Piloting sacrifices

twinjet

twinjet

Filing Flight Plan
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twinjet
Hey all,
Recently decided I want to become a commercial pilot, all out of pocket. This means sacrifices will be made.

Money in/outflow

-Cut back on expensive date nights with Mrs. twinjet. (-)
-Work any/all overtime available, music gigs as they come. PT jobs. (+)
-Potentially cancel membership to my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym (1 yr cost ≈ 5 flt. hours, w/CFI)
-Cut coffee habit.
-Cut extraneous spending.

Thoughts:
-Date nights are important to us, but we know how to keep it inexpensive...

-OT really isn't much of an availability due to MGMT and biweekly shift changeouts (2 on/off).

-Increase side work as bass player to help supplement training costs. Other PT work as available (any suggestions for flight school PT work for newbies eagerly taken!!). This could potentially conflict with training.

-BJJ is great exercise, really fun and I truly enjoy it but I really have no future in it and it's $90/month.

-Coffee is free at work and I have a pour-over, two French presses and grinder at home.

-Other expenditures include the occasional CD (love collecting new music), rare video game purchases and the occasional splurge on electric basses/amps/parts/accessories, though this is best controlled of all my "bad habits".

Biggest challenges will be the house we bought in the summer and our five-month old daughter. Love where we are in life, but it's certainly going to be interesting to try and finance a career around these two, especially.

What have you PoA folk had to sacrifice to get where you are with piloting? What helped you get there?

Thanks.
 
You could turn BJJ around and say that it's an investment as a pilot. Health is pretty important, especially if you want to make a career of it.
 
ktup-flyer said:
You could turn BJJ around and say that it's an investment as a pilot. Health is pretty important, especially if you want to make a career of it.
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Good argument, I like that. My only concern being the additional $1,000+ per year in costs when I have gym access at work and a $20 monthly Planet Fitness membership that'll do the job. I see the cost savings as 10% of the goal to PPL.
 
Back in the day I even got rid of ‘garbage service’. There were only two of us, we just did a small bag when getting gas or going in the big box store.

I’m not really even advocating doing such, just saying. The 1st to go would be cable/satellite, gym memberships, etc.. You can always walk, eat healthy & the rest. Our local library is like a Blockbuster of yesteryear, all types of movies.

Yes, rack up some hours.
 
I canceled cable when I did primary, then kept it canceled for about 2 years or so. Then I felt a lil disconnected so I got directv. The coffee thing sounds silly but it was almost $2 for a regular cup at the office, forget it if you drink that fancy cr@p.
 
tawood said:
Get a small plane to build hours...then you'll have a new "date night".

My girlfriend's favorite date is for us to hop in my plane, and fly off to an on-field restaurant for dinner.
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Try as I might, my wife is not interested in coming flying. At all! So that's lucky, dude!
 
Stay out of music stores. I feel your pain. Guitar Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) is all to real.
 
Consult a financial planner. Lay everything before them and work out how to achieve the simultaneous goals of saving for retirement, achieving the training you want all while supporting yourself and the family in a comfortable lifestyle.

If you don't want to pay someone for expert advice, there is some software that can help, such as You Need A Budget.

Oh, and welcome to the forum!!
 
Potty train your daughter. Have you ever totaled up the monthly diaper cost? Daycare sometimes charges less for potty trained kids, too.
 
Trying to change careers with a new baby and house sounds pretty difficult, unless Mrs. TJ is bringing down the big bucks. Overtime is you best bet to make extra money, but that's at you employer's discretion. I know that most employers make minimizing overtime a priority, my wife is an RN and OT is almost never allowed, and where I work, I think there are only a few people that are offered OT, and that's like one day per year.

Could you maybe pick up a few bass students? Most normal PT jobs pay really poorly.
 
Basically figuring out where you can trim money in general is a good idea. You've listed some good ones to start. How about your cars - do you have a payment on them? Do you drive cars that are expensive to own/maintain? Do you have more cars than you need?

Keep the house, that's a good thing. Oh, and keep the daughter. ;)

Cloth diapers are definitely cheaper if you do it right. We saved about $2k/kid by doing cloth diapers. I've also seen people who've saved precisely $0, mostly by buying super expensive diapers.

No cable. You don't need it.

I'll also advocate that you spend as much time with your family as you can. You've picked a pretty hard time to try to switch careers and learn how to fly. Your daughter will only be little once, and while the days may seem like they're going slowly now they'll be gone before you know it. The people I see who are gone all the time are missing out on a lot. Of course, everyone has to make their own choices, I just know that I'm glad that my job hasn't required a great deal of travel and allowed me to spend time with my kids.
 
What about the Air National Guard? Join up and it's a part time job, sometimes more. After you're in the unit, depending on your age, apply for a pilot slot.
If you get that then the military pays you to learn to fly, and then you're building hours and making connections with fellow pilots in the unit, many of who fly for an airline. Great way to get into the airlines. You have the Air Force (Guard & Reserve), Navy, Army, and I'm not sure about the Coast Guard.
 
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Ted DuPuis said:
No cable. You don't need it.
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If you do have cable, check if your provider has a "skinny bundle". Buy Internet get (minimal) CATV for free.

Along those lines, if you have cell service from one of the big 3 check to see if an MVNO will meet your needs for less monthly.

Ted DuPuis said:
Your daughter will only be little once, and while the days may seem like they're going slowly now they'll be gone before you know it.
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Friend of mine: "With kids, the days are long but the years are short."
 
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asicer said:
Friend of mine: "With kids, the days are long but the years are short."
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Very true. Facebook gives me memories of pictures of my kids from years back, and it already seems like they've grown so fast.
 
eman1200 said:
I canceled cable when I did primary, then kept it canceled for about 2 years or so. Then I felt a lil disconnected so I got directv. The coffee thing sounds silly but it was almost $2 for a regular cup at the office, forget it if you drink that fancy cr@p.
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Yep, we have not paid for cable service since we bought our own place in June. As for coffee, I only drink black.
asicer said:
Potty train your daughter. Have you ever totaled up the monthly diaper cost? Daycare sometimes charges less for potty trained kids, too.
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Valuable advice, thanks. As for diapers, we only use cloth. Disposables are only used as a last resort.
Tantalum said:
Reminds me of this thread from a few months ago: https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/what-have-you-sacrificed-for-aviation.103910/

It comes down mostly, I think, to just financial priorities. Some people go out every night, some people drive fancy cars, others travel, etc. And some... get to do all of that
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Thanks for that, the thread didn't pop up in my search. Yep, some people have it all! But, I don't necessarily envy them.
mscard88 said:
What about the Air National Guard? Join up and it's a part time job, sometimes more. After you're in the unit, depending on your age, apply for a pilot slot.
If you get that then the military pays you to learn to fly, and then you're building hours and making connections with fellow pilots in the unit, many of who fly for an airline. Great way to get into the airlines. You have the Air Force (Guard & Reserve), Navy, Army, and I'm not sure about the Coast Guard.
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This is one I've been told about several times. I have not wanted much to do with anything military, but if it gets me where I want to be I may reconsider.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I'll also advocate that you spend as much time with your family as you can. You've picked a pretty hard time to try to switch careers and learn how to fly. Your daughter will only be little once, and while the days may seem like they're going slowly now they'll be gone before you know it. The people I see who are gone all the time are missing out on a lot. Of course, everyone has to make their own choices, I just know that I'm glad that my job hasn't required a great deal of travel and allowed me to spend time with my kids.
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This is the wisest think anyone has ever posted on this site.

I have two daughters, one is a senior in high school, the other is a sophomore and just got her drivers license. The older one is currently deciding whether she wants to go to a school 800 miles away, or one that is 2200 miles away, eight months from now. Now that they both can drive, I see a lot less of them than I used to, especially the younger one.
 
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Ted DuPuis said:
How about your cars - do you have a payment on them? Do you drive cars that are expensive to own/maintain? Do you have more cars than you need?
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One car on loan that is halfway paid, a base model Honda Civic. In the three years we've had it the most we've spent on repairs is about $200. $400 if you include tires.

Ted DuPuis said:
Cloth diapers are definitely cheaper if you do it right. We saved about $2k/kid by doing cloth diapers. I've also seen people who've saved precisely $0, mostly by buying super expensive diapers.
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We have enjoyed those savings since day one. Coupled with HE laundry machines, it's a match made in heaven.

Ted DuPuis said:
No cable. You don't need it.

I'll also advocate that you spend as much time with your family as you can. You've picked a pretty hard time to try to switch careers and learn how to fly. Your daughter will only be little once, and while the days may seem like they're going slowly now they'll be gone before you know it. The people I see who are gone all the time are missing out on a lot. Of course, everyone has to make their own choices, I just know that I'm glad that my job hasn't required a great deal of travel and allowed me to spend time with my kids.
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Cable was never a necessity for us. Still isn't. We don't allow our kid any TV time, which consequently means none for us either. In these stages of development we make sure to engage with her as much as possible.

With my above-mentioned work schedule, I only see my family in the flesh two weeks out of the month. While that's been tough, the time off is true time off. Getting called in to work involves a 1h30m flight on a Boeing one way, which rarely happens.

I found myself complaining about how slowly the time off goes as my wife works 40 hours a week while I stay home to watch our baby. After some thought, I had identified with the above statement about long days and short years. Not a fun realization, and it still makes me sad to think about. This is where our no cable household really reaps benefits. Less screen time means more baby time.
 
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FormerHangie said:
This is the wisest think anyone has ever posted on this site.

I have two daughters, one is a senior in high school, the other is a sophomore and just got her drivers license. The older one is currently deciding whether she wants to go to a school 800 miles away, or one that is 2200 miles away, eight months from now. Now that they both can drive, I see a lot less of them than I used to, especially the younger one.
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One of the things I'm hoping is that my kids will maintain interest in flying (and Cloud Nine missions) as they get older and that they'll want to come along on those trips with me as they get older. Plus we fully intend on their first cars being projects to some degree that I'll help them on. They all have interest in flying, cars, motorcycles, etc. today and hopefully that will stay. They also have interest in horseback riding, although the stables we were going to lost a horse and now don't have a good horse for small kids.

But the milestones trickle on. The kids rarely take naps anymore, and the days of them taking naps snuggled up with me in the recliner are over. The kids still want bedtime stories, but some nights our son wants to play with Legos instead of stories. They still fall asleep cuddled up with my wife or me most nights. Our son is starting to ask difficult questions, and there are some harder ones that I know will come.
 
twinjet said:
What have you PoA folk had to sacrifice to get where you are with piloting? What helped you get there?
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Sacrifices.... personal life, social life, income, long hours, long time away from home, sleeping on a couch in isolated FBOs, sleeping in the back of the plane, living in pilot housing, putting up with chief pilots that have no clue what aviation is about but will assert their position over you, working with other pilots that will screw over everyone they can to try to improve their position, low pay, getting paychecks with insufficient funds, companies closing down with no advance notice, suing companies to get paid, moving several hundred miles to a new job only to find out that the contracts did not come through so there is no job, living with low/no income....etc....

What helped me get to where I am at now..??? See above, plus during that time I got hours flying those planes.

Sorry if I paint a bleak story. It can be done. Good luck to you.
 
Zeldman said:
Sacrifices.... personal life, social life, income, long hours, long time away from home, sleeping on a couch in isolated FBOs, sleeping in the back of the plane, living in pilot housing, putting up with chief pilots that have no clue what aviation is about but will assert their position over you, working with other pilots that will screw over everyone they can to try to improve their position, low pay, getting paychecks with insufficient funds, companies closing down with no advance notice, suing companies to get paid, moving several hundred miles to a new job only to find out that the contracts did not come through so there is no job, living with low/no income....etc....

What helped me get to where I am at now..??? See above, plus during that time I got hours flying those planes.

Sorry if I paint a bleak story. It can be done. Good luck to you.
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You can't research without the facts. I appreciate yours.
 
Hi.
I am not sure what stage you are at but you may want to find a current, typically older CFI, that you can fly with, or someone else that you can share expenses with. Many older CFIs will fly with you for free as long as you can show dedication and commitment. Try CAP (Civil Air Patrol) or some of your local clubs.
Buying and maintain your own plane can be expansive and time consuming, most find it more expensive than renting at a good club, org, like CAP.
The best way is to get your CFI and start accumulating hours.
 
Count me as another cloth diaper fan. I always was appalled and still am that people use disposable for anything except travel. It's horribly wasteful by my standards. I was the oldest of five and I was raised to help with the babies including diapering and with pins no less. I learned early the skill of pinnng a diaper on a squirming baby without sticking him. Diapers came in one size and you folded them different ways for different size babies. When mine came along I did make use of the newfangled Velcro diaper covers so I did away with pins, and I used a service so didn't wash them myself. I considered that much being a traitor to my heritage. My mother not only washed hers, for the first couple of kids she didn't even own a dryer and hung them out on the line.
 
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Best way to make a decent living in aviation is to marry someone who actually makes good money. ;)
 
twinjet said:
You can't research without the facts. I appreciate yours.
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I should have added that I seem to enjoy doing things the hard way, and that I was single at the time. Those times sound bleak but was great experience. I have been flying the air ambulance business for the last 10 years and the last few summers flying in Alaska.(except this summer) I am doing what I enjoy and that along with some other investments I am doing ok. Some folks enjoy the finer things in life, I enjoy getting my hands dirty and working outside.

Someone should have asked. Do you already have a pilot certificate?
 
This whole thread is more effed up than a football bat. What a vocational train wreck. I can't look away :D
MJ-popcorn.gif
 
bluesideup said:
Hi.
I am not sure what stage you are at but you may want to find a current, typically older CFI, that you can fly with, or someone else that you can share expenses with. Many older CFIs will fly with you for free as long as you can show dedication and commitment. Try CAP (Civil Air Patrol) or some of your local clubs.
Buying and maintain your own plane can be expansive and time consuming, most find it more expensive than renting at a good club, org, like CAP.
The best way is to get your CFI and start accumulating hours.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your advice. I am looking at local clubs to join but am also reading numerous to buy vs not-to-buy threads. Would love to buy a plane, but I don't have that kind of capital just yet!

Lachlan said:
Best way to make a decent living in aviation is to marry someone who actually makes good money. ;)
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Dang, I knew a social worker wouldn't get me anywhere!
Zeldman said:
I should have added that I seem to enjoy doing things the hard way, and that I was single at the time. Those times sound bleak but was great experience. I have been flying the air ambulance business for the last 10 years and the last few summers flying in Alaska.(except this summer) I am doing what I enjoy and that along with some other investments I am doing ok. Some folks enjoy the finer things in life, I enjoy getting my hands dirty and working outside.

Someone should have asked. Do you already have a pilot certificate?
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No certification of any sort. I have only just decided to make my career in flying last week after over 20 years of hoping.

hindsight2020 said:
This whole thread is more effed up than a football bat. What a vocational train wreck. I can't look away :D
View attachment 58707
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Hm? Why is that?
 
twinjet said:
No certification of any sort. I have only just decided to make my career in flying last week after over 20 years of hoping.
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Ok, cool, that give us a starting point.

First thing to do, If you haven't already, is find a reputable AME and find out if you will pass the 1st class medical.
 
bluerooster said:
With two of us working full time, at different jobs. I found that we need 3 cars paid for. One for each of us to drive, and a spare for when the inevitable happens.
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That’s what we do, too.
 
bluerooster said:
With two of us working full time, at different jobs. I found that we need 3 cars paid for. One for each of us to drive, and a spare for when the inevitable happens.
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Close. We have two paid for cars and a paid for motorcycle. Serves the same purpose, but more fun for me.
 
Zeldman said:
Ok, cool, that give us a starting point.

First thing to do, If you haven't already, is find a reputable AME and find out if you will pass the 1st class medical.
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I would argue the first thing to do is bare your aeromedical soul here; DUIs, ADHD, psychoses, medical marijuana, seizures, and any other potentially disqualifying conditions.

Then, let everyone recommend you get in touch with Doc Bruce and don’t post about it anymore on the internet, in fact too much has already been said and just delete the thread and figure out a way to erase the internet.

Seriously, for someone (Not you, @Zeldman) who is considering flying, the AME is not the first place to start. The first place to start is the FAA’s Guide for Aeromedical Examiners and a CONSULT on whether or not any of of the crap on the medical is going to cause you a problem.
 
Goats work for me but others have reported success with chickens. For electrical problems, toasters. Definitely toasters.

Nauga,
who sometimes lives near a volcano
 
nauga said:
Goats work for me but others have reported success with chickens. For electrical problems, toasters. Definitely toasters.

Nauga,
who sometimes lives near a volcano
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Goats and chickens are multi-purpose animals. Goats mow the lawn and provide milk. Chickens lay eggs and eat bugs.

Sacrifice pig or rabbit as they only serve one purpose.
 
I had to pick up some extra shifts flying the work plane to pimp out my personal plane a little.

Flying...it's a sickness lol
 
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