Airline Flying- does it really just become a "job" after some time?

[shon7]

Have been talking to a lot of disgruntled pilots lately. Also checked out the wannabe archive and came across posts by boeing boy.. .. . Anyway the opinions I have been hearing are to the effect that after a while airline flying becomes just a job and nothing else- gone is the thrill/ the passion etc. etc. etc. Management treats you like dirt and you have to answer to people who cannot even spell aviation. . .. . Given the current scenario and the layoffs a lot of pilots shared this sentiment with me. One told me fly as a hobby only.. .. . . .Any comments/suggestions regarding this? . .. .I still can't believe that flying a wide-body would seem just like a job after years?

[Pegasus77]

Dear Shon7,. .. .I can't think of any pilot who doesn't complain about the management. It seems that is all professional pilots do all day long, just don't pay any attention, it comes along with the job-description.. .. .BUT, the good news is, most of them are pretty content with what they do, with the freedom the job gives, and especially with perfect handflown approaches in nice weather with fantastic views over the most beautiful places in the world, after which you land the airplane softly, taxi to the gate, and there you can even enjoy the sun during a nice walkaround, where you show off with the three or four golden stripes on your sleeves, outside on the apron.. .Then, flying back, with a wonderful sunset, lighted cities below, and an approach where your skills are needed due to storm and rain and the passengers thank you afterwards for your professionalism, you get this feeling of doing something where you feel real, valued and good.. .. .I honestly love it, and cannot come up with any other job out of which I would be able to get this much joy!. .. .P77

[exeng]

shon7,. .. .I still really enjoy flying after a career of 26 years. (18 of those were spent as an F/E, and I had an absolutely fantastic time in that job!). .. .I whinge with the best of them about the usual subjects, (management prats etc.) but I still really enjoy my job and honestly wouldn't chose a different path given my time again. I have been very, very lucky despite finding myself on the scarebus with only 5 years to go.. .. .I wish you all the best if you choose this as a career and hope that you will still find it a thrill flying a visual approach into some airport in 25 years time. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif" /> . .. .Regards. .Exeng

[Jetdriver]

Sure there are days when "it's just a job".. .. .I suppose there are days when any job is just a job. Despite this most Pilots I have met take a great deal of pride in what they do. The job is often routine but that is really the objective.. .. .I don't know many Pilots who aren't very good at what they do and put a lot of work into achieving that result. Few flyers give up an airline job to do something else and that probably says a lot.. .. .But yes there are days when it is just a job !

[Steepclimb]

Of course it becomes just a job every now and then. So does every job. Did you ever work on a film? Glamourous? Exciting? yeah right! That's why actors love awards ceremonies. It's practically the only glamourous part of the profession.. .. .It's pretty much the same with piloting there's a lot of humdrum day to day tiring old routine. But every now and then you see something or feel something or do something which only pilots can experience. If it becomes a just a job then consider the alternatives. For most people their life, with occasional exceptions is one long drawn out monotone existence. They live in colour such as they can with their families or loved ones or on occasional holidays. The rest of the time they eke out their existence along the muddy bottom of the athmosphere just getting by in a state of quiet desperation. Usually they hit their forties and wonder what the hell they did with their lives. What happened to their dreams and hopes and ambitions, their life.. .. .If as a pilot you see yourself reflected above, then perhaps you are in the wrong job. Management mess you about in every job, the shift kills you and the hours sap your strength. But you became a pilot to fly, didn't you? If the flying no longer compensates then you know what to do. But you'll look long and hard to find something that replaces the feelings it engenders. . .. .Someone once said to me that the bitterest people he knew were grounded pilots. Sometimes it is better to be up there wishing you were on the ground than down there wishing you were flying.. . . . <small>[ 08 March 2002, 01:57: Message edited by: Steepclimb ]</small>

[Quidditch Captain]

Good post Steepclimb. .. .I agree - many jobs in many professions suffer from the same problem - particularly in agressive, competitive industries.. .. .Shon posted: "Management treats you like dirt and you have to answer to people who cannot even spell aviation". .. .I've seen it from both sides - as a "worker" when it exactly as Shon says above; I've also been on the management side when I've been placed in positions where I've had to give out the s**t without being able to spell the name of the industry.. .(Now I work for myself so get the worst of both worlds <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif" /> !). .. .So it boils down to what you personally want out of the job - I think we all know why we want to fly for a living - perhaps (I hope) it will take longer in such an inspiring job, for the position to become untenable....?. .. .QC

[scroggs]

Yes, sometimes it is just a job. When you've been doing anything for a long time, it can get a bit predictable and humdrum. But then some enthusiast will buttonhole you in the pub one night and you realise that you've spent the entire evening talking about your job! How many other professions get that level of interest? Acting, music, sport, that's about it.. .It still beats working for a living!

[Super Stall]

Personally, at the end of a multi-day tour I'm usually tired and never want to see another aircraft again. All I'm usually looking forward to is getting home to see Mrs Stall and having a large drink of something.. .. .Then I wake up in the mourning open the curtains and think..Cracking day, wish I was going flying.. .. .Sums it up for me.

[Hap Hazard]

Shon 7, I might not be on widebody but I still reckon its about the best job in the world.. .Go for it if you think its you, there is only one way to answer your own question..... .Best of luck along the way, it maybe tough out there right now but it will get better

[BoeingBoy]

Good God, I didn't realise my depressive ramblings were still being researched. Should I feel ashamed or proud? . .. .It's an odd coincidence to join this conversation as I rarely read the wannabe's forum these day's.. .. .Well today's log book shows 17,330 hours stretching over 32 years. So how do I feel about it looking back?. .. .Well I still wish I'd put as much energy into getting rich as I put into climbing the 'wannabe' ladder. If I had I'd be up with the Bransons of this world. (Oh well, maybe not him then!). .. .Since I last entered into conversation on these pages I have converted to the 767 and started flying over the Atlantic. As I love the States and take most of my holiday's there this was the 'Final tick in the box' career wise for me.. .. .I have to say that I love the 767, I get an enormous kick out of arriving in the States or Carribean 9 hours after leaving the UK. The enormity of the task brings a lot more job satisfaction than going to the Greek Isles. But of course I have been running around Europe for 21 years now, and by the time I retire in 2013 I am sure that long haul will be boring as well. But the bottom line is that I still found something in flying that I enjoy. . .. .So what do I do for a hobby? Well I'm writing this waiting for a phone call from a flying school to confirm a recheck on the Chipmunk tomorrow as the winter has seen me out of currency. And why do I go fly a Chipmunk in my spare time? Because after all these years I am still in love with the freedom of flight, and the ability to see the world upside down, even if it still makes me sick and it's only once a month!. .. .Yeah, it still beats working for a living. My wife works in the Benefits agency dishing out unemployment benefit and she constantly tells me that I and most pilots have no comprehension of the real employment world. I'll take her word for it!. .. .As for working for the UK Jet operators, well don't get me started on that. Terms and conditions get worse by the year. More productivity is demanded by ever more unscrupulous boards of directors. Sadly our only protection is CAP 371, but even that is a toothless document because the CAA is now only concerned in seeing that airlines are regulating themselves according to JAA rules, rather than actually seeing what the airlines are up to. Thus at the moment in the UK we have no effective safety regulation any more, and don't the airlines know it!. .. .I know that many of you have the same dreams that I had at 15 and the same energy and drive to succeed at all costs. As to whether it is worth it? Only you can decide, and most that I have known would say financially? No, Socially? No, Personal achievement and satisfaction?.........No contest!

[luddite]

Shon, you have it right in your first post. I've been in aviation ever since I left school, could never contemplate the idea of having to go out to work but this last winter's done for me. Can't post here what I think of my 'management', suffice to say my ambition is get out. Retirement would be wonderful,(I'll keep buying the lottery tickets), failing that I'm trying to figure out what the hell else I can do to pay the mortgage.. .Don't do it!

[nightstopmonster]

Yep. I go along with Luddite. Keep buying those lottery tickets and get out. . .The trouble is that too many people see the likes of you (and me) coming and treat you accordingly. . .The pay is poor, the t's and c's of employment likewise. Join the less gifted and be an accountant and get paid more mate.

[Herod]

Don't believe the whiners, Shon. Like Boeingboy, I've got about 17,000 hours and 35 years in the business. Yes, management can make life miserable, and so can the regulators (OK CAA, I know you've got a job to do), and a series of bad stops-overs in bad (ish) hotels can get you down. But: the gear comes up, you're your own boss, the views are fantastic and, unlike a lot of jobs, the in-tray is empty by the end of the day. Aviations a pain in the a**e, but I wouldn't do any other job.

[Jim Reed]

Our private all volunteer group loves flying as a hobby & also for fun.We have a great team and flight crew always has a smile on there faces & truly enjoy flying our 2 classic Proptransports to Airshows throughout the USA. As a flight mech & crew chief on the C-54Skymaster & now the Big Boeing "STRATOCRUISER" it truly is a dream come true. Twenty eight years in the USAF on JETS And now to find this great oportunity to fly for fun & excitment on these old 4Eng proptransports is fantastic. A piece of History relived!! See us at <a href="http://www.spiritoffreedom.org" target="_blank">www.spiritoffreedom.org</a> "The Legacy Lives On"

[shon7]

Thanks for all your replies. Keep them coming. I appreciate it.

[blended winglet]

it is a 'job', good & bad;. .the good is VERY good, the bad varies.. .. .In life, as in flying , it is VERY important to have alternates, don't get trapped in a corner. .with no options.. .. .That said however, I love my job & take the bad parts in my stride.. .. .Nothing is ever perfect.

[Deadleg]

Top job! The rest of the world(ie the managers)only F*&k us about to let us know they can and because they know our seat beats theirs!

[vheijens]

When you are getting borred, . .Think about this:. .. .Is there really anything else you would like to be doing at that time?. .. .If it is yes, find your self an new job. .. . <img src="http://users.pandora.be/linda.basstanie/TopFly.gif" alt="" />

[COWPAT]

Shon 7,. .. .Good question. I have been in the industry 20 years and 10 000 hours and in that time I have always managed to enjoy doing my job. What has become a lot less enjoyable is the way flight crew are more and more being viewed as taxi drivers by the bean counters who invariably run the airline.. .. .I could tell you the tale of a "friend" of mine who is a beancounter. At the end of 2001 he got GBP 20 000 bonus for saving his airline money. How did he do it? He made over 30 of his own pilots redundant. What are his airline doing 3 months later? Cancelling trips because they are short of crews. Has he lost his bonus? No!. .. .Forget BALPA etc, the union for us is now the Transport and General Workers Union.. .. .But yes, I still enjoy the flying, even though it leaves a bitter taste knowing that some pencil sharpening bean counter that is supposed to work for the same company as me is looking to increase his bonus by making me redundant.. .. .The fun has gone out of it mate.

[Capt BK]

Still being a wannabe I can only speak for the chemical/oil industry but all of the negative comments in this thread could easily be said of my current industry. Im sure many others could say the same about their jobs as well.. .. .I hate my current job AND im getting scr**ed by management. If all goes well and take the controls of a large aluminium tube i'll probably still be getting the same treatment but i'll be doing a job that i love!. .. .CBK

[somewhatconcerned]

CaptBK. You wouldn't happen to work for the double cross company perchance? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> . .. .XX <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif" />. . . . <small>[ 25 March 2002, 02:06: Message edited by: somewhatconcerned ]</small>

[JIM JAM]

It's still the best job in the world as far as I'm concerned. I started flying in East Africa which was brilliant and even though there were hairy moments, I still recomend it to wannabees.Now based back in the UK where its 'just' a tad more civilised I currently fly short haul routes which can get you pretty knackered at times but I still leap out of bed at 0400 with a grin on my face to do it all again!!Everyone gripes about management,but providing you don't have 'tea and biscuits' too often with the Chief Pilot and become just another number life can be quite blissful!

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Yes. . .. .WWW