Reading this thread makes me realise that after nearly forty years being paid to fly aeroplanes it is almost time to call it a day. No sugar daddy, no loans, no second wife or third for that matter, no boat, no light aircraft but thankfully no mortgage and no ulcer. Do I want to have my life dicated to my rostering and crewing much longer - no, do I need a fortune to retire - no, will I need to work at B&Q - no, is it time to let a younger pilot get his or her promotion - yes, is life too short - yes, have I been too to many funerals of younger pilots than myself - yes.
Look at the stats guys.......
I'm with you Beamer. 40 years was enough for me . I got out (voluntarily) at 61. Quality of life over standard of living every time. I built a house, did a year as Captain of my golf club and to be honest standard of living has not dropped appreciably either. I cannot for the life of me imagine 40 years of Ryanair or Easyjet. I was lucky that the Queen paid for my training and I spent 20 years having essentially fun before going into the airlines. Can't do that anymore methinks.