Why you should not be a professional pilot

[alectejas]

Flying might be one of the most fun jobs and helicopters the most fun of all, but you pay a big price.

You have to fight against supply and demand. There are almost always more pilots than there are jobs. Therefore the salaries are low. If you don't want the job, they can find someone else to do it. Some first officers for regional airlines and helicopter CFIs get paid in the mid 20s. I pay my housekeeper that much and she doesn't even speak English much less fly a plane!

In the professional pilot world, flight hours count. Hours are a mark of experience. If you are a low time pilot and you get a poorly paying job, then your employer is paying you in flight hours and dollars. The hours have real value and employers know that.

Pilots are stuck in a pyramid scheme. Truly good jobs, with good pay and a passable quality of life are few and far between. Most folks are just hanging on in a not-so-good job, waiting for that big break that may never come.

A typical pilot is a skilled employee yes, but still an employee. When I talk to pilots or read about their typical career paths its all about scoring the next job based on the skills (and the hours) acquired previously. Precious few mention more sensible options such as making money outside aviation and enjoying flying as a hobby after they can afford it.

Say you decide to become a helicopter pilot in your late 20's. You are looking at 70K for the basic training, 10 years of "paying your dues" at a salary of 30K and then what? A 50K a year job at age 35. Now you have a productive working life of around 25 years, no savings and one medical problem away from unemployment. That might sound find when you are 28, but it will seem a lot less astute when you turn 45.

[r22butters]

I never really cared about the money, its the lie about the pilot shortage that hooked me in, otherwise I would have just stuck with a Private.

[Cubby]

This is always the dilemma all pilots deal with. I guess it separates those that truly want to be pilots and those that just want the job because it's cool. It's no lie that the pay is low and a janitor gets more respect than you do. Beyond that I truly love what I do and even with the low pay I'm not sure I could ever go back to a "normal" job. Money comes and goes, the best job you ever had only comes once.

[Gomer Pylot]

The OP is correct, but project beyond age 45. Think about being 55 or 60, still years from being eligible for Social Security, no pension at all, having a medical problem that would be an inconvenience to anyone else, but which takes your medical certificate. No job, no marketable skills, too old to be hired for much of anything other than WalMart greeter. That's the reality facing too many pilots. During what should be your peak earning years, you'll be lucky to make the national average in wages at best, and very possibly be completely unemployed, and unemployable, for years. It seems like a fun job when you're in your 20s, but any job becomes just a job over time, the fun fades, and reality sets in. I'm thankful that my kids had no interest in flying, after seeing how it affected my family life.

[rotorrodent]

The OP is correct, but project beyond age 45. Think about being 55 or 60, still years from being eligible for Social Security, no pension at all, having a medical problem that would be an inconvenience to anyone else, but which takes your medical certificate. No job, no marketable skills, too old to be hired for much of anything other than WalMart greeter. That's the reality facing too many pilots. During what should be your peak earning years, you'll be lucky to make the national average in wages at best, and very possibly be completely unemployed, and unemployable, for years. It seems like a fun job when you're in your 20s, but any job becomes just a job over time, the fun fades, and reality sets in. I'm thankful that my kids had no interest in flying, after seeing how it affected my family life.

 

 

What all you guys are missing in this discussion is that you "will" learn other skills, acquire other talents along the way to age 60. Keep in prospective that life is about the journey, it isn't a destination! We fly because we have exercised our free will and choice to be a pilot. If that isn't a suitable choice for some, then time to reassess and then exercise your free will and choice and do something else. LIfe is all about choices and taking responsibility for those choices. Nobody is forcing anyone to be a pilot.

 

There are "no" glamour jobs in life......there's just life.

 

May everyone enjoy to the fullest, their journey through life whether it be a pilot or Wal-Mart Greeter!

 

Cheers

 

Rotorrodent

[r22butters]

I planned on working 'til death, settling on a job flying tours on a tropical island somewhere, during my 'so called' retirement years.

 

The real reason "you should not be a professional pilot", is that its next to impossible to build the required hours for an entry-level job. The instructor route dried up long ago, and only worked for a lucky few at best, and if the military won't take you, you're SOL!

[delorean]

I can't argue with the OP in 90%+ of the cases.....but there is a chance you could be part of the minority depending on how you play it (or how the stars are aligned.)

 

I started flying commmercial at 20 y/o and was flying EMS at 22. By 25, I was making six figures as a heli pilot, had a house & three cars, and my only "debt" was my mortgage (had paid off the cars, my B.S. & MBA student loans, and my wife's student loans.) Years later, I now have two kids and am on track to drop part time by age 40-45 depending on the market. Never moved once either--everything within an hour of my home town.

 

So, it is possible to go to college + flight training and still live a VERY comfortable [and somewhat] affluent life, be home every day or night with your family, and still retire early. Gotta have to really, REALLY want it though.

[r22butters]

I can't argue with the OP in 90%+ of the cases.....but there is a chance you could be part of the minority depending on how you play it (or how the stars are aligned.)

 

I started flying commmercial at 20 y/o and was flying EMS at 22. By 25, I was making six figures as a heli pilot, had a house & three cars, and my only "debt" was my mortgage (had paid off the cars, my B.S. & MBA student loans, and my wife's student loans.) Years later, I now have two kids and am on track to drop part time by age 40-45 depending on the market. Never moved once either--everything within an hour of my home town.

 

So, it is possible to go to college + flight training and still live a VERY comfortable [and somewhat] affluent life, be home every day or night with your family, and still retire early. Gotta have to really, REALLY want it though.

Well Quagmire, it looks like you won the aviation lottery!

[klas]

Well Quagmire, it looks like you won the aviation lottery!

 

Giggity!

[aclark79]

10 years of paying your dues at 30k? Seriously? I can't think of anyone I went to school with who spent 10 years making those kinds of wages. Starting wages in the Gulf of Mexico are 56k and go up from there. PHI has been hiring at least 5 pilots a month for the last year, some months more. I haven't paid for any flight hours since training, nor have I only been paid in flight hours.

 

I did have to spend 55k on school, I did work as an instructor for two years, but now I'm making 60k+ as an offshore pilot and from here the future just looks brighter and brighter with wages going up from here. Sure I won't ever make 200k or more as a broker or commodities trader, but I enjoy going to work.

[csw1000]

I was a stock broker for Morgan Stanley in the late 90's and worked on the 66th floor of the WTC one year before 911. I was wearing a three piece suite with my feet on the brass rail looking out the window when I saw the first heli in my life fly below me, f'n awesome. I knew since then I wanted to be a heli pilot and nothing else. This is a helicopter site not Forbes, I'm tired of all the pessimism. If you want to be Donald Trump don't go for heli pilot, simple. If you want to spend your life doing what you love then do it. I chased the almighty dollar for well over a decade, made 'em and lost 'em. I am still alive, my kids are good, and I am miserable. I am going to fly, get my degree, and try to use the both of them to make helicopter operations safer and more profitable for everyone. If you want to be a part of the most amazing industry on the planet, then do it. If you are only interested in money then become a petroleum engineer, they make the most for entry level jobs, Google it. Also, you should be worried about your health anyway, at age 50 one good heart attack will keep you from any job out there, except for pushing up daiseys!

[rotorbreak]

Make 60 grand to work half a year? I know it sucks being a pilot right?

 

Also you should all look out for that medical problem when you get old that might keep you from flying by spending your two weeks off a month getting a higher education. Or start a buisness on the side! Who said you should just fly?

[UtahHeliPilot]

I'm so glad this topic turned around. I know its hard out there right now, but its good to hear there are still some people that love to fly.

[RotorChick]

I was a stock broker for Morgan Stanley in the late 90's and worked on the 66th floor of the WTC one year before 911. I was wearing a three piece suite with my feet on the brass rail looking out the window when I saw the first heli in my life fly below me, f'n awesome. I knew since then I wanted to be a heli pilot and nothing else. This is a helicopter site not Forbes, I'm tired of all the pessimism. If you want to be Donald Trump don't go for heli pilot, simple. If you want to spend your life doing what you love then do it. I chased the almighty dollar for well over a decade, made 'em and lost 'em. I am still alive, my kids are good, and I am miserable. I am going to fly, get my degree, and try to use the both of them to make helicopter operations safer and more profitable for everyone. If you want to be a part of the most amazing industry on the planet, then do it. If you are only interested in money then become a petroleum engineer, they make the most for entry level jobs, Google it. Also, you should be worried about your health anyway, at age 50 one good heart attack will keep you from any job out there, except for pushing up daiseys!

 

I'm a petroleum engineer. And I'm going back to school to fly helicopters as soon as my savings can support the education. Very inspiring to know people out there really do follow their dreams!! Money is important, but it isn't life, and it sure ain't happiness!

[thrilsekr]

I make "enough" money. But far from happy (in sense of work). During Private training looking out the side windows while strafing trying to follow the line in front of me. All I could think about was how amazing this is, and that somebody would actually want to pay me to do this. Hell, I would pay to do this (and am). I can't even hear the sound of a heli overhead without stopping whatever I am doing to go look. I feel like a child as a train passes by pointing out the choo-choo to all my friends. Inside shaking my fist at the air wondering why it is not me up there.

Continuing my training is my goal. One step at a time. I am confident I will make it as a professional pilot someday. And when I do, it will all be worth it. I will be doing what I enjoy, and the rest is gravy on top.

My goal is not to be monetarily rich. But to enjoy what I do - in and out of the workplace.

 

If the nay-sayers want to say nay, then let them. They are the ones who will not succeed or be happy. Those that say yes will not take pity on them. People do not feel sorry for those who feel sorry for themselves. But those that say yes to life's challenges are the ones who will succeed in life, and even if it does not take them to where they thought it would. Where you are is not nearly as important as where you are going and where you have been.

[HeliUtah]

I'm a petroleum engineer. And I'm going back to school to fly helicopters as soon as my savings can support the education. Very inspiring to know people out there really do follow their dreams!! Money is important, but it isn't life, and it sure ain't happiness!

 

I was a nuclear (or nucular) engineer/physicist turned software developer. I finished up my cfii in December, and am getting about 5-10 hours/week teaching now, and growing. Am I making as much as I did back when I was a VP? ... probably about 1/10 or less, but I can't tell you how much happier I am. I know I'll scrape for awhile, but I'll get back to a reasonable income in a couple of years. Follow the dream, work as hard as you can, and people will notice, and there is a good chance they will give you a shot, at least that is how it went for me.

[delorean]

Yeah, it's more about your time off and lack of responsibility when you're off shift, than the money sometimes.

 

Starting on a Friday, I work three 12-hr day shifts, then four 12-hr night shifts.....followed by 7 days off. My wife works weekends only, so we're off 5 days a week together. I may be working nights, but I just go to work to sleep. I sleep as much as I can on my day shifts too. When I leave work my responsibilities are over--I'm on duty rest and they can't even call me.

 

When I'm at work I'm either sleeping or doing stuff that I would normally be doing at home. Wash the car, change the oil, clean guns, cook, pay bills, ride my bike, hit golf balls, WHATEVER you want until you have to go fly. The only thing I can't do is work on the house--but if I sleep all day, I can come home and work on the house over night.

 

Now, on my week off I get bored--I usually cover some OT shifts are a nearby base, work part time ENG, or run one of my other little businesses/scams. But with vacations, I always do them on my week off, so I can cash my vacation time out to the tune of an extra $4000 a year.

 

I look at all these guys I went to college and grad school with....they're stuck to their iPhones or pagers and constantly have some drama hanging over them from a client or work. Work doesn't even cross my mind when I'm not there. I still check my work email while I'm off, but I'm not required too.

 

So......yeah, you'll rack up as much debt as law or med school, and you won't make near what a doctor or lawyer would, but you won't have a 1/10 of the stress.

[heloidaho]

I'm sitting in the Medford, Oregon airport right now. Out the window I've been watching an Erickson Sky Crane fly the pattern and do maneuvers for the last hour. It is pretty amazing.

 

I wonder what the guy at the controls would say about not becoming a professional pilot? In the end, it is all about life satisfaction.

 

I like the nay sayers. That means more jobs for positive folks when the negative ones give up.

[Ross11B]

 

I like the nay sayers. That means more jobs for positive folks when the negative ones give up.

My thoughts exactly. That's why I think we should be as negative as possible. Tell people that all the helicopters have crashed and there's no need for them to become pilots now.

[HeliAv8r]

I'm thankful that my kids had no interest in flying, after seeing how it affected my family life.

So how did this career affect family life? I am strongly considering aviation as a career choice and would like to know what it's really like before i get too far into it. delorean, by the sounds of it it doesn't really affect you too much. How do you juggle the two?

[delorean]

So how did this career affect family life? I am strongly considering aviation as a career choice and would like to know what it's really like before i get too far into it. delorean, by the sounds of it it doesn't really affect you too much. How do you juggle the two?

 

I'm IN aviation for the family life. Like I said, I'm home with my wife 5 days a week. My son turned 1 y/o today and I think there was only 3-4 days total in the last year I haven't seen him. The 6 days a month I work dayshift, I might only see him an hour or two when I get home; but when I'm on nights, I'm there when he wakes up, and leave about the time he goes to bed. We have another baby due in October, I plan on seeing him or her everyday too.

 

My father was traveling 5-6 days a week until I was 13-14 y/o. Didn't really get to know him until then. My mother and I would tag along with him on a lot of trips (went all over the world,) but he was on business. And when he was home or had vacation, the LAST thing he wanted to do was go out of town. In any case, he was always on the phone, working on paperwork well into the night, etc.

 

So, for me it works out great. But I also live 30 minutes from the base. If you're more than an hour, you'll probably be staying at the base and thus, gone 2 weeks a month. I would find another career in that case.

 

But when I was an instructor and going to college at the same time, I was basically gone for 4 yrs. I worked 7 days a week and 14-16 hrs a day including school. I would sometime sleep on the couch at the flight school. But that was when I was 18-22 y/o--it kept me out of trouble and got me on track for a great, fullfilling, and prosperous career. Probably couldn't have pulled it off in that time frame if I would have had a family of my own though.

[HeliAv8r]

Thanks for such an honest answer. Guess it's just like anything else in life, if you want it bad enough you'll find a way to make it work. I personally can't wait to get started and join such an amazing group of people, just trying to save up enough to stay away from those nasty loans.

[Trans Lift]

Becoming a helicopter pilot was the best career choice for me. I love what I do every single day. I can't wait to go to work in the morning. There is never a day where I wake up and go "sh*t, I have to go and fly a helicopter today".

 

Sure, it can be a tough road at the start but it is worth it when you get there. I just started my first commercial job with an ag/utility company up North. It is awesome. It is such a laid back atmosphere to work in. No stress. It is also the safest operation I have seen. I feel so lucky. I get to go home to my beautiful wife and my dog every night.

 

Most days are long but I get to sleep in my own bed every night. The money is fantastic, although not the be all and end for me either.

 

I would say to anybody that wants to be a pilot, go for it. You don't get if you don't try. To those who are not happy with their career in aviation, maybe you should do something else and let the ones with a passion for it and a love for it have the empty seats.

[HelliBoy]

This topic should have been titled, "Why i should not be a professional pilot"

 

If you believe all the things you say to be true, what the hell are you doing here? Go persue your dream, thats what we all did.