Military Spouse and Being a Pilot

[cody65]

Hello,

I am wondering if any of you may have some input for me. I just started working for a corporate/charter company and my career is finally starting to get going. However, my soon to be wife is an officer in the Air Force and is worried about deployments and what we will do with our dog or our kids when we have them. She desperately wants children, which is fine, I am onboard with that as long as we have a solution.

I have family in the Northeast, and could transition up there for the time that she will be deployed, and my family said that they are more than happy watching kids or the dog while I work and she is away. They understand the stresses imposed by both of our jobs. This is still an issue with her though because she feels that we would simply be dumping off our kids on our families. She is also concerned that I will not be home at all. My plan is to move on to the regionals and then to the majors once my time allows it.

I am wondering if I should simply forgo my desire to fly professionally and find a different job or if this could all be doable. I am looking for some serious help and suggestions. If I can fly and live my life with her and our family, that would be incredible, as this has been my goal since I was a kid, but if it simply will not work then we need to regroup. Thanks everyone!

[Intruder]

It's doable, but you have to WANT it, and act accordingly. While she's deployed, your life will be 100% dedicated to your kids and/or dog when you're home. If you can't see that, don't do it.

[cody65]

I definitely see it and want it to work, I was more or less looking for suggestions when it comes to covering the time where she is away. I found that many airlines have personal leave, granted it is unpaid, but that would possibly work during that time. If I live at my base, does anyone have any idea, roughly, how often I would/could be home? I know it changes based upon a million different variables, but rough numbers would be awesome.

[Intruder]

Every airline has different policies and scheduling practices, so it is impossible to generalize. You might have to work anywhere from 14 to 23 days/month. Those days may be in several short trips or 1 long one. Some schedules may get you back to base many nights; others will keep you away the entire trip.

Leave policies also vary. However, you should understand up front that few airlines will put up with repeated requests for personal leave - paid or not. After all, they hire pilots to fly, not to sit at home with their kids. The first (probationary) year at any airline will be the worst, since you will have to tread lightly or face the wrath of your chief pilot.

Living at your base will make it a LOT easier, since you won't have to spend an extra day before each trip trying to jumpseat to base.