A pilot's life: exhausting hours for meagre wages

In Europe, I get the impression that many commercial pilots are quite happy with their profession. There are some negative aspects to it, but it doesn’t seem to me that too many people let themselves be defeated by that.

In e.g. Scandinavia there seems to be increasing attention towards combining airline transport pilot training with additional academic education. A few universities in Norway and Sweden offer full ATPL(A) or MPL(A) courses together with a bachelor’s degree in e.g. aviation. This means that ATP students go through extra courses not directly related to flying, but which may be highly relevant for a future in commercial aviation (e.g. logistics management, organisational-/management theory, aviation psychology, business economics etc).

Some airlines have a clear desire for pilots who are able to take on jobs other than just flying. This may benefit pilots with e.g. an academic background by providing more options as time goes by.

University-based or otherwise public ATP training programs as described above also have other important benefits such as low training expenses (most are covered by the training organisation), support and inputs from airlines and other operators in the aviation community and renown procedures for selecting students.

I had the money to do the course back in 1984. I decided againtst it due to the long hard route to the top. Also the fact that I don’t actualy liked flying had a lot to do with it too!
The hard work, un sociable hours and the poor home life is not the first thing that people think about when they see the 747 captain on big bucks!

Rgds Cking

Travelling punters want lower and lower fares and don’t want to know about the consequences, or chose to ignore them. The less passengers pay, the more resources and people have to get stretched in order for the business to break even. This industry will get back to somewhere near sensible again when even relatively short round trip fares are consitantly measured with three digits, not two or even one. Until then, the risks are there if one cares to look (as the article reveals).

Andy

Flying probably appears to be a very glamourous and highly esteemed job especially to teenagers, so those interested will stop at nothing to make it their career. But you come down with a bump when you find out the realities. Building hours, being treated like a baggage handler, cleaner etc, then after years of hard work those that persevere might get an airline job only to be retrenched (I was retrenched about 10 times in 20 years- my friend says that I sank 10 airlines :D). Eventually I left flying (with mixed feelings) for other reasons and am quite happy in my job now which could lead to finding a job as an airport facilities manager one day.

On the other hand some guys are lucky and get sponsored by airlines or military and they have a 30 year or longer career. Just depends on your luck 🙂