.. the freedom, flying low, enjoying the actual thrill of flying. The Phenom guy literally said "there's not much to do and the view is the same at 40,000 ft.. it's pretty boring. Unless it makes sense for long distance with the family the Cirrus is a ton more fun.. just wish it was faster!)

Doc Holliday said:
simple single engine GA plane is not the same as flying a transport jet
Click to expand...
I don't think he was denigrating you, and this makes GA pilots sound like "you simpleton, you're not a real pilot" .. it sounds sort of like that same "I have 20,000 hours so I'm better than you" attitude that I pick up from a lot of commercial transport pilots. Obviously not all, and I won't read into your post.. but I don't think it's about the complexity or size of the machine that everyone's after.. some people want to fly just for the joy of flying. It's nice to say "hey, this weekend I want to go check out that small airpark in XYZ city, let's go!" .. it might not be the same as having 80,000 lbs of thrust (or more) in your hands and 200 people entrusting their lives to you.. and we're spending money instead of earning it.. but different strokes. About 2/5 of me wish I was flying a big. proper. jet.. but the other 3/5 is happy I am done with work by 2 every day and sleep at home every night. Some day if I have enough money and time maybe I can negotiate a jump seat ride in a big jet, or at least some sim time in a full motion 777 simulator or something to get in my fix of "wow, this is what flying a proper jet is like?!"
 
Tantalum said:
I agree.. I struggled a lot when I was younger (and even still do sometimes) with career choices.. but ultimately being able to afford to fly GA and still having time for friends, family, relationships, myself won the battle. Obviously there is something very "cool" about flying a commercial transport jet but I'm pretty sure that after a year of spending 90% of my time at 40,000 ft on autopilot doing EXACTLY. WHAT. I'M. TOLD. with zero autonomy and sleeping in "crash pads" and hotels would get very old.. flying Gulfstreams and executive jets would be cool too, but then I'd hate to feel like I'm just playing chauffeur to some rich dudes in the back

I do have 2 friends (and know of a few others) who fly both "simple single engine GA" and turbine jets (one flies DL A320s and also a privately owned C150!, the other a Phenom, owner, single pilot, who also flies an SR22) and at least the people I've talked to all prefer the simple stuff, for exactly the same reasons you mentioned.. the freedom, flying low, enjoying the actual thrill of flying. The Phenom guy literally said "there's not much to do and the view is the same at 40,000 ft.. it's pretty boring. Unless it makes sense for long distance with the family the Cirrus is a ton more fun.. just wish it was faster!)


I don't think he was denigrating you, and this makes GA pilots sound like "you simpleton, you're not a real pilot" .. it sounds sort of like that same "I have 20,000 hours so I'm better than you" attitude that I pick up from a lot of commercial transport pilots. Obviously not all, and I won't read into your post.. but I don't think it's about the complexity or size of the machine that everyone's after.. some people want to fly just for the joy of flying. It's nice to say "hey, this weekend I want to go check out that small airpark in XYZ city, let's go!" .. it might not be the same as having 80,000 lbs of thrust (or more) in your hands and 200 people entrusting their lives to you.. and we're spending money instead of earning it.. but different strokes. About 2/5 of me wish I was flying a big. proper. jet.. but the other 3/5 is happy I am done with work by 2 every day and sleep at home every night. Some day if I have enough money and time maybe I can negotiate a jump seat ride in a big jet, or at least some sim time in a full motion 777 simulator or something to get in my fix of "wow, this is what flying a proper jet is like?!"
Click to expand...

Not sayin specialty 135/91 stuff, but specialty 135/91 stuff
 
Trust me I would love to own a jet to fly around in.
Anyone who wants to buy me an F15, F16, F18, please feel free to drop it off, and fuel card for the Jet fuel left on the seat would be nice as well.
Maybe a list of places willing to do the maintenance for me to.
 
Shuswap BC said:
Trust me I would love to own a jet to fly around in.
Anyone who wants to buy me an F15, F16, F18, please feel free to drop it off, and fuel card for the Jet fuel left on the seat would be nice as well.
Maybe a list of places willing to do the maintenance for me to.
Click to expand...

Though getting a yak with hard points and dropping dummy bombs on a “shooting range” on private property would be a hoot
 
hindsight2020 said:
Seriously, I'm glad you guys are DINKS. That's some dramatic change in schedules from a relative seniority perspective. ;)
Click to expand...

Heh - I knew I'd get a load of s*** from you. :p

In seriousness, this wasn't a decision made lightly. There was a reason why narrowbody CA was placed above widebody FO in my bid. It's just that I hadn't thought they'd run another one before December 2nd, which was when my 777 FO bid would have become active. So I got it in my head that that's what I'd be doing, and thus the surprise when I was awarded CA. Both situations involve me blowing up the seniority that I enjoy now, which as you mentioned was palatable mainly because we don't have kids, and my wife's crazy resident schedule gives her a WGAS attitude about me having to work over a holiday (she won't be off anyway) - we'll open presents the morning of the 24th instead.

If we had kids, obviously the decision would have been different. But that's what's cool about the gig - there was nothing stopping me from remaining a narrowbody FO and enjoying the seniority indefinitely. That's why I think you'll ultimately be happy once you retire and (perhaps) make the plunge - you'll really love the flexibility to make your situation work for whatever you have going on at home.
 
Tantalum said:
I do have 2 friends (and know of a few others) who fly both "simple single engine GA" and turbine jets (one flies DL A320s and also a privately owned C150!, the other a Phenom, owner, single pilot, who also flies an SR22) and at least the people I've talked to all prefer the simple stuff, for exactly the same reasons you mentioned.. the freedom, flying low, enjoying the actual thrill of flying.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone is arguing that it's more 'fun' to fly a 777 than say, a 185 on floats. Or that it wouldn't be awesome to fly on your own terms. The problem is that I can't pay my bills with fun, and I'm unaware of any flying job where someone will pay me to do whatever the hell I want. ;)
 
Actually my dream would be to own two planes, a Quest Kodiak on amphibs, and an Extra 330LX.
 
jordane93 said:
When can you hold wide body captain?
Click to expand...

I don't count the 767 since it's not paid like the other widebodies, but according to our internal calculator I'm probably 7-8 years from 777 CA. Maybe less if they keep replacing 767s with 787s. Obviously that's if this level of movement continues, the fleet makeup stays the same, blah blah blah. I try not to even think about it. With what I imagined my career to be like while instructing in 2003, I’m just happy to have a paycheck every two weeks. As long as I can enjoy the job for the next 25 years and the checks keep clearing - everything else is gravy.
 
Listening to all you complaining about your current jobs makes me really like my current one - I'm retired! Yeah, I'm still active in some standards committees, but I don't have to get up every morning to go to an office where they expect me to be there every day at 8 am. I can't say a single bad thing about being RETIRED! :D
 
kayoh190 said:
I don't count the 767 since it's not paid like the other widebodies, but according to our internal calculator I'm probably 7-8 years from 777 CA. Maybe less if they keep replacing 767s with 787s. Obviously that's if this level of movement continues, the fleet makeup stays the same, blah blah blah. I try not to even think about it. With what I imagined my career to be like while instructing in 2003, I’m just happy to have a paycheck every two weeks. As long as I can enjoy the job for the next 25 years and the checks keep clearing - everything else is gravy.
Click to expand...
That’s not bad. With all the retirements coming, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 7-8 years drop by a few years.
 
jordane93 said:
That’s not bad. With all the retirements coming, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 7-8 years drop by a few years.
Click to expand...

It'll be what it'll be. Back when I was instructing the industry was in such shambles that I've learned long ago to not worry about timelines. If I get a paycheck every two weeks for the next 25 years I'll be happy. Everything else, be it the left seat, widebodies, or whatever is just gravy. :)
 
jordane93 said:
I got in at the right time at my regional, have my Delta interview in December and could potentially have a 39 year career there. Tough to argue with that!
Click to expand...

You really did get in at the right time

I started flying for wages at 38, and at the time I thought I might want to fly for an airline. I did flight instructing for a while, then went to Alaska. Then I applied at a few regionals and one actually called me. I interviewed, unaware that they took anyone that would actually show up. I did the training then decided that wasn't the company for me. That company died a year later. Oh, and starting pay for FOs was around 13,000/year might have had a little to do with my decision to leave. 3 year captains pay was only 36,000/year.

Back to Alaska and a year later a friend of mine said give me your resume and I'll walk it in. He was single digit seniority and was confident I would get called to interview. The day after I handed him my resume is a day all will remember, 11Sept2001. We all were looking for jobs after that.

I got a decent job a month later in Alaska so I stayed with that for a few years, then got into the air ambulance which has been really nice to me.
Because of my age, I stayed in the 135 world. I think if I was in my 20s today then I would look really hard at the airlines.

So yes, you really got in at a good time, and looks like a bright future is in store for you.!!!

Don't do nuthin' stupid to mess that up.!! :lol::lol:
 
I have a pretty cushy 91 job, and while the airlines are tempting, it would be super hard to give up what I have now. No idea if it is the right career move, but I am pretty dang happy. And as the saying goes, you never know if you made the right career moves till the day you retire.

Shuswap BC said:
If I was going to fly for a living, it would be bush planes, a charter, or something like that. Flying an airliner would bore me to tears in about 3 hours.
Click to expand...

But you could wipe away those tears with $100 bills, and then do the fun stuff on your days off. I've gotten to the age now where the more boring my work flying is, the better.
 
kayoh190 said:
That sucks man. If it makes you feel better, in a true airline Living the Dream moment, I recently received my schedule for upgrade training in @hindsight2020 's favorite airplane. My start date? December 25th. DOH! At 11am no less, which is too early for me to get out there that morning, so I'll have to fly to the schoolhouse on Christmas Eve. o_O
Click to expand...

NealRomeoGolf said:
That’s brutal
Click to expand...

It's also not uncommon. Aviation is a 24/7/365 business, and especially these days the training facilities are running around the clock. When my wife was working at FlightSafety she worked the night shift quite a bit. Sim cost something around $50M to build, so they didn't want to keep it idle if there was a training demand (and there was).

But it's not always that way, and depends a lot on luck and the company. My wife lucked out with this job - she got hired a bit before Thanksgiving, had indoc finish up just before Christmas, sim slot started after New Years. That was sheer luck, though. I've talked to some low seniority people at airlines who've basically said they work all weekends and holidays.
 
Or they close a base on you, shifting you to another base where you aren't as senior and instead of being able to bid lines you're relegated to reserve in a city 400 miles from where you live, which completely ****s you over.
 
EdFred said:
Or they close a base on you, shifting you to another base where you aren't as senior and instead of being able to bid lines you're relegated to reserve in a city 400 miles from where you live, which completely ****s you over.
Click to expand...

Any job can **** you over - airline flying is no different.
 
Zeldman said:
You really did get in at the right time

I started flying for wages at 38, and at the time I thought I might want to fly for an airline. I did flight instructing for a while, then went to Alaska. Then I applied at a few regionals and one actually called me. I interviewed, unaware that they took anyone that would actually show up. I did the training then decided that wasn't the company for me. That company died a year later. Oh, and starting pay for FOs was around 13,000/year might have had a little to do with my decision to leave. 3 year captains pay was only 36,000/year.

Back to Alaska and a year later a friend of mine said give me your resume and I'll walk it in. He was single digit seniority and was confident I would get called to interview. The day after I handed him my resume is a day all will remember, 11Sept2001. We all were looking for jobs after that.

I got a decent job a month later in Alaska so I stayed with that for a few years, then got into the air ambulance which has been really nice to me.
Because of my age, I stayed in the 135 world. I think if I was in my 20s today then I would look really hard at the airlines.

So yes, you really got in at a good time, and looks like a bright future is in store for you.!!!

Don't do nuthin' stupid to mess that up.!! :lol::lol:
Click to expand...
Even at my regional, I got in at the perfect time. When I started, upgrades were instant. Basically whenever you had 1000 hours 121 time or qualifying 135 time, you’d be put in the left seat. Now upgrades are 3+ years. I upgraded in a year and half. It’s still not a bad place to be though. It also helps that I live the most junior/least desirable base. Driving to work and not worrying about my commute is a huge boost in QOL. Delta is hiring 1300 pilots in 2020. It’s a good time.
 
Groundpounder said:
I have a pretty cushy 91 job, and while the airlines are tempting, it would be super hard to give up what I have now. No idea if it is the right career move, but I am pretty dang happy. And as the saying goes, you never know if you made the right career moves till the day you retire.



But you could wipe away those tears with $100 bills, and then do the fun stuff on your days off. I've gotten to the age now where the more boring my work flying is, the better.
Click to expand...

The money would have to be really spectacular.
I work 8 days per month at my current job, and pull in 56k a month, so why work full time, for maybe 20k.
 
Shuswap BC said:
The money would have to be really spectacular.
I work 8 days per month at my current job, and pull in 56k a month, so why work full time, for maybe 20k.
Click to expand...

So flying for a living isn't anywhere on your radar.

What industry pays that much for that little work?
 
Shuswap BC said:
The money would have to be really spectacular.
I work 8 days per month at my current job, and pull in 56k a month, so why work full time, for maybe 20k.
Click to expand...

Wow, a guy makes a post about being happy with his job and you come back with that. You’re not invited to parties much, are you?
 
James331 said:
I do have friends who ended up turning it into a job job, they don’t really want to be around planes on their time off, don’t do fly ins, no interest in GA, to me this is horrible....
Click to expand...

Male porn stars have the same problem:confused::eek:;)

Groundpounder said:
So flying for a living isn't anywhere on your radar.

What industry pays that much for that little work?
Click to expand...

See the above statement;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top