Hi David!
Know a lot what you mean. I felt the same quite quickly, especially when flying for a LCC, there is nothing meaningfull to me...I felt like being a "bus driver", due to short turns around (30 minute).
Nowayday, the objective is to make money for the owner, work fast for them and make them rich. The work becomes the center or everything and not the human being. It is sad.
At first I was thinking the same, try to think that I bring pax to see their families etc...but it is hard to keep these thoughts, cause I was feeling that I take passengers only because they pay my flight and my work so cheap...they don't care at all...they only want to fly cheaper and cheaper and go on holidays, cheaper than by car now.
IN the same time, leaving an airline carier for medevac for exemple, is risky.
If you really want to do a meaningful job, than you should change career like environmental scientist, or medical field, etc...that would be a lot of work.
and you can fly beside your job.
Or you keep your current job (best option), and do some extra activities ( charity etc), open a business beside.
Generally we become pilot because we are egoist.
We want to fly, we want the best view, we want to have emotions....and in the same time we make a lot of POLLUTION in the skies.
so let's face it, when become pilot, it is not to make pleasure to passengers but to make pleasure ourselves first.
I am a sensitive person about environment and I get quite guilty about that too.
There are many LCC now, and their objective is only to make money, they don't care how bad is it for environment.
And pilots follow them...
A former airline pilot speaks out | Aviation Justice
http://2cycle2gether.com/2012/01/rac.../#.U6cRV_l_ufY
Honestly, despite I understand you, you should keep your current job, and try to do others meaning ful activities beside.
As you said, it's jsut a job, so Just work for the money and use it in a good manner.
