What are you Pilots going to do when you retire?

[Ranger 1]

Aviation is a way of life to many rather than just a job, what will you pilots out there will do when you retire from service?

[tinpis]

Get a job.
:uhoh:

[Loose rivets]

Reminds me of a record (78) that I used to listen to in the war.

"Old pilots never retire...old pilot never retire...old pilot never retire...they only fade away."

Kina poignant innit?

[Leftit2L8]

Think I might try being a proper Dad.

[non sched]

Be a greeter at WalMart. ;)

[enicalyth]

At 55yrs old I've just retired. By the time I'd completed training I discovered that the trick of being happy has nothing to do with the job. It could be any job. But to marry, raise kids, build a house, buy a boat, work on a bit of property (land) was the real purpose. Flying is now a chapter that has closed. We've both worked hard Mrs E and myself and prepared for this. My wife has never seen St Helena and we both enjoy sailing. So we'll be off, like a bucket of prawns in a hot sun maybe, but we'll be off. She's my life, not that flying biz. That was just my profession for as long as I was permitted to practice it. Then after I've seen my relatives we'll sail on to the BVI, give the boat a good scrub up, sell it and like the man tinny said, I'll get a job for some grog money.

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Good man enicalyth - sounds like a grand plan - can I charter your wife? Mine hates boats.......

Old pilots never retire...old pilot never retire...old pilot never retire...
sounds like a 78 alright.... badly scratched hehe!

[flying scotsman]

furiously trying to design a machine that hands suspicious luke warm coffee over my shoulder at inopportune moments, and taking random annoying instructions over the phone from retired air traffic controllers.........:ok:

[Loose rivets]

The song was about old soldiers of course. Funny the things you remember about the war.

I don't think I will ever be able to retire. We seem to be spending so much time with the grand kids that it has become like having children again. School runs, homework etc. Problem is that they are all Americans...so far, and I would like more time in the pub at home.

[PilotsPal]

Most women I know have a complete horror of having their husbands at home all day, getting under their feet and interfering with their own long-established routines and habits. My mother flatly refuses to allow my father to sit around reading newspapers and watching tv. Two years after retiring from farming, he took back some of land he'd let and is farming it again...

[terryjoint]

Say hello to St Helena for me, last there in 87. Go to Ascencion but you need to book first as they can be a bit funny about re supplying there.

Excellent Tuna grounds so take some STRONG line and big hooks, just use feathers to carth them.

Everyone sells their boat at the BVI so you will get a very low price for it there, take it somewhere else to sell.

[Dani]

I will apply for a driver job on one of these fancy electro mobiles in airports and drive around back and forth the carpeted terminal! :cool:

[dartman]

hey terryjoint,
have you read Simon Winchester's book, "Outposts"? Describes said islands, plus the other remants of the British empire. Good read, although the chapter on HKG is a little dated,...

d.

[Farrell]

"Be a greeter at WalMart"

oooooh I've seen those on my visit to Florida......nasty!

[airmen]

I will certainly not wait til retirement to quit flying, not to become one of those pedantic old guy...;)

It is my third job already and I intend to have more experience in other fields!

In other words, if you want to fly until retirement, do not think that your life is terminated, there is more interesting things in life than flying :ugh:

[spinnaker]

Seems like there are growing numbers of pilots NOT planning to go the full distance.
I for one will be bugging out before the big five oh comes around. There is much more to life than just laying in bed trying to recover from crap rosters, four sector days, swallowing crap from an industry that is a stranger to the truth, married to a wife getting pissed off being married to a tired over worked grumpy git, getting up in the middle of the night to go to work, getting up in the middle of the night because my body clock is buggered etc. etc. Ah the money. What money? Pension down the toilet, the rest gone to the mortgage company, bank, taxman and Tesco.

I know some really good fishing spots, and places to sail. Beer to brew, House to paint, garden to dig, social life to live and family to enjoy. All of these things I used to do before flying. Welcome back life:O

[MaximumPete]

LOTS of things!


Cruises, short break holidays and weeks away in the US.

Meals at meal times, seeing the kids and grandkids when scheduled.

Voluntary work that I've always wanted to do.

Having a social life.

MP;)

[Kolibear]

When I retire, I'm going flying. The only reason for working is to earn enough to do the things I enjoy.

[flash8]

Heck theres far more in life than sitting in an aluminium tube all day... even now I'm thinking of quitting to start my own business... outside of aviation I might add.

[AMX10]

I've already made arrangments to sell women's lingerie....:8 :8 :8


When I finish flying.

[tinpis]

Pilots Pal
Most women I know have a complete horror of having their husbands at home all day,

Especially when theyre expecting someone elses around.... :hmm:

[Captain Sensible]

It seems more and more important to me that we have to enjoy our lives before finishing flying; another expat friend of mine has just died only 2 years after hanging up his workboots. He wasn't a flier, but i've heard of so many flight deck friends pop off so soon after retiring. At least, that's what my wife tries to get me to do, with varying degrees of success!

[Scottie]

Spinnaker wrote

I know some really good fishing spots, and places to sail. Beer to brew, House to paint, garden to dig, social life to live and family to enjoy. All of these things I used to do before flying. Welcome back life

Replace "flying" with "work"! Any job that pays the big bucks (over 60k) these days makes you work your ar*e off!

My father spoke to the pensions actuary at his electronic engineering firm 15 years ago (before he retired). The actuary told him on average they paid out pensions for only 4 years on average.

Every year from 60-65 that you work reduces your expected lifespan by a huge amount. I hope to be at least part time by 55 (10 days a month). Will probably work till 60 if I'm happy to do so.

I save 1/3 of my salary into investments and pensions every month and have done so since my first flying job so hopefully will be able to choose when I retire :}

But got no kids yet and everyone who has kids seems to be working to 60 now :{

Once I've retired I'll learn to fish and do my hobbies. Mrs Scottie will still be in full time work :} so will get the house to myself... I may of course be living in a bedsit by then :\

[What to do?]

Christ, you'd think you guys were talking about 'when I get out' (of prison).

Things AREN'T that bad, look at other industries. Most of them aren't able to decide (within reason) when they can retire.

[acbus1]

What'll I do when I retire?

Hmmm....lets see....a somersault, two backflips, a cartwheel....

......and when I've calmed down I'll get my life back.

It'll be especially nice not to have to work for, and to an alarmingly large extent with, a bunch of w******. Aviation seems to attract them.

[tinpis]

Then theres always chronic illness and the very real possibility of falling off yer perch.

[Ignition Override]

What retirement? You must be too young or too far away to understand the basics of the US airline mess. Many of our pilots can work as (747) Flight Engineers after age 60. But when they officially retire, they never mention this in the company rag. This always seems odd-are the pilots ashamed of what they do? :O

Many US airline pensions (many airlines had none, even with a union contract) were grossly underfunded in the good old days. Now they cannot afford (maybe FEDEX and UPS, DHL can) to put criticically needed cash into them.

If the US PBGC takes over, one's annual income after a long career as pilot might be as low as $25,000. Some retirement, isn't it? The PBGC will be going soon to the US taxpayers to prop up this division. Airlines are only ONE industry which might need the PBGC. Other US industries might also soon lean on the PBGC until there is nothing there. Hello taxpayers-many, many billions would be sought after. ;)

Among the three people on the PBGC, two of them also run the ATSB, which decides whether to loan airlines government money at low rates.

Is there not a serious conflict of interest here? :mad:

Some part-time flying with Netjets (doubt that it is possible), might help us survive ok. Imagine that many thousands of retired pilots will soon try to work somewhere to help make financial ends meet.

[hart744]

Too far away for me to worry about that.

[Offchocks]

I quite often joke with FOs that after I retire I'll come back to drive one of those 4WD safety cars racing all over the airfield chasing off the birds ........... and looking at aircraft!!!!!!
Jeeeeeeez I'm a sad case. :D

[enicalyth]

Mrs E very happy with boats Wg Cdr, she just never got to like planes! She like the idea of charter tho', she ask "How much an hour?" No doubt another sly dig. I always said money was made flat to build on not made round to go round... Unless it's beer o'clock of course. My generation was doubly lucky, pay and nothing like the cost of living newlyweds face today.

Hi TJ, yellow fin and wahoo coming up! Spot on about ASI. I catch a few black fish off the pier at Tartar Steps as bait. Solomon's runs the stores now which as any Saint can tell you just about says everything. One Boat filling station still open and I require petrol for the dinghy and diesel for motor and desalination. You still need a permit to land.

Mrs E is thrilled at the thought of seeing my homeland. Your right about BVI, mebbe I should sell on somewhere else. But Callwood's Rum! The Loose Mongoose! Pusser's Bar! Village Quay! Willie T!

[beamer]

Personally I would go tomorrow if I could afford to - but the mortgage has to be paid and the kids have to get through University before that happy day. Don't get me wrong, I have been flying for thirty years, military and civilian, its often been fun and usually challenging but the time comes when I no longer want to put up with poor management, lousy rosters, and pseudo-American yukspeak from human resources departments - oh yes and I would like to no longer endure fear of the telephone when on standby!

The older one gets the faster time passes, the family suffers, and well there are just so many other things in life to look forward to - just a few more years........................

[Sleeve Wing]

I suppose it's because I always wanted to fly that I still do.

The only bit that spoiled part of it was the Airline bit for all the reasons that "beamer" has mentioned.

It was great in the beginning to whizz around in something big and new but the gloss wears off when people start to take advantage, with total disregard for any other life you might be entitled to.

Now I've retired, I write my own roster, take days off when I wish and folks actually seem to be grateful for the contribution I make to their flying, so much so that I even forget to charge when it's a young wannabee who seems to need to fly as much as I did.

Yep, the Military was great, instructing at all levels is what you make it but retiring from the never-satisfied world of the Airline pilot was the best move I ever made.


I don't get spotty/blotchy/twitchy anymore due to lack of proper sleep, lack of proper restdays and the bloody telephone ringing again !!

But just wait, it will go full circle.
The young guys today aren't stupid.
They just aren't going into the Airline business..................until it shows a bit of appreciation, either financial or wrt. acceptable lifestyle, particularly later in their career.

Sleeve. :ok:

[spinnaker]

I reckon, looking at the posts here, we could put out our own TV program. Instead of having ‘Grumpy Old Men’ we could have ‘Grumpy Old Pilots’ What a hoot, Rick Wakeman and Jeremy Clarkson eat your hearts out. I would love to be on television, swigging a bottle of the finest chardonnay going on about what has pissed me off with airlines AND getting a decent pay packet for doing it. Come on BBC, Channel 4, and ITV, how about it?
:ok:

[Bucking Bronco]

Golf, fishing, using staff travel, watching my family grow up...

Not worried at all, except I haven't got my family yet - so golf, fishing and staff travel on my own then!

[7gcbc]

Sleeve:
Quote:
___________________________________________________
"The young guys today aren't stupid.
They just aren't going into the Airline business..................until it shows a bit of appreciation, either financial or wrt. acceptable lifestyle, particularly later in their career"
___________________________________________________


You are indeed correct, - (and I am a late starter) from what I have personally seen, and from what I know to be true from mates of mine who are seriously doing the hard yards in Northern OZ and commuterland in euroland - BM and Ryan, , it is a sacrifice that is not negotiable for me personally - given - Kids (they are my life) and the financial risk of it, not to mention the stress of having a machivellian HR department looking at my every move, but as a friend of mine who is a 47 capt said, "ya know , you're addicted, it is not going away easily" - he is right of course.

Honest, Kids are the beeeeze neeeeze, nothing comes close, and it never ceases to pi55 me off that "corporate" culture expects you to compromise that, its not just the lines that want that you know, its endemic in most professions.

so I guess, I'm destined for a "grumpy" tailwheel instructor in retirement then, worse could happen I guess.........actually thats my plan.

ps: did waaaaaaaay too much golf in uni to be bothering with it now :D


pps: The global "recovery" for uncontested superannuation/life policies(pensions) by the issuers on an annual basis is often in excess of 600Mil, that is to say , the issuers of Life/Pension policies collect the "uncontested" premium balances and absorb the principle paid(over the many years) without contest as a matter of normal operation.

In plain english this means that anyone who dies before their pay-out date , unless they have nominated and INFORMED, the said issuer company of the beneficiary , then the issuer of the policy gets the lot, very common amongst the scared under 30's who are lets face it (bungee jumping and Thai drug parties) more likely to ahem...........kick the bucket rather than die in a left-handed-erect-spin in a tail wheel.

I know many actuaries who have bugger all life insurance and no assurance.

Their perspective makes you think eh ?

[JetSitter4]

wallycycle:
What I would suggest is to look for that "dream job" ...if it is out there.
No pressure on you. You have done your part, and duty.
If something great shows up, take it and run. If not, do not sweat it, enjoy your retirement.
Good luck.
Oh, when you get there, let us know.
:O

[FlyMD]

I'm telling everybody in my company that when I retire, I will just sit on a plastic chair at the General Aviation Centre and dish out advice and opinions to all the crewmembers checking in or out. That pretty much guarantees that they will shoot me before they let me retire :} :}

[theWings]

From a slightly different angle: When I retire (from the banking industry!) I'll go flying for a living!

Looked at a career in aviation from the start (in my mid 20's) and realised that apart from a relatively small percentage, it's a bit of a pi55 take: huge cash outlay, very few jobs and T&Cs like pooh.

But love flying so I flew singles and twins for fun, funded by lucrative banking rewards, slowly working toward licenses/ratings. Kids, mortgage, pension mainly sorted now.

Got all the tickets now and at just over 40, I'm no way too old for what I want out of the aviation industry as it now is: I'm hoping to instruct or fly corporate. Or both. Full time or part time don't really care as long as I enjoy my retirement!

And what about all the pilots coming into the industry now, tens of thousands of squid in debt?! My hat's off to that level of single minded dedication to a career. But ever worked out the opportunity cost of all that money? I mean, what a back foot to start on, financially. House? Kids? Pension? What will they do about retirement, I wonder? Something has to change....

the Wings

[rubik101]

Having run a charter boat in the Med on a part-time basis for several years, I will simply turn to that full-time very soon. You don't have to be young and fit as a Gazelle to run such a business. Gentle sailing with guests ranging in age from teenagers to people almost as old as myself is a wonderful way to spend your time.
I would suggest that doing something on a more or less daily basis will be far better for you than simply retiring and doing nothing or very little. I have seen people retire and do nothing and they simply fade away in a few years and drop dead with boredom. Think positively, start again with something new if neccessary. But do keep busy and always have a reason to get up in the morning.

[spinnaker]

You must have read my mind :O :p :E :ok: ;) :) :cool:

[fireflybob]

It's all a question of finding your "passion",

Good question to ask yourself is that if you had everything you want what would you be doing with your time? The answer to this question is your "passion" and what you should be doing right now!

Nobody on their deathbed ever said "I wish I had spent more time at work/in the office etc." At the end of your life you will regret the things that you have not done not the things that you have.

[cavortingcheetah]

:D Gosh, that's rather depressive, I think.
It is certain that, if I am conscious on my deathbed, I shall regret the things that I have not done. But when it comes to the really important matters, family, friends and so on; I shall just have to console myself with the thought that at least I tried to make the great jigsaw of life work well for those around me.
If I had my time again, I would choose to be a great opera singer (not necessarily a star, please note). Once the throat had become craggy and the voice of little pleasure to others, my retirement ambition would be no different from that of the moment.
I would buy a sea plane or flying boat and take off for the Indian Ocean and Pacific, flying beautiful birds around the islands whilst smoking the finest Cuban cigars, drinking the best spiced rum and returning every evening to my delicious lady who would have a meal of stewed monkey and plantans ready for me with a bottle of Petrus 1990, or some such oenophilous treat.
What I shall really do is perhaps somewhat different but the unrequited passion of reality nonetheless leaves my imagination in full flood and as I drift into death I know where I shall direct my fantastical reveries, if I am able so to do.;)

[Podunk]

Spinnaker! Did you get any "bites" from the Beeb, or ITV for "Grumpy Old Pilots"?.

After working with (UK 747 operator un-named), I'll probably head for Kanalstraat and have to fellate numerous thousands in order to regain my self-respect.

Maybe Channel 5 would be interested...but what to call the programme?

:}