Flying, not what I thought it would be like
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Flying, not what I thought it would be like
Hey all,
Don't really know where to post this but non aviation people won't get it so throwing it here.
I'm quite young and after lots and lots of jobhunting, I got an airline job as f/o close to my home, almost a year ago.
Unfortunately I'm now kind of frustrated and not really happy.. I had always related flying with freedom but I find myself wasting my time at hotels..
Learning to fly was the most fun thing ever. I liked the challenges and rewards it included.
My type rating, especially base training was the most fun thing ever, the best day of my life. But after some months, the challenge is kind of gone and I just do the same thing again, and spend a lot of time away from where I want to be.
I would be too embarrased to tell my parents about this, because of all the money they spent on my training which I couldn't pay back in years.
Does anyone have some input on this?
If money were no object I'd rather go back and study something in university.
I'm 21 years old at this moment.
Thanks all.
Don't really know where to post this but non aviation people won't get it so throwing it here.
I'm quite young and after lots and lots of jobhunting, I got an airline job as f/o close to my home, almost a year ago.
Unfortunately I'm now kind of frustrated and not really happy.. I had always related flying with freedom but I find myself wasting my time at hotels..
Learning to fly was the most fun thing ever. I liked the challenges and rewards it included.
My type rating, especially base training was the most fun thing ever, the best day of my life. But after some months, the challenge is kind of gone and I just do the same thing again, and spend a lot of time away from where I want to be.
I would be too embarrased to tell my parents about this, because of all the money they spent on my training which I couldn't pay back in years.
Does anyone have some input on this?
If money were no object I'd rather go back and study something in university.
I'm 21 years old at this moment.
Thanks all.
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Use all that time in a hotel away from home and study in a distance learning course. Quite a few universities offer that kind of thing. Of course, flying part time, if that is available at your airline, is another possibility to do something else, study, spend time at home, with hobbies etc.
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I have heard this more and more frequently recently, and particularly from the younger guys/girls - not what they expected, or more often, didn't really know what to expect. One SFO (late '20's) told me that he hated the flying and was bored witless downroute as he'd been everywhere in the first year or so (red-tailed EU W/B Boeing/Bus operator) and wished he'd gone into something more challenging. Heard a story of a cadet who shutdown after the last MCC sortie, tears in her eyes and told the trainer she was so relieved she'd never have to fly as crew again and was just trying to please her parents by achieving something (I understand they'd mortgaged their home and lost their business in the process).
Another option to Denti's suggestion is to try and get into GA flying as you say you enjoyed training - instructing or joining a group flying something a bit more interesting could be an option if you retain any enthusiasm for flying?
Another option to Denti's suggestion is to try and get into GA flying as you say you enjoyed training - instructing or joining a group flying something a bit more interesting could be an option if you retain any enthusiasm for flying?
Firstly if it is any consolation at all you are not the first person to say
I heard that more than once when I was involved in training many many years back...but the difference back in the day was the family hadn't sunk savings and/or house into the "project" and some individuals paid their dues (relatively small amount by today's standards), walked away from the whole deal and went off to be successful in other careers.
That, I'm afraid, as you now know, very much goes "with the territory". I'm guessing it wasn't made clear in the brochures/videos pushed out by the Flying Training Organisations.
If the time off down route is a problem then as Denti has suggested look at some sort of distance learning, if you need a more challenging work environment then is there the possibility of progress into training or similar at your organisation?
Ultimately there's no shame in admitting the job isn't for you...this is easy for me to say but maybe you need to sit down with your family and talk it over.
Flying, not what I thought it would be like
...... I just do the same thing again, and spend a lot of time away from where I want to be.
If the time off down route is a problem then as Denti has suggested look at some sort of distance learning, if you need a more challenging work environment then is there the possibility of progress into training or similar at your organisation?
Ultimately there's no shame in admitting the job isn't for you...this is easy for me to say but maybe you need to sit down with your family and talk it over.
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If you've got the money, get the Single Engine Piston Rating back (or done in the first place if you're an ex integrated student) and relive what it is to actually fly an aircraft. I've just done this at my local aero club and, whilst I won't have the money to make it a regular hobby (!), it was very enjoyable and definitely I can see myself taking my friends on little jollies over to France to split the cost.
I understand that a lot of airline flying can be boring but as it's so relentless nowadays sadly that's the reality of the job. Think of it another way, 90% of the time when the door closes behind you and the engines are running it's just money for old rope, embrace that. Ultimately despite how much I moan about the industry (which is a lot by the way) if you put me in an office for the rest of my working days - and I have worked in one - I can guarantee I'd be reaching for the razor blades before too long.
I understand that a lot of airline flying can be boring but as it's so relentless nowadays sadly that's the reality of the job. Think of it another way, 90% of the time when the door closes behind you and the engines are running it's just money for old rope, embrace that. Ultimately despite how much I moan about the industry (which is a lot by the way) if you put me in an office for the rest of my working days - and I have worked in one - I can guarantee I'd be reaching for the razor blades before too long.
Last edited by RexBanner; 1st Mar 2016 at 10:49.
I speak to some colleagues in similar positions. If you are working for a loco and not based where you want to be, particularly if you are in the middle of nowhere and don't speak the local language it can be difficult. Have a look for expat organisations and groups to try to widen your social life - you may enjoy the flying more if it isn't connected with an unhappy personal situation.
If you enjoyed the challenge of training, try to recapture it. You still have a lot to learn in terms of decision making and aircraft handling. Try to set yourself goals or tasks when actually flying - a number of manual/raw data approaches and departures each month to sharpen your skills. On landing, challenge yourself to meet the performance criteria and place the aircraft exactly on your desired touchdown point EVERY time and keep a record of how you do.
Distance learning is another excellent suggestion, as you can effectively do a lot of it at work while somebody else is paying for your time!
If you enjoyed the challenge of training, try to recapture it. You still have a lot to learn in terms of decision making and aircraft handling. Try to set yourself goals or tasks when actually flying - a number of manual/raw data approaches and departures each month to sharpen your skills. On landing, challenge yourself to meet the performance criteria and place the aircraft exactly on your desired touchdown point EVERY time and keep a record of how you do.
Distance learning is another excellent suggestion, as you can effectively do a lot of it at work while somebody else is paying for your time!
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You could always find another employer, or make friends with the crew, so you can socialise more.
Aviation can lead to so many avenues. A captain I know is currently doing a distance psychology degree, I see him reading the books on the long sorties.
Im considering doing it myself.
Aviation can lead to so many avenues. A captain I know is currently doing a distance psychology degree, I see him reading the books on the long sorties.
Im considering doing it myself.
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But after some months, the challenge is kind of gone and I just do the same thing again, and spend a lot of time away from where I want to be.
The first shouldn't be an issue because, frankly, at your level of experience you have a big job of learning if you want to become a seasoned professional. You are in an enviable position - your training was paid for and you now have a job. But this first job is not the pinnacle of aviation it is just a beginning. You could become a captain, a training captain, or branch out, maybe go into flight test. The possibilities are endless, and challenging. The challenge ahead is what you make it, nobody is going to spoon feed you.
If you can't see anything in aviation that motivates you then yes you probably should leave. But bear in mind that what will still motivate you after you have 'turned a hobby into a job' is one of life's dilemnas. There are far more graduates out there than exciting jobs for them to do.
But if you do not like the lifestyle of being in hotels then you will inevitably see your current job as temporary. That's ok. The thing is you are earning money, you are independent, and that gives you options. You can save, you can plan, you can study. In return for the money you are going to have to stay in some hotels for now. First world problem.
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Depending on your interest in the science/art of aviation, before I pulled the plug on the whole thing, I think I'd give instructing a shot. That aspect retains all the parts of flying that it sounds like you enjoyed ... but it adds a dimension that only instructors really get a chance to see. If you have ever been interested in teaching or helping others to understand something, I'd give that a shot before going back to school and learning finance or something equally riveting. I won't guarantee that you'll like it ... but if you have an interest in flying and enjoy understanding why something is done the way it is done ... this may be a way to rekindle your interest -- of course, my background is training, teaching, and evaluating ... and there are few things in my career that I have enjoyed to the extent I have enjoyed that aspect. Before pursuing the challenge and excitement of marketing or sales ... I'd give pilot training a shot.
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@ the OP:
First, a Hi from the left seat!
Second, you are young and now see first wrong turn, don't worry!
Third, transporting SLF is not flying.
What I did to get back to the joy of airmenship is - I bought a very old and barely basic Piper Cup, spent all my free time hovering with handheld radio and open cockpit. After a few weeks I signed up for several remote distance learning classes and am happy now even most of the times in some hotels. Shape the world around you!
First, a Hi from the left seat!
Second, you are young and now see first wrong turn, don't worry!
Third, transporting SLF is not flying.
What I did to get back to the joy of airmenship is - I bought a very old and barely basic Piper Cup, spent all my free time hovering with handheld radio and open cockpit. After a few weeks I signed up for several remote distance learning classes and am happy now even most of the times in some hotels. Shape the world around you!
Está servira para distraerle.
Whoever said that you should spend the time studying while whiling away all those hours in your free hotel room with wi fi provided is right. You could, for instance, approach someone such as Clark Rickett for possible sponsorship with a view to specialising in aviation law. Such a specialised course so early on in a legal plan of action would give direction towards a goal as you studied within your specialised field whilst continuing to earn a reasonable living as a pilot.
If you're 21 now then there's plenty of time to complete an LLB, or whatever, and having kept your airline job and by then, no doubt a captain, you'd be able to transition from one decent paid job to another and then to develop frippery flying as a hobby.
If you're 21 now then there's plenty of time to complete an LLB, or whatever, and having kept your airline job and by then, no doubt a captain, you'd be able to transition from one decent paid job to another and then to develop frippery flying as a hobby.
Striving for a goal is often more stimulating than actually achieving it but having reached the (initial) goal it's time to set another one. At some level to reach a new goal we have to change so I believe it's more a question of who you become as a by product of achievement.
I've reached similar plateaus in my career but as Churchill once remarked "Keep B*****ing On". I've found that very often that bit of enlightenment one is looking for is just around the corner and it often comes from someone you bump into during the course of exercising the task who, unwittingly, becomes a mentor.
I would endorse some of the other suggestions such as distance learning courses and/or instructing or recreational flying. I would also recommend getting into personal self-development - there's plenty of material out there. I've always been quite a fan of Tony Robbins and his teaching and one of his quotes which comes to mind here is "Success without fulfilment is failure" and also that "Why to is more important than how to".
At some level you have to find a philosophy on life to keep you on track through the boring bits!
I've reached similar plateaus in my career but as Churchill once remarked "Keep B*****ing On". I've found that very often that bit of enlightenment one is looking for is just around the corner and it often comes from someone you bump into during the course of exercising the task who, unwittingly, becomes a mentor.
I would endorse some of the other suggestions such as distance learning courses and/or instructing or recreational flying. I would also recommend getting into personal self-development - there's plenty of material out there. I've always been quite a fan of Tony Robbins and his teaching and one of his quotes which comes to mind here is "Success without fulfilment is failure" and also that "Why to is more important than how to".
At some level you have to find a philosophy on life to keep you on track through the boring bits!
PrivatePilotDA40NG, the problem you have stems from the conflict between your ideal of "flying" and the reality of flying for a job. You need to disassociate the two things. Flying can be fantastically fun and free but airline flying is not in that category. Airline flying is a way to make a living out of what is a hobby for many people. But you need to be clear that as soon as you start doing something for a living you are playing by someone else's rule book and the fun factor can quickly disappear.
Consider that someone who loves writing may not necessarily love being a columnist for a magazine, or a band may not necessarily enjoy being held to a contract that requires an album per year.
You can get what you want from flying but you may need to look outside of work for it. Try gliding or something. In the meantime see your job for what it is. A hell of a lot better than working in an office somewhere 9am to 5pm, 5 days a week, and a means to get an income. It's a job, and not a bad one, but don't confuse it with a hobby.
What you're experiencing is why I have never understood the rush to get into the airlines. Some of the best flying you do in your career is for a little GA company flying piston singles for not much money, unfortunately many pilots skip that step and then find that airline flying is not what they thought it was. Then they become bitter and unpleasant to fly with. Don't be like that.
Edit: Also whole heartedly agree with the comments above about having a goal. I think it is a basic need in many of us to want to be working towards something. Working towards the goal and the anticipation of achieving it can provide years of satisfaction while the feeling you get after attaining your goal is fleeting.
Consider that someone who loves writing may not necessarily love being a columnist for a magazine, or a band may not necessarily enjoy being held to a contract that requires an album per year.
You can get what you want from flying but you may need to look outside of work for it. Try gliding or something. In the meantime see your job for what it is. A hell of a lot better than working in an office somewhere 9am to 5pm, 5 days a week, and a means to get an income. It's a job, and not a bad one, but don't confuse it with a hobby.
What you're experiencing is why I have never understood the rush to get into the airlines. Some of the best flying you do in your career is for a little GA company flying piston singles for not much money, unfortunately many pilots skip that step and then find that airline flying is not what they thought it was. Then they become bitter and unpleasant to fly with. Don't be like that.
Edit: Also whole heartedly agree with the comments above about having a goal. I think it is a basic need in many of us to want to be working towards something. Working towards the goal and the anticipation of achieving it can provide years of satisfaction while the feeling you get after attaining your goal is fleeting.
PPRuNe Handmaiden
Quite a few of us are doing degrees via the Open University. Great way to kill time on night stops/standby days.
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The problem is he/she does not know what it is like to work for a living, or to be unemployed or worrying about paying the mortgage.
Flying for an airline is just a job, I've had worse jobs both in and out if the airline industry and I've had a better flying job.
You say you would rather go back and study something at University. The first thing you need to do is identify what you would like to study, what is it that really interests you.
Money is not everything, so if you can find that something to do that will really make you happy then do it. However if you are not sure what it is that will make you truly happy remember that the majority of the population have jobs a lot worse than yours. Use aviation to make the rest of your life enjoyable. Over time you will have a very comfortable life style and earn enough money to make the most of your free time. You are very fortunate not to have been born in to poverty, or a war zone.
If flying is really not for you, if you are so unhappy it is making you depressed then talk to some one about it, try to identify why you are so unhappy and what you can do to solve that problem, if it really is not for you get out whilst you are still young without any reall commitments.
However ensure that you are not just waking up to the reality of the real world, you need to earn a living one way or the other unless you find yourself a rich partner to pay your way.
I would advise you to discuss the situation with your parents, they may not listen unfortunately, but no one cares more about you than them.
Flying, it's just a job but it's better than having to work for a living.
Flying for an airline is just a job, I've had worse jobs both in and out if the airline industry and I've had a better flying job.
You say you would rather go back and study something at University. The first thing you need to do is identify what you would like to study, what is it that really interests you.
Money is not everything, so if you can find that something to do that will really make you happy then do it. However if you are not sure what it is that will make you truly happy remember that the majority of the population have jobs a lot worse than yours. Use aviation to make the rest of your life enjoyable. Over time you will have a very comfortable life style and earn enough money to make the most of your free time. You are very fortunate not to have been born in to poverty, or a war zone.
If flying is really not for you, if you are so unhappy it is making you depressed then talk to some one about it, try to identify why you are so unhappy and what you can do to solve that problem, if it really is not for you get out whilst you are still young without any reall commitments.
However ensure that you are not just waking up to the reality of the real world, you need to earn a living one way or the other unless you find yourself a rich partner to pay your way.
I would advise you to discuss the situation with your parents, they may not listen unfortunately, but no one cares more about you than them.
Flying, it's just a job but it's better than having to work for a living.
Last edited by Council Van; 16th Mar 2016 at 07:44.
Mummy and Daddy bought me a job for £100,000 and I don't like it! Waaah!
Expletive deleted.
Life is just so hard for these P2F babies, isn't it.
No sympathy whatsoever. Go get a job in an accounts office and take a reality check.
Expletive deleted.
Life is just so hard for these P2F babies, isn't it.
No sympathy whatsoever. Go get a job in an accounts office and take a reality check.
