Guess the starting salary of a pilot for a regional airline (and remember next time you fly one):

[Triana]

5. I've always known commercial pilot salaries were horrendously low.

Pilots, for all the training and various ratings (multiengine, instrument, etc.) and certifications and FAA approvals they have to have and keep up to date, don't get paid diddly-squat.

Here's another thing to be aware of: FAA regulations about pilots drinking (unless they've changed and I don't think they have) are: "8 hours bottle to throttle". This means a pilot can go out and get stinking smashed drunk and fly you and a plane full of others to Tahiti within 8 hours of that drunken binge. There is some debate about it and various independent airlines and air service carriers may have their own rules (typically 12 hours it seems) but it doesn't seem the FAA reg has been changed: http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/aviation-law/48873-8-hour-bottle-throttle-rule.html

I've always thought this should be changed to 24 hours (at least). But - whatever. If I gotta go somewhere via commercial airline, I still do it.