Career advice for Pilots..
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Nothing wrong with picking cabbages! I spent a summer in Herefordshire doing that...It was the strawberries that were the killer!
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So you think you have to be wealthy to live within your means and save some cash for a rainy day? Most airlines pilots should easily be able to do this.
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Don't start a family - now there is sound financial advice. Can we have some more like this one?
I was always wondering about airline pilots, how much they earn, how much they needed to invest in their training etc. so could you please expand a bit?
I was always wondering about airline pilots, how much they earn, how much they needed to invest in their training etc. so could you please expand a bit?
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Wow. That's quite a lot. Is it before or after tax & contributions? Can one start earning this much straight outta flight school? Pray tell us more!
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Not getting married and not having a family is very sound financial advice. These cost the average chap an absolute fortune. I’d rather go on holidays where and when I want, shag around as I please, and retire 15 or so years earlier than I’d have been able to do had I bought a family - but life is about choices hey - each to their own - but if you choose to pay for a family, no point complaining about not having enough money for quality cocaine and hookers. You can’t have it all dude.
Want some more sound financial advice? Well another thing that has saved me money is not owning a car for about 15 years. Of course that’s not practical for everyone, but it probably saves me the best part of 10k a year.
I can’t speak for others, but I invested about 5 years of working 60 hours a week to pay for my flight training - living in a caravan, hangar and hostels for that period...yeah if frigging sucked, and I often wondered if it was worth it...but if you’re broke and want to be a pilot, that’s about what you have to do. I tried to get a bank loan, but I got rejected every time. But life is also about making some sacrifices - you can have everything and you can’t have it all at once - as much some millennials (and others) seem to think otherwise, to their frustration.
How much do airline pilots earn? I have no idea. There are flying jobs outside the airlines you know.
If I had to wear a tie and one of those silly hats to fly, then I wouldn’t be so interested. But again, each to their own hey!
Last edited by Jerry Springer; 7th Apr 2020 at 15:23.
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What’s with this entitled attitude of expecting a high salary straight out of flight school?
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Some really interesting dicussion in this thread.
This seems to be a real gut check for many people, the boom years of the past decade+ were long enough that we have a whole generation that has never known the famine times. (ME included.)
Now we've hit an inflection point. No doubt about it, If you've been "Levering Up" for the past decade in all Areas (Credit Card, Conspicous Consumption, Family/Kids, Travel) riding the razor thin margins on the wave of the expansionist boom years, it's a painful one.
All the advice about switching to a trade? Well as a couple of astutue commentators have already elucidated, it's TOO LATE.
Sure, if you're ALREADY a plumber, (electrician, nurse, etc. etc.) then you have a nice little safety net, but how are you going to pick up from 0 as both sides of all markets contract (so spending cutting back) and bills need to be paid? This advice only works if you're taking the full 180 Option, I.e. leaving flying for good.
That said, the intent of the advice is sound - the industry will survive (people are still going to want to fly, etc. etc. airplanes are not going away) but this is where a lot of young cats will need to look in the mirror and decide if they want to "stay in the game" or not and wait out the painful years.
That said It's not all doom and gloom. I am a bit schocked at how low many of us seem to set our aim. Stocking Shelves? Pilots follow complex decision trees/procedures (checklists),work within large organisations (airline) as well as lead functional teams (cockpit), are accustomed to quick decision making under stress (command decisions), international exposure, understanding of company branding, the list goes on and on.
All of these = valuable business skills. Combine this with some light industry knowledge (pick an industry), add a little bit of polish and you're not far away from any respectable professional gig.
Sure we're in for some hard times but if the people in this forum are looking to pump gas or pick cabbages for work then you know we're really in the deep of it.
Take care all.
This seems to be a real gut check for many people, the boom years of the past decade+ were long enough that we have a whole generation that has never known the famine times. (ME included.)
Now we've hit an inflection point. No doubt about it, If you've been "Levering Up" for the past decade in all Areas (Credit Card, Conspicous Consumption, Family/Kids, Travel) riding the razor thin margins on the wave of the expansionist boom years, it's a painful one.
All the advice about switching to a trade? Well as a couple of astutue commentators have already elucidated, it's TOO LATE.
Sure, if you're ALREADY a plumber, (electrician, nurse, etc. etc.) then you have a nice little safety net, but how are you going to pick up from 0 as both sides of all markets contract (so spending cutting back) and bills need to be paid? This advice only works if you're taking the full 180 Option, I.e. leaving flying for good.
That said, the intent of the advice is sound - the industry will survive (people are still going to want to fly, etc. etc. airplanes are not going away) but this is where a lot of young cats will need to look in the mirror and decide if they want to "stay in the game" or not and wait out the painful years.
That said It's not all doom and gloom. I am a bit schocked at how low many of us seem to set our aim. Stocking Shelves? Pilots follow complex decision trees/procedures (checklists),work within large organisations (airline) as well as lead functional teams (cockpit), are accustomed to quick decision making under stress (command decisions), international exposure, understanding of company branding, the list goes on and on.
All of these = valuable business skills. Combine this with some light industry knowledge (pick an industry), add a little bit of polish and you're not far away from any respectable professional gig.
Sure we're in for some hard times but if the people in this forum are looking to pump gas or pick cabbages for work then you know we're really in the deep of it.
Take care all.
Last edited by AVIM; 7th Apr 2020 at 22:42.
I just hope this virus was worth crashing the economy for!
Yeah... ridiculous isn't it? I agree with you that you have some great skills but I hate to break the news to you - there are lots of people with those skills already experienced in doing the roles that you think you'll walk into. Those people have a 'type rating'. In this context, you have a frozen ATPL. So I wish you luck with but you must realise being a pilot / ex-pilot isn't going to get you further up the queue!
Last edited by DaveJ75; 8th Apr 2020 at 08:38.
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Taking aside the apparent assumption that there are CEOs everywhere with available roles that they wish could be filled by an ex-airline pilots, does this argument work the other way round then? You swap places with David Brent and after accruing some light industry knowledge and adding a little bit of polish, he can fly an airliner too?
Yeah... ridiculous isn't it? I agree with you that you have some great skills but I hate to break the news to you - there are lots of people with those skills already experienced in doing the roles that you think you'll walk into. Those people have a 'type rating'. In this context, you have a frozen ATPL. So I wish you luck with but you must realise being a pilot / ex-pilot isn't going to get you further up the queue!
Yeah... ridiculous isn't it? I agree with you that you have some great skills but I hate to break the news to you - there are lots of people with those skills already experienced in doing the roles that you think you'll walk into. Those people have a 'type rating'. In this context, you have a frozen ATPL. So I wish you luck with but you must realise being a pilot / ex-pilot isn't going to get you further up the queue!
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That said It's not all doom and gloom. I am a bit schocked at how low many of us seem to set our aim. Stocking Shelves? Pilots follow complex decision trees/procedures (checklists),work within large organisations (airline) as well as lead functional teams (cockpit), are accustomed to quick decision making under stress (command decisions), international exposure, understanding of company branding, the list goes on and on.
All of these = valuable business skills. Combine this with some light industry knowledge (pick an industry), add a little bit of polish and you're not far away from any respectable professional gig.
Sure we're in for some hard times but if the people in this forum are looking to pump gas or pick cabbages for work then you know we're really in the deep of it.
Take care all.
Unfortunately a very senior captain, instructor, examiner etc.. with no academic qualifications other than those related to the technical aspect of the pilot profession (college tuition, university, masters, etc..) has zero or close to zero chances of getting a socio-economic equivalent position outside the aviation world.
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Training ?
Curious how so many Flying School Light Aircraft continue to train? Solos?
When a girl caught on L plates with her mother got slugged $1600
a yatchie also took boat to Gippsland Dock for food $1600.
One fleeing Vic for Tassie ran aground at heads will pay for SAR and a $1600 fine after being rescued.
A local here took his plane out Friday for a sortie over the town local cops went to airport for a please explain?
Vic Roads put out an announcement cars only to be used for
work, food supplies, meds, essential trips.
If classic cars reconsider using them for any purpose.
SE Aus lots of 172 training flights by day and night on radar.
So do flying schools have exemptions?
Maybe China needs graduates to top up its infected pilot pool?
typo
When a girl caught on L plates with her mother got slugged $1600
a yatchie also took boat to Gippsland Dock for food $1600.
One fleeing Vic for Tassie ran aground at heads will pay for SAR and a $1600 fine after being rescued.
A local here took his plane out Friday for a sortie over the town local cops went to airport for a please explain?
Vic Roads put out an announcement cars only to be used for
work, food supplies, meds, essential trips.
If classic cars reconsider using them for any purpose.
SE Aus lots of 172 training flights by day and night on radar.
So do flying schools have exemptions?
Maybe China needs graduates to top up its infected pilot pool?
typo
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You are very correct and I do agree with your thoughts but at the end of the day what really matters are the academic titles you have achieved, if any.
Unfortunately a very senior captain, instructor, examiner etc.. with no academic qualifications other than those related to the technical aspect of the pilot profession (college tuition, university, masters, etc..) has zero or close to zero chances of getting a socio-economic equivalent position outside the aviation world.
Unfortunately a very senior captain, instructor, examiner etc.. with no academic qualifications other than those related to the technical aspect of the pilot profession (college tuition, university, masters, etc..) has zero or close to zero chances of getting a socio-economic equivalent position outside the aviation world.
I had a previous career before Aviation which came from a University Degree, and I can tell you now after many years away from that industry, no one will accept me open arms knowing the financial and personal investment I’ve made in Aviation. The most useful academic achievement I have is my Air Transport Diploma I gained during my flight training.
sonicbum , you say a pilot with experience has zero chances outside their current role without qualifications - I wholly disagree. Does an Army Officer (climbing ranks without a degree) do nothing after they leave the forces? No they utilise their skill set much like Willie Walsh did after retiring his license.
My advice, dig in and stock shelves if you have to, keep absorbing aviation industry knowledge, and keep in contact with the recruiters. Take the initiative to actually speak to a recruiter instead of relying on email/DM/WhatsApp! And if you aren’t committed to this industry then please feel free to leave and start again, as there are hundreds more with passion for aviation who will put in the hard work, will take the rough with the smooth, and are invested until retirement.
inabw - great link from Eurocontrol
AVIM DaveJ75 - spot on
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Yuge USA retirement numbers in the next ten years for those who hang on.
If you are 21 you have a great career in front of you.
If you are 41 and just thinking about getting in go look at anything else but this.
If you just soloed at 16 you might be #1 at any major airline that survives.....the world is your oyster.
That said get a four year college degree in a real major that can support you and a family if something like this rears it's ugly head once again.
Best of luck big, small, heavies, supers and all.
If you are 21 you have a great career in front of you.
If you are 41 and just thinking about getting in go look at anything else but this.
If you just soloed at 16 you might be #1 at any major airline that survives.....the world is your oyster.
That said get a four year college degree in a real major that can support you and a family if something like this rears it's ugly head once again.
Best of luck big, small, heavies, supers and all.
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Agreed. I don't think either that aviation is going to collapse once and forever, even though there are certainly a couple of difficult years ahead. Difficult for the ones already in the game and even more so for the new joiners. Demand for pilots will come back and grow even larger in a couple of years as a combination of economic recovery and retirements. But we won't be quite there for at least another three years, I think.
So, my advice to future new joiners is... If you haven't started training yet - make sure you have some backup qualification to fall back upon before you invest ANY money into flying. Even if this means postponing flight training by a year or two. If you are fresh out of school, it is worth taking the time to do a proper degree in a well-established subject area. Think Engineering, Law, IT, Finance... If demand picks up while you are studying and you can afford some flying - you can start your modular route alongside your studies. If not - focus on your studies, get a job in the end and start saving. Doing your CPL entirely off your own back is a long way better than accumulating a huge amount of debt without a guaranteed quick start in the end. And I am led to believe that someone with actual professional experience and the maturity coming with it will be better positioned in an airline interview as compared to someone who has never done anything other than go to high school and to an ATO right after.
While the answer may be black and white for the youngsters, it's more complicated for the career changers past their mid-30s. By that time in life, one usually has many other major commitments. And it's down to the individual to decide on their very own course of action. I can only say that you would be best off keeping your present job until some certainty draws up. Whether or not you will be doing any flight training in parallel with it - that's not for me to say as it depends on one's cash reserves and their willingness to gamble it onto something with an uncertain outlook.
Anyways, best of luck to everyone. As long as one is happy with their decisions and does not regret anything - it's all well and good.
So, my advice to future new joiners is... If you haven't started training yet - make sure you have some backup qualification to fall back upon before you invest ANY money into flying. Even if this means postponing flight training by a year or two. If you are fresh out of school, it is worth taking the time to do a proper degree in a well-established subject area. Think Engineering, Law, IT, Finance... If demand picks up while you are studying and you can afford some flying - you can start your modular route alongside your studies. If not - focus on your studies, get a job in the end and start saving. Doing your CPL entirely off your own back is a long way better than accumulating a huge amount of debt without a guaranteed quick start in the end. And I am led to believe that someone with actual professional experience and the maturity coming with it will be better positioned in an airline interview as compared to someone who has never done anything other than go to high school and to an ATO right after.
While the answer may be black and white for the youngsters, it's more complicated for the career changers past their mid-30s. By that time in life, one usually has many other major commitments. And it's down to the individual to decide on their very own course of action. I can only say that you would be best off keeping your present job until some certainty draws up. Whether or not you will be doing any flight training in parallel with it - that's not for me to say as it depends on one's cash reserves and their willingness to gamble it onto something with an uncertain outlook.
Anyways, best of luck to everyone. As long as one is happy with their decisions and does not regret anything - it's all well and good.