TO THE PEOPLE WHO THINK AIRLINES ARE NOT THE BEST JOB

[TopperHarley]

Enjoy your ride to the top VMC. Next time maybe try laying off the JD when you make a post.

[SkyWolfe]

Why would it have to be the airlines is my question.

[bandit1]

WTF?

Not everybody is into flying big jets.

For some it's fun, for others it's not.

[SAR_YQQ]

I prefer to fly - vice push buttons.

[Nark]

What YQQ said and

I'd like to know that my pension will be there when I retire.
Not getting layed off = steady paycheck.
Not having to commute to live in affordable house in a nice neighborhood.
Not have to make 18,000/year just to get my head in the door to get a chance to fly a shiny jet.

I doubt you'll ever hear me say, "Heavy" on any plane I'll fly.

[. ._]

All of them switches and knobs and dials confuse me.

I like keeping things simple.

-istp

[Doc]

Hey, way too many airline pilots die at 61-65! Must be all that pesky radiation!
Some like the "personal touch" of knowing everyone they work with. Home, perhaps every night. No "PITA" base bids. Not having to "strut" through terminals in a spiffy (read girly) uniform. Not having to deal with retina scanners, security checks, red tags, and all the related BS. Not having to commute through the GTA to Pearson. Not having to park at Pearson? Being able to pack a Swiss Army knife in your flight bag. Not having to even carry a flight bag. Knowing some (if not all) you passengers. Having you passengers know you by name......

[Brint]

I like working at a company where I can hang out with the boss, know everyone at the company and not be just another number.

[SkyWolfe]

I like working at a company where I can hang out with the boss, know everyone at the company and not be just another number.

What? The thought of being a number rather then a person doesn't appeal to you?

[Smitty]

I have flown with quite a few guys who thought that flying corporate and bush was it and would never have considered the airline life for many of the reasons listed above. But now they would never consider going back and their lifestyle and money has got much, much better versus their previous life.

Maybe not for everyone, but certainly food for thought.

[flying4dollars]

Why would it have to be the airlines is my question.

cuz its the only avenue in aviation geez

[sky's the limit]

Why? Because Staff Parking at airports is generally the pits...... And my current parking space is a little hard to give up.


stl

[Uncle Leo]

I always wonder how those cute little machines manage to longline your ego into the air.

Ya landed a helicopter on a rock, and if you didn't do it, someone else would have. Same as any of our jobs.

[Go Guns]

I thought it was a good answer stl. nice shot at the very least

[Rowdy]

Look at the initial pay at ANY of the major operators.. What a joke!! Even the tier 3 ops have shit pay. All for what? That dorky little hat and a coat with stripes on the sleeves? Sure someday 25 years from now you'll be making okay money and have a pension.. but who wants to starve in their younger years when they don't have to? Lots of way better options out there if you ask me.

Pick whichever path makes you happy. We're not all career bush guys and not everyone wants to be a jet brat.

I personally don't care for the Airline life.. I grew up around it and it's just not for me. That and I'd have to be paid huge amounts of $$$ to ever consider moving to Toronto.

[sky's the limit]

I always wonder how those cute little machines manage to longline your ego into the air.

Ya landed a helicopter on a rock, and if you didn't do it, someone else would have. Same as any of our jobs.

Having an inferiority moment are we Leo???

You crack me up. Of course someone else would do it you twit, in fact my cross-shift does it the day after I leave.... By that logic, or lack thereof, nobody should be ski guides, travel writers, or any other profession that has some fun built into it. Ego has absolutely nothing to do with it, as I'm sure you understand, ego its what gets you in trouble in that cute little machine...

Hate to break it to you buddy, but it ain't about you.... There was a question asked, that's my answer.... the airline life isn't for me, and as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

There are plenty of people on this site with similar photos of float planes, ski planes, and helicopters, I just happened to post one. Talk to ., Rowdy, BMC, or any of that crowd, they all have 'em.

stl

[ettw]

I'm just changing jobs to fly Hawker 748 and ATR 42s and I have to say that I am really torn. I LOVE the Twin Otter and the "bush" work we get to do with it but my move to the "airlines" is purely money related, ie. retirement. If the money could be matched where I am now, I'd stay....no question.

Thats my 2 cents

Cheers,

ETTW

[water wings]

WHY? so i don't have to sit next to you for 15 hours...

[PilotFlying]

Look at the initial pay at ANY of the major operators.. What a joke!! Even the tier 3 ops have @#$! pay. All for what? That dorky little hat and a coat with stripes on the sleeves? Sure someday 25 years from now you'll be making okay money and have a pension.. but who wants to starve in their younger years when they don't have to? Lots of way better options out there if you ask me.

@#$! pay, jet brat, button pushers...

C'mon guys, seriously. We all have passions for this job, and the guys driving the heavy metal are no different. I respect completely the fact that flying the airlines is not everyone's cup of tea. But you need to equally respect that for a lot of guys it is. Believe it or not, a lot of people still find something glamorous in the feat of bringing a 500 000 pound machine into the air. The majority of people I know are not in it for the money, and especially not in it for the costume.

True, the starting pay for some may be on the low side. But within 3 years, I think you'll find that you're making more than a lot of people will ever see.

True, an Airbus driver does more button pushing than a Beaver driver. But in reality, whether you steer a course by turning a wheel or twisting a knob, you're still the one driving the airplane. You call the shots. And even that being said, jets have wheels too, and there are a lot more guys than you may think who enjoy using it.

Really, though, this isn't a contest of who makes more money or who flies a more 'manly' airplane. We all have our passions, and we all (for the most part) love what we do. Airbusses or Beavers, monkey suits or torn jeans - I think beyond that we're all the same guys doing the same jobs we love.

[Highflyinpilot]

Excellent reply pilotflying, I agree with you 100% on that one.

[Rowdy]

PF.. I don't disagree and was not trying to be down on anyone. To each his own. If you want to go airline and are thrilled (like I know you are) to be driving the big machinery around and staring at pretty glass screens all the power to you. There is something cool about the size and capabilities of airline pilots and their machines. But it is not the be all and end all to everyone! I make no cracks about the actual responsibilities of those fine folk in the bus's and boeings, solely the attitude of a few and the low low initial wages.

I'm perfectly happy to encourage anyone with those plans to make their way to the airline. Go for it!! I'm not knocking it at all. The main thing is to be happy with what you're doing. I'm just advising anyone that does not have their heart set on it to take a good look around and see what else aviation in it's great entirety has to offer. Tons of specialized and not so specialized ends. We truly have a very unique world to explore as commercial pilots. We have lots and lots of options. More now than they did 30 years ago thats for sure!

I only make fun of the caps because my head is so ridiculously big and bald that they don't fit!!

Ohh and ettw... You had better make some appearances when you move over to the other side. You'll be missed by many. Cheers Bud!



Whether THIS be your cup of tea...



Or this.. It really makes no difference so long as you're happy!!

[F,D and H]

I think that I must be part of the Pepsi generation...

I'm in my late 20's, I'm not married, I don't own a house and I don't know what I want to do when I grow up...

I have a few thousand hours now, my toes have been dipped in bush, corporate charter and commuter airline and I've enjoyed every hour. Maybe I was fortunate enought to enter this industry without desire to go one way or another. I am pretty sure that my current situation isn't the one that I want to retire in, but what I'm not sure is WHERE I would like to hang them up.

It would be hard for me to chop 2/3 of my salary to make an attempt at the big iron, but not every entry level airline job starts at minimum wage and if the right opportunity arose then I may still be interested.

[YWGVOR]

Because 99.9% of the time Im going going HOME at the end of the day where I can sleep, train, and eat normal food... I hate hotels, I hate hotel food, and I hate bicycles made for fat people in the so called "fitness facilities" hotels offer...

Hotels are for vacation, and thats all!! If I wanna go babysit a computer I'll go back to programming and get paid accordingly for it...

[Hedley]

Everyone should try to do what makes them happy.
But everyone is different, so different things will make
different people happy. This is really not very hard to
understand.

Personally, airline flying looks deathly boring to me.
The money might be ok, but IMHO there are a lot of
easier ways to make more money than you can by
flying a bus, and you don't have to live in hotels to
do it, either.

Also, as an employee, you will pay heavy taxes once
you start earning a decent wage in Canada. This
gets worse if you have to support an ex-wife or
two, which is often the case with pilots (see hotel
life above). Of course, if you're a non-resident
overseas, paying no taxes and no ex-wives, that's
a different story!

But to each, his own.

[erics2b]

CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL