Missing Bade, Luvmuhud, thanks so much for your comments and points. The enjoyment of flying is something I've thought about a lot (Things like your examples Missing Blade). I've had quite a few lessons and know I love flying but the job of an airline pilot is to make each flight as uneventful as possible! And (my limited understanding is that) automation has taken out almost all the fun.
My dream is to (eventually!) set up a flying company of some sort - tourist flights....aerobatic experience flights! Not sure exactly what but thats my true dream! But Im sure with the state of GA, oil prices, the global economy etc I'll need to come up with a pretty clever business plan if Im to scrape a living from it!
There's a lot of PPruners who sound trapped on the seniority ladder but, unfortunately, I rarely see anyone talking about careers
after airlines. I want to finish my degree so I have a fall back.
Do you guys still fly in your spare time? Do you ever think about going biz jet or back to GA with some supplementary income from something else?
Do you think the problems of poor career progression and undervaluing of airline pilots will improve again in the long term? or is it simply a case of Fares down, costs up, management and shareholders still need to win so pilots (and other employees) lose?