I Agree with Charles DArwin and skyclamp
but.
I also think that the good old times (and conditions) were got because lots of people were thinking together and acting together.The old pilots spent lots of off days in the union.The old guys were fired.The old guys did a strike to get their fellow`s job back.The old good guys didn`t allow a new co-pilot do his leg while he didn`t join the union.The old guys weren`t the first to point out one`s failures.Or make the poor guy who had an incident previously guilty(even before the managment)

IT`S WORTHLESS to waste fuel if you don`t join to the Union. We don`t have any force alone.

I hear people saying"union does nothing).

Unions are YOU!!!!! THEY ARE YOUR VOICE!!!If you go to the union and tell them that you want even less money,they have to struggle for it.But you have to go there.If you want more money and conditions you have to go there.
When you see one saying the UNION does nothing ask him/her if he/she was on the last reunion...
GO THERE!!!!! even if you don`t open your mouth!!! You will form an opinion of how things are going by yourself.
It will be nice for you and your coleagues to see everybody there.

I see guys saying the youngest co-pilots are guilty.They have just a small part in the cake.Everybody started the career accepting everything.But people are never happy with what they have.And this young pilots who just joined the company soon will understand the system and will be more demanding.As long as they learn to fly with you ,they need learn to have a positive attitude .And THIS is a Captain`s duty.A 300 hours guy can not be a Captain.

Did you know everyone can take a UNION to court if they take oposite actions to those accorded with pilots???

Also remenber yourselves that a good job environment helps to get people together.

Let`s stop beeing nice guys in front and selfish in the back .

Let`s prove for ourselves and managment we are the real leaders.

Just to say one thing.I have already had a dicciplinary action for beeing on the head of a union .And I am still alive.I have a better job now,more money and a better environment.

STOP beeing afraid like chickens.By the way ,I think pilots nowadays are like chicken.A lot of noise together but if somebody taller than us comes into the place we run away in all directions.

Never expect 100% people stuggling for your rights.There are always chickens (young and female).But the man have to be the majority and they have to be hard and persistent.

Let`s think a little bit on our way of beeing in life/ work and remenber that a group needs of us too.

Bye. Best flights

What a load of incredible guff!

We ARE bus drivers.
The job IS easy.
They DO pay us what we're worth.

Nobody forced us to become commercial pilots. Vote with your feet.

Thank you for your support.

BUS DRIVERS ?

When did a bus driver have to accept a computer programmed fuel plan that he knew from experience might be a bit marginal at that time of year, when arriving at a destination many thousands of miles away .?...Or know that if he decided to ignore the plan and carry extra fuel he could end up having tea and biscuits with the chief pilot ? ..When did a bus driver have to climb/cruise/hold/descend through ice .....?

On really sh*tty nights at somewhere like Frankfurt I would look back and see businessmen climbing aboard after a day of meetings and hassle and know that pretty much all of them had a wife at home preparing the evening meal and children hoping to see daddy before going to bed....The wife didn't want a visit from the local police late that night telling her that he would not be home again.....and the children wake the next morning to wonder why their mother was in tears....

How many bus drivers have those thoughts before taxiing out ?

How many pilots have those thoughts then ???:hmm:

Quite so:

Take the extra fuel, have the tea and biscuits, read the previous post:

Nobody forced us to become commercial pilots. Vote with your feet.

Thank you for your continued support.

To be honest, I'm sick and :mad: tired of debating this same cr@p over and over and over again.

Personally I think A-3Twenty's anology of comparing pilots to chickens is supremely PERFECT.
I think pilots nowadays are like chicken.A lot of noise together but if somebody taller than us comes into the place we run away in all directions.
I haven't seen it before, and if it is YOUR original thought, A-3TWENTY, you are, imo, an astutely brilliant legend :ok:

I'm sick & tired of being plucked, and stuffed (with b.s.) like a chicken...of being told that "The Company hasn't got any money, and so a pay decrease is necessary for the staff, if the Company is to survive."....only to see management reward themselves with extra bonuses, increased salaries, no alteration to their work conditions, but do NOTHING to increase actual productivity or increased revenue flow from clients!

Just like THEM, I'm in this for myself, now.
I can turn 1 hour sectors into 50 minutes...or 1 hour 30minutes.
The seat belt sign can stay on for all except about 10 minutes - for forecast/previous reports - of every flight!
I will step down when I feel fatigued, due to sh!t rostering, that has me doing consecutive early mornings, long days, and near minmum rest layovers. I'm a HUMAN BEING, not a robot!

I REALLY do NOT give a**** about the uneducated opinions of non Flight Crew, such as doublewasp - they know sfa about the day-to-day pressure put on crew, the effects of flying in O2 depleted work situations, the experience of having to stay at the work station for hours on end (without running off to the coffee machine/toilet/copier/work associate's desk - or flicking through the Internet pages at the Company's expense!)
The doublewasps are the M-F 9-5 freaks that live in a coffin from the day they finish their study - their greatest excitement, and fear, in life is going on vacation.
Exciting because it's "different" to the M-F 9-5.
Frightening, because they know they won't be missed, and are easily replaced!

So get over it guys - the fight is individually in our own hands now.
Like a fighting cock, be prepared to take your OWN stand as a pilot - for pilots!
http://www.raremaps.de/imagesbirds/c...tingfrench.gif

Oddly, doublewasp has been flight crew for most of his working life.

Just an opinion, old boy. Just an opinion.

I don´t know what line of work you´re in, but you clearly do not belong in the elite profession of aviation.
It all starts within yourself. You don´t respect your profession, and of course nobody will respect you. People earn respect from their words and actions. Respect is earned. It is not something that comes with a position.
Think about that.

This thread must not degenerate into personal attacks.
However, doubletwat, get a job, a life, get out more, see the world.
Your unfortunate remark "Nobody forced us to become commercial pilots" is nothing more than saying nobody forced us to have families, to have cars, to have... anything we might like.
According to your skewed "philosophy" we should just bend over and allow to be rocketed by corrupt, unskilled management, or walk out, forgetting we have ever lived.
You must'ave been fun to fly with (if you've really been there - which I very much doubt.)

I once heard a story from the outback refueller about hacked off pilots sweeping a tiny pile of stones under the props. Oh dear, a new chip or six to file out.

Professional.. um no, effective .. yes

doublewasp = 411A

doublewasp

Re: We ARE bus drivers.
The job IS easy.
They DO pay us what we're worth.

In the event that I changed jobs for the day with the driver of the Clapham Omnibus, completed the vehicle check out and route familiarization in the morning and entered service in the afternoon, at what stage would the real Omnibus driver be at, by this time, in his attempt to enter service as commander of a heavy jet public transport aircraft?

Kaptin M: your comments are original and very clear, which make me wonder:

1) It might be none of my business, but does every pilot in Britain belong to a union? Can some airlines there allow an open shop, as happens in some US states? Many do not pay union dues nor belong. Most airline pilots here in the "states" realize that we are not looked upon as white-collar staff, but highly-skilled "blue collar" technicians, even if we wear military-style uniforms. Speaking of which, most pilots here tend to be rather conservative and find this 'blue-collar' self-image difficult to accept, especially some ex-military types (with many exceptions). Several years ago, a FEDEX Captain who I had jumpseated with told me weeks later (in one of our hubs), that a retired Naval Aviator who then flew as A-300 First Officer, told him that he liked the job so much that he would almost work for free (what a naiive sucker-perfect airline grey-haired cadet in his 40s...)! The Captain had no military check coming in each month and strongly resented the one fellow's attitude, and maybe others' similar views.

2) As has been said before on Pprune, you folks in Britain/Europe are now experiencing what thousands of US airline pilots have experienced since deregulation began here about 20 years ago. This followed two (OPEC) oil-embargo recessions during the 70s and an ATC strike and third recession (about '81), each of which caused thousands of furloughed pilots etc. Never mind in about '91. There were thousands of pilots at TWA, now without jobs, and at other once-fine airlines, some of which were ruined by the glut of bean-counter or attorney-CEOs running around from company to company, wailing about labor as the scapegoat. Some of these are ruthless vampires who can jeopardize our careers more than a thousand bank robbers could ever do-and it is legal. The sneaky ones own just enough stock to have ownership, and they quickly but smoothly "upstream" millions of dollars out of the airline into their holding companies. This is why many holding companies were created. One offered lucrative jobs to government judges after (or during?) certain key decisions were made in their favor, i.e. Texas Air Corporation.

Most major US airlines are now in a situation where our retirement "plans" years from now might be worth less than half of what a career long-distance lorry/truck driver might have-especially if he drives for the Teamsters (union) western region. I sat next to a truck driver not long ago on a plane who is retiring, and we discussed dollars, however tasteless this seems. Delta Airlines just sharply reduced its maximum fares with "Simplifares"-a 'brilliant move', reducing its revenue with the self-deception that it will keep people from lining up for the low-cost carriers, after Delta just barely avoided Chapter 11-for now... The present situation has already financially crippled thousands of retired US pilots, even those who flew wide-bodies to Asia and/or Europe for a major portion of their careers. In stark contrast, the most successful airline here (possibly in the world), Southwest, which is profitable each year and able to hedge much of its fuel, pays its pilots better than any other US carrier, and is heavily unionized!

Let's hope that you all don't see this select retirement "club" of impending gloom and doom on your horizons. Don't socialized governments have better regulations to prevent this very grim but real possibility?:(

Anyone who thinks that a pilot's job is easy is doing it wrong!

OOOOOOH MungoP, you are a hero, you ARE dangerous, but you can be my wingman anyday........

OK Mungo, call the ball.......:rolleyes:

Just to let you know guys it's not that differant in the rotary world. In the summer as a heli instructor I can do as many as 65 hrs in work a week over 5 days, doing maybe 20 hrs flying and my annual salary is something like 15-18 grand a year.

To be a heli flight instructor you will need to fork out about 60 grand 35 grand to commercial leval but no one will give you a job with less than 200 hrs, and yes everyone at that leval will work for nothing to get the hrs up.

Don't get me wrong flying is a great thing to do but a career ?? I personaly am looking else where for a job that pays better, and maybe leaving the industry if I can find another job I like and still afford to fly when I want.

The problem is I think is that managers know that if they get rid of one pilot they can just get another who will be more than happy to work for less, as long as there are more pilots than jobs this will continue.The problem however is that not all pilots are the same and lots of people out there with licences should not be in charge of a dishwasher let alone an aircraft with hundreds of people on. So how long till fix wing and rotary start falling out of the sky ?????????

Crazybroadsword is right about the rotary industry. I am a heli charter pilot. Often find myself struggling with weather, pax, AC snags and all the rest. Fortunately because our side of the industry is so small pilots and ops will back each other up across company divides. However when the impossible has been achieved the thanks is minimal and the pay would definately make a self employed plumber weep. (at least 2 have told me they wouldn't do my job/hours for my money) And if it all goes horribly wrong it is usually VERY HIGH PROFILE because of the nature of the customers.

Aviation is bloody cut throat and will remain so. Maybe its about time we pilots started cutting some throats:E

I am 45 years old, with 13,000 hours and a double digit seniority number. I am a senior captain, flying wide-body Airbus. I could give 15 more years to this industry. But, I have reached the dispirited stage and (mercifully) the dispassionate age where I have decided to 'vote with my feet' and leave aviation for something more meaningful.

My disenchantment has been carefully generated by the tone and style of the airlines I have worked for. I don't want to be treated especially well, and don't need to be revered or applauded. I just want some courtesy and common respect. I am a person of reasonable intelligence, acceptable aptitude and dedicated application. I like to think that I am representative of a good (not perfect) and diligent employee. Sadly it's not enough.

I no longer have much tolerance for demeaning treatment; stupid SOP's; 'dumbing-down' our occupation; and, the creeping, incremental disregard for genuinely well-intentioned employees.

HIALS That was neatly put. I have not quoted the whole of your second paragraph but have kept it on file. I have been saying the exact same thing about the telecomms business for the past decade or so. In leaving it behind, I know that there are plenty of young [natch!] people to take my place and will work for less and make jokes about a middle aged old twit who was living in an old era.

The differance is that telecommunications does not carry the risks of an airline. Therefore, the airline world is in more serious trouble. In due course, people will die. I can say that, because that is what human beings do. They allow things to slide until ... they slide off onto the deck. The Hatfield rail crash in England is a fine example. It was all avoidable but it was not avoided and people died.

So TDF an airline Captain in the past was rewarded in a way that reflected his qualification and experience. But surely the laws of supply and demand must, in a free market set these levels, if indeed it was difficult and demanding to be a pilot then the qualification would be relatively scarce and thus expensive? You cannot compare flying with the professions. There are no minimum qualifications to become a pilot; indeed many would struggle to achieve A levels. A few multi question papers from the CAA or FAA hardly rank with the degrees required by doctors, lawyers and accountants most of whom regard your salaries with envy. The ‘closed shop’ fiddles, expenses and grotesque salaries of the past have been rumbled, the low cost operators have established that pilots are (almost) two a penny.
‘Selfish, Greedy Airline Owners, CEO’s and Managers’ have spoilt the party heh, well for long enough they have seen you and your unions as selfish and greedy now the boot is on the other foot and pilots like so many of the ‘protected species’ of the past have to face the real world. Companies do not exist for the benefit of their employees and airlines do not exist for the benefit of pilots.
‘Professional decision making has been taken away from the Captain’ What on earth does that mean? Since when did pilots make commercial decisions or indeed decisions on anything not directly connected with the operation of the aircraft? All you can do apparantly is throw your toys around and sabotage your company, not the way professionals behave.
Your comments on fatigue may well be valid, but you must expect the companies to work to the legislated limits they are not benevolent societies, truth be told little has changed in this respect aviation has always been hard work.
‘Many pilots in the company I’m with are angry and are looking to leave, yet they can’t find a better job to go to at the moment’ says it all really.

d246, in the UK at least the Flight Time Limitations were formulated with some flex, at the behest of airlines, so that in an emergency the airline would be able to operate despite staff shortages. The idea was that a short term bug, or hiring spree by another carrier, would not cripple the companies' flying programmes. As I recall, it then took about 6 weeks before the first operators publicly stated "we roster to CAP371 limits."
Had I been in the CAA then, I would have followed this with a statement "companies who operate in accordance with the letter, but not the spirit, of safety legislation will attract extra scrutiny from the Flight Ops Inspectors."
For shorthaul operation, CAP 371 allows slightly more than a healthy amount of work- working to this level over a long enough period will seriously damage the health of many aircrew.

D246, HIALS,

You have both put, eloquently and without agression, the sentiment I was trying to express. For many, flying is a passion, for others a worthwhile and valuable profession. For a few, it is a refuge for the dusty soul and the empty head.

I do fly for a living, I do love my job, but I will stop, without complaint, the moment it becomes my prison.

Flying can also be a refuge for those who don't want to work for a real boss, and can't stand the idea of office politics and kissing someone's bum (ass) to get ahead. Seniority creates a numerical sequence as a substitute for social cliques and company politics, even "affirmative action". There have been some smaller US airlines, both passenger and freight, where seniority was not always used. But these were non-union.

Airline pilots have no liability insurance, which has become almost unaffordable for thousands of US doctors. If we screw up bad, or even try to cover something up which ended ok for the plane and passengers, our career is over.:hmm:

d246;

I have no idea where your I.D comes from: but I do see your registration is this week. Thus I conclude you are a newbee. From your comments you are also a knobee: i.e. someone who knows diddly squat about what they are talking.

If you have ever read the conditions, or needed to apply for the job of an airline pilot with a major company in any major developed country, you will have noted the need to have substanstial academic qualifications, as well as considerable personal characteristics of team skills, good communications, leadership qualities, ability to digest mulit-path data and arrive at a concise decision. These are the requirements listed in the advertisments and application forms for the above mentioned airlines. Often, a higher than normal level of education, even university, is also required. After achieving all that at your own expense & endeavour, there is the hurdle of gaining the pilot qualification at your own expense. At the end of that, the selection subjects you to a process consisting of physco tests, team tests, coordination tests, flying ability tests, multiple interviews and more. The whole process can take 5 days or more over a period of 4 weeks, also at your own expense.
If you are lucky enough to jump through these hoops you might earn your wings and be lablled as a co-pilot. and depending on the airline, be entrenched there for many a year.
When, after some years experience has been gained, and the promotion tests have been passed, you then win your command. This is s stressful pass/fail matter. It can effect your whole future. If you fail you cannot just jump ship and go somewhere else. For many reasons you may be stuck where you are; a middle manager for life. If you succeeed, you will then be tasked to make most of the decisions about the operation. True, on the ground, most commercial decisions will be made by ops, but once in the air you are on your own. You call it as you think fit; and live by it afterwards. That is what you are paid for. The buck stops in the left seat, and don't forget it. Commercial decisions as well.

So, in the light of the above, let us once again review your statement:

"if indeed it was difficult and demanding to be a pilot then the qualification would be relatively scarce and thus expensive? You cannot compare flying with the professions."

"There are no minimum qualifications to become a pilot; indeed many would struggle to achieve A levels. A few multi question papers from the CAA or FAA hardly rank with the degrees required by doctors, lawyers and accountants most of whom regard your salaries with envy."

"Professional decision making has been taken away from the Captain’ What on earth does that mean? Since when did pilots make commercial decisions or indeed decisions on anything not directly connected with the operation of the aircraft?"

By these statements, full of twaddle, you identify yourself as ignorant, biased, anti pilot and woefully misinformed. I stop short of pronnouncing you crassly pathetic as this would lower myself to your level, and I would hate for this discussion to enter the realms of personalities rather than issues. Thus I will keep it at the level of hoping you spend a some more time at the coal face and discussing matters with the troops, before you belittle their contributions. It is sad that one so self procaliming as you can not understand that the one group of employees who will work their damndest to keep a company going are the flight crew. It is the arogant management, with short-term imagination, who tip airlines over the cliff, not the crews with long-term careers at stake.

Rant over, and I'm going to bed. Over the years I've debated much on this subject. Nothing seems to have improved, but these henious commencts of d246 could not go unanswered. I am now going on holiday for 7 weeks, and when I return I hope NOT to read similar threads on prune. They have been going on for years. PLEASE, direct your energies to doing something to right these wrongs on the front line. Prune has just replaced all the bar-room B.S. I heard for 25 years. A great place to let off steam and achieve naff all. Be BOLD & stick you head above the parapets, or shut up. Do not vote with your feet. That is not democracy. The bad guys should walk the plank.

For those not qualified to sit in the front two seats of a passenger carrying aircraft there are two types of pilots:

Type 1: The dinner party pilot..... Overpaid, underworked, glamorised, spoon-fed and dependant on automated electronics to do the job..........

Type 2: The pilot who is flying these d*ckhead wallys to their holiday destinations when the weather is totally crap, the aircraft is suffering a major systems failure and there is still four hours to go over a gale swept ocean.....

If the self loading cargo were told that only by offering a vast financial incentive to the guys at the front could their quivering backsides be saved I wonder how much the pilots would be worth then......

Rat 5,

You beat me to it. D246 is replying to his own posts:ugh:

Liked the bit about not being comparable to the professions. I know a number of people over the years whom have come from the professions to pursue an ATPL qualification and had to work has hard as the rest of us to acheve the desired results. In fact, one doctor told me it was the most inhumane exam process he had ever experienced.

I think pilots have earned their place in history. The public love their pilots! Love their Lawyers... I think not:8

What surprises me is how quickly all the pontificators on the "pilots are busdrivers" subject become instantly tongue tied and subdued when the aircraft does anything in the slightest bit unusual.
Having sat next to a pilot basher whilst returning from duty, I was highly amused to see him stop in mid-sentence grip the seat-arm, and tense up with just a slight shake from CAT.
He stayed quiet for the rest of the flight, which was most welcome.

Although the grass is always greener, take a step back and you will see you do a job most people (like me) would have loved to have done.

It's the best job in the world, bar none. And the SLF still think of pilots as pretty sexy people actually ;)

RAT 5

Well said old man.
Your posts are always well researched and most informative.
You don't have to say you have experience in this business, it SHOWS from your wise words.
Enjoy your holiday.


d246

Yours is a world where twaddle takes precedence over facts.
You are over-misinformed enough for me/us not to be able to debate anything with you.
Why not sit back and read a bit about being a pilot, a captain, and what it's REALLY like to break into this profession, then staying with it! The best sources for you to read from are the very contributors to this forum the real boys and girls that fly for a living. It's very easy to tell which ones are genuine and which aren't!

I have said it before and I will say it again. Being a pilot is easy, but then so is being a doctor, accountant, lawyer, or businessman.

How hard is it to say take two aspirin and call me in the morning, I could do that.

How hard is it to add up columns of numbers, I used to do that all the time.

How hard is it to dress up in a frilly wig and say I object. I could do that.

And to sit behind a big desk, look fierce, and say more productivity, less cost. Heck I could do that.

Then again, I always wanted to play with rockets, and I can count backwards from 10 to 1, I think I'll just be off to the launch pad.

I really don't know what all the fuss is about.

;-)

ZQA297/30,

I hear what you are saying but you guys must be SkyGods. I have flown heavies around the world for 7 years now and I must say there have been many times when I have been under pressure and well tested. Even flying around Europe has its own challenges.

Maybe I am just unlucky, but it is in my view a very demanding career:sad:

Sorry Dogma, you missed the irony.
My point is that flying is only easy to those who have little or no in depth knowledge.
Like saying I can drive a Metro so I could be Schumaker if I wanted, all you have to do is steer and keep hard down on the accelerator. How hard can that be?

Yes, I`m in total agreement with you, ZQA297/30, ANY job is easy when you watch professionals who have been trained, and then done it for years.
Thje difference between a professional pilot`s daily routine, and other professionals, is that generally, the daily routine for a pilot is not routinely the same.
It`s as changeable as the weather.

And for our poster who seems to have a few feather ruffled, MY exams were not all multi-choice.
The majority required the old-fashioned, long-winded calculations and/or essays.

Yes, some have been "dumbed down" to multi-choice status, but then so have many other professions` exams!

Suddenly there was the explosive tearing of metal, and the flesh of two hundred and sixty nine people was instantly compressed into the forward cabin of the stricken airliner. Two huge engines, sheared from their mountings, reached Mach 1.4 before exploding into a densely populated part of the city. The remaining debris and fuel started fires over five square miles of housing. The remains of the other aircraft spiraled onto a hospital, causing the almost complete destruction of the building.

It is thought that one of the pilots made an elementary mistake in selecting what is know as an assigned altitude. "It's the sort of mistake I make daily, while working on my office computer." said one observer.

Money for old rope, this job of ours.

As I said earlier, you guys make it look too easy. The times I've visited a cockpit (as I sit in the back) all I've seen is a couple of apparently bored pilots filling out paperwork and trying to change altitude to get better winds. The autopilot is doing the flying, the INS is doing the navigating, the autothrottle is auto throttling and so on.

Little did I know until I read this thread that this was all a carefully staged illusion to bolster the travelling public's sense of wellbeing.

I didn't realise that underneath the light and casual banter about the size of the new young FA's **ts, two steely eyed professionals were engaged in a knife edge balancing act to get us to LHR in one peice... Or something like that anyway.

Maybe you need to "jazz up" the cockpit act so that the bean counters think they are getting value for money. .:}

Not a staged illusion sunfish, but the result of careful planning and preparation by a team of pros.
Most eventualiities have been thought of and planned for before the aircraft started to move.
Even the unplanned will cause no more than the obligatory expletive, and to the casual observer, a few terse words and some calm and measured actions.
The hollywood stereotype of two agitated pilots (wearing headsets over caps) industriously jiggling controls, and yelling into handmikes at even more agitated tower controllers is more like your staged illusion.
The lack of drama does not mean it is easy, but is the result of much professional training and experience.

You need to concentrate on going first solo, Sunfish...but you`re right, with exposure to the job - any job - a professional is able to watch for trends, whilst carrying out other chores.

We review regularly, during EVERY flight, items that might need "jazzing up", or others that demand more immediate attention.

Just because the aircraft is established in cruise/climb/descent, there`s no guarantee that the status quo will remain so, either by choice, or out of necessity.
Two days ago, due to a sudden wind change - but with no physical effect felt - the airspeed increased by some 40 knots during cruise in a time frame of 4-5 seconds, and required IMMEDIATE, ACTIVE intervention on the part of the crew :D to override the autothrottle, to prevent the aircraft exceeding MMo.
The pax, of course knew nothing - however, had our attention NOT been on what was going on - as it probably would have appeared, to the casual cockpit visitor - this was another instance for the possibility of structural aircraft damage, at the least.

Reckon I`ll do some music conducting on my next day OFF - haven`t had any training, but anyone can hold a baton, and wave his arms arounds - after all the orchestra already knows what they`ve got to do!! ;)

In my 28 years of flying I have:

Travelled to just about every corner of the world
Flown combat lit by enemy radar
Commanded an air force flying squadron
Lived on peanuts and spaghetti waiting for the airlines to hire me
Flown overnight freight days on end, fatigued as a zombie
Had an engine explode at max gross weight at 800 feet
Had friends die
Lost captain seat in company downsizing
Got hired into dream job with a major in my 40's
Got furloughed to the street after 9/11
Loved every minute of it

Would I trade my experience with flying for anything else?

Absolutely not.

Would I, as a young man today, given current prospects go into professional aviation?

Absolutely not.

An interesting feature of the pilot profession is how some guys go straight through to the wide-body left seat with no turmoil while others have a career with nothing but setbacks and uncertainty. All this having nothing to do with talent.