A pilot's life: exhausting hours for meagre wages

Guardian UK ^ | Jan 11, 2010 | Chris McGreal

[KeyLargo]

A pilot's life: exhausting hours for meagre wages

$20,000 pay and lengthy commutes to work renew fears for passengers' safety Chris McGreal

guardian.co.uk, Monday 11 January 2010

Some co-pilots say they now have second jobs to make ends meet. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

The old hands say there was never much glamour in piloting several tonnes of metal thousands of feet in the air.

But there's no denying that to the earthbound back in the jet-set era half a century ago – when Pan Am's "Clippers" ruled the air lanes and service was modelled on transatlantic ocean liners – pilots were regarded with an awe just short of that accorded to astronauts.

The exotic blend of international travel, the authority of commanding the ever larger and faster airliners, and those dashing uniforms turned heads, drew autograph hunters and attracted groupies. Pilots also made a lot of money.

Today it is different. Captain Dave Ryter earned so little when he was a co-pilot for a major airline that he lived in a gang area of Los Angeles, commuted for hours to work and made less money than a bus driver.

"I was standing at a gate waiting to commute a few years ago. I was in uniform and a passenger walks over to me and strikes up a conversation as people often do. He said: where's your second home? I looked at him, thinking he was making a joke. He was serious. I said: actually, it's my parents'," said Ryter. "I was living in a very small town home in a gang area and my wife also worked for the two of us to support our family."

[Habibi]

“What about the guys who wrench on the birds as well?”

Well, from my experience, it is harder to find a good “wrench” , than a good pilot. At least in the Boeings, one pretty much flies like another. It’s easier to get a good compliment of pilots at a startup carrier, than it is to get a crackerjack set of maintenance types. Believe me, crummy maintenance can kill an airline quicker than anything.

It was true 20 years ago, and I dare say it’s even more accurate today. Just sayin’.

[keepitreal]

You’ve probably heard this. My pilot friend just sent it (it’s been around a while). Has nothing to do with pay, but is funny.

How pilots should talk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reRRgEET6Kw

[valkyry1]

LOL!

[keepitreal]

I’m still chuckling.

[phormer phrog phlyer]

In a former life I flew 747-4’s, the long haul lifestyle was difficult, my personal best was 46 time zones in 5 days. One could see guys aging before your eyes. The human body was not designed for that.

[Theodore R.]

This is totally news to me. I though airline pilots were well paid.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Ya nailed that one

[DesScorp]

This article is highly misleading. It would be more correct to say that commuter pilot's lives suck. They're the ones that make 16 grand a year on average. The majors use the commuters as a weeding out process. After a couple of years, the majors pick the cream of the crop from the commuters, and they'll make anywhere from 45K to 65K to start. Captains on widebody birds typically make six figure salaries, and often, so do their co-pilots. Once you're out of the commuters, you make good money (and yes, I work in air travel).

[SamAdams76]

I’d rather my Pilots were making $5 Million a year to get me safely home than watching McNABB make a Fool of himself

That's a dumb opinion, unless you don't mind paying $2,000 a trip to fly from Boston to New York.

Airplane pilots won't want to hear this but pretty much anyone of us can learn to fly a jet airliner competently (with the proper training) but only a small handful of us have the physical talents to be a starting quarterback at the NFL level. That's why NFL quarterback get paid $5m or more a year while the average airplane pilot settles for around $50k.

[CFIIIMEIATP737]

We charter pilots have a few customers that give us gratuities. They range from a hundred bucks to lettings us bring our wives along on trips to exotic locations.

[Habibi]

“We charter pilots have a few customers that give us gratuities.”

Yeah. I know some of the guys I flew with, that did the Saudia expatriation bit, had quite a collection of gold Rolex’s. All of ‘em Gulfstream drivers mostly hauling the royal family.

I was always astounded that one would actually get a tip for driving an airplane. I just put the reports down to “oil money”, and odd foreign customs. Nice to hear that it is catching on domestically. You driving BBJ’s?

[SkyDancer]

Basically 8-5 jobs and they get to go home at end of shift, although I wouldn’t want to be out on the line in the mid-west about now ... or in Kansas in the summer ....

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Both have their crappy parts.I am in warbirds so the hours can go round the clock.About the only time off is when I work on my stuff.Sure was easier in our 20s.:)

[SkyDancer]

War birds? As in Air Combat USA war birds???? I’ve done theirs several times ....

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Mine is restoration of world war two aircraft.Namely P-40s and various parts for other experimental type certificate A/C.

[SkyPilot]

The better jobs re pay and lifestyle are corporate ones now. Too many guys are accepting next to nothing flying for the “majors” thinking that someday, they’ll work 10 days a month and get paid $200K/yr. Those days are over...

That is so true.

While I have lots of friends making "big bucks", most of them have high seniority, and you always remember the success stories (i.e. my T-38 formation training wingman who is a Captain for United and makes so much money, and has made a great deal of money since 1990, that he lives in a house (his 3rd) that is literally a mansion outside of San Francisco.

But, there are also lots of stories of furloughs, broken marriages, crappy schedules, lifestyle nightmares, and untold stress.

While I am jealous that I never tried for the majors (and applaud those who do, and who earn every penny doing it) in other ways I am grateful. Very grateful.

Flying for the airlines ain't what it used to be.

Not even close.

Aviation has also changed. It used to be "fun" to fly, or to travel. Remember those days?

Flying these days is one big hassle, while being treated like a felon in the process.

[Joe Boucher]

Captain Steve,
just a question if I may.
France and the rest of Europe subsidize thier airline industry, both the carriers and the airline production industries, Does that hurt American carriers?

[Joe Boucher]

pabianice,
You may appreciate this story.
My C.F.I. was from western Mass.
He would race other friends to the Cape during summers to pick up the cuties.
He got his Instrument so he could beat his buddies to the beach cause of constant fog, thus allowing him to find the cutiest girls before others arrived. Fog would sometime not lift til after noon.
He has been an airline pilot now for about 15 year.

[Joe Boucher]

I live at a private airpark with several commercial pilots,
Each say the only growth area is China and India.
Both are vastly expanding regionals.

[Joe Boucher]

You also get buttheads who eat and drink or whatever on the flight and it is the crews job to clean up after some of these slobs or worse.