Today, I was looking thru an old Time magazine, and it had an article on the happiest jobs in America. Near the top were Pilots, and it also included that the average salary was $141,000. I'm 16 and I am not really sure what I want to do with my life, but this looks pretty good. I've always loved flying, but I never really considered becoming a pilot until after reading the article. Is anyone else here a pilot, or can anyone give me some pro's and con's for the job?
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Becoming A Pilot
- Thread starter CityEscape
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FWIW, I am in some advanced classes in school, but my GPA isn't amazing, it's about a 3.5 so far.
Take it from a guy who knows many pilots who work for Fedex.
Would you enjoy working weird hours? Not being able to see your family every day? Constant jet lag? Spending countless hours in a plane? And believe me when I say that`s not the average salary a pilot makes. That`s the salary pilots who`ve been working for many years and are lucky enough to score a job for private employers or huge companies like Fedex make. The guys I know do make good money because they are pilots for Fedex, but half of them have been divorced, most have very little connection with their kids, and most of them seem depressed a lot of the time. I`m not trying to deter you from pursuing something you`re interested in, but I do want to give you some insight as to how a lot of their lives are.
I'm guessing that article is from the 60's, 70's, or early 80's?
The reality for pilots now is nothing like that. Entry level positions in the industry are below $30K, working conditions are difficult at best, and jobs that are worth having are impossible to find. VERY FEW IF ANY PILOTS are making $100K+ these days, and those that are typically are guys that are nearing the end of their careers. Being a pilot used to be special, now, you're considered an overpaid bus driver.
I don't recommend that career path if you are looking for an "easy money" gig. However, if you love to fly, then you should pursue it...
You really have to love flying. You will fly hundreds of hours making basically minimum wage to ever get a shot at the right seat (co-pilot) of a major air carrier. Don't get me wrong, this life style is worth it to many people to get the chance to fly heavy metal down the road, but you will have to pay your dues. If you are interested you might check out Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. I had that choice to make many years ago and decided to make money other places and get a privet pilots license to fly for fun.
You can make a killing, and quite a few airlines will put you through and pay for your education if you will sign on with them in a contract.
However you spend a lot of time away from home, and ontop of that only 20 hours a week of your 38 hour or so week is flying, the other 18+ is paperwork as you are not allowed to fly more than 20 hours due to fatigue.
You also spend a lot of time on overnight stops in other cities/countries where you spend a lot of the money you earn if your not careful.
But I know plenty of happy pilots.
However you spend a lot of time away from home, and ontop of that only 20 hours a week of your 38 hour or so week is flying, the other 18+ is paperwork as you are not allowed to fly more than 20 hours due to fatigue.
You also spend a lot of time on overnight stops in other cities/countries where you spend a lot of the money you earn if your not careful.
But I know plenty of happy pilots.
+1000
My #1 son went there for aerospace engineering and a private pilot friend's son got his "papers" their. THE BEST.
Plus you can call your best friends when NASCAR is doing testing at Daytona and tell them: "Hey, check this out!", hold up your cell phone, and let them hear a V8 getting thrashed(my son did that a number of times).
PS:
When my son was in his youth he used to ride his bicycle 3 miles to New Orleans International Aiport(we didn't know at the time!) just to watch planes. The love of the subject was/is there. THAT is a key.
If you can arrange to get paid to do something you enjoy then you will never "work" a day in your life.
there was a news show on pilots a while ago and i was amazed that many pilots,especially the ones with regional carriers make less than truck drivers.to jump through so many hoops,and give up so much home and personal time living in layover stops would make one think that the pay would be good,but........
My dad was probably one of the guys your son was watching, he was a pilot for Delta, and was based in NOLA for the first 20 or so years with them, before they closed their crew base there.
FWIW, if you MUST fly, do it, do whatever it takes, because like Johnny says, if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life (I have a job like that now, and cannot recommend it highly); however, if you are going into commercial aviation for the money, you will be miserable.
I think being a pilot for the goodyear blimp crew might give more money and better working conditions. Not quite the speed of a jet... but it probably beats working for a commercial airline (they have to deal with the same security checks as passengers these days).
I'm an aircraft tech (in the USA it's called A&P tech) and hold a commercial helicopter pilot licence as well as a private fixed wing rating.
For those who love things that fly, travel and adventure the aeronautical industry can be interesting, rewarding and challenging.
However, like many industries (the music biz also being a good example), things also looks a lot better from the outside to starry eyed youth and the future isn't bright with the price of oil going up, outsourcing and the changes global economy is going through.
Many people I know in the business are unhappy with many things, some are mentioned above in this thread such as low pay, weird hours, time away from home, poor job security, etc. A select few have bulletproof high paying jobs.
My advice is get a university education in something you enjoy, make enough money to fly on your own time if you like it.
Modern transport aircraft today don't really need pilots to fly them anymore and being stuck jet lagged in a cockpit reading the newspaper isn't all that much fun (no offense to the line pilots out there).
For those who love things that fly, travel and adventure the aeronautical industry can be interesting, rewarding and challenging.
However, like many industries (the music biz also being a good example), things also looks a lot better from the outside to starry eyed youth and the future isn't bright with the price of oil going up, outsourcing and the changes global economy is going through.
Many people I know in the business are unhappy with many things, some are mentioned above in this thread such as low pay, weird hours, time away from home, poor job security, etc. A select few have bulletproof high paying jobs.
My advice is get a university education in something you enjoy, make enough money to fly on your own time if you like it.
Modern transport aircraft today don't really need pilots to fly them anymore and being stuck jet lagged in a cockpit reading the newspaper isn't all that much fun (no offense to the line pilots out there).
Well, I did some reading on it... Yes, it's very difficult to break into that field of work. Gotta work ground crew first, plus obtain general pilot's license and get the Lighter Than Air credentials added to that (550 hrs of flight time logged between the 2 back in '77... so probably closer to 1,200 hrs now). Starting salary is about the same as a commercial airline ($25k), and top end is about $60k. It is very busy as you wear a lot of hats, and spend most of your time on the road, leaving little time for a family. However, it also stated that it's a very relaxed job compared to normal aviation, and travel expenses are paid by the company.
if i was you i'd pick a job you want to do 'cause of the doing, not the getting paid 
no money in the world can buy you out of a Monday morning (or whatever time you start work) that just makes you feel bad.
no money in the world can buy you out of a Monday morning (or whatever time you start work) that just makes you feel bad.
My brother in law is a pilot. He got his start in the air force, and after getting back to civilian life tried to get a job as a commercial pilot. He soon found out it was probably easier hitting the lottery and getting struck by lightening twice. After many gigs giving flying lessons, working overseas, flying private lear jets etc he has passed his prime (mid 40's) for commercial flying. I can tell you he was making below 50k and it took its toll on his personal life. He just recently landed a job training air traffic controllers. Pilots are a dime a dozen and unfortunately the jobs are not.
Has he tried Australia? I was under the impression we had a huuuge demand for experiencd pilots over the past 10 years or so, although I could be wrong. Major airlines providing full scholarships for people to become pilots and work for them indicated quite a demand to me?
I'm sure they do, I think he's burnt out with the whole field. He worked 7 months straight in India, then another year and a half in Germany, both of which are hiring pilots. He was sharing an apartment with 2 other pilots and never saw his family. He's on his third marriage and I don't think he wants to do it anymore. I should've stated that it's really hard to get a job in the U.S.
I say pursue your dreams. Working for a commercial airline is not the only end option for a pilot.
