Sas,

Long time no read. Yup, life is just full of "If Onlys". :ugh: I recall my younger son when he was 12 telling me that when he grew up he wanted to be a helicopter pilot like his Dad. My answer was the predictable one: "Son, you can't do both".:)

Cheers,

NEO

NEO,

I just spent six weeks in the mountains seeking Deer, Elk, Black Bear, and Cougars to murder....although in some cases with the Cougar it could be a form of self-defense.

Saw each of the critters....at night or standing in the middle of the paved highway thus critters 1....the SAS, zero for the season.

Some how Nigeria seems more like a bad dream than a place I spent quite a bit of time not so long ago.

US Cavalry has some very good body armor and kevlar undies in their catalogue....perhaps you might consider investing in some of their products.

A right and a privilege:
 

Fixed or rotary pilot, electrical engineer or electrician, ship’s captain or deck hand every profession has it best and worst job stories. Hang around bars were the oil patch hang out (and they are in every corner of the world) and you will hear each and every one complaining about something. Hang out in bars where the Wall Street geniuses hang out, you know the ones that got 300K bonuses this year!! and you will also hear them complaining. Where ever you hang out or what ever your profession or job is you will hear complaining. It seems to be one of our human failings…whining! So enjoy…it’s everywhere and everyone is doing it…a right and a privilege in a free society. Now that I have moralized, just remember only you can make a change and you have one of the potentially most interesting jobs in the world...keep it in perspective.

Damn right I would.

RN Wings 1964, radial engines to glass cockpits since then.
16,000 + hours, bag always packed, cv at the ready.
I'm opionated, quarrelsome, regularly poor and will accept anybody's free meal(I've flown to Vma with the best of them).

Forcibly retired from active flying I now drive a sim training young plank drivers; I don't try to convert them. Fixed Wing people are OK but not like us...(honourable exceptions of course Nick). I've enjoyed my Helicoptering in many countries with many nationalities; they have greatly enriched my life and I take this opportunity to thank them all.

Damn right I would.

Got bored after a reading a few pages of this thread and no one had actually answered the question posed. So I jumped to here.

So I will answer it.

YES.

For those who have forgotten what the original question was, it was " Would you become a Professional Pilot again?"

YES! I would do it again.

skadi

Answer to the original question: No, absolutely not.

Why and why not? :confused:

You guys are just killing me with this !!!

If you're a) - over the whole thing - stop doing it.

If you're b) - loving it (regardless of the variables and options) - keep doing it.

One recipe isn't going to work for everyone either way.

a) If you're over it - what are you doing spending so much time on this forum bitching about it.

b) If you're loving it and getting so much satisfaction, income and freedom from it - use all of the above to go and enjoy them.

Would I do it again ?

Left lucrative career at 34 (5 years ago) to pursue CPL(H), did the very hard yards, then some slightly less hard yards, now enjoying flying, conditions, environment and variety of missions - money's a struggle - but tolerable (with family).

Answer : Yes - in a heartbeat.

Flying is too lovely a thing to do for a living. I have found it just mucks it up. Work at the thing that pays well and is tolerable so you can enjoy your muse for what it is on your own terms.

Confirmed Santos Dumont Afficianado

The RAF in the early 1970's sent the best pilots and the worst navigators onto helicopters. Flying the Harrier was next in the pilot pecking order folowed by the lightning and F4. The 4 jet stuff was for the under achievers !

Wouldn't trade it for the world.;) I would only have done it sooner was I given the chance again.:ok:

Helihunter you are spot on :D

I would ABSOLUTELY do it again!
 

Well,

I somehow feel the need to post something in this thread. After reading all these depressing stories of people that (in my humble opinion) seem to be very negative about flying, I thought it was time to respond.

First of all, for all those that whine and complain..... Get another job! If you don't, to me that means that there must be something keeping you there. Either the pay (which apparently is awful if I read the stories here), the fact that you can call yourself a pilot, or just the fact that you don't have to sit at a desk all day every day. Either way, if it is that horrible (whichever occupation you are in), get another job and stop whining!

Now my experience. I was fortunate enough to have enough life savings to pay for my entire course without having to borrow money. And that makes all the difference in the world to me. It means I won't have to pay off my debt for the next .... years. The pay is bad? Well, if you have 150.000,- euro + interest to pay back, then yes. Your salary will mainly go to paying off your debt. And as far as people that would want to start a career in aviation to make a lot of money, before you have a return on investment, you'll be retired. So don't do it for the money. Someone once said to me:"The only way to make a small fortune in aviation is if you started out with a large fortune." And I believe that is very true.

Also, if you are in it for the glamour of being able to call yourself a pilot, and have visions of walking down an airport with stewardesses, don't become a helicopter pilot, but become a fixed wing pilot. No glamour here, but hard work.

If after all that you are still reading, you must have some interest in flying. I did, and took a test flight. Within the first few minutes I KNEW this was what I needed to do. And I also knew it would be a lot of hard work. Lots of studying, and sleepless nights. But, every minute I spent up there flying around made all that hard work and effort seem to disappear! I absolutely love flying! If you don't, then please don't pursue a career as a pilot. Every time I feel myself getting bored (because those days will come!), I realize that I am one of the lucky few to make a career out of something they love. And furthermore, I realize that at the very least, I am not sitting behind a desk! No offense to those that do, I am simply not suitable to do a desk job. And if you keep that realization, you will be fine.

Each of us probably spends more time with their colleagues and at our job then we do with our wife and children. That being said, you might as well pursue a job that will make you happy and pays the bills. If you don't, then please stop moaning and complaining! Your life, your choice as far as I am concerned.

Flying is fantastic! In my opinion. No one can state that it is a fact that it isn't, or that other people are naive. That is just their opinion. And whatever anyone may say, if you are happy with what you are doing, you may be naive, but you're definitely a winner over those that are unhappy in their careers/lives! And whomever is reading this and contemplating becoming a pilot, you have to make your own opinion whether or not it is for you. I would suggest you start with a trail flight lesson somewhere, and take it from there. At least you'll know if you have vertigo! :)

So to make a short story long: YES! I would absolutely do it all again!

Such a great post Dutch! :ok:

Objection, your honour!

The question is "would you do it again?", this is not about whining.
Our dutch friend said "flying is fantastic". That is the good part about the job. A year has about 2000 working hours, so when one flies 500 hours a year it means 1500 hours have to be filled with something else.That might well be sitting behind a desk.
We do not know for how long our friend has been in aviation.

When the uninformed noob is questioned about what field of helicopters he wants to be in the 2 favourite answers you'll get are
a) "Rescue pilot"
b) "Offshore flying"

Those two are the ones where the decent money is and the good working hours are.
The rest of us works 60 to 80 hour weeks illegally, is on duty 330 days per year and makes less money than a brick layer in a 40 hour week.
There is no time for family and the divorce rates are high.

Lot's of us are still in it because it's too late to bail out after two decades or more in the saddle.
With 150k Euros in your pocket you're better off buying a house so you never have to pay rent again and the bank can't touch you because you have NO loan. Come Friday noon you go home, get on your motorcycle and ride into the weekend.

This is not about whining...

GoodGrief, I know you're right too. My expression was related to the fact that this post is one of the few positive. And for those who, like me, still has to start training, it is important to hear words of "comfort." Then, of course, the reality is always different, always the worst. The important thing, though, is that somehow we know it can be done.

Been in it for 34 years now as a VFR pilot. I had a beautiful career, loved most of it (but let's be realistic here, nothing is perfect) Most of the people I have worked with in this industry were great.

I am still in it because that is what I want to do and I still like it.

Would do it all over again.

JD

YES! After 30+ Years
 

Yes! Seven years HEMS was most rewarding especially with the best med crews in the U.S. at LIFE REACH. 25 years Mosquito control flying where you basically strap your helicopter on and fly by the seat of your pants SOLO. Ag turns still make me smile. It doesn't get any better than that.

my take
 

Greatest job in the world. If I win the lottery I quit!

(probably but a MD500 for personal use)

Cheers

Perhaps Piano lessons and a job playing in a bawdy house would have paid better with much better fringe bennies.:E

If I had known then what I know now....I would have finished University...gone fixed wing in either the Air Force or Marine Corps...then done a law degree and stayed in the National Guard.

But....hind sight is so accurate.

The flying life was good to me in a left handed way....lots of travel...met some great people...saw and did things most people just dream about.

The industry has made some improvements over the years....usually against its own desires....pay is better, working conditions are better, and one can almost count on retiring at some point. None of that was the case in the old days.