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Its always been this way, in aviation.

When I started out, just out of college, a newly minted Commercial Pilot and CFI I had to teach students, tow banners, haul jumpers and still ended up taking a full time job with a large police department in Georgia to make money. Placed my flying on hold while I went through the police academy and field training, about a year or so.

Ended up back as a CFI doing mainly private pilot and instrument instruction to weekend flyers before I finally landed myself a gig flying night cargo, then moved up to a small charter operation. Then after many nights, flying questionable equipment in and out of airfields more aptly described as Vietnam Era Forward Operating bases in weather that would make a Hurricane Hunter cringe... I applied for and was hired at my first true corporate gig.

Its been a long up and down road since then.

Today I sit left seat in a privately owned and operated Gulfstream IVSP making more than most senior airline Captains make, flying to places most only ever dream about.

I’ve paid my dues and eared the right to be here.

Typical commuter and regional airline pay is ridiculously low, some new hires start out between $16,000 and $18,000 a year with pay increases that will get them up to 24 or 25 grand a year in about 3 to 5 years as a First Officer. But most of these FO’s will upgrade to Captain around year 3 to 5 anyways on the same equipment they have been flying right seat in. WHich will put them into another pay bracket,t he left seat pay for the equipment they are assigned. Normally this would be around $28,000 to $35,000 yearly. Most regional captains will top out of the pay scale around 50 to 55 grand yearly.

What has killed the airline industry so and created such a huge gap between the criminally low pay of a new hire at a commuter airline and his or her brothers and sisters at a mainline op is the very unions these guys and gals are brainwashed into worshiping.

Airline union contracts are the parasites that kill off the host airlines.