Originally Posted by
flyingmed
Why would anyone get into flying commercially if they are not prepared to move away from their home town? That just sounds like a ridiculous argument when getting into a career in aviation!
"Town" is different than "continent" and by the way one has the right what he thinks is better for his own life.
Anyway there are "lucky" cities located near airline hubs, so again: are you narrowing your chances? Yes. Is it impossible? No. Is a risk worth taking? It depends on what you have to lose/gain.
Originally Posted by
flyingmed
A pay cut to get into the right job is a short term pain to a long term issue. I have taken a 50% paycut more than 8 years into my flying career, I am now better off than I would have been if I had stayed with my previous company...
Your call. Again, it depends on your starting condition: for example after a quick check I've found out that becoming a CPT in the company I was aiming at (and no, it's not a low cost carrier, it's in the LH group) would only give me a 500€/month total net gain (after 10 years, assumed time to command; as FO I'd lose money) compared to my current job. Add to that the TR cost, the number of OFF days (I currently have 12/month) and the overnights...is it worth it? Probably not.
Nevermind about Lauda and similar...
Originally Posted by
flyingmed
Taking a job with unfavorable working rotations - it's a stepping stone to a job with better lifestyle conditions.
Again, depending on your starting condition. It's a stepping stone to HOPE to get a better lifestyle, which in my case is worse than the one I'm enjoying now anyway. Is it worth it to me? Probably not.
Originally Posted by
flyingmed
I know of a few pilots who joined Ryanair with the standard fATPL and minimum flight hours, then left during line training as they got based somewhere else in Europe and they wanted to live at home.
(they are still unemployed now.) They potentially blocked other pilots willing to do anything to get their foot in the door to a flying job, that is the worst part!
A legitimate choice. Pilot selection should be merit based, not "flexibility" based as you seem suggesting. They performed better than others during selection and gained the right to leave the job at their will.
Originally Posted by
flyingmed
The main point I was trying to make to people is basically don't complain and moan that you don't have a job if you are not AS WILLING as the next guy. It simply comes down to what you are willing to do to create a career for yourself, no one will make your career for you. If you want a 9 - 5 job working in your home town then it's probably better join the local flying school and work at a more regular job or by all means work as a flight instructor!
Being "AS WILLING" is the base to lower salary and lifestyle conditions in the industry. It rhymes with "flexibility".
I agree that being a flight instructor could lead to a more "regular" lifestyle. Anyway it's not a really stable industry...maybe a good choice as a second job, but training costs are high and salary quite low...only for truly motivated people.