What is like in the clouds? Is it really a high-risk job? What about the free tickets? There's so much that goes unsaid about being a pilot because most people just assume that their life is just in the aircraft cockpit and in the hotel room. If you have ever taken a flight anywhere in the world, you know that the view outside the window (during the day) is beautiful. I would personally describe flight as a peaceful intermission because until you land you get to forget about everything that is going on beneath you. Flying is actually regarded by a lot of people as the safest form of transportation because it is the most efficient while having the least amount of fatalities (Preske). Unfortunately, grabbing free tickets is not as viable as rumors say because it really depends on the airline. Below is the question I was mostly interested in.
It really depends on you. If you are able to establish a good relationship with your work partner, then it should be enjoyable. Especially since they will be with you for a couple of hours. You also meet a lot of people often. People in different areas of the world have different tastes, so you are exposed to a lot of different personalities along the way (Margolis). I did find some sources, however, that referred to the job as "a blast for about the first two years as you conquer the world and see things you’ve never seen before, but after that [it feels like] rotating between moving prison cells" (Wagner). Unfortunately, being a pilot does pose a risk to personal relationships, like marriage, because it is hard being away for so long and especially since some of "the rigors of the job [are] difficult for any non-pilot to comprehend" (Houston).
There is a currently a serious shortage of pilots so it seems like employment should not be much of an issue. I consider it a valuable and worthy career to pursue. Although the pay wasn't really something that I considered important for someone like me who is chasing dreams, the average commercial airline pilot salary is around $130,000. Not bad.
Ron Wagner: What Nobody Tells You About Becoming A Pilot
Elizabeth Preske: Here's Why Flying Is the Safest Mode of Transportation
Jonathan Margolis: The ups and downs of being an airline pilot
Sarina Houston: Airline Pilots Talk About Their Personal Relationships
I flirted with the idea of pursuing a career in aviation for a while during junior year. It really seems like the ideal job because like you said, the travel, pay, and tranquility of being in the air sounds like a dream job. Although flight school is on the expensive side, so are many other career pathways so that's nothing to be worried about. Plus, once one becomes a pilot, they'll make enough money to easily pay off any debt they may be in. As far as the time away from home goes, a close family friend of mine has been a pilot all his adult life earning his wings in the Air Force during the Gulf War. Since then, he has been a pilot for United Airlines and still manages to have a solid family life being away from home for about ten days a month. He told me that he loves his job and that the hardest part about the job is keeping a healthy "body clock" since he's always traveling through different time zones This is a solid and informative post Nick, so good job on that and if you do plan on becoming a pilot (or not), good luck and I believe in you.
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