Hey,
I can't speak for Bert and Flare and, yes, they may have valid points of view - from their perspectives..., I've worked for some pretty rotten operators and have had similar thoughts from time to time. I have, however been lucky enough to find a great position with a great operator with whom I'm looking forward to finishing out my career.
I'm not trying to rain on your parade here Bert but I'm getting:
1. Adequate pay,
2. Retirement,
3. I own my own place and when I'm away from la casa the crew quarters are top of the line, (I even get a company car)
4. Can't do anything about the hours - that's the nature of "the beast", but I do get compensated accordingly,
5. I get to fly fairly new and extremely well maintained aircraft,
6. Job security? Who has job security - anywhere? Be honest?
7. Within reason and actual conditions, no one exceeds either their personal or the aircraft's operational capabilities. In the same context we are expected to operate to our (and aircraft) limits when called upon to do so.
And I've never considered myself to be an underacheiver. I happen to like what I do and I choose to stay in the business (for thirty years now) simply because of that fact. I have managed to acheive a lot in my life - in fact, I've done almost everything that I've wanted to do and have seen almost everything I've wanted to see. What I haven't done or seen, I'll get around to it in the next twenty years. I do not allow my profession to stand in my way.
Several years ago I got this wild hair that I'd like to move into the "big leagues" and I shelled out a few bucks for starched-wing lessons (I was already counting the $300K a year I would be making with FedEx or some of the others). It took all of three hours to figure out that I'd be one unhappy SOB at the end of every day.
Now, please Flare, don't take offense here because I'm not directing this toward you, you have a good point in that; there are quite a few underacheivers in this industry. But, in my opinion, the underacheivers are the pilots who are tired, miserable, pissed-off, hate what they do, hate who they work for, the aircraft they fly, etc..., and do nothing to change that. No where in the "Golden Book of Rotary Wing Aviation" does it state that everything you desire will be handed to you when you walk through the door. Conversely, no where does it state that you are required to stay in a position or with an operator who treats you like applebutter. (I'm a crusty ol' bastard in my old age)
With all of that said, robpowell69, should you choose to chase the dream, best of luck. There are a variety of paths you may choose to follow; offshore, utility, external load, corporate, EMS, electronic news, tours..., - good jobs, not so good jobs. Heck, who says you can't run your own operation? It may take you a while to acheive your goals, but you can have a lot of fun getting there (yeah, yeah..., you may have to eat some crap along the way and it's hard work and sometimes it feels as though you're sucking on the fuzzy end of the popsicle stick...).
Last of all, looking back, I wouldn't change a thing. Guess I'm the lucky one.
Good luck,
C Ya