Rob,
Personally, I think this thread is a little too subjective to be a sticky. If I were a mod, a sticky would be factual or a notice.
Better would be an idiots guide to the career as a sticky. Something that states in more clinical terms what typical terms and conditions are for the various roles (long, short, charter, taxi, etc). That has not, as far as I know, been succinctly and thoroughly covered.