I'm not your usual "i wanna fly for the airlines" type guy... my dream is to fly float plane tours, but i'm sure i'll save that for retirement... I'd love to fly cargo or corporate... i'm thinking i can stay with my company now and get into corporate, I work for att
Most backcountry pilots I know do it for the "love of flying", already own their aircraft outright (no loans) and the land their bases are on. Pilots for larger backcountry operations typically have either years and years of experience, and are paid mediocrely or are complete newbies living in shared quarters/bunkhouses with other youngsters. Dragging a family into that world is really hard.
Benefits are virtually unheard of. If you think being broke is bad, try broke and sick.
Cargo and corporate folks usually have thousands, and more often tens of thousands of hours in specific type aircraft the company "needs" and they knew someone personally to get a recommendation to work for that company.
Not trying to dash your dreams, but the sacrifice level is exceedingly high in aviation for a living.
My first flight instructor is now on wife #4 and flies 777s for Continental/United. But I saw his lean years.
He had ten years of flying experience instructing at a small nearly-always-bankrupt 2-year aviation college with virtually no pay to speak of. He was skinny and it wasn't by choice.
He worked hard, applied to an airline and got three years of Beech 1900 time, then a number of years on the ATR-42/72, then back to the bottom of the totem pole at Continental in 737s, 757/767, and eventually 777 First Officer. He will retire as an FO on that aircraft.
He continued to instruct on the side during the Commuter years. Most companies now make you sign that you won't do that, since they're worried you'll time yourself out. Maybe you could get away with it to get extra cash but not log it. I don't know.
He got lucky and never had a furlough. In the middle of all that I never once saw him drive a car newer than ten years old, he had a bout with cancer that could have ended his entire flying career cold, and debt...
He's a good friend and the only way he survived was to never pay for ANY flying with debt, ever. His houses and other things as he had to move around the country almost bankrupted him multiple times.
I share this not to discourage you but to give you a dose of reality. If you're willing to be dead-broke poor for 30 years, with a bit of fiscal success toward the very end IF you don't get furloughed/laid off... Flying is a great career with many rewarding days ahead.
He now has a nice house in Arizona, a Toyota pickup, a convertible for fun and a motorcycle. He still has to commute to Newark to go to work and he's only a few years from the new mandatory Part 121 retirement age of 65.
Flying for a living is a great way to be b-r-o-k-e but maybe happy. Make sure your wife's on board with the broke part, or you're in for a world of problems.
