The Opportunity Cost of Becoming a Career Pilot

Bob you obviously are not aware of the new Delta and American contracts.

 

All pay rates can be found and compared here:

Home | AirlinePilotCentral.com

Click on category of airline, specific airline, then scroll down. My bid line guarantee for a four week month is 68 hours, 85 for five week months. That's the MINIMUM. Some lines pay more, considerably more.

The best part of my job is the time off and the flexibility it affords.

 

My best friend and my old copilot is a buss capt at AA. Do you know something he doesn't BTW, every year hi is up on the 1,000 limit.

 

My friend that I mentioned the bus capt, his dad used to fly for Tigers. Made $300K in mid 70's. Was gone for 2 weeks then off for at least 2 or 3 weeks. Unfortunately those days are gone.

 

Lou, Damion.....you guys both know I could hook you up in 'film' hahahah.

I think SWA and Jet Blue have the business model of the future. You cant have guys making $200k+ working a few days a month plus a big retirement AND make money.

Rcallahan, he probably picks up every trip he can, especially if he is hitting 1,000 hours a year. Thats a lot of flying. Im lucky (or unlucky) if I hit 400 a year. I may be gone half the year but its sitting on my butt in a hotel room for a week. Im not flying every day of my rotation like a SWA guy does.

 

It's my friend at America West, USAir, AA or what it's called now. No picking up trips but he is always bucking the 1000 hours. I know lots of flying and all the hassles of the airport stuff.

I really wish all of the sked guys made the money of yesterday with the time off at home. when I flew international it was a big month if I flew more that 65 hour.

 

Yes, hourly employees but paid by the trip. It's complicated. I've never flown more than 350/yr at FedEx. Of course 75% of that was in the middle of the night and domestic.

 

I'm really curious about the new Delta/American contracts discussed. Several of my part time guys are flying for those airlines as their other job and I'm gotta ask them now.

Not bad.... There have been a lot of times where I was flying 100 hours a month in the Air Force.

 

I try to shy away from compensation conversations in the cockpit, they never end well.

The gap between corporate VS. airline pay has shrunk considerably. It varies from market to market but, this is the Pro Pilot survey from 2014. I think its a little low but then again I live in L.A. (high cost of living).

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/corporate/82025-link-2014-pro-pilot-salary-study.html

Edit....I found the 2014 survey

 

I see his location is Canada, so this might not apply. But if he's American and it does, Amen, Jim. It's an awesome gig if you can get hired off the street for a UPT slot. The only downside is that you won't have continuous employment once you finish training and your prog tour. Best way around this is to get a civilian job first, so that way you will have a job go to back to when you are a traditional reservist (USERRA laws protect your job). Then, you can get an airline job once you have the hours and ratings. You will have good connections too. I am one of only a few people in my unit that is not an airline pilot.

I like hearing about all the cool stories pilots in the military tell about all the things they've done and the experiences they've had. Can't wait to do that stuff myself.

 

It looks like Canada has reserve forces as well, although I don't know if they would do pilot training in the reserves. You might have to go active duty for a longer period of time.

EDIT: It does appear that you can do a direct entry into the Canadian Forces Reserves, as a pilot, although I imagine those slots are not easy to get.

http://www.forces.ca/en/job/pilot-32

 

You say that now..... I see the flying business a lot like the porn business. I'm not in the porn business and my evidence is purely anecdotal but from what I hear the way into the "promised land" where you are banging barely legal nubile nymphos involves a long and HARD road though the nether regions of the industry to include gay porn. Now it's one thing to say that you are willing to live a spartan lifestyle but it's another to get on the 'ol "cockpit" casting couch to get where you think you need to be. I'm not gonna tell you the military is a great place, it has a lot of stupid ****. But it also pays reasonably well and let's you train and build a lot of time on someone else's dime.

 

That is something only you can decide. On the plus side your dad probably won't accidentally find a video of you getting paid $5 to fly a semI flight worthy turboprop through a thunderstorm to mins on an ILS on Pornhub. On the downside you will still have to blow a Pakistani cab driver just to get to the motel 6 where you, the alcoholic copilot and a pre-op tranny flight attendant will be spending the night for "crew rest". It's a ****ing dismal life and the sooner you realize your dreams are merely nightmares you haven't woken up from the better off you wil be.

 

I really think you should consider the military option. However, if you don't want to do that, this guy's blog should be required reading:

Taking Wing

Start at the beginning. He's a pilot at a major airline now (hired quite recently), but it's taken him at least 10+ years to get there-- after he got his first professional flying job.

First, a little background... | Taking Wing

Also keep in mind that throughout his entire career, he's been married to a lady with a steady income...

 

The Major airline contracts are finally getting better while the regional airline ones continue to deteriorate. We recently voted no on a concessionary contract along with another large regional and they're slowly dismantling us. The regionals used to be a stepping stone, but at 9 years next month for myself, it's no longer the case post 9/11. It is truly an industry like no other. I am optimistic however, as there is a shortage at this level. My company alone lost 147 pilots in January to attrition.

 

Cresko, nice to meet you. Might have to zoom in to see the name on my old plane.

 

How did he get in it? Airstair door have a lift?

 

Light weight plane only chair. Bodyguard on the top and one of us on the bottom, one step at a time. There is a company in Germany that makes a battery operated chair that climbs up and down airstairs......really slick.

 

This thread has defiantly taken a turn I did not see coming...

I read his articles in Flying Magazine....great stuff, and if I remember correctly he spend time sleeping on the couch at the flight school in Pomona Ca... Don't remember him having to "Blow a Pakistani cab driver" at any point, so that's a positive

 

And it can also get you shot at :/