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Originally Posted by wheelsup  can you expand on that? what did you do? who did yo fly for? how many hours/type of time did you have when you decided to 'retire'? did you pursue anything outside of the 'majors' at the time? SWA? UPS? etc. (not sure if they were around then...)
if aviation is so bad why did you decide to get an aerospace degree? |
1,500 hours as CFI/Chief Flight Instructor
1,000 hours flying night freight
1,000 hours turbine corporate/charter with ATP turbine type.
s/e and m/e seaplane time, glider time,
At the time (1982-1989), the majors were furloughing. I have friends who held recall slots with USAir for 10 years before they decided to bail and fly corporate. Flying night freight for a living only puts you in an early grave. Ever seen an overweight vampire? I wouldn't do that for the starting salary they were offering. Yeah, I know you're gonna say "You only get out of it what you are gonna put into it." Well, quality of life is something that aviation does not give you and I found that out at about year 3 into the career. I was already giving 100% didn't want to give 120% to the aviation gods and still get back only 20%. Some young kids out there have a hard-on for big cockpits. They will do anything to get into that right seat so they can get those cool right-seat photos to email to their high-school friends. Trust me, after the friends see the photos and go Oooh and Ahh for a few minutes, you then have to remember that you are stuck in that cockpit for the next 40 years and nobody is going to say Oooh and Ahhh then becausd your friends will have the house in the suburbs witha wife and kids and you will still be in an apartment. Recently at ai high school reunion I overheard: "You say Jim became an ailine pilot? Damn, that's too bad. Gotta be tough." Everyone with a real life knows the truth.
I went Aerospace Engineering because my flight time would help employment prospects. If I had gone accounting, I might as well have thrown those 15 flying years in the sh**can. In ended up working at NASA/Houston training shuttle pilots on the simulators, then I switched over to space station design. It is a 9:00 to 5:00 job. My paycheck is placed on my desk every week and always has the same numbers. I get a cost of living increase, regular retirement fund contributions, dental, medical. You will not find that in general aviation working for a flight school, but engineers right out of college get those benefits no questions asked. You might see that about year 10 in aviation if you end up flying jets for a large corporation. Why AE??? Aerospace Engineering is the sister branch to Mechanical. I can get an ME job anywhere.
So, now that the majors are hiring again, why don't I put the application back in? Because I now have a life. House in the suburbs, wife, kids. All is good. The grasson this side of the fence really IS greener.
I have heard a few Riddle grads say: "The courses I took at Riddle were really engineering courses. All I have to do it take a few more courses at an engineering school and I will get an AE degree." BULL***T. Only two courses from Riddle transfer to any engineering curriculum - English and Writing. You need 6 semesters of calculus, physics, chemistry. Aeronautical Science doesn't even touch on that stuff. Basically, an Aeronautical Science degree costs a heck of a lot but it only qualifies you for one very specific job. The degree is not transferrable to 'real life' jobs. When you graduate and see this, you will realize how screwed you are.