Originally Posted by
Count of Monte Bisto
My advice, such as it is, would be as follows. First do not pay much attention to people in their first couple of years at a new company, particularly if they are relatively new to aviation. They basically do not know anything and are still flush with a sense of wonderment and delight at their achievements! To be a professional airline pilot is indeed a great achievement, but it is a hard road over a lifetime. If I was to use one word to describe working full-time for any LCC it would be 'relentless'. That one word says it all - a couple of summers at Gatwick will soon flush out any sense of thrill at your lot! There will be an endless litany of roster changes, delays, working into days off, yob passengers, frustrating management emails, more delays etc, etc. It starts as a genuine adventure, but that gradually (and it is a gradual thing) wears off and takes its toll. Therefore, you need to realise that part-time is really the only way not to have your health ruined by your mid-fifties (or possibly earlier). We are simply not designed to work for long, long hours at all times of the day and night. It is fundamentally unhealthy and requires enormous self-discipline to eat well, sleep well and keep at an appropriate level of fitness. Training and being in the sim has helped me stay sane, but I am still genuinely so glad to have done this job. I do, however, recognise the difficulties of a life in a hard-working airline. From what I can tell, BA shorthaul or any of the other short haul companies is really not a whole lot better. Sure, it is a great job, but do not do it for the money. Get part-time as soon as you can and work to live rather than live to work.