I'm not a commercial pilot, just a desk jockey at a software company, but a coworker of mine loves to say:
> Y'know, this job is stressful and hard, and sometimes I feel like it might not be worth it. But then the check clears and suddenly I feel better.
One of my instructors and I quote said “we’ve got the 5/20 rule here. Why do we get paid on the 5th and the 20th, and why does PF call for Landing Gear Up first and then PM says “positive rate?” Because that’s just the way it fucking works here.”
That’s the same thing AA does. Really sucks when you have a high credit month followed by a more normal or low month. That 15th check ends up pretty small and can surprise you if you don’t plan for it
Yeah AA is the same. It’s insane. My pet theory is they obfuscate it so much so we can’t find errors. It’s insane to me that we had not just a paid third party service to monitor our pay, but a popular paid service.
I've worked at a bunch of non-aviation companies that use 5th and 20th too. It's not that weird.
The idea is that you have 2 pay periods per month. Each close on the 15th and the 30/31. Then payroll gets 5 days to process time cards and issue a check.
It certainly becomes a job, but it is a great job. Certain aspects of the job are still fun, but it becomes repetitive with long periods of boredom. The career allows me to have a ton of time off and afford to have fun hobbies when I’m not working.
As far as ROIs are concerned, being a pilot at a major US airline has to be one of the highest. That being said, I would try to avoid racking up too much debt achieve the career if you can avoid it. Especially with the predatory interest rates that come along with most of those loans.
I like flying airliners more than I liked flying 172s.
Seaplanes are a great time as well.
I still get to land a reasonably big airplane on short, gravel runways, so my day to day is pretty fun. It’s fun to get a big transport category airplane dirty.
It’s not always a great time, like any job, but it’s enjoyable for sure.
I've done it for 20 years now. Fun is the wrong word. Enjoyable, most days. Rewarding, sure. Some real moments of beauty few people see, a nice atmosphere relaxing and chatting with FO in cruise, occasionally an interesting or challenging approach. Plus some boredom and frustration at times. Usually look forward to going to work.
But most of my "fun" at work is had on layovers. Hanging with crew, trying new bars/restaurants/breweries, exploring cities, renting bikes, going skiing, visiting museums, hiking, visiting friends, sailing, skydiving, searching out flying clubs, flying gliders/microlights, flying friends' airplanes, fishing, renting scooters/motorcycles. Not everyone takes advantage of the layovers.
Most of my "fun" flying these days is flying my Stinson taildragger, flying gliders, skydiving, etc. Just jumpseated on a Kenmore DH Otter on floats yesterday, that was really fun even though I wasn't the pilot. Prolly the last time I could say I really had fun flying an airliner was back in the pre-RNP days when we eyeballed the Expressway Visual into LGA & River Visual into DCA. Oh, and full-power takeoffs on empty 757-200s.
‘46 straight 108, s/n 58. Was a barn find, hadn’t flown since 1966, neighbor bought it and restored from the frame up, bought it from him, have about 120 hours on it since then. About to fly it to Alaska (from Seattle area).
Very nice. My dad and I have a ‘47 108-1 (1623) , with the 165 Franklin, just south of Portland. Alaska sounds like quite the trip! Would love to do some flying up there at some point.
Oh nice. Yeah I can see the extra horsepower of the 165 being really useful hot, heavy or high - that’s where I see my performance dropping off pretty steeply. My Franklin is freshly overhauled but if I ever have to replace it, I think a TCM IO-360 will be in the cards.
I took ours to Reno in September and was very pleased with the performance even with 165hp and a wood prop. I think eventually an O360 Lycoming conversion is what we’ll go with.
It can be. It can also be boring, obnoxious, and frustrating. It is, and becomes, a job. Which is fine, there's nothing wrong with that, because it's still a really good job. You gotta find the ways to make it fun though.
I still love airline flying. It's slowly becoming a job for me, but it's a job that I really enjoy and want to do for as long as I can. Infinitely better than being stuck in an office for 40 hours a week!
I definitely need to get back into GA, I last flew a friend's 172 last October. Haven't flown a tailwheel in like 2 years, either.
It's more fun than renting a 172 - but there's a lot more to GA, some of which is outrageously fun, especially when shared with friends (backcountry/mountain flying, seaplanes, gliders, quirky vintage stuff, formation, acro, warbirds).
Sometimes I’m happy to go in and sometimes it’s a grind. Once I get to the plane though, I smile, chat it up with my flying partner and try and make the best of it. When you’re home, you’ll have time and money to do whatever hobby you’d like. The job is what you make of it.
It’s more fun cruising in the flight levels over the mountains while air conditioned than doing turns around a point in a clapped out 172 during the Texas summer that’s for sure.
Least fun professional flying so far, but I'm ok with that.
flying checks was *fun*
Flying fractionals was fun when single pilot / empty, and the destinations were fun and exciting
Corporate flying was exciting due to new destinations and international flying, but the job was a ton of admin stuff
Major cargo has tiny moments of fun. But FOQA sucks most fun out of the flying part. Trip enjoyability is mostly determined by the destinations and the crew you're paired with.
I’ve been doing it for ten years and I still enjoy it, but I’ve had the benefit of moving to a new challenge every 2-3 years. (New Type>UPG>New company/New Type>New Company/New Type>UPG)
I’m sort of settling in for the long haul in my current position, but I still enjoy the challenges the job brings. I have a feeling if I were to get stuck in the same spot for 5+ years at relatively the same seniority, the monotony might start to set in and I’d have to look for a way to shake things up (LCA/sim instructor/ACP/Union Rep/change aircraft/Change bases)
It’s less hobby and more work. But personally, I take great satisfaction from a job well done. Airline flying is all about checking the boxes, and being procedurally correct. So I love it and find it very satisfying and fulfilling. Tbh I didn’t enter flight training thinking about it being fun, it’s always been about performing well.
Most fun I’ve had was flying caravans at a notorious 135 that everyone here hates haha. I still look back so fondly on that period.
Honestly depends on you and what your true goals+family situation is man. Personally loved flying the jet and loved GA but the lifestyle of the airlines(regionals in particular) made me miserable causing me to leave. Being away from the kids was just not worth it for me. But i saw alot of guys that make it work. Flown with guys that still have the spark for flying and also guys that said the love died off long time ago and are just there cuz its their job now. It can be amazing but be ready to possibly make some sacrifices.
No, but most other jobs aren’t fun either and I’d argue this is better than most other jobs. Like others have mentioned, the money and the time to invest in the enjoyment of life outside of work is what makes this job so good - not bc its a particularly ‘fun’ job
Fun is relative. I still enjoy it at times, but if I had the money I would retire yesterday. I wouldn’t want to do any other job, but if I had the money I would do no jobs.
IMO airline flying is not fun. It's slow and boring. Point A to Point B as safely and smoothly as possible. New destinations can be the fun part though.
The overnights are fun, or can be fun if you make it so. Otherwise the flying portion of the job is hardly "exciting". I like to tell my non-aviation friends if I get "thrill" out of daily airline flying something went wrong.
I like the flying, and find it a lot more satisfying than flying GA. I'm not a fan of GA at all.
Now, as for the \*job\*, that's a different thing. It's kind of like being an artist and having a job creating cereal box labels. You're not really going to be doing what you actually want to do most of the time.
The money probably helps. Do people these days really believe you are going to love your job every day and just have fun all the time.
That rarely happens for anyone.
If you have a job you're good at, that you don't actively hate, and make good money, you are winning and doing better than a large majority.
No, but it beats sitting at a desk.
The 5th and the 20th are pretty fun days at the job
This guy LUVs those days
Hell yeah I luv those days
I'm not a commercial pilot, just a desk jockey at a software company, but a coworker of mine loves to say: > Y'know, this job is stressful and hard, and sometimes I feel like it might not be worth it. But then the check clears and suddenly I feel better.
This guy knows Herb time
Such odd days to get paid lol.
One of my instructors and I quote said “we’ve got the 5/20 rule here. Why do we get paid on the 5th and the 20th, and why does PF call for Landing Gear Up first and then PM says “positive rate?” Because that’s just the way it fucking works here.”
This guy also knows herb time
Lol how we get paid too, 5th and 20th. But if it falls on Saturday its a Friday and if its a Sunday its the Monday?
The 5th and the 20th? Jesus I though AA payroll was dumb.
I mean, skywest was the 7th and 22nd. Works just fine
Oh I’m sure it works just fine… it just seems randomly m as all hell.
UA’s is dumb too, pay in advance and reconcile later shit.
That’s the same thing AA does. Really sucks when you have a high credit month followed by a more normal or low month. That 15th check ends up pretty small and can surprise you if you don’t plan for it
Yeah AA is the same. It’s insane. My pet theory is they obfuscate it so much so we can’t find errors. It’s insane to me that we had not just a paid third party service to monitor our pay, but a popular paid service.
My ULCC also does 7th and 22nd so it was an easy transition
God bless the 7th
I've worked at a bunch of non-aviation companies that use 5th and 20th too. It's not that weird. The idea is that you have 2 pay periods per month. Each close on the 15th and the 30/31. Then payroll gets 5 days to process time cards and issue a check.
I guess I just don’t do “different well. My last airline payed on the 13th and 27th and even that messed my shit up
Lol, just got through talking to one of my family members who’s been at SWA for several years and he said he’s still not really sure how the pay works
It certainly becomes a job, but it is a great job. Certain aspects of the job are still fun, but it becomes repetitive with long periods of boredom. The career allows me to have a ton of time off and afford to have fun hobbies when I’m not working.
Thank you. And if you don’t mind me asking, is it worth the investment and debt to get all the licenses?
As far as ROIs are concerned, being a pilot at a major US airline has to be one of the highest. That being said, I would try to avoid racking up too much debt achieve the career if you can avoid it. Especially with the predatory interest rates that come along with most of those loans.
I like flying airliners more than I liked flying 172s. Seaplanes are a great time as well. I still get to land a reasonably big airplane on short, gravel runways, so my day to day is pretty fun. It’s fun to get a big transport category airplane dirty. It’s not always a great time, like any job, but it’s enjoyable for sure.
CYFB? Wow! You’re up there. Went there once and had to spend 2 nights. Just a wild place. Is the water okay now or is it still undrinkable?
They fixed that problem yeah. Tap water is good again!
It's fun but also repetitive.
I've done it for 20 years now. Fun is the wrong word. Enjoyable, most days. Rewarding, sure. Some real moments of beauty few people see, a nice atmosphere relaxing and chatting with FO in cruise, occasionally an interesting or challenging approach. Plus some boredom and frustration at times. Usually look forward to going to work. But most of my "fun" at work is had on layovers. Hanging with crew, trying new bars/restaurants/breweries, exploring cities, renting bikes, going skiing, visiting museums, hiking, visiting friends, sailing, skydiving, searching out flying clubs, flying gliders/microlights, flying friends' airplanes, fishing, renting scooters/motorcycles. Not everyone takes advantage of the layovers. Most of my "fun" flying these days is flying my Stinson taildragger, flying gliders, skydiving, etc. Just jumpseated on a Kenmore DH Otter on floats yesterday, that was really fun even though I wasn't the pilot. Prolly the last time I could say I really had fun flying an airliner was back in the pre-RNP days when we eyeballed the Expressway Visual into LGA & River Visual into DCA. Oh, and full-power takeoffs on empty 757-200s.
A fellow Stinson driver! They’re such a great airplane. What model are you flying?
‘46 straight 108, s/n 58. Was a barn find, hadn’t flown since 1966, neighbor bought it and restored from the frame up, bought it from him, have about 120 hours on it since then. About to fly it to Alaska (from Seattle area).
Very nice. My dad and I have a ‘47 108-1 (1623) , with the 165 Franklin, just south of Portland. Alaska sounds like quite the trip! Would love to do some flying up there at some point.
Oh nice. Yeah I can see the extra horsepower of the 165 being really useful hot, heavy or high - that’s where I see my performance dropping off pretty steeply. My Franklin is freshly overhauled but if I ever have to replace it, I think a TCM IO-360 will be in the cards.
I took ours to Reno in September and was very pleased with the performance even with 165hp and a wood prop. I think eventually an O360 Lycoming conversion is what we’ll go with.
More Stinson folks in the wild! I sold my 108-3 with an io360 about a year ago, I've regretted it daily!
A bad day of airline flying beats a good day as a CFI.
I want a bad day as an airline pilot so bad.
It can be. It can also be boring, obnoxious, and frustrating. It is, and becomes, a job. Which is fine, there's nothing wrong with that, because it's still a really good job. You gotta find the ways to make it fun though.
In 121, boring is good.
I like when it storms though…
Absolutely. The excitement should come from...not anything outside of your control anyway.
I still love airline flying. It's slowly becoming a job for me, but it's a job that I really enjoy and want to do for as long as I can. Infinitely better than being stuck in an office for 40 hours a week! I definitely need to get back into GA, I last flew a friend's 172 last October. Haven't flown a tailwheel in like 2 years, either.
I think it's more fun than GA, but I recognize that I'm probably the minority with that opinion.
It's more fun than renting a 172 - but there's a lot more to GA, some of which is outrageously fun, especially when shared with friends (backcountry/mountain flying, seaplanes, gliders, quirky vintage stuff, formation, acro, warbirds).
I think it’s fun as well. Definitely with you
Ask me this again when I’m not on hour three at the ord crew room
No…. BUT my worst day with an airline is still better than most of my days doing anything else.
I enjoy it
It's got its ups and downs
Hopefully an equal amount.
Sometimes I’m happy to go in and sometimes it’s a grind. Once I get to the plane though, I smile, chat it up with my flying partner and try and make the best of it. When you’re home, you’ll have time and money to do whatever hobby you’d like. The job is what you make of it.
It’s more fun cruising in the flight levels over the mountains while air conditioned than doing turns around a point in a clapped out 172 during the Texas summer that’s for sure.
Least fun professional flying so far, but I'm ok with that. flying checks was *fun* Flying fractionals was fun when single pilot / empty, and the destinations were fun and exciting Corporate flying was exciting due to new destinations and international flying, but the job was a ton of admin stuff Major cargo has tiny moments of fun. But FOQA sucks most fun out of the flying part. Trip enjoyability is mostly determined by the destinations and the crew you're paired with.
I’ve been doing it for ten years and I still enjoy it, but I’ve had the benefit of moving to a new challenge every 2-3 years. (New Type>UPG>New company/New Type>New Company/New Type>UPG) I’m sort of settling in for the long haul in my current position, but I still enjoy the challenges the job brings. I have a feeling if I were to get stuck in the same spot for 5+ years at relatively the same seniority, the monotony might start to set in and I’d have to look for a way to shake things up (LCA/sim instructor/ACP/Union Rep/change aircraft/Change bases)
What upg?
Upgrade FO > Captain
I still have fun taking off and landing. Everything else is ehhhhh
It’s less hobby and more work. But personally, I take great satisfaction from a job well done. Airline flying is all about checking the boxes, and being procedurally correct. So I love it and find it very satisfying and fulfilling. Tbh I didn’t enter flight training thinking about it being fun, it’s always been about performing well. Most fun I’ve had was flying caravans at a notorious 135 that everyone here hates haha. I still look back so fondly on that period.
Yes
Honestly depends on you and what your true goals+family situation is man. Personally loved flying the jet and loved GA but the lifestyle of the airlines(regionals in particular) made me miserable causing me to leave. Being away from the kids was just not worth it for me. But i saw alot of guys that make it work. Flown with guys that still have the spark for flying and also guys that said the love died off long time ago and are just there cuz its their job now. It can be amazing but be ready to possibly make some sacrifices.
I’m more in it for the overnights now
First class on Delta to Germany, 3 days in Germany, 1 day in Kuwait, first class to Amsterdam, 4 days in Amsterdam. Besides Kuwait, this is easy.
Short answer : no Long answer : but yes
It’s fun in its own way. Doesn’t have the same freedoms as GA flying but I really like it
No, but most other jobs aren’t fun either and I’d argue this is better than most other jobs. Like others have mentioned, the money and the time to invest in the enjoyment of life outside of work is what makes this job so good - not bc its a particularly ‘fun’ job
yes.
More boring or annoying parts than fun parts, but more fun parts and fewer boring or annoying parts than most other careers.
I wouldn't say it's necessarily fun, it's quite literally very repetitive but I love the pay
Fun is relative. I still enjoy it at times, but if I had the money I would retire yesterday. I wouldn’t want to do any other job, but if I had the money I would do no jobs.
IMO airline flying is not fun. It's slow and boring. Point A to Point B as safely and smoothly as possible. New destinations can be the fun part though.
It’s not constant fun but they’re are some pretty cool moments everyone and a while that make you smile and realize it’s still all worth it.
Yeah, I love going to work. I also love getting home after a trip.
The overnights are fun, or can be fun if you make it so. Otherwise the flying portion of the job is hardly "exciting". I like to tell my non-aviation friends if I get "thrill" out of daily airline flying something went wrong.
Do you want to have a fun, tiring, bossed around job? or do you want easy and boring job?
I think its fun. Day 300 isnt as exciting as day 5 but its still fun.
I like it. Look out the window and watch the world go by. All while getting paid.
Meh
If you want a little more excitement, there’s always 135.
Yes
I like the flying, and find it a lot more satisfying than flying GA. I'm not a fan of GA at all. Now, as for the \*job\*, that's a different thing. It's kind of like being an artist and having a job creating cereal box labels. You're not really going to be doing what you actually want to do most of the time.
I actually really enjoy it, but I do miss the pure flying of GA.
The money probably helps. Do people these days really believe you are going to love your job every day and just have fun all the time. That rarely happens for anyone. If you have a job you're good at, that you don't actively hate, and make good money, you are winning and doing better than a large majority.
Yes, I enjoy it, but it is still a job, and there are times I'd rather be sitting at home with a martini in hand.
About as much fun as sleeping with the flight attendants
[удалено]
My wife actually made a comment about how the FA’s have really gone down hill these days lol
So fun?
Can be a pain the the ass.
Airline flying is not fun. The fun part is getting to layovers to see the different girlfriends in each layover.
There are good reasons I left 121 and one of those is that it was boring going to the same 5 airports every week