. Kids.
Tower Dogs story is fascinating, and you should listen.
Non English as a primary language, so I'm guessing Puerto Rican.
Not even close: Norwegian
Went from the DC-3s in the Caribbean to DC-8s for Evergreen on an Air India Cargo contract as an F/O.
To say I was busy in the simulator would be an understatement, no jet time, no sim time, just sink or swim punk, you get no extra sim or training around here. Squeezed by and 220 hrs later on the DC-8-73, they offered me the B-747 F/O slot being the most junior F/O in the company: UPS started hiring Evergreen guys and every F/O senior to me refused to sign the B-747 training contract as they were hoping for UPS, hence the Chief Pilot called me and asked if I would consider coming over to the 747 fleet?
I was not going in that direction and happily signed the contract and got the training.
6 months later Evergreen sent me the contract back and I was no longer on the hook to pay back $$ in case I quit.
(Never paid a time, just promised to stay on for a couple of years, would have stayed anyways)
Never boring in the flying business..
Guess my point is that hard work pays off, so does luck, and a talent for flying. (Aptitude they call it these days)
Never knew I had talent or not, I was just hanging on with my fingernails.
Advise to young guys starting out: Work hard, then harder and don't get married and start cranking out babies, that will restrict restrict you moving around chasing jobs and will put a huge pressure on finances
as newbie flying jobs don't pay much unless you get on with major lifetime, high paying gig like Fed-Ex, Delta or similar.
Entry level jobs are hard work and low pay: Before my Twin Otter and DC-3 gigs in the islands I hauled single engine bush planes in Alaska summer and winter living in an Eskimo town on the tundra using a honey bucket for a toilet. Can't go there with wife and kids, divorce will happen after 2 weeks
