Do you really Want to Do This...??

[matthewgillespie]

The not so nice things about being an airline pilot

Hello Everyone. I'm another person who seeks to become an airline pilot. However, i did not see any harm in asking all the pilots out there for their views. As you can imagine i am very excited at the prospect of being a pilot but i would like to take this opportunity for all pilots to tell me the things that are not so rosy about the job, and things that i should be aware of. Tell me things that are not part of the 'dream' of becoming and airline pilot?

Thanks.

[topcat450]

The early starts.

[theschultx]

The paperwork

[BitMoreRightRudder]

Spanish ATC

[Jumbo Jimbo]

To fly or not to fly...?

Hiya,

I was wondering if you would take a little time out to consider the question of, if given the option, would you begin a career in the aviation industry as it is today?

I (possibly!) have the option of following in my father's footsteps and training as a pilot... something which brings the response "It's not what it used to be, son... I wouldn't do it myself..." from him. Saying that - the last thing I can do is sit in an office for the next 40 years. I need diversity and constant mental challenges or boredom / disinterest sets in.

Is it all that bad? Let me know if you would consider the £60k-odd investment worthwhile...

Thanks.

[Fly Better!]

Depends what your options are, You could earn more working as a plumber, or in fact most trades will pay as well if not better up to a point. If you want normal working hours and a social life then dont go for flying.

However if you want to fly then do it. I enjoy flying which is why I do it, although in the middle of winter driving to work at 4am I sometimes wonder if its worth it.

[Rainboe]

Brutally, it boils down to: have you got the flying bug or not? If not, find something else. Banking is good.

Would I do it again? Like a shot. I've loved it. I've seen the world, flown all types from a turboprop to a 747-400, retired, and doing it again, until they call security to carry me off the aeroplane feet first kicking and screaming. But don't expect to find it a goldmine. And the responsibilities you carry could keep you awake at night if you let them.

[Potential]

Reality of the flight deck as a workplace and colleague interaction

I've seriously been considering a career as a pilot for some time now and I’m fairly certain that it is what I want to do so I have applied to a number of FTOs. Having read through many threads in pprune and other information sources, some questions still remain to be answered and I would appreciate it if an experienced pilot could take the time to answer them.

Firstly given that there is so much automation on modern airlines, what is working on a flight deck really like? What I fear most is that after a few years of flying, the initial excitement and attraction declines and, apart from take-off and landing, the flight deck becomes a very boring workplace. How much work is actually required during the flight and, if the answer is very little, then what else can the pilots do to keep themselves occupied?

I also wondered about what interaction there is between the pilots and the flight crew. Also what about developing working relationships between colleagues given the fact that (as far as I'm aware) you are never part of a fixed team of people

[Chesty Morgan]

Keep an eye on:
Where you are
Where you're going
The weather
Where you have to go should it become very quiet all of a sudden
How much fuel you've got
How quickly you're using it
How much fuel you need
How much fuel you might need should 'anything' happen
How much fuel you want to take on the next sector
The weather
How all the systems are performing
How the crew are performing, including yourself
What other aeroplanes are doing, should be doing and aren't doing
Speaking to ATC
ATC speaking to you
Speaking to OPS
Dealing with passengers
The weather
Dealing with technical problems
Dealing with technical problems you've NEVER even seen or heard of before
The weather
What IF?
What IF?
What IF?
Etc..
Etc..
Etc..
Do all that and more and you'll be glad of the automation. And you probably wont get bored. Failing that try this

You don't really need a working relationship with your colleagues, although you will develop one in time, thanks to SOP's and CRM.

[Kit d'Rection KG]

I very definitely wouldn't, and I routinely advise 'wannabees' against it...

[Rainboe]

and do you feel you may be turning off some people who, just maybe, would have enjoyed it as much as people like me? And I know there are many others like me who would do it again, so why not let them decide if it is their calling rather than just try and turn everybody off because you haven't enjoyed it or your career has been ****e?

[londonmet]

Fly Better!

Give me a break son.

"You could earn more working as a plumber, or in fact most trades will pay as well if not better up to a point. If you want normal working hours and a social life then dont go for flying."

YOU FLY BECAUSE YOU LIKE FLYING. IF IT'S MONEY YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THEN.....YOU'RE IN THE WRONG JOB.

Rainboe

Kind of right

"Brutally, it boils down to: have you got the flying bug or not? If not, find something else."

"Banking is good" - so very wrong -> longer hours (much longer hours infact).

To all cynical people. . . . oh where's the door?

[Jumbo Jimbo]

The daily grind

I think what I'm trying to establish is what life is like on a daily basis for a pilot. One of the things I have enjoyed most over the past few years is travelling round the world and seeing new things / meeting new people, which is something I would love to incorporate into a career if at all possible.

But then has it / is it all going the way of minimum rest before the return sector with no opportunity to do anything but study the insides of your eyelids for a while?

Once in the industry, how easy is it to change type within the same company? Do you lose seniority and have to start again from the bottom of the heap?

How often do you feel the need to use this icon in forums; ???

Thanks again for your time!

Jimbo.

[Rainboe]

I NEVER do icons, OK? I find them puerile.

You're not on holiday, you're working. Sometimes the length of stay depends more on schedules than anything. You usually find you're moving on more than you want unless the place is rubbish. A longhaul schedule can be quite arduous and tiring, a shorthaul schedule can be arduous and exhausting- both just as tiring in different ways.
Seniority is kept from when you join. Usually you have the choice when your seniority rises to move. Unless you change employer, you do not lose out.
All you require is here in various places. Use the search function and you will learn all about it! That's yer lot from moi.

[OzExpat]

It sounds to me like you're looking for a glamour job. Aviation is like that, but only until the novelty wears off. You really have to WANT to fly to be in the industry - it's always been like that and, I'm sure, always will be.

If you're passionate about being out of an earthbound office, try bus or truck driving. Same crappy hours, same crappy pay and same competition from low-cost operators. I don't mean this to sound glib but to get a reaction from you that demonstrates that you really want to fly.

If you don't REALLY want to fly, this industry will chew you up and spit you out in very short order.

Would I do it all over again? Absolutely yes! But the difference is that I truly LOVE everything to do with flying! If you don't have THAT sort of commitment, heed your dad's advice and look for something else.

[horseshoe]

wannabe a pilot-yes I do!

There seem to be a lot of disgruntled pilots on this site and give off a lot of negativity. No the industry may not be what it used to be, but neither is any industry. All companies seem to want to get what they can from their staff and not pay for their services. A relative used to have a very cushy milk round, did approximately 3-6hrs a day and made a decent living from it, the company decided to go franchise and because he had done nothing else and too frightened to do anything else opted to go for the franchise. Over the years the milkman ‘profession’ has declined, consequently, he is doing long hours, not making the money, never has any time off because he will not earn any money, to me that’s a tough job for little or no reward, there isn’t even any job satisfaction for the little reward! Yes you have early starts, long hours, lates then earlies then back to lates blah blah but I bet a lot of people would rather be a pilot than a milkman so know which side your bread is buttered and think about all the people who admire you for the job you do, at the end of the day no matter what profession you are in we will moan about certain aspects, that is human nature, its easier to look on the negative than the positive.

I have set my heart on becoming a pilot as I now work in an office and know that to spend the rest of my working days filing, photocopying, interviewing, disciplinaries, blah blah (need I go on?) would drive me insane. Any job that is worth doing will always be a difficult and competitive market, there will be the more qualified, the ones who can b***s**t a little bit better but etc… I believe if you work hard enough for something and pursue it long enough and if employers can see that commitment then you will get the break that you deserve eventually.

So, wannabes, discover your dream, if in time you decide that it actually isn’t for you then at least you can say you gave it your best shot. Pilots, thanks for the realism advice we appreciate it but do we really want our dreams trodden on before we have even started, life is about learning and making mistakes- you are a long time dead!

Horseshoe

[npasque]

are you flying for the money??
you don't fly for the pay cheque, you fly for the passion. if you have to relocate, then that is a sacrifice that YOU will have to make in order to continue living the dream. sure if you want to stay put, stay in GA but you will live poor for the rest of your days (some exceptions of course).

welcome to the future, this is the way that things are going. regardless, it is disappointing to hear that you have lost the joy in flying. no matter what the pressures, im sure you still feel SOME satisfaction from sitting in the left/right seat of a jet of some sort. so what if you are only getting paid US$100k, that is still bloody good money.

just be happy that your office has views from 35000 feet and that most other people are sitting in a 4x4m cubicle on a pc.

[scroggs]

npasque who are you replying to? Your post makes no sense unless we can put it in the context of the discussion you think you're having.

However, as a general point, remember that you fly professionally to earn money. The money you earn should be commensurate with your knowledge and experience, and your value within the industry. Professional pilots do not fly for the love of it; they fly to put a roof over their heads, and food on their family's table. The training (which does not finish at a TR) is long, arduous and expensive, the responsibilities are grave, and the consequences of mistakes can be terminal. That is why no professional pilot should undervalue themselves by accepting a pittance in return for their labour.

Scroggs

[dillan1planes]

go for it.

if u have been for a burn with ur dad u have already had a good taste.

good thing about flying is there is so many different types of it i.e bush pilot, ifr, skiplane, military that if u want to change its no biggy

plus i have seen many mates that have pilot dads who have become pilots themselves and have all the hookups for jobs

goodluck

[dartagnan]

Originally Posted by scroggs

n That is why no professional pilot should undervalue themselves by accepting a pittance in return for their labour.

Scroggs

if you have the choice, if not you accept anything...