Flying verses a typical job

Cpt_Kirk said:
Sure, I get bored at times... but then I take a step back and think about how lucky I am to be doing this for a living.

How do you keep from getting bored? Challenge yourself. Make the next leg smoother and safer than the previous. Think everything through. Excel in what you do. Your passengers want the best pilot up in that front seat. Be that pilot.

Have pride in yourself and your job. People get bored because they let themselves get bored and take things for granted.

I hand fly every single airplane up to altitude, regardless of conditions or difficulty in the procedure. It keeps you sharp. I set goals for my landings and try to meet them every time.

To be honest, I don't feel like I've worked a real day in the past year that I've had this job.
Click to expand...

I appreciate what you're saying, but I wonder... why excel when your pay and job security are dictated mainly by seniority? You can be the best stick-n-rudder guy who always finds the most efficient route and smoothest air, but at furlough time it's LIFO by rule. Why?

Wanna change jobs? Get ready to lose seniority and start over as a ****bag noob at the new carrier.

Terrible system. Not just pilots either.

My advice to the OP is that nowhere is it written that you have to love your job. If you have a job, be happy and do it well. Lots of kids have useless BA degrees and **** tons of debt. If you can get a job with your degree, do it. Pay off your debt and fly for fun.
 
petrolero said:
I appreciate what you're saying, but I wonder... why excel when your pay and job security are dictated mainly by seniority? You can be the best stick-n-rudder guy who always finds the most efficient route and smoothest air, but at furlough time it's LIFO by rule. Why?

Wanna change jobs? Get ready to lose seniority and start over as a ****bag noob at the new carrier.

Terrible system. Not just pilots either.

My advice to the OP is that nowhere is it written that you have to love your job. If you have a job, be happy and do it well. Lots of kids have useless BA degrees and **** tons of debt. If you can get a job with your degree, do it. Pay off your debt and fly for fun.
Click to expand...

Why not consider an aviation career other than airline? While I generally agree with you about the seniority system I have several friends that have found very successful careers in 121 they find rewarding. like any other career decision it should be made with careful consideration. Why so negative??
 
I'd be very wary of the advice "Do something that you love and you'll never work a day in your life." In reality the things that we love, or the aspects we love about certain things, often aren't monetizable and so doing your hobby for a living will either make you poor or make you hate your hobby. If you're real lucky then it will do both.

It's easy to romanticize a situation you aren't in, and fall in love with opportunities that don't exist. The smart thing to do is get out of debt and make a decent living however you able so that you can pay for your PPL flying. You could easily go broke and lose your passion for aviation on the path to becoming a professional bus driver.

This is true of all careers, by the way. It's better to make a ton of money and afford the things you enjoy in your free time than it is to love a job paycheck to paycheck. Those who are able to make a good income doing work that they love are truly blessed -- it's not an option available to most people.
 
petrolero said:
I appreciate what you're saying, but I wonder... why excel when your pay and job security are dictated mainly by seniority?
Click to expand...

Because I love to fly, and to do this job in any manner other than to the best of my ability would make me sick to my stomach.
 
Ifly international for one of the majors. After 20 years I still enjoy my job. Don't let the airline bashers dissuade you.
Most people will tell those looking to get into aviation to get a degree in something other than aviation, you did that so good on you.
If I was in your place I'd strongly suggest looking at the military route, especially check into the Guard.
 
Follow your heart. You are young, but if you don't follow your heart then later in life you will always have "what ifs". It's not so simple for older people with occupations and family. If you are single, and young, follow your heart, and make the most of it. You won't have any regrets. I don't have any specific advice regarding pursuing a career in aviation beyond what has been said. If the flying doesn't work out it won't take all that long to know it. You can still jump into what you have your degrees in, and then deal with flying later.
 
Some of these responses are really disingenuous to the OP. Why do people feel the need to bash a guy who asks a genuine question? In my opinion it's in poor taste.

Anyway, I'll offer this up, I'm not a pilot by trade, I'm a teacher. I've thought about switching careers too but I really enjoy my job and the work each day. What I've strongly considered doing, and probably will do, is teach till I'm in my 50's, retire, collect retirement, and then go pursue an aviation career whether it be CFI or regional airline or charter or something like that. My plan is to slowly get more ratings and make that pursuit fun while having a full source of income along the way. This plan makes sense to me. I say that now but life has an uncanny knack of taking well thought out plans and chucking then aside.
 
Last edited:
Tarheelpilot said:
That someone called airline 3d bus driving is just their opinion. While true for that poster it might not be true for others.
Click to expand...


No, it's 100% true. Driving a busload(plane) of people to another bus station(airport). There is no difference other than the actual node of travel. Airline pilots are glorified Greyhound drivers.

I'm not a commercial pilot, nor will I ever be or have a desire to be. My observation is from outside the circle of trust. But I can see where bus drivers....err...airline pilots would like to see them selves as something more than what they a really are.
 
Unit74 said:
No, it's 100% true. Driving a busload(plane) of people to another bus station(airport). There is no difference other than the actual node of travel. Airline pilots are glorified Greyhound drivers.
Click to expand...

Most people on this board own or fly airplanes because they enjoy it. It's just like driving a car, right? Same thing - just operating a machine to get from one place to another. So why do we spend all that time and money to happily operate one machine that flies through the air, while we think nothing of the drive to the airport? Why is one a hobby and the other not, when there's no difference other than the actual mode of travel?

Anyway, I don't do this job to impress anyone, so you can call it whatever you want. And technically you're absolutely right. But I'd think most people, especially on this board, make a distinction emotionally between their pilot's certificate and their driver's license. It's *not* the same thing to them.
 
I thought you said you were looking at going in the military. What happened with that route? You'd be getting paid to get your ratings and paying your student debt off in the process.
 
Unit74 said:
No, it's 100% true. Driving a busload(plane) of people to another bus station(airport). There is no difference other than the actual node of travel. Airline pilots are glorified Greyhound drivers.

I'm not a commercial pilot, nor will I ever be or have a desire to be. My observation is from outside the circle of trust. But I can see where bus drivers....err...airline pilots would like to see them selves as something more than what they a really are.
Click to expand...

Yeah, let's go through some bus driver in the cockpit, chances are we won't even be able to start the engines, where as I could probably operate his bus

You're not even a CPL and you think you even have a clue what it's like to fly for a living, please. But hey, you're entitled to a opinion, even a poorly thought out baseless one.
 
James331 said:
Yeah, let's go through some bus driver in the cockpit, chances are we won't even be able to start the engines, where as I could probably operate his bus

You're not even a CPL and you think you even have a clue what it's like to fly for a living, please. But hey, you're entitled to a opinion, even a poorly thought out baseless one.
Click to expand...
:yes::thumbsup:
 
rt4388 said:
Thank you. Honestly, at this point I would almost rather delete the thread and rely on google than listen to people's advice on something I didn't ask about when they only know a couple of paragraphs about me
Click to expand...

Take any advice you get from the internet with a grain of salt... which is also advice so it's a crazy paradox!!! Ultimately you'll need to figure out what you want to do and make your decisions.

It doesn't appear that a career in aviation is anything different than any other industry. For example I started in IT after the military and my first job paid $28K a year in the mid 90s. Now IT isn't based on seniority or anything like that and I was able to get $50K within 2 years and have consistently moved up from there. 20 years later I make substantially more and am fortunate enough to be able to splurge on flying and things like building an airplane. I am all out obsessed with aviation now.

James331 said:
Yeah, let's go through some bus driver in the cockpit, chances are we won't even be able to start the engines, where as I could probably operate his bus
Click to expand...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plEOMCX6oqY
 
James331 said:
Yeah, let's go through some bus driver in the cockpit, chances are we won't even be able to start the engines, where as I could probably operate his bus
Click to expand...

Oh hush up, you glorified ambulance driver!

:D
 
Unit74 said:
Flying commercial airlines, in my world, you are little more than a bus driver in 3D. I really don't think they are the epitome of accomplishment. .
Click to expand...

A little misinformed there, envious? I did 24 years and enjoyed it. There is a lot more involved than "little more than a bus driver" friend. Perhaps you shouldn't slam a professional profession if you don't know what the hell you're talking about. Check ride every 6 months. FAA inspector flying unannounced on your jump seat watching your performance. In "your world" have you shot a Cat 2 or Cat 3 ILS, experienced a fire while airborne, lose an engine, lose pressurization etc ? Ah didn't think so. :nono:
 
Last edited:
Unit74 said:
No, it's 100% true. Driving a busload(plane) of people to another bus station(airport). There is no difference other than the actual node of travel. Airline pilots are glorified Greyhound drivers.

I'm not a commercial pilot, nor will I ever be or have a desire to be. My observation is from outside the circle of trust. But I can see where bus drivers....err...airline pilots would like to see them selves as something more than what they a really are.
Click to expand...

You are so full of yourself friend. :rolleyes:
 
petrolero said:
I appreciate what you're saying, but I wonder... why excel when your pay and job security are dictated mainly by seniority? You can be the best stick-n-rudder guy who always finds the most efficient route and smoothest air, but at furlough time it's LIFO by rule. Why?

Wanna change jobs? Get ready to lose seniority and start over as a ****bag noob at the new carrier.

Terrible system. Not just pilots either.

My advice to the OP is that nowhere is it written that you have to love your job. If you have a job, be happy and do it well. Lots of kids have useless BA degrees and **** tons of debt. If you can get a job with your degree, do it. Pay off your debt and fly for fun.
Click to expand...
I don't work for a 121 or in a company where seniority governs everything. I do my job well because I want to be the best. The guys that I fly for aren't tied to us through a contract. If we make one mistake and they notice, there goes my job. The better I do, the more I stay well-liked in their eyes, and the more $$$ that comes to me.

We already have one guy who ******* and moans about every single penny. I can't wait to cut him off. I don't want to waste my talent on someone like him.

It's a matter of both pride and job security.

In fact, I just made the best damn V35 Bonanza landing I've ever made about 15 minutes ago. My passenger noticed. A safe, smooth flight is a bigger deal than most people realize.

kayoh190 said:
Oh hush up, you glorified ambulance driver!

:D
Click to expand...
:lol:
 
I would get a job with your degree and fly on the side and earn additional ratings. If you start flying professionally a few years later it won't hurt and you need to build time anyway. If you go into a flying career debt free with all of your ratings complete and some money saved up you will be much better off.
 
Interesting thread. My take on your title is that, "Flying verses" are a litany of poems which are written by a flying individual who may or not be a pilot. Writers most commonly get paid upon publication and that can often be a lengthy road to "fly." If you are of a poetic nature and can create marketable prose while in the aviation cockpit, more power and lift to your chosen career. However, be certain to proof and edit the prose you chose for proper spelling and choice of words. There is a difference between "verses" and versus. :eek:)

HR
 
I'm late to this thread and am not a professional pilot but I'll toss in my two cents plus some for what it might be worth.

I'd suggest that you get a job utilizing your current degrees, preferably a job that pays fairly well. This will allow you to pay off your current debt and also allow you to continue flying, building hours and adding ratings. If you pursue the flying for a career angle as a full time endeavor now, you will likely just increase your debt and not be making any money and might end up giving up. Getting a good job now allows you to pay off your debt, continue flying and perhaps get started on other things in life that require money.

You are still young and have plenty of time to make a career change later on. You will note from reading some of the responses to this thread and other threads that not everyone chose to pursue pro flying early in life. There is no need to. You can still get there. Though, I would advise that you continue to work towards it by flying whenever other obligations allow you to. Do not stop flying with the intent to pick it up later. The years fly by all to quickly.

As you add ratings and hours, you might very well discover that flying for a career is absolutely what you want to do. But if it is not, at least you will be established in your other career and at the same time have the skills to enjoy aviation as the great hobby it can be. Win-Win!

Oh by the way, most of us don't really care where you got your money... as long as you didn't inherit it. That is against POA standards. :D

OP, that last line is a nod to another thread and not really directed at you. You will find there are a few narrow minded spiteful people on here who can make the POA experience seem not worth it. Yet, there is plenty of great advice to be had here as well which makes the former more tolerable.

What ever you decide... Good Luck!
 
^Agreed, SkyDog.

Get a job utilizing one of your degrees and get your debt paid off. Fly Pt 61 to get your IR and build up hours for the CPL. Cheapest way is Pt 61 for the instruction and likely buying into a flying club/partnership for the time building. You'll be able to move at your own pace and minimize the overhead associated with 121 flight schools or FBO rentals.

After that, it's all about hours and ratings. So, up until you have the CPL, there's not much of a "career" consideration to be made.
 
I also agree with the above posters. Reading the OPs post again I realize that I was in a similar situation; about to graduate college but not that enthused about what I had studied. I had gotten the PPL during college but only looked at it as a hobby. I took the middle road of getting job which was not exactly related to my major but allowed my to fly as a non-pilot crewmember in small airplanes doing mapping. I got the rest of my ratings very slowly. I ended up doing mapping for a long time then a combination of charter/air ambulance/corporate.

I wouldn't try to talk someone into being a pilot, but I wouldn't try to discourage them either. The only advice I would give is to go into it with your eyes open and realize it is a job, with all the baggage that goes along with it. Any job will be like that.
 
Unit74 said:
No, it's 100% true. Driving a busload(plane) of people to another bus station(airport). There is no difference other than the actual node of travel. Airline pilots are glorified Greyhound drivers.

I'm not a commercial pilot, nor will I ever be or have a desire to be. My observation is from outside the circle of trust. But I can see where bus drivers....err...airline pilots would like to see them selves as something more than what they a really are.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and doctors are glorified nurses, lawyers are glorified clerks pushing paper and teachers are glorified babysitters.

Flying a "bus" at 500 mph to interesting places all over the map while dealing with challenging weather and complex arrivals and approaches into some of the busiest airports in the world seems a whole lot more interesting and challenging than driving a bus, but to each their own!

(A nice side perk is being able to jump on almost any airliner going anywhere in the world for free. Free bus rides...if they have that perk...seem somewhat less interesting to me.)
 
Unit74 said:
No, it's 100% true. Driving a busload(plane) of people to another bus station(airport). There is no difference other than the actual node of travel. Airline pilots are glorified Greyhound drivers.

I'm not a commercial pilot, nor will I ever be or have a desire to be. My observation is from outside the circle of trust. But I can see where bus drivers....err...airline pilots would like to see them selves as something more than what they a really are.
Click to expand...

Whatever,...... so you have never done the job and admit you don't have a commercial license but you are really sure thats the way it is. I have the ATP and have done the job and tell the op that it can be a rewarding career depending on the individuals goals, personal life etc. Yet you insist you know better......


Sure..
 
There are other ways to make a living flying other than doing the airline thing. I get to wear dirty clothes to work, hang out with my friends, and sleep in my own bed every night. The flying is challenging, and hard work, but very rewarding.
 
You guys are great.... Look at how butt hurt and all fired up you get when someone points out the obvious.

Get in, push button, plane flies itself, get out, go to crash pad and wait for the next bus ride.

Boys, I don't need your creds to point out facts. Understand why your panties get icky when I say big iron pilots are bus drivers. I do. You even get to wear cool ID cards on lanyards. Uber cool, right? It's insulting to your job you take offense to. Or, a lack of appreciation. No different than if I tell an architect his bldg looks effin uglier than a witches left butt cheek. Is your work product.

But the facts are the same. You drive a machine around with sardines in the cargo hold from place to place. It's not a trip to the moon, nor is it blowing up terrorist in a foreign land. The "pilot" is a systems manager from take off to landing.

That's my opinion, not yours. Like it or not, I stand by it.
 
Unit74 said:
You guys are great.... Look at how butt hurt and all fired up you get when someone points out the obvious.

Get in, push button, plane flies itself, get out, go to crash pad and wait for the next bus ride.

Boys, I don't need your creds to point out facts. Understand why your panties get icky when I say big iron pilots are bus drivers. I do. You even get to wear cool ID cards on lanyards. Uber cool, right? It's insulting to your job you take offense to. Or, a lack of appreciation. No different than if I tell an architect his bldg looks effin uglier than a witches left butt cheek. Is your work product.

But the facts are the same. You drive a machine around with sardines in the cargo hold from place to place. It's not a trip to the moon, nor is it blowing up terrorist in a foreign land. The "pilot" is a systems manager from take off to landing.

That's my opinion, not yours. Like it or not, I stand by it.
Click to expand...
The fact is you're insulting thousands of people who worked very hard to get where they are at and saying their job is worthless. Do you really not see that? I'd get pretty upset if someone was insulting my profession that took probably 20+ years for most of the guys here to achieve.
 
Unit74 said:
You guys are great.... Look at how butt hurt and all fired up you get when someone points out the obvious.

Get in, push button, plane flies itself, get out, go to crash pad and wait for the next bus ride.

Boys, I don't need your creds to point out facts. Understand why your panties get icky when I say big iron pilots are bus drivers. I do. You even get to wear cool ID cards on lanyards. Uber cool, right? It's insulting to your job you take offense to. Or, a lack of appreciation. No different than if I tell an architect his bldg looks effin uglier than a witches left butt cheek. Is your work product.

But the facts are the same. You drive a machine around with sardines in the cargo hold from place to place. It's not a trip to the moon, nor is it blowing up terrorist in a foreign land. The "pilot" is a systems manager from take off to landing.

That's my opinion, not yours. Like it or not, I stand by it.
Click to expand...

Because it's more glamorous to kill folks you don't even know for some senators special interests, just to pay for free college?

I can get job as a bus driver with no experience, never touched a bus, right now, best of luck just walking into a flying level job without ever touching a aircraft.

I'm not a airline guy, but if you think that's all I do as a working pilot you haven't a clue.
 
My parents both worked for United and my dad knew the Captain of UA232 which crash landed in Sioux City. I am sure everyone on that plane was glad to not have a bus driver up front. I missed being on that flight by a couple days. The guys up front are in no way "bus drivers"
 
Unit74 said:
You even get to wear cool ID cards on lanyards.
Click to expand...

Amen! People who put their ID cards on lanyards are chumps! Alligator clips on your shirt pocket is the only way to go... or better yet you're so awesome that you don't need to sport an ID card when everyone else does.
 
Do you fly airplanes? If so, why? And what is it that you do for a living?
 
DesertNomad said:
My parents both worked for United and my dad knew the Captain of UA232 which crash landed in Sioux City. I am sure everyone on that plane was glad to not have a bus driver up front. I missed being on that flight by a couple days. The guys up front are in no way "bus drivers"
Click to expand...

One of the best displays of creative airmanship and CRM ever. Not bad for a few button pushing bus drivers.
 
Oh the question wasn't for me...
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top