Worth taking a line service job?
Posted by Sure-Permission-9693@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 7 comments
Currently in flight training on my PPL, also currently have a job I work about 6-7 months a year make pretty decent money. My time off is bulk during the summer and winter currently but I'm gone traveling pretty consistently during the rest of the year which limits my time to train. Local airport I fly from has a couple line service positions open for full time. It would be a pretty hefty pay cut , would also lose my current benefits from my job if I were to leave. Future plan to get into flying as a career, figured this may be a good way to have a background and steadier job to train while I work full time as well too. Financially I'm in a good place to be able to pay for my flight training without any debt, so really just looking more towards the cost of living than anything. The local airport is an international airport, smaller but consistently busy 365 days a year so not necessarily worried about work slowing down either. Looking for some advice or any kind of input about line jobs as I don't currently work in aviation.
VileInventor@reddit
What I will say is working like service will have you meeting a lot of people. Shaking hands in aviation is never bad.
Sure-Permission-9693@reddit (OP)
That's also something I have thought about, and being that the airport flies the major 4 out of it, wouldn't be bad to meet folks. I work blue collar currently so hard work isn't a foreign thing to me, probably be a better work schedule not working 7 12s on swing shift either. So just weighing options I have currently
Swimming_Way_7372@reddit
In your situation I wouldn't do it. If you were going to make more money then I would say try it out. It can be a good way to get into the industry but every fbo I go to there are plenty of guys who just passed their instrument ride or are starting multi training. I'd rather make more money and get through the cfi training as fast as possibly then reevaluate my position.
Sure-Permission-9693@reddit (OP)
Well my main concern being that I don't have consistency for flight training in general. I was just gone for almost a month and got home for an entire 14 hours and leaving again this morning. That's more so what I'm worried about being able to fly and stay up current. Financial wise I'd take a decent pay, but it puts a damper on training at all and being able to do anything flying related being gone working 7 12s away all the time. I'm planning to finish my ppl during summer, and then start my instrument but then I'll be leaving for work again so I feel like it'll lose pretty much everything being gone for another 3-4 months until thanksgiving, versus being home and being able to consistently train with days off and still be able to afford living the same comfort level I do now.
Swimming_Way_7372@reddit
The fbo job can suck the life out of you if you're around people that make it bad. There can be great people and fun times cam be had by all if you have motivated workers around you.
Sure-Permission-9693@reddit (OP)
I get that, my job right now is somewhat similar. We got bad apples but the nice thing is it just being that I can work with someone once and never see them again or I can see them on every job I go on, it just is a toss up. That's why I ask the question here with people's experience and if it may be worth making a change or not on it.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Currently in flight training on my PPL, also currently have a job I work about 6-7 months a year make pretty decent money. My time off is bulk during the summer and winter currently but I'm gone traveling pretty consistently during the rest of the year which limits my time to train. Local airport I fly from has a couple line service positions open for full time. It would be a pretty hefty pay cut , would also lose my current benefits from my job if I were to leave. Future plan to get into flying as a career, figured this may be a good way to have a background and steadier job to train while I work full time as well too. Financially I'm in a good place to be able to pay for my flight training without any debt, so really just looking more towards the cost of living than anything. The local airport is an international airport, smaller but consistently busy 365 days a year so not necessarily worried about work slowing down either. Looking for some advice or any kind of input about line jobs as I don't currently work in aviation.
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