aagg
Pilots love to complain! But it has to be said your description of the job shows you have little grasp on the reality of the job. In the main it is long hours of boredom broken by very busy periods and the occasional periods of organised mayhem.
I wish my job was one long holiday but sorry to shatter your illusions it is not, which is not to say I don’t get the odd nice trip in a good hotel but those trips are few and far between and mostly it is the Greek islands in the middle of the night.
Do I think the good outweighs the bad? Yes, or I would give it up and do something else. However, the changing world in which we live in has made it a much less desirable job. The locked cockpit door and low cost airlines have eroded the status and perks of the job and frankly you can earn more and enjoy a better life style in many other careers these days. The locked cockpit door has cut us of from the passengers and to some extent the crew. I for one miss meeting my passengers!
Is it the best job in the world? It is for me as I am not talented enough to earn a living as a Musician or lucky enough to be an Astronaut. It also depends on each individual as to what the best job in the world is, a good friend of mine works for the National Trust and would not swap jobs with me for all the tea in China.
Frankly PPrune has done nothing for the image of the pilot community but one thing is true aviation attracts some of the best and worst characters, so do not judge the industry and those who work in it from the posts on these forums. Most of my colleagues never visit this site. I like to chip in every now and then but most are not interested and have a certain distain for this site. It has its place but it does not often reflect the opinions of most in the profession only those who like me like the sound of their own voice!
