Jet Airline Pilot

Inexperienced Pilots Flying You Around

2008-02-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

Low Time Pilots and the Regional Airlines

I have been there and seen this. Low time pilots getting hired by the regional airlines is becoming a real problem. The regional airlines are in despirate need for pilots. Many regionals are hiring pilots with just over 250 hours.

I have flown with them and some are good and many show their experience level. The regional airlines can not be picky on who they hire. There are just not enough pilots out there due to poor pay and a not so bright future.

This link to a local news station does a good job indicating the problem with low time pilots at the regional airlines.

Low Time Pilots at the Regionals

Airline Pilot Fatigue

2007-11-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

The FAA wants a pilot to call out fatigued when they reach a fatigued condition. This is the most stupid rule. How do you expect a pilot to make a good fatigue decision when they can barely make good decisions. To top it off the FAA has rules in place like the 14 hour day extendable to 16 hours which are very fatiguing.

The FAA has a very long way to go before safe work hours are in place for airline pilots.

As a passenger have you ever thought of asking how long the pilots of your aircraft have been on duty. Why not, they are responsible for your safety. Would you get in a car with a taxi driver that was fatigued after driving for many hours? Of course not.

If there is a lot of weather or conditions that are causing delays, I would ask how long the flight crew has been on duty. Then factor in what the time of day it is. Is it late at night? That makes it even harder for the pilots to function after a challenging day.

Take control. Ask the gate or ask the flight crew themselves. If you feel your crew could be fatigued, get off and state your concern. This will help with making a change.

The airlines put a lot of pressure on the pilots and make it hard for them to call in fatigue.

Pilots: Is Your Hotel Room Really Clean??

2007-11-09T18:24:00.000-08:00

As an airline pilot you spend a lot of time in hotels. Most airline pilots agree that the hotels are not that clean. The following video proves it.

Dirty hotels.

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Worst Airline

2007-09-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

America's worst airlines by Forbes. Atlantic Southeast Airlines is number one. You can't blame the pilot group and I know this for a fact. They are some of the best.

ASA management is something else, what a record for 2007.

Read article by Forbes.

Delta CEO Gives Away Bonus.

2007-03-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

Finally a CEO of an airline doing the right thing. I hope this could put pressure on other CEO's to do the right thing. No airline CEO is worth millions of dollars a year. I think any MBA who has a conscious can go into any airline and do the right thing. Treat the employees fair and the sky is the limit.

Airline CEO to give away bonus.

Airline Pilots are a Liability to the Company.

2007-03-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

Has anything really changed in the last 20 or so years of being an airline pilot? I don't think it has. Just like the past the employees have to take pay cuts for the airline to survive. The airline pilot is always a liability and too expensive. What a joke. The airlines are so necessary for the US economy but yet they are so messed up. As long as people get moved by planes cheaply and safely that is all the US gov. and FAA cares about.

Airlines Want the Experienced Pilots To Move On!

2007-03-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

Are you thinking of becoming an airline pilot and going to flight school?

Look around, there is a lot of opportunity at the regional airlines right now. There are airline pilot schools that will have you in the cockpit of a regional jet in a short period of time for quite a lot of money.

There are many people starting to consider being an airline pilot again because there is a big shortage of pilots. The regional airlines I think are actually trying to drive some of their pilots away. They really want the 5 plus year pilots to get out so they can replace them with the new hire pilots who see great opportunity at the airlines.

Why would they want the experienced pilots to move on? They cost too much and when they can have someone do the same job for less, that is what makes the people at the top richer. So jump on the opportunity at the regional airlines and go to flight school to learn to fly. Don't plan on staying at a regional airline long because they will try to run you off.

The day you get on with a regional airline is the day you start looking for your next flying job.

Being An Airline Pilot Is Not Hard

2007-03-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Being an airline pilot is not the hard part of this job. The hard part is putting up with airline management and the airline industry.

There is so much extra stress involved that is not even part of doing the job. As a pilot you are always a liability to the airline. They seem to always think you are payed too much and a pay cut is needed. If you don't take the pay cut they will just give the flying to another airline.

So in addition to being an airline pilot there are mountains of other worries that a pilot has to put up with. Doesn't sound like the safest way to operate an airline does it?

Airline Pilots, What A Happy Bunch!

2007-03-09T06:49:00.001-08:00

Most pilots come to an airline so excited about their future. They now get to fly a big aircraft in a fun environment. The excitement for a new pilot at the airlines is amazing.

Now fast forward a few years. The pilot now doesn't have many positive things to say. Airline management has now disappointed him few times for their own gain. The pilot may of even had to take a paycut or two. The pilot may not of upgraded when he thought because of the economy going downhill or management not doing their job. Flying in the airlines now has become a job.

The pilot gets married and now they realize that the pay is not keeping up with what they need to make to support their family. But management doesn't realize this, heck they even expect you to take a pay cut.

Even if the pilot has worked hard to build the PIC time and keep a clean record he will still find others getting hired at the airlines he wants go to because they had connections.

It is amazing how negative senior pilots at the majors are. They have taken so many paycuts and put up with management that can't run an airline that they don't have a lot good to say.

Airline Pilot Schools

2007-03-07T19:18:00.000-08:00

The airlines are really starting to hire. The airline pilot schools are starting to look for students. You have thought about being a pilot with the airlines for years. Is now the time to make the jump?

Have you checked out the price at some the airline pilot schools? WOW are they expensive!

The regional airlines are really hurting for pilots. Some regional airlines have lowered their pilot minimums to 600 total time and 50 multiengine. There is less of a need to go to the expensive flight schools.

When I learned to fly I went to the local airport and took flight lessons. I also spent a lot less money and was able to work full time. In today's airline market a future pilot could go this route and still have a great chance at being hired at an airline. Look at all of your options. The airline pilot flight schools are not the only way to become a airline pilot.

Good luck, the airline road is full of ups and downs. Gain as little debt as you can when getting into this business because it can be tough.

Airline Pilots Leave The Industry In Record Numbers!

2007-02-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

I have seen this personally, regional airline pilots are leaving in record numbers. What is different is that many are leaving for jobs outside of flying. Many are going back to school so they can get a better paying career with at least some job security.

Now and for the future there is really no job security in the airlines. This is especially true at the regional airline level. There are so many airlines at this level now, flying can be moved to the lowest bidder in no time. Thanks ALPA!

Many of you new pilots entering the regional airline level don't see this. You think there is tons of opportunity because the regional airlines are hiring like crazy. Sure there is opportunity right now but what is happening to ASA and Comair can happen to you when you have 5 or so years invested and the opportunity runs out.

You say, I will just go to a major. This is not very easy and sure some go to major airlines. Who you know is a big factor here. You could be the greatest regional airline pilot but if you don't have contacts you may not get in. Everyone I know that is getting pilot jobs at the big airlines KNOW SOMEONE!

Many pilots are seeing no future in the airlines and they are leaving. I really don't blame them!

ALPA Finally Doing Something for the Pilots!

2007-02-07T08:14:00.001-08:00

ALPA finally tries to get the word out to the public on what is going on with Comair Airlines and other regional airlines.

Comair, DCI Pilots

ALPA Finally Doing Something for the Pilots!

2007-02-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

ALPA finally tries to get the word out to the public on what is going on with Comair Airlines and other regional airlines.

Comair, DCI Pilots

Why Do Airline Pilots Want To Leave?

2007-01-17T08:03:00.000-08:00

Airline job not so fun after some time.

When most experienced airline pilots talk about being an airline pilot there is not a lot of excitement. Most say it is better than sitting behind a desk. Many pilots say that the job is not too bad. I hardly ever hear an experienced airline pilot sound very excited about being an airline pilot. To new pilots or non-pilots this sounds very odd.

Sure being an airline pilot is better than a lot of jobs. I think it should be a great job but airline management and the structure of the industry can really take a lot of fun out of being an airline pilot. Why do so many pilots seem to settle for second best?

Considering An Airline Career??

2007-01-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

Are you one of the many who are considering an airline career now that airline jobs are turning around for the better. Consider looking at this airline pilot post.

Sure things in the airline industry are getting better. The day will come again where the airline jobs get bad again. If you become an airline pilot where do you think you will be when pilot jobs take a dump again.

My advice: always have a back up and don't go indebt much for an airline job. These schools that want you to pay a ton to get to a regional airline, think twice. There are other ways when there is a shortage of airline pilots and there really is a shortage.

What Pilots Are Getting The Good Pilot Jobs?

2006-12-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

Hiring has started again at the majors and many other airlines. That is good news for pilots looking for jobs. This is probably the beginning of 3-4 years of good pilot hiring before the next down turn so the earlier a pilot gets a good job the better.

As usual it is who you know that is one of the biggest factors in getting hired. I often wonder why airlines continue to hire this way. It would seem that many airlines would be missing out on good pilots by doing this. I am seeing it now with my friends that are getting the good pilot jobs, they knew someone who took their resume in or wrote them a letter of recommendation.

So if Joe is a good pilot for your company and he recommeds his bud that guy must be a good guy also. What BS. Why the airlines can't go to a pure random selection based on qualifications I don't know?

The FAA Must Not Have Pilots Working For Them

2006-10-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

As an experienced airline pilot I am still amazed every time I get between an 8-9 hour overnight. I always wonder who the heck made these stupid rest rules.

At times I think the people in the FAA who made these were not pilots. I don't know of any airline pilots I work with who think this overnight is enough rest. Every pilot complains when they get this.

Example:

Eight hour overnight. When the pilot shuts down the engines at the gate the 15 minute to duty out starts. Very seldom do I get to the hotel van out front in 15 min. from that point. The 8 hours of rest starts at that point after the 15 minutes so often the rest starts and the pilot isn't even in the van.

The FAA decided to have the transportation to and from the hotel to be part of the rest time. What a genius they are.

By the time the pilot reaches the hotel room he often only has 7.5 hours before he has to be back at the airport. Remember the transportation to the airport is part of the FAA rest requirements. Genius!!

By the time the pilot falls asleep after getting ready for the next day he often only gets 5 to 5.5 hours of rest. This can often be after a 14 hour duty day and 8 hours of flying and anyone who has had a day like this knows that 5 hours of sleep is no where near enough to recover.

After 5 hours of sleep the pilot may have to get up and work a 10 hour day. I am sure you are seeing how stupid this is and how unsafe this can be at times but the FAA thinks it is ok.

If you don't like this I would suggest writing the FAA.

speak up, as a passenger you should know what is going on and say something about it!!

Tired Airline Pilots

2006-10-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

It is amazing some of the schedules the airlines get away with. The FAA is so far behind in the rest rules.

The other day I did a trip where I flew 8 hours during a 13 hour duty day. I also had to get up at 5:00am that day. At the end of the day we had a 9 hour overnight which I only got about 6 hours sleep. For some reason the FAA feels you can go to the hotel eat and go right to bed. As we all know it doesn't go like that. Everyone needs some time to slow down and relax. By the time you do that you only get about 6 hours sleep.

The next day we had to get up at 4:30am and work a 11 hour day and fly 6.5 hours. Needless to say I was beat that afternoon. Oh by the way I flew about 27 hours in 4 days.

The FAA really needs to work on the rest rules. The airlines are taking pilots schedules to the limit too often. Even though we have a union, they seem to be ineffective.

Unhappy Pilots, Just What You Wanted Right!

2006-10-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

Would you go have a doctor work on you when he was very unhappy and uncertain about his future? No you probably wouldn't and I wouldn't either. In fact, since I have seen what a distraction job security and a being worried about career future is, I will have some questions next time a doctor does an important procedure on me. I will ask the doctor if they are happy today, do they have any serious worries, any concerns that would distract them from being 100% during this procedure.

I would think that a person would want the same in an airline pilot. This is a job that the pilot should be 100%, happy and worry free to be focused on the job of flying passengers around. Instead the airline management for years now has been making the futures of airline pilots very uncertain and not very profitable.

A lot of pilots I know are very concerned with their future. They are worried about money and often don't have enough to really support their families. You do have to remember I am talking mainly about the regional airline pilot as the major airlines are making a little more. I know the major airline pilots have their worries too, but the regionals are on a lower pay scale.

Money is not everything. Management now is using the regional airlines own flying to threaten the pilots. Some airlines like Comair are having to bid on their flying. If they don't get selected it sounds like they can see their flying disappear and their jobs disappear. This would sure worry most pilots and make a pilot much less focus. Just what you wanted right, a less focused pilot.

That is what is going on. At a lot of regional airlines, pilots are very worried. In the crew lounge all you ever hear are pilots talking about all the bad things that are going on and that they are worried. They are all trying to figure out what they are going to do.

For many pilots it is becoming very hard to go to work and be focused on your job of flying an airplane safely. The airline management is doing everything they can to beat the pilot group down and that does not allow a pilot to be focused.

Airlines Find Loop Holes In Pilot Contracts!

2006-10-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

Most people you and I deal with understand fair and reasonable. Airline management doesn't quite get this. If they can find a loop hole in the contract with the pilots or flight attendants they will take advantage of this in a heart beat.

I have seen this over and over through my years with the airlines. If management can find a way to take a pilot for a ride they will. If I had employees in my business I could not do this to people.

There is an obvious and reasonable way to treat employees but airline management never gets this. If it is not in the contract they are in control so they will stick it to the pilot. No wonder there is so many problems between pilots and management.

If you are thinking of getting into this business be prepared. Over the last few years I have run into one thing after another that I have to shake my head at and realize I am not in control so I have to take their shit! At least for a little while longer, until I get out.

There is a right way to treat people but they just don't get it.

Never A Better Time To Be A Pilot??

2006-09-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

What a joke Embry - Riddle. This article is definitely trying to get business for the flight school. They really don't have a clue what it is like out here. Pay them over $100,000 dollars and they'll get you a job that pays $19,000 a year with no job security.

Embry Riddle pilot article

Comair Crash in KY

2006-09-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else find it a little odd that the crash came very soon after Delta announced putting all of Comair's flying up for bid.

Do you think this crew had a lot on their mind with the possibility of a job loss soon?????

I could see where these worries could lead to distraction.

Delta To Terminate Pilots Pension Plan

2006-09-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

It was reported today: "that A federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved Delta Air Lines Inc.'s request to terminate its pilots' pension plan."

There will be some unhappy pilots flying those aircraft for a while.

You want your pilots to be happy right. That leads to less mistakes and distractions. The FAA and airlines don't think they need to be happy. Beat the pay, work rules and job security to death. That will make the flying safer.

Air Traffic Control Now Being Beat Up Like Airline Pilots

2006-09-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

I am sure since the Comair crash there will be a lot of changes in the ATC world.

Here is a post on Flightinfo.com that may open your eyes up. Sounds like there is some truth to it.

"ATC Lockdown

Dont know if any of you know this, but every Air Traffic Controller in the FAA has been locked down in their facility for the course of their shift. THis started on Sunday the 3rd, when a new "contract" was imposed by the FAA on the controllers. I use quotes in the word contract, because NATCA, our union, has not ratified or agreed to the terms of this new contract.

Getting back to the lockdown. We are not permitted to leave the facility now to get lunch/dinner. If you dont brown bag it, or your forget to bring your lunch, you most likely not be able to eat during your shift. The only exceptions to this are: 1) if you facility has a crapateria, and you actually get your chow break in time before the crapateria closes (these places are closed at nights, holidays and weekends though), 2) one person per shift at my facility will be allowed to go on a chow run for the rest, however that person will be forced to go on excused leave for that time, and not get paid any pay differntials for that time...talk about a mutiny in sector in deciding who loses pay to get the food...many towers can only be accessed through the gate areas at major airports, meaning the controller has to be screened by TSA, which in turn means, no liqiuds or any of that jazz. now they cant bring their lunch, they cant leave the facility for lunch, so they starve for their 8 hour shift. some facilities have even removed vending machines or snack bodegas.

This gets better. We cannot leave the building for any reason, whether it be to go have a smoke, take a walk, get some fresh air because many of us choke on dust because the air quality is so lethal in these facilities. Some facilities are letting controllers leave the building but must be available for recall within 30 seconds via a cell phone.

And you must tell the supervisor each time you leave, and leave your cell phone number. Some facilities are requiring bathroom breaks to be limited to 5 minutes, and must also be available for immediate recall...go think about that one. Some facilities just dont let their controllers go outside for any reason (even to roll up their car windows if it starts raining). Oh and as for Laura Brown, spokesperson for the FAA, who stated that if a controller is fatigued or not fit to work, he should not report to work and would not be disciplined. Wanna know the truth?

On the exteme side, some have been threatened with suspension and termination if they say they are fatigued and cannot work. Others have been told to go work anyway and deal with it.So while all you pilots are flying around, think about your controller who has probably got minimal sleep the night before, is being harassed and intimated by the FAA every minute of every day, and probably hasnt been able to eat a thing in 8 hours.

Oh, but now that we are all dressed in business casual attire (and believe me managers all the sudden are fashion police deciding whether your khakis or brown shoes are dressy enough), safety will never be compromised, you can rest assured that my situational awareness has increased by 60% now that I am dressed up... And as long as the FAA can save money through short staffing, forcing controllers to work 20 out of 26 hours, etc, they will have plenty to spend on their $18 million meeting of the minds in St Louis this week -- i.e. all management of every FAA facility going to STL to learn about how to impose the new contract."

Everyone sure is happy in this business of safety. Way to go airlines and FAA.

Checking Flight Delays At Airports

2006-07-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

If you travel the airlines you might find this link useful in checking airline delays.

Flight Delay Information - Air Traffic Control System Command Center

The airlines are trying to get as many flights in the air as they can. If you know there is going to be bad weather don't expect to arrive on time. I kills me when passengers get off the flight and are mad about being late when there is bad weather. The only time you should ever expect to be on time is when the weather is fair or better.

Airlines Pushing The Limit Of A Pilots Ability!

2006-07-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't think that an airline would want to flirt with the limits of a pilots ability. It actually goes on all the time. Pushing a pilots schedule to the edge of causing fatigue.

Pilot fatigue is a tough thing to deal with. The good old FAA tells pilots they must be rested and mentally and physically able to do their job. When a pilot is becoming fatigued how can the FAA expect the pilot to recognize this and make good decisions when to call it quit for the day.

Instead of leaving it up to a fatigued pilot to try to make good decisions how about the FAA make more common sense duty regulations. Instead they favor the airlines and allow a pilot to work up to 16 hours in one day if there are "operational delays". This is the most stupid rule the FAA has in my opinion.

Example:

I just did a two day trip that had 5 flight legs the first day and 3 the next. The first day we dealt with maintenance and bad weather all day so we were just over an hour late to the overnight where we only had 9:20 minutes of rest scheduled. We had exactly 8 hours rest that night.

When we have 8 hours rest this means the van ride to and from the hotel is in this 8 hours. Getting anything to eat in the morning at 6:00am is in this 8 hours. So to sum it up I got 5:30 hours sleep.

How do you feel after 5:30 hours of sleep? That is right, not too good. Well the FAA thinks it is ok for an airline pilot to fly passengers with this much sleep. This much sleep is not enough to recover after working a 13:30 hour day the day before. Oh and we also flew almost 8 hours. After a long day like this I need at least 8 hours sleep to feel good.

The next day we did only work 3 legs but we were late again so I worked about a normal persons 8 hour day. You can believe me I took a nap when I got home. I was exhausted.

This goes on all the time and you are riding around in the back with tired pilots who the FAA thinks can make good decisions when to call "too fatigued to fly". Again the FAA puts it on the shoulders of the airline pilot to keep it safe while the airlines try to work the pilots to death to make a buck.

Again I suggest you write the FAA and tell them what you think. Tell them that you want the pilots flying you around to have adequate rest before flying you. 5:30 hours is not enough after a long day!!!

You are hearing it from the source. I see what goes on up front and you don't. Write them a short email now.

Even better call the FAA Whistle Blower Line at 1-866-TELL-FAA (1-866-835-5322).

Are You Safe In The Sky With The FAA??

2006-07-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have really noticed lately a decrease in Air Traffic Controller quality. I don't know if there are just more new controllers or if the controllers are unhappy with there job.

I have had a couple of close calls where maybe an over worked controller failed to help us with aircraft traffic. I hear it all the time on Center frequencies (the controllers that work aircraft at high altitude over large areas) where the controller is working many sectors. This really spreads then controllers focus over a larger area and opens the door for mistakes.

When I fly into Atlanta the controllers are sounding much more over worked and stressed. I have notices more controllers getting upset much faster when things get busy.

I found this site that may help explain a very big safety issue with the Air Traffic Control System. It is the "Fly Us Safe Campaign by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

If you fly the airlines you really should participate and read this and make your voice heard. Remember this is coming from an airline pilot who sees what goes on up front all the time and I am concerned!

Airline Pilot Pay

2006-07-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Lets take a look at what professional airline pilots pay is like and how it may affect your safety as a traveler. We all like money as it allows use to do things and live life to its fullest. Sure we don't need millions like airline management, but a reasonable livable wage is not too much to ask for, is it.

I like many don't agree with the need for lots of money. I don't need to drive a big expensive car and have a huge house to show everyone how much money I make, like airline management.

Many pilots just want an airline pilot pay that allows them to live a normal life with the few extras that allow them to support their family. Not the millions in stock options that airline management feel they need.

So how much does it take today in 2006 to allow your spouse to stay at home with the kids, live an average house with average cars and send your kids to a good school. Based on my airline pilot pay at the regionals as a Captain on a regional jet, $70,000 to $80,000 would be the minimum.

Is this too much airline pilot pay to ask for to take care of a family and live the average American life style. Again I am not talking the big airline pay that the CEO's want. Just an airline pilot pay that allows the basics plus a little extra.

The problem is that airline management is wanting the pilots to take pay cuts left and right. In some cases it is justified. The airlines are losing money and airline pilot pay needs to come down for a little while until times get better.

But lets take one of the largest regional airlines in the country. They seem to think their airline pilot pay is too high. They are negotiating a new contract and after you figure in cost of living increases and all those factors the airline pilot pay would actually decrease for years to come.

The pilots that fly you safely around the country would see their airline pilot pay decreasing year after year while management would see theirs only increase because of all the money this large regional airline would be making.

Airline management are not necessarily the ones that keep you safe when you are traveling to XYZ during all kinds of weather. No it is the airline pilot that is seeing their airline pilot pay only decreasing year after year.

That means that the airline pilot pay at this regional that is making money left and right will only be decreasing. That means as the professional pilot at the airlines who has a family to support is able to support them less and less each year while management is able to support their family way more then necessary.

Do you think this professional pilot will be able to be stress free and focused when they come to work to fly you to your destination. NO!!!! They may of just come from their second job tired, stress and worried about the future. How are they going to pay the bills, gas just went to $4.00 a gallon and winter is coming. Do you think you could be stress free working on airline pilot pay that was ok 5 or more years ago? Heck NO! But this is where airline management wants the pilots that fly you around to be.

What airline management is wanting to do airline pilot pay is bad. It is not good for your safety as more pilots will be stressed, working second jobs, and the best and brightest will not be pilots as the pay is so bad.

If this airline pilot pay concerns you and you know what is like to go to work and worry about paying bills and if you will be able to support your family, maybe you should let someone know.

Write the airlines you fly. Tell them that you want your airline pilots to receive a FAIR airline pilot pay so they can focus on their job of keeping you safe and not how many hours they can work at their second job.

This is all no joke. I am living it now and I only see airline pilot pay getting worse. Why do you think I am looking to get out. Airline management doesn't care if an experienced pilot like me leaves, they have an inexperienced pilot who is reading and willing to fly you around until the pay bothers them, like it does me.

Do something about it. Write the airlines and tell them what you think.

Would you go to a Doctor for a special procedure who could not feed his family or pay his school loan. I fly with pilots with airline pilot pay that can't pay the bills and loans so they are looking into bankruptcy. Do you think this Doctor could be focused, happy and proud to treat you correctly and fix your problem. Then why would you let an airline pilot fly you around with airline pilot pay that can't pay the bills.

Airline pilot pay is a serious problem. The experienced pilots are leaving and the ones replacing them are very inexperienced. Even the inexperienced pilots will get tired of the airline pilot pay and leave.

Flight Schools That Get The Inexperienced Pilot Into The Flight Deck

2006-07-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

Sure you can get into a CRJ aircraft with no experience via a fast track flight program like Langaair. Sure why not sell yourself out and gain experience while flying a 25 million dollar aircraft and 50 people around the country. What a great way to learn to fly. The airline love it since you will do it for nothing and the flight schools love it since you will finance many thousands and make them rich. These are the only people who win in this deal.

You as a future airline pilot think you are the winner. Oh but how you are mistaken. Sure you get to fly a nice new regional jet. But you get to fly it making poverty wages while being at least $50,000 in debt. Some of the pilots I fly with are over $100,000 in debt.

But wait you get to lose for years to come while flying that nice regional jet. Because you sold your soul the airline industry pays poverty wages for years to come. When you get to upgrade to Captain a few years later you might start making a little dent in that debt but because you are getting married and buying a house that doesn't make much of a dent.

So go ahead and sell your soul. Continue to make the regionals only a time builder for the inexperienced. Make the flight schools and regional airlines rich while you get to fly that new regional jet.

This is an interesting post that gets the same point across about regional airline pilots.

Aircraft Avoiding Other Aircraft - Not As Safe As You Think.

2006-07-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

Aircraft avoidance

Did you know that even though a pilot departing a airport with a tower the pilot really doesn't have much protection from other aircraft. Many instrument flight rules (IFR) pilots blindly take off into the blue skies thinking because they are on an IFR flight plan they are safe and have separation from other traffic from Air Traffic Control (ATC).

The FAA is not kidding when they say that when an IFR pilot can see they need to visually scan for other aircraft and see and avoid.

Lets use a Class D airport for example. The worst day for an IFR pilot to take off is when it is nice weather and clear. A tower controller will clear an IFR aircraft for departure and can clear them into VFR traffic that can be along their course. ATC has only responsibility to separate IFR traffic. The tower can even have radar in the tower but there is no requirement for the tower controller to monitor it or use it for radar separation.

The radar uses are intended to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the local control, or tower, position. They are not intended to provide radar services or benefits to pilots except as they may accrue through a more efficient tower operation.

The safest day for an IFR flight to depart is when the weather is poor with low clouds and poor visibility. On these days there should not be any VFR traffic and only IFR aircraft traffic and air traffic control (ATC) has to keep all IFR traffic separated.

My Experience

I had this happen to me. I was cleared for takeoff and on course. After takeoff I was radar contact by JAX Center and shortly after that our Traffic Collision avoidance System (TCAS) saved the day by alerting us to the VFR traffic that we could of hit if we didn't have TCAS.

JAX was of no help and the tower did not help even though the VFR aircraft was only a few miles north of the airport. When you are flying a jet in airport environments like this it can be tricky.

Nobody did anything wrong. The VFR aircraft was doing what they should do and we were doing what we were to do. We were loaded up by flying the aircraft, navigating, and doing checklists while also trying to look for traffic. These are the times we need ATC but yet they don't have to tells us about the VFR aircraft.

So TCAS helped us see this small aircraft we could of hit and saved the day. I really mean saved the day because if we did not see this aircraft we would of been very close to it or maybe even hit it. The interesting thing is that the FAA allows airlines to defer the TCAS when it is not working. They require that the aircraft have it, but because the airlines care more about keeping the aircraft making money the FAA allows the airline to defer the TCAS for a certain number of days. Doesn't make sense does it when I just told you that the TCAS probably prevented an aircraft collision that day.

When an aircraft has the TCAS deferred flying from an airport like JFK to ATL is actually safe. On this flight the aircraft will depart in a very controlled airspace called Class B and approach and land in Class B. During the flight the aircraft will be mostly in very controlled airspace where there is only IFR traffic which ATC has to keep separated.

The problem arises when smaller jet aircraft like at the CRJ 200 are operating into small uncontrolled airports or Class D airports where there are a lot of VFR traffic. The CRJ 200 also operates into large safer airports like JFK or ATL but it is the best aircraft to provide service to smaller airports like Brunswick, GA (BQK).

Next time I get an aircraft with a deferred TCAS, I will only take it to the larger airports. If I am scheduled to go to an airport like Brunswick, GA I will refuse the aircraft and only take one with TCAS.

My belief is that it will take an airline coming out of an airport without TCAS to hit a small VFR aircraft before the FAA will change the deferral method of the TCAS. If an airline hits a VFR aircraft at a small airport then the FAA will react like they always do and require TCAS when operating in and out of small airports served by airlines. The FAA does not think ahead they only react. The secured cockpit doors is one example, a reaction when many noticed flight deck intrusion was becoming a concern.

If you are a passenger that travels in and out of small airports you might want to write the FAA and the airline you fly on. Let them know that you realize that you fly out of a small airport and that you want to be as safe as you can. To be as safe as you can means having an operating TCAS system on the aircraft you fly.

I will give you an example statement and feel free to copy it into your email.

Statement:

I fly in and out of small airports with different airlines. I have learned that the airlines can defer the Traffic Collision avoidance system (TCAS) when it is not working. I realize how important this TCAS system is to helping airline pilots operating in an out of small airports to avoid small VFR aircraft. I now realize that ATC is not required to separate the IFR traffic from VFR traffic and sometimes TCAS helps to avoid collisions.

When flying in and out of small airports I would like the FAA to not allow the airlines to defer the TCAS system on airline aircraft. I feel this is an important piece of equipment to keeping me safe when flying in and out of small airports served by the airlines.

Contacts:

FAA 24-Hour Safety Hotline: 1-866-TELL-FAA (1-866-835-5322)

FAA Comment Form

Contact your local Flight Standards District Office

Conclusion:

You have heard it from an airline pilot. I feel this equipment saved the day or me and it bothers me that the FAA allows the airlines that fly in and out of small airports to defer the TCAS system. If it is a concern of the pilot that could be flying you in and out of small airports then it should concern you as a passenger.

Now that you know, let your voice be heard and make flying in and out of small airports safer.

Please forward this link to your friends and family who also travel. The more that voice their opinion the better chance this safety issue can be changed for the better.

Cool Pilot Video

2006-06-15T05:03:00.000-07:00

Any pilot, airline or not would get a kick out of seeing this flying video.

Flying Video 1

Pilot Outsourcing to India

2006-06-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

Everyone jokes about calling customer service and getting someone in India or another country that has no idea what they are doing. The airlines have done some of this over the years. I had this happen to me when I called SBC about our DSL messing up. It was a nightmare and I will never use SBC again. I am sure some travelers are not flying "X" airline after having this same type of experience.

There is even a funny sound track about crew scheduling being outsourced to India. Here is the link if you want to hear airline crew scheduling outsourcing to India.

Many pilots joke that if airline management could outsource jobs to lower qualified pilots in other countries they would do it. Airline cost reduction is number one. Oh, but wait I thought safety was??

Want To See How Happy Pilots Are?

2006-06-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

Would you like to see how happy and hopeful pilots are at the regional airlines. They are now mad at each other because of other airlines moving in to take flying because they are cheaper.

Click here to read some posts by pilots.

Thats right regional airlines are getting the job to fly connection routes because they are cheaper. Well cheaper often comes from making the airline employees very unhappy and operating on a slim budget. Slim budgets often means pushing safety to its limit. Cheaper means the not so best applicants apply for pilot and mechanic jobs.

The average flight experience of a new hire pilot has really gone down in the last few years!!

Airline Pilots, They Aren't In Control Of Their Career

2006-05-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

Airline Pilots have very little control.

That is the conclusion I have come to after being in the airline industry for over six years now. I am in very little control of my future. With the airline pilot seniority system I am very limited in my ability to switch jobs. This is especially true after a pilot is with an airline for a few years.

Now throw into the equation all the other factors like the economy, fuel prices, airline managers mismanaging the airline and the FAA, I don't have any control.

Before you say "That is life, it is like that for all people", I say just the seniority system alone makes airline pilot careers much different.

I know that there are a lot of things in life that we are along for the ride but I feel like I have less control then other jobs. The biggest limiting factor is the seniority system. If I go to any other airline I will start at the bottom of the seniority list. It doesn't matter if you are Chuck Yeager you start at the bottom and at the bottom of the pay scale.

The problem with this is that there are not many good choices to make a job change to. Sure there are a few good airlines that I could handle being at the bottom of the seniority list, but this is just a couple. These airlines are also very hard to get on with and you often need to know the right people to get in.

When the economy takes a dump I know a lot of people suffer and have to make job changes. A middle manager or educated person often can apply to another company and stay at the same level or improve. An airline pilot on the other hand can't change because of the seniority system and they have to ride it out with the airline and take whatever pay cuts the airline wants to make the pilots take. If the airline goes out of business like Independence Air did the the pilots have to start over and there are not that many flying jobs out there. Oh, and they get to start at the very bottom no matter what their experience is.

Fuel Prices and Airlines

Fuel prices have really take a toll on the airlines. The problem with the airlines is that they are not raising ticket prices fast enough to offset the fuel costs. They have taken it out of the only expense they can, the pilots and employees of the airlines. The employees that have probably taken the smallest pay cuts as always are the management. Most companies are able to raise the price of their product or service to offset the fuel prices. For example the Post Office raised the Priority Mail. Starbucks coffee at the store is now higher. If the airlines could raise their ticket prices this easily then all would be ok.

Airline Mismanagement

I have seen this in action at the airline I am at and read about it at others. There are not too many airlines that seem to have the best and brightest. This in the end really decrease the quality of a airline pilots lifestyle. The are in control, not the pilot and when they want to do something that is not good for the pilots they do it. They disregard the pilot contract constantly, some issues are small and some big.

The FAA

When a pilot makes a mistake there are times it is career ending. When a pilot develops a medical condition many are career ending.

A airline pilot doesn't get too many chances to make mistakes. The FAA can be very harsh in some situations where the pilot is no longer qualified to fly.

An airline captain has to take a medical exam every six months. If the pilot develops a condition the FAA may find him not fit to fly. Guess what, the pilot gets to start over.

I think the biggest limiting factor for airline pilots is the seniority system. This is why so many pilots are stuck at the same airline for so many years no matter how good or bad it is. This is going to be a serious problem in the future with such instability at the airlines. Over the next 30 years there will be so many airlines come and go and each time an airline goes all the pilots get to start over. A pilot can only afford this very few times. After so many it is not worth continuing in the airline industry.

For some this could be a blessing in disguise. I have heard of some Eastern Airline Pilots who have been very successful after finding other career outside of aviation when the airline shut down. They were much more successful then if they had continued being airline pilots.

Air Canada Pilot Sick of the Pilot Attendance Program

2006-05-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

This airline pilot in Canada refers to their absenteeism program as "inhumane". Click here for Air Canada pilot post.

I guess even the airline pilots in Canada are suffering from the same pilot attendance programs that some US Airlines have. Here is the full post by this airline pilot about his issue with the pilot attendance program. Airline Pilot Attendance.

I guess the Air Canada Pilots call this the CAMS program based on this post. Sounds like this pilot has all the same safety concerns myself and most US airline pilots have.

Can you believe the FAA allows airlines to have these attendance programs in place when most professional airline pilots say they are not safe. These programs cause pilots to fly when fatigued and sick because they confuse the pilots best safe judgment. I guess safety is not #1 on their list. They would rather be doing ramp checks and checking our publications then addressing real safety issues like the airlines attendance policies.

If a poll was to be done among professional airline pilots my guess is that 99% would agree that the pilot attendance policies at the airlines are very unsafe!!!! I can say this because I have been around an airline pilot attendance program for a few years now and every pilot I have been around thought the attendance program was unsafe.

Want To Be An Airline Pilot, Read This Board!

2006-05-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

All right you want to be an airline pilot. I agree it is great to fly and a lot of fun to learn to fly. It has been one of the best experiences in my life. As you can tell I am a little worn out on the airline industry, mainly because I am very disappointed in the direction it is headed.

I got into flying because I love it and I had dreamed about it for years. I also got into the industry because I wanted a career that would support my family and provide us the lifestyle many in this country strive so hard to get. I wanted to work hard, learn a valuable skill like flying airplanes and I wanted to be rewarded for my hard efforts.

This is what drives people. Sure flying a jet airliner is great and a thrill, but when it barely supports the lifestyle that you worked so hard to obtain then flying a jet takes a back seat.

I don't need a lot of money and I am not in this world to just make money. I do want a career that does pay me well and has some security. I do want a career that affords me the money and time to have fun with my family and do the things in life that we love. Being an airline pilot is beginning to not support these goals. I am not here to work my life away and we don't have as many days off as some would think.

If you are thinking about spending the many thousands of dollars it takes to be a pilot then spend a little time on Flightinfo.com . Go to the different sections and good luck in finding much positive information. I find this place to be informative and it gives a pulse to what pilots really think.

Five Most Glamorous Jobs, Airline Pilot???

2006-05-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

Obviously an article just to get some attention. This writer does not have a clue about the industry, how could they ever call an airline pilot a top 5 glam job in today's airline industry. Sure everyone dreams of flying and flying a big jet, but when you find out what it is really like to be an airline pilot, it is not that glamorous.

Airline Pilot at Careerbuilder.com

They couldn't even get the airline pilot pay correct. How about starting out at a large regional airline and only making $19,000 the first year for airline pilot pay. Yes that is $19,000 flying a jet that is worth approx. 25 million and 50 plus passengers in all kinds of weather, at all different hours, with no life or schedule. Sounds great doesn't it. Do you think the best an brightest are going for this???

These are the articles around the internet and the ones that flight schools will show new pilots to get their money for flight school.

If you are going to be an airline pilot you had better find out the truth first. Articles like this have no idea what is going on. It is a great experience but find out the truth before signing up!

Failure of the Airlines and FAA

2006-05-05T06:52:00.000-07:00

I ran into a airline pilot friend the other day who just finished a trip. His company has the airline attendance system for pilots that I talked about in another post. He was miserable and had bad sinus blockage. He told me that he felt he might be alright to fly his trip with his allergies but that he was border line. He now at this point wished he had not.

He told me that before his trip he sat down and figured up his attendance over the last 12 months to see if there would be any consequences from the airline. Note: his attendance is very good and perfectly acceptable for an airline pilot who tries to keep it safe.

He said that if he called in sick he would of had to talk to the chief pilot. He decided since the trip was fairly short he would give it a try. He said he felt safe at the time and that he might of been ok to do the trip. After the trip that was not the case and he was in some pain and felt very bad due to flying at altitude with allergies.

He said if the company did not have this stupid unsafe attendance policy he probably would of just called in sick but it distorted his judgment. This is what happens to thousands of pilots a year. They feel they may be ok but due to the attendance system at the airline they decide to do the trip.

I say it again, the only thing a pilot should have to think about when the are sick or even questioning their ability to do the trip safely is that they just have to call in sick. They should not have to add up their attendance record to see what the consequences will be.

This is the airlines way of trying to control the very small number of pilots who will abuse sick leaven. Again I say this is just part of doing business, live with it. It is not a safe policy for airlines to have. This is another example that safety is not always first.

This pilot did not make the best judgment because of being boarder line sick and this policy.

I consider this a big failure of the FAA and so do most airline pilots who have to live with this sick policy. It still amazes me that the Federal Aviation administration allows airlines to do this. It is very obvious that it distorts good pilot decision making and is very unsafe for airlines to have this policy.

Going to work as a pilot is a very different environment then 99% of all other jobs. Most jobs people can go to work congested and a little sick, NOT A PILOT.

I also consider this a safety failure of the Airlines Pilot Association (ALPA) because they have allowed these attendance policies to be in effect at the airlines.

Not all airlines have these policies but many do.

Get with it, this is not safe to have attendance policies at the airlines for pilots.

Airline Mechanics and Their Pay

2006-05-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

I have talked to a couple of major airline mechanics lately and it sounds like moral is really getting bad. That sure doesn't sound safe. They tell me that many are quitting and moving on to other jobs.

I have heard that starting pay at some major airlines for aviation mechanics is just over $10 an hour. I couldn't believe this when I heard it. The lifestyle on $12 an hour is not very good. Many of these aviation mechanics I am sure are coming to work with very little motivation when the person can't even support his family.

What kind of airplane mechanics do the airlines think they are going to get for this wage. You can make this wage working at a lot of retail stores with a lot less responsibility, cleaner environment and better hours. It worries me about how the moral, motivation, and quality of airline mechanic must be going down hill at this rate.

I don't like the direction this is headed.

The problem with moral is that these aviation mechanic were making about $25 an hour before the pay cuts.

If any of you have any better information please feel free to comment.

Airline Pilots Flying Your Plane Sick and Fatigued!!

2006-05-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

Yes it does happen!

The airlines will never achieve total safety until the FAA gets on the ball and gets rid of some airlines policies on attendance.

We all know what it is like to be sick. There are different degrees of being sick but in all being sick decreases a persons performance. You wouldn't want the performance of your airline pilot flying you around in all kinds of weather to be less then 100% and feeling good.

Even the Federal Aviation administration (FAA) has it written in the regulations not to fly sick or when not feeling well. This doesn't mean anything because some airlines have in place company policy that is designed to persuade a pilot to fly when they don't feel well or fatigued.

For example: When a pilot calls in sick or fatigued the company will mark this in his file. After so many of these absences a pilot must see a chief pilot. After so many more there will be a warning letter. After so many more there will be a letter of possible termination. This sure sounds intimidating doesn't it.

So if a pilot is sick that is all they should have to think about and they should just have to call in sick. Instead many airlines have these policies where when a pilot is sick they have to also think about how many marks for being sick or fatigued they have and will there be consequences for calling in sick. Will they have to see the chief pilot?

Pilots like to do a good job and do it right. They on average do not like to call in sick. Why would a company need this type of policy. My guess is that it is to try to control the small percentage of pilots that will abuse the system. My answer to this is that is just part of doing business. You will always have a few that abuse the system. Why would a airline have in place a policy that causes pilots to think twice about being sick or fatigued.

I have heard of many stories about this system working and a pilot flying sick because they did not want the mark. What a joke and what a safety hazard. The sad thing is that the FAA allows the airlines to have these policies. The sad thing is the FAA knows about this and they choose to do nothing about it. I have even told the FAA about it and they did nothing.

I think it is really the airlines that control the FAA.

I have talked to pilots and flight attendants who have busted their ear drums because of flying while sick. They both mentioned they flew sick because of this system and they did not want the mark on their file.

Flying Sick

Flying sick or anywhere not 100% is dangerous yet it goes on all the time. The FAA can write all the regulations they want but as long as they allow airlines to have these policies there will be airline pilots flying at less then 100%.

Write Your Elected Officials

If you fly a lot I would recommend you write your elected officials, congressman, senators, etc and express your concern about this issue. This article is just a small part as to what goes on in the airline environment. Trust me there are policies in place from calling in sick or fatigue or just the very long days at airlines that will cause a pilot to be fatigued.

If you fly a lot do your part and express your concern. Here is another site that may open your eyes to pilot fatigue.

A Pilot With Allergies

There are so many pilots that suffer from allergies. Many don't even know that is is allergies as the symptoms can be just like being sick. One day I was experiencing a problem with allergies. I was congested and I didn't feel right. As a professional airline pilot I should just have to think about calling work and telling them I am not feeling well and I won't be flying.

Instead I have to think about how many times I have called in sick or received a mark on my file for not attending work. The sad thing is that I have a good record and I shouldn't even have to think about this. I am not part of the small percentage of any group that abuse the system. The small percentage that the airline makes these stupid policies for and make the rest of the pilots suffer when they are sick.

When I have allergies that do not allow me to fly it should be as simple as a phone call and that is all I should have to think about. Instead because the FAA allows these types of policies my calling in unable to fly is much more complicated.

The FAA will say differently. The will say "the FAR's state that you should not fly so call in sick". In a perfect world where airlines don't have policies that try to persuade pilots to not call in sick, YES. But with these types of policies it is a whole different story.

The airlines and the FAA are not a perfect world. Safety would be the number one issue if it was. Instead it is cost savings and doing the job with minimum airline pilot staffing. Safety isn't cheap but the airline ticket prices don't support 100% safety oriented airlines.

Airline Pilots and Family

2006-05-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

The average airline pilot today starts a family very late. Most of my pilot friends are older when they get married and have kids. In the beginning of training pilots don't make any money and it takes a lot of time and dedication.

Even after training airline pilots don't make any money. In fact most First Officers don't make enough to buy a house because of all the debt incurred during training. If a starting a family and being able to support them I would consider another career. If having kids and a house at about 30+ years old sounds good to you then be an airline pilot.

Here is the typical first year pilot pay for an FO at the regional airlines:
1. At least $40,000 in debt from flight training.
2. College debt would be on top of that.
3. Average pilot I know that went to a university flight school is $70,000 or more in debt.
4. First year pilot pay at the airline is $19,000 gross.
5. Second year pay is around $29,000 gross.
6. Third and fourth year about the same.
7. Sometime in 4th year you may be able to upgrade to captain and pilot pay will be about $51,000 gross.

Guess what when you upgrade to captain you will have the worst schedule at the company for some time to come. You will work all holidays, weekends and have no control over your schedule. You will probably not get the vacations you want because you are so junior.

This all really helps the family life doesn't it? Then after all this you now have the qualifications to move on to another bigger airline. Guess what you get to go throughout all this again, low pay and really bad schedules. That again is good for the family. Sometimes I really wonder why people work so hard to be airline pilots.

Not sounding too good is it. What happened to the dream job of being a airline pilot and paid like a true professional. Any other career that requires the dedication that being an airline pilot does typically pays much better.

Now you see why it is so hard to start a family during the first part of an airline career. But wait, if you are like most airline pilots you will experience a few furloughs over the years and that will really set you back too.

If you are young, and know a major airline pilot down the street I would not expect your airline pilot career to be the same. I made that mistake, I admired the major airline pilots I knew and I wanted their lifestyle. The airline industry is changing fast and I think it will be much different in the future. Due to the lack of opportunities you will see more pilots staying at the regional level and it is nothing like what the pilot down the street has experienced.

Plus many of the major airline pilots that seem to of had the greatest career went through the military. They didn't have to pay $70,000 for flight training and school. Often the military paid for their college or had a bonus. It is a lot different and you had better know a little more of what it is like today in the airlines.

The big paying dream job is gone for quite some time.

The thing that worries me the most if I stay in the airlines is what is going to happen with fuel over the next 25 years. I think the airlines are going to see a lot of problems in the future. We are going to see things happen to airlines that they haven't even thought of yet. And as you can see airline management are not the sharpest tools in the shed.

You need to ask if you want to put your family through this. Don't base any decisions on what airline pilot life in the past was like. You need to analyze the current airline industry, try to predict what is going to happen and decide if you what to be part of the mess.

Low Cost Airline Raise Fares

2006-04-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

It is going to start to get interesting for the low cost airlines. It seems to becoming an even playing field. Jet Blue and AirTran are experiencing the same problems every other airline has been facing.

Good article in the Wall Street Journal on low cost airlines raising fares.

Their pilot work force is becoming much more expensive year after year. The day will come when even the low cost airlines can't afford their pilots.

What a great career. They say if you stay in this business as a pilot for lets say 30 years you will experience 2 or 3 furloughs and many pay cuts. Lots to look forward to.

Pilot Jobs

2006-04-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

There are actually quite a few airline pilot jobs in the market today. I can't tell you the numbers but based on what I hear and see on the internet the regionals are hiring. Many regional airlines have about 15 to 20 pilots leaving a month. The interesting thing is that not all are leaving to other airlines. They are leaving the airline industry all together.

So who is left to replace the experienced pilots that are leaving? How about the inexperienced pilots!

How does that make you feel? Yes the average flight time for new hire pilots at the regional airlines has really decreased. Approximately five years ago many new hire pilots at the regionals would have a couple of thousand hours, turbine corporate time, freight time, or other airline time.

Now many of the new hire pilots have 400 to 1000 total time and have gone through a university or fast track program to get preferential hiring at a regional airline. Sure many of these pilots can do the job but many lack the experience and confidence required to operate a very safe operation.

Most of these new hire pilots don't even have their Flight Instructor Certificates. When a new pilot fight instructs they learn so many valuable skills but these new pilots feel flight instructing is a waste of time. When a pilot flight instructs they learn what it is really like to be pilot in command (PIC).

When you have to take a person up that has no idea about flying and you have to keep it safe while teaching them to fly, that is PIC time. You really learn what it is like to make decisions as a pilot. When a pilot doesn't flight instruct, I think they are missing out on valuable skills. The first time a new hire pilot who doesn't fly freight or flight instruct learns what it is like to be a true PIC is sometimes in a regional jet.

It appears there are many fast track programs starting up to take advantage of the financial benefit of new naive pilots looking for the so called dream job. These fast track programs don't care about quality, they want to get the pilot in so they can take their money.

Airline Pilot Fatigue

2006-04-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

Airline pilot fatigue seems to be a very common sense issue to me. Ask any pilot who does this for a living and they will tell you what it takes for them to perform at their best and safest level. The problem is the FARs allow airlines to push pilots beyond their limits. Sure the pilot can call in "fatigued" but good judgment goes very fast when a pilot is tired.

It is amazing the FAA has the FAR rest and duty day regulations that it does. My guess is the airlines put real pressure on them to make them the way they are. There are very few professional pilots that agree with all the rules the FAA has in place.

Good luck in getting them changed. The airlines will cry that it will cost them too much to change the duty and rest rules to what a professional pilot would think is reasonable.

How does that make you feel passengers. The pilots don't agree with the FAA rest and duty regulations but yet no one will change them. Changing these regulations is needed but safety does not win. Doesn't make sense does it.

I am not saying all the FAA regulations need changing but many do.

Fatigue and flying an airplane don't mix, the problem is the airlines push this to the limit too often with their schedules and cost savings.

Airlines Waste Pilots Time!

2006-04-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

This post does not apply to all airlines. Some airlines have trip and duty rigs that help keep the airlines from wasting airline pilots time.

Some airlines don't have trip and duty rigs which means scheduling can do what ever they want. Some airlines have 3 day trips where a pilot will only fly 4 hours. Yes the pilot works 3 days and is away from home about 40 hours and only flies 4 hours. The thing is that if the airline assigns this pilot a monthly schedule the other trips during the month could be packed with flight time and the pilot actually flies the paid guarantee for the month.

This is why ALPA has to fight so hard to get descent rules because management will do stupid things like this and waste a pilots time.

Some airlines will also have day trips that are only worth 2 hours. A pilot will drive to work, go though the long bus ride in to get paid 2 hours for the day. Not to mention that to fly the two hours the pilot often has to actually work on the aircraft 3.5 hours.

Yes, for each leg there is a lot of other time a pilot spends working outside the block time for the flight. Many airlines require the pilot to be on the aircraft 45 min. prior to the flight to get everything ready. The pilot is not being paid during this time. Then when the door opens at the destination, there is more time spent working not getting paid.

If airlines had full control over the pilots they would waste so much of our time it would be unreal. Especially the junior pilots who don't have much control over their schedules. This is why you always need someone like a union on the side of the pilots.

ALPA President Pay

2006-04-23T18:32:00.001-07:00

Found this link and I found it very interesting how much ALPA President Duane Woerth gets paid. This a lot of money!

Click here for union facts!

How Much Is Regional Pilot Pay?

2006-04-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

As of this post a 6 year CRJ 200 Captain at one of the so-called better regional airlines makes about $63,000. This is due to schedule as it is hard to get a good schedule. But then why should a professional pilot have to fly 90+ hours and give up a few days to make a better living.

At this pay it is almost necessary to have the spouse work because working for an airline does not allow a pilot to live in an inexpensive area like small town midwest. You have to live in cities like Dallas, Atlanta, New York, etc. and $63,000 does not go a long way.

Oh and by the way this is considered too high of a wage now that management is trying to drive the wages in the ground. There are a lot of 6th year regional airline captains making much less.

Take a guess what the pay increases are for a captain at a regional airline. This particular captain the makes $63,000 a year gets about $1.75 an hour increase a year. This is equal to about $140 a month extra pay raise. After taxes the net take home yearly pay raise is about $112.

That is really sad isn't it! This pilot pay raise does not keep up with inflation or even the cost of gas. Being an airline pilot today is actually moving in reverse when it comes to career advancement. I can't think of too many jobs like this.

Sure many pilots and others might say "well if you don't like it get out". Easier said then done but yes this is what many airline pilots are doing. At this pay it is obvious that staying could be very risky and costly.

First year First Officers qualify for government aid and food stamps.

Airline Pilots and FAA Duty Regulations

2006-04-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

The average airline passenger does not realize that an airline pilot can be scheduled to work 14 hours and scheduled to fly 8 hours during that time. The 14 hours duty day can be exceeded by 2 hours to 16 hours for operational delays like weather.

How safe would you feel riding around on an airplane with a crew that has been on duty for this long in bad weather? That is what I thought, you would not feel safe. Sure most of the time the crews are not too fatigued and keep it safe. My problem is that these long days have the good potential for the crew to be fatigued and make mistakes.

The Federal Aviation Administration says that a pilot shall not fly fatigued. The airlines tell the pilots in their manuals that they are not to fly fatigued. You know what, the airlines don't make it that easy. Many airlines will give the pilot a mark on their record that remains for 12 months. If a pilot gets a certain amount of these marks in their record during a certain amount of time they have to see the Chief Pilot.

This sure sounds like a system to deter the pilots from calling fatigue. I am sure there are many times pilots at airlines are flying fatigued because not many call in fatigued while flying. With the high number of long trips out there I find it odd that not many airline pilots are calling in fatigued.

More on pilot fatigue later.

Airline Pilot Personal Travel

2006-04-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

With ticket prices being so low the airlines are full so travel for employees is tough sometimes. I have to admit it is fun to be able to go and hop on a flight and travel for free. As an airline pilot you also have the privilege of jumpseating. Yesterday the airline I fly for was full so I walked to another airlines gate and asked if I could jumpseat. The gate agent was really nice and let me on.
This is a nice benefit to being an airline pilot. Before long if they keep driving the wages and the work rules in the ground this privilege will not hold much weight but for now it is nice.

My corporate pilot friends say they don't really miss the jumpseat or airline travel privilege because they make more money so they just buy tickets. With ticket prices so low it doesn't take much of a pay raise to make airline travel benefits not too valuable. I only hop on a plane for fun maybe 8 times a year so it not as if I use it much. Many of my airline pilot friends who live in base don't travel much more either.

Mesaba Management Shooting For Lowest Pilot Wages.

2006-04-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Mesaba Airlines is trying to pay its pilots and flight attendants $11,000 a year. This would qualify the pilots and flight attendants for food stamps and federal aid. This is unreal that management would think that it is safe to pay pilots this.

Up and coming pilots are you sure you want to join this mess? Many new pilots say "that is ok I will build my time and move on to the majors". It is not this easy and what you are really doing is screwing yourself. What if you get stuck at this airline for a while, the Capt. pay will be low too. What are you going to tell your spouse and kids when you can buy them things or even a house and a safe car.

This is the truth about airline industry and it is not good.

Cosmic Radiation and Airline Pilots

2006-04-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

I found this article and it is interesting if you are concerned about you health as a pilot. Makes me think that flying an 85 hour schedule at an airline could be risky. Maybe it could be healthier to fly less at some other job like corporate. Makes me think.

Click here for the article on Cosmic Radiation and Pilots

Airline Pilots and Starting A Business

2006-04-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

When I was learning to fly I always wondered why it was such a joke about airline pilots starting a business. Well here I sit working on my many business ideas as an airline pilot.

It is sad in a way that my income as a regional airline captain can't pay for the lifestyle that educated professionals work for, but in a way it is a blessing. I love working on my ideas and dream about he freedom they will afford me someday. It might even make me rich and have the kind of time off that I want to spend with my family.

Not to mention if my ideas do well it will give me much more security then the airlines can. That is not what many people think of a small business. Many people often refer to a small business as risky. Well, being an airline pilot is very risky these days. I invested all this time and money to become what I thought was a professional that would get paid a good income and have job security. That is not the case in the airlines today.

Like I said, I think one of my ideas will take off and I will make being an airline pilot a part time job. When management decides they need to ruin the company and make the pilots work for nothing then I hope to have other options and I can walk away. That is really what it is today, a part time job with a full time responsibility.

Airline CEO pay is out of control.

2006-04-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

So many hard working airline pilots and employees are barely making ends meet and a CEO of US Airways is making very large pay checks. This is just not right and one of the reasons so many airline pilots are leaving the airlines. The airline business model is really screwed up.

No airline CEO deserves this kind of pay. They are not the one that is out there in all kinds of weather and conditions safely flying passengers all over the world.

It is time for me to get back to working on starting my own business. I spend almost all my free time developing ways to make my own living where CEO's like this can't ruin my life.

Check Out This Link

Good post from a former 747 United Pilot

2006-04-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

I found this on Flightinfo.com and thought it might interest some of the non-pilots that read this. So you all think being a airline pilot is so grand and that the ultimate goal is being a 747 Captain. Think again, here is a post by a former United 747 Captain that you might find interesting.

Check Out This Link

Good airline pilot article.

2006-04-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

Good article hitting the nail on the head about airline pilots. It is true that a lot of the best will be leaving the airline pilot profession if things continue the way they are going. I am one of them.

Check This Link Out

Passengers you should be worried about the direction of the airline industry. I see the happiness and the quality of airline pilots going down.

For example I myself and many I know have not applied to Continental Airlines and they are hiring. It is many pilots dream to fly for a major and fly bigger airplanes so why would many of us not be applying? Lets see, first year pay is less then $25,000 I believe and a pilot would have to probably move with no financial assistance or commute. Also there is no job security and if the fuel prices spike or another terrorist attack happens then many new hire pilots will be on furlough with no job.

With this the way it is Continental does not have as big of a pool to choose the best pilots from.

With the seniority system starting at the bottom of a new airline is very risky and that is why a pilot has to make job changes carefully. When you get to this level many pilots are married with kids. One bad job choice and a pilot and his family will be on the street.

People with normal jobs don't have to quite deal with this. Many jobs allow a person to change jobs with a lateral move or upward move. Not starting at the bottom and having to spend many years to get back to good schedules and pay. When a pilot has more then a few years at an airline like the Delta pilots then you often are stuck. Give up pay and work rules it will affect a pilot for years. This is why they have to fight for what they have. Give up much more and the job is just not worth it. What happens then, the second string comes in.

If Delta started to hire tomorrow I wouldn't apply. Why would I risk it, I would wait until it looks like they would make it.

Nothing but airline pilots complaining

2006-04-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

When you go to work how many hours do you and your coworkers complain about your industry and the company you work for?

I you are an airline pilot it is most of your day at work. This is a very sad environment. It really gets myself and everyone around in a bad mood. I am to the point that I am trying to really cut back and not complain and limit my conversations with others about complaints. I have never been in a job like it or have I ever heard of one like it.

It is such a "us and them environment". Pilots don't like management and management doesn't like pilots. This is one reason the airlines are going down. This is the old way and they don't want to change.

When I came to the airlines I came from a great flight department where everyone got along. I began to wonder "why are all the pilots at this airline so unhappy, why are the senior airline pilots so unhappy".

I now know. When you spend so much time in an environment that it so negative like the airline it will really bring a pilot down. I have decided to deal with it the best I can but I can't spend too many more years in a negative environment like this for long. It could really make a person unhappy.

Pilots will do anything to gain flight time.

2006-04-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

I have been there and I have done it, I would do anything for flight time. I would even fly for free or pay to fly when I was learning to fly. That is the problem with the airline industry. I did it, but now I am regretting it and regional management is using it against the pilots. This bidding for flying is working against the quality of life as an airline pilot.

When a regional airline can hire a 400 hour pilot for poverty wages and keep their wages low they will win the flying. The airlines that pay a wage that is close to livable like Comair had they will fall behind. Who loses are the pilots that have experience. As long as there are new pilots who are willing to pay a ton to learn to fly and then work for poverty wage we are all in trouble.

For all you new pilots who say that is fine I will pay my dues and be at a high paying job like Southwest, you had better think twice. I got in this business with the same idea. My plan was to of been at major airline making good money flying a 757 by now. Well as you can see that did not work out and I am a long ways away from that now.

You will see, you work for nothing now hoping for the big airline pilot job later but it just may come back to bite you. When you want job security and good fair pay for the pilot skills you worked so hard for, it may be hard to find that to support your family. I know it is hard to see that now when all you can see is fulfilling this fantasy you have of flying a nice new regional jet, but it all could back-fire on you. It may have on me.

For you passengers reading this how comfortable does it make you feel when a First Officer has minimum experience and they are paid poverty wages and can qualify for food stamps. Doesn't sound so good does it. I wouldn't want a doctor working on me making that same living.

Airline Professionalism Down the Toilet

2006-04-01T19:36:00.000-08:00

If the pay cut trend continues in the airline industry the passengers can expect the professionalism to really decrease. Comair may try to pay their flight attendants $18,000 a year on average. This is really a low wage. What kind of customer service would you expect from someone that can't pay their bills. Fast food workers make this much money.

This is how much some first year airline pilots make flying a people around in a jet. Don't tell me that a pilot with this income is not stress over paying bills.

Passengers and airline management - YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!

As an airline pilot the airlines are the most negative and unhappy environments I have ever been in. Why, because everyone is unhappy with their pay, work rules, lack of job security and management. All I ever hear at work is complaints.

Treat Airline Pilots Poorly, They Will Leave!

2006-03-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

Since I have been in the working world the business world and companies have learned a lot about how to treat their employees to get the best productivity out of them. Happy people can make a company a lot more money. The airlines just can't seem to get out of the past and move on to better ways to treat their people.

Life as an airline pilot can be very good at times but then it can be terrible at times. Right now I think there are many airline pilots out there that would agree that the pay cuts and work rule changes are going too far. These changes are starting to really affect many airline pilots lifestyles. Being an airline pilot becomes a job just like anything else and when the profession starts to affect a pilots life at home, changes need to be made. I think now more then ever many airline pilots are looking to other professions outside the industry.

Yes, there are many airline pilots with that dream job that so many think we have that are thinking of getting out of the profession. I had a 767 Captain the other day ask me if many pilots were leaving the regional airline I fly at to go to jobs outside the airlines. He indicated that there were many leaving his major airline for jobs outside of the piloting profession.

When the pay is low, no job security and the work rules are going down hill what do you expect. Your best pilots who are smart will be leaving because they have other options. For most pilots their lifestyle, family and time at home become more important then flying a jet at xyz airline. If the airlines can't give a pilot this then many will leave. They are not dealing with basic skilled workers, many pilots can do something else.

For all you young pilots you need to think about this. If a pilot is willing to leave a major airline because of the pay and work rules, then flying a jet is not what drives you when you get older. Right now when you are young and new you think you will do anything to fly at an airline but trust me, when you get married and have kids this will all change. It becomes a job and you only want jobs that give you the lifestyle that you deserve as a highly trained professional in a very safety oriented profession.

Airline pilots are leaving the profession!

2006-03-16T17:12:00.000-08:00

My prediction is that in the next few years the regional pilots who have college degrees and have other options will be seriously considering moving on to other professions.

The industry is changing very quickly and in the wrong direction for job security and pay. It now sounds like Delta pilots may take another pay cut.

I was talking to one of our flight attendants and she said that she had a senior Delta flight attendant friend and she went from about $77 an hour to about $34 an hour. That is a serious pay cut and a change in lifestyle and the cost of living is running away.

This is the trend and it is not going to stop for a while. Airline pilots in the past have spent a lot of time and money to get the skills and time necessary to make it to the majors. It used to be worth it, there was more pay and security at the majors. Well now that is gone and it is harder to justify the time, money and dedication it takes to get to the majors now.

Lets use a doctor as an example. I feel a doctor is a good example because an airline pilot can spend as much time and money after college to gain the skills need to do their job well. They are also responsible for peoples lives everyday like a doctor.

Doctors spend a lot of money for school, I would guess over $100,000 dollars for medical school. They also spend many years after college in medical school and residency at low pay but there is a pot of golf at the end of the rainbow.

A pilot can spend $50,000 to $100,000 for training depending on the route they take. They will also spend a few years after that flight instructing, flying freight, and flying for a regional to make it to a major.

Working at a major airline used to be like a doctor making it to a practice or a hospital where they made the bigger paycheck.

There is no longer big paychecks or job security in the airline industry. It is all gone except for a few like Fedex or UPS and these jobs are very hard to get.

I know that a big paycheck is not everything. But you can't tell me that a good part of why people become doctors is not because of the pay. I am sure it is nice to help others but everything does become a job.

Some of the other reasons we work is for our family and the fun things we like to do. When your job can't support your family then what do you do, well you may move on to something that does.

I think that the more qualified better pilots who can do something will move on to jobs that can support their families. Flying for an airline as an airline pilot is fun in the beginning but it does become a job. If it can't support your family then it is not worth it.

unfortunately the airline pilots that stick around may consist of the ones who are not the best, not the sharpest tools in the shed and may not be able to move on easily.

In the future less pilots will want to go to the airlines because of pay and job security. Many of the best will move on to other jobs. Then the airlines start scraping the bottom just to get pilots to fly their planes. What happens is the most qualified pilots are not flying the airplanes you are getting on as passengers.

Competition from many means the best get hired to the airlines. When there is no competition because of all the reasons mentioned, then the not-so-good slip by. Does that make you feel good about getting on the plane.

I am in the industry and I see it happening. The skill level and experience of the first officers I am flying with is way lower then it was 4-5 years ago. The average total time of the pilot in new hire training at a regional airline may be only 1,000 hours or less. It was about 2,500 to 3000 five years ago.

Lets say the pay for doctors was really decreasing and they were having trouble supporting their families. They had no job security and the average experience level was very low due to the experienced doctors leaving the profession. The doctors were also being asked to work much longer hours for less pay. How good would you feel going to the hospital?

The day is coming where this same concern will cross your mind the next time you get on an airline flight.

Corporate Pilot

2006-03-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

I recently ran into a corporate pilot who was a regional pilot at one of the large regional airlines. He has been in the corporate world for some time and it has been very good to him. He had nothing but good things to say about his past jobs and most definitely his current job.

He was also making way more money flying a lot less then if he would of stayed at the regional airline.

He really got me thinking and I am starting my job search for one of those good corporate jobs. I am really beginning to think there really is no future at a regional airline. It is a time builder and I have built my time, it is time to move on.

It would not be fair to my family when there is better opportunities out there to not take advantage of them. I am watching the cost of living just run away from my income and it is not stopping.

Airline Pilot or Corporate Pilot

2006-03-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

It seems there are a lot of pilots that at some point wonder should they become an airline pilot or a corporate pilot. I have done both so I may be able to help with this question.

Before becoming an airline pilot I had a very good corporate job. I got this job after flying freight and flight instructing for a while. I feel I was paid fair for what I did and I did not have to work very hard.

The trips were fairly easy and sometimes we got to help others in need when we flew air ambulance. This is what I miss that I don't get in the airline world, the satisfaction that I had when I went home after flying a person in need to a place that could help them.

In the airlines there is very little recognition on a daily basis. You know, that feeling you get when someone really appreciates your help, or that feeling when you create something, or repair something that helped someone.

The only time you get that good rewarding feeling is when you say goodbye to the passengers or help someone with their bag, or something like that. I never get a thank you from the company. The only time the chief pilots want to talk to you is when something is wrong.

I have had a excellent record at my airline and I have never really gotten a true thank you or any reward. My old corporate job I had 1000's of more thank you and rewards then my airline job.

It really is a empty feeling, I feel like a bus driver sometimes. Sure, when we fly through bad weather or manage a tough flight well, you feel good. But there is no recognition from the airline. We work on holidays with no extra pay or a thank you. In fact my airline did not give any Christmas gifts or bonuses this year, not even a card.

At my corporate flying job I was recognized a lot. We always got a Christmas bonus, a party, and more. I also really enjoyed the small group of pilots and we all became friends. This is also something you don't get at the airlines. Sure I have a lot of friends but you don't get to hang out like we did at my old job.

Just like bad airlines there are bad corporate flying jobs. Just like corporations getting rid of their flight department, airlines close the doors. There is not a lot of security in either profession so you have to choose wisely and be prepared.

You have to look at yourself to know what is right. If you like small groups, being creative, and feeling good about your a job well done corporate flying might be for you.

If you don't mind being a bus driver and having very little rewards for a job well done then the airlines may work for you. You can't be very creative in the airlines, it is all laid out to even how you take your breaks and you really don't have to do much thinking. It is all in a few books that tell how to do everything.

Corporate flying is starting to sound better and if a good job comes up I might just have to jump. I have heard the pay is about $40,000+ more then I am making now. I had a good conversation with a corporate pilot the other day and I will fill you in on another post.

Good luck and plan wisely, flying a big jet and making a big, I mean smaller paycheck is not worth a lot of BS for many years. I choose to go for many years of happiness and not just the last few years flying a big jet at XYZ airline. So if a good corporate flying job comes along I will have to think hard.

Making it to top airline pilot

2006-03-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

The days of having a good chance to make it to the top and make a real good living flying big aircraft at a major airline are going away for a while. The airline industry has really changed a lot in the last few years. The income has come down a lot and it will not return to previous levels for quite some time.

So if you are thinking of being an airline pilot you had better be getting into it for the love of the airline business and flying. You also had better be willing to go through some very tough times. You had better be willing to not make much money for some time.

I am sure things will get better someday, but then again the question will be how long will it last and an airline pilot had better be prepared for the next downturn.

The smart airline pilot develops other skills or starts small businesses to help with the low income or for when there is no income.

Don't get your degree in aviation!!!!! I can't say this enough. Get a degree in something that you can enjoy but that will pay the bills for the times of unemployment.

Be happy to settle flying a 737 at retirement, today that wouldn't be too bad.

Making it to a major or good airline is very tough and often comes down to who you know. It is possible and I know pilots going to majors right now but most had an inside connection. There is a lot of luck involved in this business.

It is a lot of fun, but I have to admit I have really lowered my expectations from what they were when I started as an airline pilot.

What does a regional airline pilot make?

2006-03-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

First year flying a 50 seat regional jet a First Officer makes about $20000. Second year a First Officer will make about $34000.

Upgrading to Captain does not give you a whole lot more since you will be at the minimum flying schedule for a little while. Upgrade to Captain will happen about 4-6 years after starting. There are many factors that determine this but it usually doesn't happen less then 3 years.

After upgrading to Captain on a 50 seat regional jet a captain will make about $54,000. It will go up very slowly from there.

So after being an airline pilot for about 4 years the best you can expect to make is $54,000 or a little more for a while. This is not a very good income for how highly skilled an airline pilot is. If you are single this is a good income, but if you are married with a kid it is a different story.

What you have to remember is the joy of flying will fade and it will be a job. What your income allows your family and you to do becomes the most important thing, not flying.

What does it take to be an airline pilot.

2006-03-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

First it takes a good bit of money to be an airline pilot.

To get started all you have to do is go to the local airports and ask about learning to fly. Most airports with flight training can take you through all you pilot ratings.

The ratings start with your private pilot license. After that you will work on your instrument rating, then single engine commercial and then multi engine commercial.

After that you will only have a few hundred hours depending on how long it took you to do your ratings. It is still not enough to get an airline job. Next, most pilots will get your flight instructor ratings and start flight instructing to build flight time.

With your commercial rating you can fly for hire but there are not a lot of good jobs out there to build time fast. That is why most pilots choose flight instructing. I also believe you learn a lot by teaching others to fly.

After logging more flight time you can start thinking about applying to the airlines. Some airlines have minimums of 600 total time and 100 multiengine. Most are around 1200 total time and 200 multiengine.

If you instruct at a descent flight school, you can fly a lot and meet the minimums fast. Especially if you get you MEI (multiengine instructor rating) and get some multi engine time.

Some pilots will fly cargo in small single or multi engine airplanes for a little while to build some more time and then apply to the airlines.

The total cost to do this at a local airport varies but it is probably at least $25,000. If you have to charge all this on credit then you should figure in the interest.

If you go to a big training flight school like Embry Riddle or Flight Safety you will pay a lot more. I know some young pilots who went to Embry Riddle for a 4 year degree with flight training and now are over $100,000 in debt. Are they better pilots then others who did not go, NO!

It all comes down to the person and how good they want to be, how hard they work, along with some natural factors and personality.

Look at how much a regional airline pilot makes there first year about $20,000. Yes any passenger reading this, about $20,000 dollars. And as you noticed flight training cost at a minimum of about $25,000 dollars. How safe do you feel now.

Your copilot has a lot of money worries. How does a pilot support a family on this.

I know a airline pilot that is a First Officer who went to a big flight school and are now over $100,000 in debt with a wife and kid. Do you think he comes to work worry free and able to give his best to fly passengers safely in all kinds of weather, uhh NO!

So back to what is takes to be an airline pilot. It takes a lot of money, time and motivation. There are a few ways to do it local flight training, large flight school at a university or expensive quick flight training.

I would go local flight training and then flight instruct. This is the cheapest way to go because as you can see, the airlines don't want to pay so why risk going in debt a lot. This way if times are though you are not trying to pay $100,000 in school debt.

The industry just does not deserve a big commitment at this time. When the pay and job security comes up, then it might be worth more risk.

Of course the military is usually a very good option for the few that get selected.

Airline pilot information.

2006-03-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

It seems to be hard for new pilots or the general public to find out what it is like to be an airline pilot. This site is being set up to inform anyone interested in finding out the truth.

I am going to cover the good and the bad about being an airline pilot. If I knew what I know now, I would of made some different decisions during my quest to be an airline pilot. Would I of not become an airline pilot, to tell you the truth maybe. Or I would of at least prepared better to make this a hobby and not have to rely on the income.

Being an airline pilot is like being a contract worker. One day you may be doing well and making a good income, and then it is gone tomorrow.

Now I am not going to just talk about all the bad things. I am going to talk about the fun stuff also. Like the thrill of being the Captain and in charge of a 25 million dollar aircraft and 50 people. Flying in bad weather and shooting an approach to minimums.

The problem I have with this huge fun responsibility is the airlines don't want to pay for the truly skilled pilots who can do this job the best. The industry has taken such a dump that a lot of the best qualified people are doing something else.

If a person was a real sharp person, why would they want to get into an industry that has no job security or pay but expects you to do a highly skilled job.

What you find now is the best are not going to the airlines like the past. There are a lot of people now who are getting through flight training that are not the best. I think this is going to be a problem in the future.

So if you want to hear it all about being an airline pilot then check back often. I am going to tell the truth, so if you are thinking about being an airline pilot then you will at least know the truth before you spend the many thousands of dollars it takes to go to flight training.

An Airline Pilot

2006-03-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Being an airline pilot is a thrill and a challenge. I have really enjoyed my 6 years of airline flying with some exceptions. These exceptions are becoming a big deal and really making the industry less attractive.

Airline pilots have a lot of responsibility transporting passengers in all types of conditions. Just like doctors and surgeons, peoples lives are at stake every time they get into an aircraft. Having the most qualified and capable pilots up front is very important. With the industry going down hill this is not always the case anymore.

I am setting up this journal to discuss the highlights and drawbacks to being an airline pilot. The career of being an airline pilot is changing fast and the passenger and future pilots should be informed.