Real Figures on potential Pilot employment

[Doug Taylor]

A couple of points:

I think the phenomenon of making regional captain at two years is coming to a close unless the majors start hiring again. Plus, just as market forces are pressuring major airline salaries down, there is a heating struggle to do the same at the regionals. There's kind of a quiet 'civil war' of sorts going on between labor and management as we speak.

On the medical profession, my cousin is a GP out in California and she's pretty disenfranchised because malpractice insurance, overhead costs, and some of the unethical pressures of HMO's suck the joy out of the job. What I fear is that the smartest, most energetic people like her (and your father who is a doctor) will shy away from medicine entirely because it involves a tremendous dedication to get to where they are and if the money isn't there, the brightest minds will look elsewhere.

[Nick]

Adreamer:
There are some very expensive areas in southeast PA to live, and much more reasonable places too. Within 10 miles of my house, I can think of some cheap apartments or houses probably under 150K but 10 miles in the other direction, there's ads in the Sunday paper for houses over 2 million dollars.

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

[ QUOTE ]
On the medical profession, my cousin is a GP out in California and she's pretty disenfranchised because malpractice insurance, overhead costs, and some of the unethical pressures of HMO's suck the joy out of the job. What I fear is that the smartest, most energetic people like her (and your father who is a doctor) will shy away from medicine entirely because it involves a tremendous dedication to get to where they are and if the money isn't there, the brightest minds will look elsewhere.

[/ QUOTE ]

True that! My grandfather died as a doctor. My father is in his fifties and he's not quitting anytime soon... absolutely loves his job. Finally, my older brother is pre-med, going into med school... I'm the only one who wants to be the airline pilot in the family...

[Mr_Creepy]

So I think what this thread has decided is that while a CRJ Captain can live comfortably on 60-70k, a surgeon can not!

[Doug Taylor]

[ QUOTE ]
So I think what this thread has decided is that while a CRJ Captain can live comfortably on 60-70k, a surgeon can not!

[/ QUOTE ]

Why not?

Remember, a bad medical decision can cost one life. A bad crew decision can cost hundreds, if not thousands.

[Mr_Creepy]

Hey I don't want to fight with you Doug. I want pilots to make what they're worth.

On the flip side though:
A doctor needs to make a heck of a lot more than a pilot to have the same lifestyle. That's the only point I am trying to make.

Pilots don't need to staff an office, buy millions of dollars of liability insurance, etc.

Doctor education and training is much more expensive and time consuming than pilot training, too. Think about that internship that's required too - talk about PFT!

Hey this is all playing devil's advocate - I'm not condoning anything here - just stirring up trouble

[Mr_Creepy]

Let me add one other observation on the pilot vs. doctor comparison.

While it is harder to graduate from medical school and go through an internship, I would say that a doctor has a much better chance of finding high dollar employment than a graduate of a flight school, at least in the short run.

How many moms go around bragging about their son being a pilot?

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

I'm with Tenney on this one...

[kellwolf]

Also, it has to (unfortunately) do with public perception. A majority percieve pilots as coffee drinking button pushers, while they see storys daily of doctors saving lives. Let's face it, landing an airplane with 200 people in the middle of a thunderstorm with 205 foot ceilings is just not newsworthy unless the plane is on fire or missing a wing. Saving some guy on a table that was shot in a drive-by however......

[Cruise]

Yet another perspective on the doctor v. pilot comparison....

Have you ever asked yourself what they call the guy/ girl who finishes last in med. school?


You guessed it, it's: DOCTOR

Not all doctors' deserve the money they make....
Why to they command the salaries they make? Several factors come to mind.....
One: many years to achieve the level of education
Two: cost of education
Three: malpractice insurance
Four: you don't want to die, do you



Hmmm, let's see.......
many years to achieve education to perform job....sounds like pilots

cost of education.....well, I don't think we need to go there.....flight training....ouch

malpractice insurance.....it's true, malpractice insurance is out-of-hand......but that's the fault of lawyers & our pathetic legal system. Few people, in our litigious society, can accept responsibility for themselves, and the gready, money-hungery lawyers for accepting frivolous lawsuits, not the doctors'.

Don't want to die......well, if one person dies because of improper medication/ allergic reaction....that's unfortunate. If one person dies because of a mistake during surgery, that too, is unfortunate......but, although they would have you believe differently, doctors are not perfect....in fact, they are far from it.
Talk about not wanting to die......what about the ten's or hundreds of people on board your aircraft........don't think they want to die....bet they hope the pilot is competent and won't fly them into a mountain. Additionally, the passengers probably hope their pilots are making more money than the schmuck handing them their food at the drive-up window.


Also, you ask how many mothers' brag about their sons/ daughters being a pilot. Well, I know my mother is thrilled to tell people I'm a pilot and working on becoming a professional one, at that.

There are many, many more doctors than pilots.....so, there really is no comparison in that respect.

Doesn't it takes years of training and studying to become a fully proficient pilot?

Isn't the process one of continual learning?

In an effort to advance one's career as a pilot, the pilot must continually exhibit excellent performance and knowledge. This isn't gained without a great deal of dedication and effort.

The responsibility given to a pilot to ensure the safe flight of the passengers and the multi-million dollar equipment is worthy of a comfortable salary.

Ok, I'm sure you get the point. I don't disagree that most doctor's earn their salary..... However I contend pilot's too, are deserving of a comfortable living, given the time, effort, and responsibility one must dedicate to a safe flying career.

My opinion, for what it's worth

[Doug Taylor]

I think the point that I'm trying to make is that $60K in most cities is a lot less buying power than one would realize. $60,000 might be a lot of money in Farmersville, CA but you're not going to be able to sit reserve out there in the trailer park.

Is that a fair salary for a profession with such a high amount of responsibility and risk? Heck no, John, and please stop kidding yourself and the rest of everyone else. Especially when I can drive a bus around Madison and make twice that amount and sleep in my own bed nightly.

We've got a mandatory age-60 retirement, take a potentially career-ending medical twice per year, a potentially career-ending recurrent training cycle twice per year (once, if you'd got 'single-visit' authority) and carry around certifications that can be revoked for a variety of reasons which will end up in loss of career and income.

And that's not even bringing into account the day to day tribulations of actually performing the job.

I can't believe the comfort you take in accepting (and justifying) lower and lower wages for this profession, especially on an aviation website.

If you think we're overpaid, sign up. But don't play with a man's money.

[adreamer]

Good evening, Mr. Taylor:

Amen, I totally agree with you. It can't be more truth to it. I also look at this way. How come teachers got pay so poorly around the country? Think about this scenerio - one of my students may become the president of United States. Would that scare you? Well, just off the topic. How much you know about cargo ariline hiring numbers in the next few years?


adreamer

[Phoenix_Son]

[ QUOTE ]
I am a 2nd year high school math teacher

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you'll make a very good flight instructor, 767, if you decide that flight is the thing for you. It seems like CFIs don't have much "classroom" experience, having to adapt lesson plans for students with various learning styles. Your classroom experience would serve you well.
Stay active on this website and you'll meet many prospective students.

This thread is pretty old-school, by the way. It's one of the first ones I read back when I reged. Furlough recalls were a major issue when this thread was started. Is it still, or are the furloughed pilots just about all re-hired by now?

[uglysolutions]

As an ESL / Writing Adjunct at a few colleges/universities in St. Louis, I look forward to seasonal unemployment and low pay every year.

In this new endeavor as a pilot / flight instructor, I look forward to the same money and the same kind of instability, only flying.

Good trade, in my book.

[kellwolf]

Wait a minute. I thought the Cobra Rattler was an A-10. Did they change it? </hijack>

[MikeD]

[ QUOTE ]


But that's my own personal opinion because I really have it in my blood to fly big monster airplanes over the ocean for a few years.



[/ QUOTE ]

That's a heck of a lot better than flying single-seat jets across the ocean.

[Bumblebee]

[ QUOTE ]

I have a very supportive wife and a good home life so I'm usually speeding on my way to the airport to go fly jets, and I'm speeding on the way home to see my wife.


[/ QUOTE ]

Slow Down!!!

[Doug Taylor]

Hey, when you marry well, you tend to drive fast home!