Would you do it again?
Join Date: Sep 2018
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Nope....
Well, I believe that this is a job for people that follw a dream or for daddy's son.
Pros: no idea
Cons: huge mountain of money invested, never end stress, always a new training to pay for be current or update, job instability, pay to flight jobs, every 10 years a new crackdown, salary very low....
my suggestion?
invest all the money in a good university (economy or medicine), flight at aeroclub, maybe one day buy your own airplane.
Life is real, dreams not.
wish everybody a wonderful year
Pros: no idea
Cons: huge mountain of money invested, never end stress, always a new training to pay for be current or update, job instability, pay to flight jobs, every 10 years a new crackdown, salary very low....
my suggestion?
invest all the money in a good university (economy or medicine), flight at aeroclub, maybe one day buy your own airplane.
Life is real, dreams not.
wish everybody a wonderful year
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Amantido
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As if other fields are not in trouble nowadays
So why did you do it? Did you follow a dream or were you following your dad's footsteps?
Let's talk about your cons: I did modular training down to a very reasonable cost, stress is not necessarily bad (remember Human Performance), and my employer pays for the training. Even the money isn't quite bad compared to other jobs out there, if you happen to fly for a cargo outfit by pure luck even better.
If I'd never gotten a job in the first place, my opinion would have been probably very different. But one has to determine the reason for not getting a job in the first place in good times.
Just trying to shed away some negativity.
So why did you do it? Did you follow a dream or were you following your dad's footsteps?
Let's talk about your cons: I did modular training down to a very reasonable cost, stress is not necessarily bad (remember Human Performance), and my employer pays for the training. Even the money isn't quite bad compared to other jobs out there, if you happen to fly for a cargo outfit by pure luck even better.
If I'd never gotten a job in the first place, my opinion would have been probably very different. But one has to determine the reason for not getting a job in the first place in good times.
Just trying to shed away some negativity.
Join Date: Sep 2018
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Peace and love dear "argue lover" friend.
Everybody have different point of view and nobody have to give you any kind of explanation as you are a normal common human like everybody here. Every post you comment is just for debate, just leave alone the community.
Everybody have different point of view and nobody have to give you any kind of explanation as you are a normal common human like everybody here. Every post you comment is just for debate, just leave alone the community.
Join Date: Sep 2018
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Maybe for you are not real, but... as the world is very big and full of people... your history is not equal for everybody.
Again, happy for you that your life is just roses and flowers, but not for everybody.
As you mentioned to remember human factors, remember also behaviour and macho attitude.
Again, happy for you that your life is just roses and flowers, but not for everybody.
As you mentioned to remember human factors, remember also behaviour and macho attitude.
Join Date: Jan 2018
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I reckon that towards the end of the next Spring things will start picking up slowly but steadily with more vaccines becoming available. I think it's fair to assume that big players like Ryanair and Wizz will have some places for cadets in 2022. Whether you like it or not, for several reasons, there will always be places for cadets.
And if the vaccines don't work, well, we have to go back to some sort of normality at some point but that will take much longer. And I don't even want to think about this outcome.
And if the vaccines don't work, well, we have to go back to some sort of normality at some point but that will take much longer. And I don't even want to think about this outcome.
Join Date: Dec 2014
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I don't understand what people still see in this profession. (Yes I wrote profession where you get paid for what you do and not the opposite, this is not a hobby) This industry is treating pilot, cabin crew and other personnel like stray dogs.... especially pilots. Atypical employment(no guarantee for the future at all, no social rights), no respect from the management and other office people, when you actually fly rostering is just insane, disrespect of FDP (max FDP is more like a rule than exception ), bad hotels, no benefits,..... etc etc. Some pilots over here who are more down to earth ...wrote it quite realistically. For younger generations who would like to know more and join this madness, I would suggest that you ask the people who are working in this industry for max 8 years and then you will get most realistic picture how it’s like. As I said before this industry will treat you like garbage. I wonder what regulator (EASA, CAA...) is saying about this. It seems they don’t care.
Join Date: Feb 2020
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Man, what is your proposal? If everyone will search the profession and consider only treatment and payment, we will have a word consisted of IT specialists solely. Do you think office people have larger salaries than pilots? Or do you think office people do nothing? people got the benfit from enjoyable activities, not only money. If you are aviation enthusiast - flying the aircraft is a benefit for you, as is. In my opinion it is better to do what you love ang get half a salary than burn out your eyes and brain it the office.
Join Date: Dec 2019
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Has it been worth it?
TLDR: For those who have currently been pilots for 5+ years, are you glad you became a pilot?
I am 25 years old, and building my non-aviation career. It's a secure office job, pays the bills, I'm good at it, my colleagues are friendly, and I don't hate it. But I'm not passionate about it. It doesn't excite me. If I won the lotto, I'd quit tomorrow.
I have wanted to be a pilot since I was 5 or 6, and I went down the "Go to uni and have a plan B in case aviation doesn't work out" path. I still find myself watching every plane that flies overhead, listening to ATC on my scanner, watching cockpit videos on YouTube regularly. Aviation is the only thing I have ever been passionate about to the point of obsession. I am sure this feeling is familiar to many of you.
I am now considering building some flight hours and getting some aviation-relevant experience so that I can start properly training and getting my licenses once the industry picks up again (I'm envisioning that this will be 2024-2026, correct me if I'm wrong).
I do have a few concerns, however, and I am hoping that some of you who have been pilots for a while might be able to help.
1) Does the job get boring after a few years? From what I understand, after you've become familiar with the aircraft, routes, procedures, etc, there is little intellectual challenge or room for creativity. Have you found this to be the case, and if so, how significantly does it impact on your enjoyment of the job?
2) How realistic a possibility do you think it is that the job will be lost to automation in the coming decades? Of course, only somebody who is both a pilot and an AI expert could answer this with a high degree of certainty, but I would still like to get a sense of what the general sentiments are on this!
3) What surprised you about the job, good or bad? What might I not be factoring into my considerations here?
Broadly-speaking, I am wondering whether you are glad you became a pilot. Do you wish you took a path that was more secure, or more intellectually stimulating, or which offered more autonomy, or which allowed you to spend more time with your family or spouse? Or were you right to pursue the dream?
I am 25 years old, and building my non-aviation career. It's a secure office job, pays the bills, I'm good at it, my colleagues are friendly, and I don't hate it. But I'm not passionate about it. It doesn't excite me. If I won the lotto, I'd quit tomorrow.
I have wanted to be a pilot since I was 5 or 6, and I went down the "Go to uni and have a plan B in case aviation doesn't work out" path. I still find myself watching every plane that flies overhead, listening to ATC on my scanner, watching cockpit videos on YouTube regularly. Aviation is the only thing I have ever been passionate about to the point of obsession. I am sure this feeling is familiar to many of you.
I am now considering building some flight hours and getting some aviation-relevant experience so that I can start properly training and getting my licenses once the industry picks up again (I'm envisioning that this will be 2024-2026, correct me if I'm wrong).
I do have a few concerns, however, and I am hoping that some of you who have been pilots for a while might be able to help.
1) Does the job get boring after a few years? From what I understand, after you've become familiar with the aircraft, routes, procedures, etc, there is little intellectual challenge or room for creativity. Have you found this to be the case, and if so, how significantly does it impact on your enjoyment of the job?
2) How realistic a possibility do you think it is that the job will be lost to automation in the coming decades? Of course, only somebody who is both a pilot and an AI expert could answer this with a high degree of certainty, but I would still like to get a sense of what the general sentiments are on this!
3) What surprised you about the job, good or bad? What might I not be factoring into my considerations here?
Broadly-speaking, I am wondering whether you are glad you became a pilot. Do you wish you took a path that was more secure, or more intellectually stimulating, or which offered more autonomy, or which allowed you to spend more time with your family or spouse? Or were you right to pursue the dream?
Join Date: Jan 2018
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I have not been working as a pilot for 5+ years, but more than 2 and I do have a full time job in these hard times and the short answer is: yes, absolutely.
1) It could happen, but then you can bid for a fleet change if your operator has more than one fleet or change employer.
2) Not happening in our life time. Not even with commercial cargo aircraft.
3) The importance of a stable roster is critically important, no matter how much you love this job.
1) It could happen, but then you can bid for a fleet change if your operator has more than one fleet or change employer.
2) Not happening in our life time. Not even with commercial cargo aircraft.
3) The importance of a stable roster is critically important, no matter how much you love this job.
Join Date: Dec 2019
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I resonated with so much of what you said! From the wanting to fly airliners since you were a kid, playing flight simulator, watching air crash investigation in my case (to the perplexment of my parents), building models, the best part of the family holiday being the flight, and then searching these forums as a young teenager.
In fact, it was that last thing that turned me off the career at the impressionable young age of 13. I pursued an interest in college, rather than a passion, and I am now in my second year of employment at an office job. It's bearable, but I still find myself looking up to the sky every time I hear a plane. The itch is still there.
It's great to see that you would do it again, because it means that my desire to begin pursuing this dream may not be childish or naive.
In fact, it was that last thing that turned me off the career at the impressionable young age of 13. I pursued an interest in college, rather than a passion, and I am now in my second year of employment at an office job. It's bearable, but I still find myself looking up to the sky every time I hear a plane. The itch is still there.
It's great to see that you would do it again, because it means that my desire to begin pursuing this dream may not be childish or naive.
Join Date: Apr 2019
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Jammysticks;
Hey man i say go for it , i am in a similar position to you. I am 24 currently working as building surveyor 9-5 role i enjoy the job but , i never stop thinking about aviation too, currently getting ready for my PPL skills test. I say go for it take the modular route and try and stay away from debt, i personally don’t have ambitions to join the airlines. From what i have heard business aviation tends to be less boring , there is a lot more hands on flying in that sector.
Hey man i say go for it , i am in a similar position to you. I am 24 currently working as building surveyor 9-5 role i enjoy the job but , i never stop thinking about aviation too, currently getting ready for my PPL skills test. I say go for it take the modular route and try and stay away from debt, i personally don’t have ambitions to join the airlines. From what i have heard business aviation tends to be less boring , there is a lot more hands on flying in that sector.
My health has been ruined by many years flying the wonderful but flawed 757, breathing in toxins from hot oil. So if I’d known, no I would not do it again, except perhaps flying a 787.
My health ruined by various neurotoxins as well, last commercial flight was when I was 44..1994 but yes without a doubt. Sadly my wife has Parkinson’s from the crap sprayed around our second home in the south of france..paid for by my career.
Win some
Win some
Join Date: Jan 2017
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Im only 22, airline job for 6 months and now out in the cold with loads of others 😂 I went into it with my eyes wide open and luckily should be debt free in just over 2 years which hurts enough so I can only imagine how some people are feeling..... I'll be able to answer your question in about 5 years time once things have settled. With hindsight I'd have bought shares in zoom but there we go!
Would I do it again? Yes, with no shadow of a doubt. But for me the path to the left seat of a jet started with four thousand hours of instructing on a PPL, to single crew air taxi to tail wheel bush planes to right and left seat business jets then airline turbo props to the left seat of a Boeing. I’ve seen the sunrise in my eyes over the North Atlantic and I’ve seen it set over the Indian Ocean. I’ve waterskied with a tail dragger on unnamed rivers in New Guinea, and seen the Northern Lights, and I’ve looked down on rain forests and deserts, and I’ve done walk arounds in minus thirty centigrade and in plus fifty. None of those things could I have imagined when I was living in my parents council house and washing glasses in the local pub. Yes I’d do it again.
But as someone said earlier on in the thread, the past is another country. If I had £100k now and there was no pandemic would I spend that money on an Airbus rating to spend maybe five or six years in the right seat of an airbus then maybe thirty five years in the left, flying from Gatwick to Malaga and doing two sim checks a year and worrying about an annual medical and working anti social hours and weekends and wondering how long it would be before they invent a pilotless airbus and didn’t need me anymore. No I don’t think I would. I’d find a reasonably well paid job doing something else, I’d get a modular CPL and an instructor rating and a share in a Chipmunk, put the rest of the money down as a deposit on a house, and spend a day each weekend teaching aerobatics from a grass strip where there was a decent cafe and a bar...
However, it doesn’t really matter what I would do, or what anyone else would do. If you want to fly for a living you’ll find a way, eventually. But don’t expect that way to be either cheap or easy. It never was, and it never will be...
But as someone said earlier on in the thread, the past is another country. If I had £100k now and there was no pandemic would I spend that money on an Airbus rating to spend maybe five or six years in the right seat of an airbus then maybe thirty five years in the left, flying from Gatwick to Malaga and doing two sim checks a year and worrying about an annual medical and working anti social hours and weekends and wondering how long it would be before they invent a pilotless airbus and didn’t need me anymore. No I don’t think I would. I’d find a reasonably well paid job doing something else, I’d get a modular CPL and an instructor rating and a share in a Chipmunk, put the rest of the money down as a deposit on a house, and spend a day each weekend teaching aerobatics from a grass strip where there was a decent cafe and a bar...
However, it doesn’t really matter what I would do, or what anyone else would do. If you want to fly for a living you’ll find a way, eventually. But don’t expect that way to be either cheap or easy. It never was, and it never will be...