General Discussion

Sen. Walter Sobchak

(8,692 posts)

27. I know a couple of ex-airline pilots

Fri May 4, 2012, 10:08 PM

May 2012

One quit to fly corporate as she hated the company, hated the lifestyle, hated the TSA, hated the flight attendants and airport staff and above all else hated the sexist and corrupt union that hung her out to dry after she was retaliated against for complaining about unsafe crack house motels where they were being housed on layovers. She quit almost immediately after being upgraded to captain to fly the Bombardier Challenger which is more or less the same plane as the Canadair Regional Jet only smaller. It has been hard but she has adjusted to earning enough money to move out of her parents house and layovers in hotels without bullet proof glass at the front desk.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

53 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Airline Pilots: Is Anybody Interested in Being One? [View all] trof May 2012 OP

Aren't most commercial pilots recruited out of the military? They can't fly or read guages? leveymg May 2012 #1

problems Slammer May 2012 #6

No, not any more. The Velveteen Ocelot May 2012 #8

No longer. trof May 2012 #9

They can't fly cross-country with just a compass, alt, speedo, map, watch and a radio frequency? leveymg May 2012 #15

trof, did you see the 60 minutes piece last night on the new Raptor? Bake May 2012 #48

No, but I've read about it. Also...Military pilots: Dying breed? trof May 2012 #49

+1 DearAbby May 2012 #17

I know a retiring military pilot Sen. Walter Sobchak May 2012 #28

point #5 Whisp May 2012 #2

Thats confidence inspiring. Ruby the Liberal May 2012 #3

Yup, you read those stories of airline crashes and the pilots are on food stamps riderinthestorm May 2012 #12

This article is too funny. peace13 May 2012 #4

I wouldn't call it 'funny'. trof May 2012 #10

wow. that pretty much explains the situation right there. $17K starting pay for a pilot? unreal. HiPointDem May 2012 #36

I'm 70 years old and I have one eye tularetom May 2012 #5

Well, I am 73 years old and still only have my learner's license. RebelOne May 2012 #18

Interesting. And consistent with what I'd been hearing The Velveteen Ocelot May 2012 #7

I'll bounce it off my beau, trof Skittles May 2012 #11

No Body Wants To Sit In a CREW Room.... rsmith6621 May 2012 #13

Probably not many people are. The working conditions suck and the pay is worse than Taco Bell. Edweird May 2012 #14

The airlines have ensured the pilot position has been downgraded to bus driver. CK_John May 2012 #16

probably before your time, but bus driver used to be a decent job as well. decent wages, HiPointDem May 2012 #37

I doubt it, I was born in 1940. nt CK_John May 2012 #43

well, then: HiPointDem May 2012 #44

I've kicked around daydreams of starting a new life as a pilot at 35 Blue_Tires May 2012 #19

Spent the last 10 years of my career flying cargo. It was heaven. trof May 2012 #42

another point to consider: Blue_Tires May 2012 #47

I can fix this with one word.... A HERETIC I AM May 2012 #20

Flight training is mega expensive. Where I took my flight training it costs $88/hr for a Cessna 152 neverforget May 2012 #21

It cost me $35/hour, wet, with instructor. The Velveteen Ocelot May 2012 #23

It's the same all over. In a paroxysm of stupid we radically shifted or entire national Egalitarian Thug May 2012 #22

I believe this is the video you are talking about eqfan592 May 2012 #29

To me as well. This video is a clip from a much longer piece. Egalitarian Thug May 2012 #41

+1 HiPointDem May 2012 #38

7. the airlines pay shit wages and suppress unions. provis99 May 2012 #24

Too expensive for too little return johnd83 May 2012 #25

And yet I keep seeing airline deregulation cited as one of Carter's pscot May 2012 #26

I know a couple of ex-airline pilots Sen. Walter Sobchak May 2012 #27

I guess that old joke is becoming less relevant these days... pinboy3niner May 2012 #30

I think your (1) pretty much says it all and can be plugged into any career classification. cherokeeprogressive May 2012 #31

It is a little different with the airlines Major Nikon May 2012 #33

I absolutely defer to your experience. Having spent 10 years in Naval Aviation cherokeeprogressive May 2012 #34

so you picked up all the slack from the slackers? why? HiPointDem May 2012 #39

I'm completely convinced that the safety record of US air carriers is almost wholly dependent... Major Nikon May 2012 #32

Excellent. A day of reckoning is at hand. Zalatix May 2012 #35

Why is having no airline industry a good thing? MrSlayer May 2012 #50

There'll be an airline industry. It will simply have to reform itself. Zalatix May 2012 #52

this thread makes me glad i don't have to fly anywhere anymore. i was already glad because HiPointDem May 2012 #40

My sister's fiance is a pilot Nikia May 2012 #45

I had a6 digit income during my last 10 years, '89-'99. trof May 2012 #46

Where do NetJets and the other executive jet services get pilots? FarCenter May 2012 #51

The same place the airlines do Major Nikon May 2012 #53