Whats the hardest part of being a pilot?
Posted by Pretty-Ticket5071@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 197 comments
I was thinking about pilots that fly those commercial planes and was wondering if its worth becoming a pilot and if its hard flying.
Jwylde2@reddit
Not being able to tell everyone that you're a pilot.
Puzzleheaded-Emu6338@reddit
Paying for training
MadeForThisOnePostt@reddit
Currently in the hole $62,000 and I don’t even have multi or cfi yet 😭
( part 61, no loans or grants all cash from working 14 hours a day )
goatfuckersupreme@reddit
Well done! Good luck, we're all counting on you.
MadeForThisOnePostt@reddit
It’s up to me to save aviation ! I won’t fail you guys
Substantial_Ad9314@reddit
The most important thing you can do to save money is be personable and well liked at the flight school you train at. That’s your best chance of getting a job quickly without having to go all the way through MEI
Federal-Oil8328@reddit
Doing the same starting instrument now, no debt
PresentationJumpy101@reddit
Don't worry I had to pivot to personal means as well and spent maybe 10-15 thousand on ASEL, no certifcate, oh and my credit score is now 450 LOL Cash flow babbbby
ImpossiblePumpkin806@reddit
Same boat, RIP to credit score but WE are going to make it. Making it through or die trying
ashtranscends@reddit
At least you’ll be debt free! That’s huge 🙌🏼
HabANahDa@reddit
Why I never did it.
Puzzleheaded-Emu6338@reddit
Idk why you’re getting downvoted
HabANahDa@reddit
Cause Reddit is full of idiots
Ornery_Pirate_6042@reddit
This is fixed if you have daddy and mommy pay for it
SeeMarkFly@reddit
Can I rent your parents for a month or so?
thenewflea@reddit
My uncle sam paid for most of my training. I owed him some pretty big favors though.
Puzzleheaded-Emu6338@reddit
If you need to talk to anyone that’s alright
HotRecommendation283@reddit
He took your holes to whole new places
Granite_burner@reddit
Ok as long as no new holes resulted
Puzzleheaded-Emu6338@reddit
I actually don’t think the cost to entry barrier is too bad as without it the hiring pool would be very over saturated with only the most driven people doing anything they can to find that money, however the side effect of this is you get a few ‘bank of mom and dad’ who haven’t worked a day in their life… sure they have to still work hard in training.
I know someone personally who has had weekly flight lessons payed for by his dad since he was 16, and he always complains that he can’t get high on a Sunday because he has to go and fly. Meanwhile I work in nearly all my free time out of school time and I could only dream of ever being able to afford that every week. He’s a vile individual and I’m sure most student pilots out there are much more aware of their privilege, but anyone that says aviation isn’t a money game is lying.
hybridy@reddit
Is that a bad thing
Puzzleheaded-Emu6338@reddit
Very true unfortunately
SuperFaulty@reddit
100% this ☝🏻
Informal_Policy_2957@reddit
Other than that, what else?
nomisman@reddit
Driving home at 6am after a 14 hour duty and being awake for 23 hours.
56mustang@reddit
Or dead heading after an international flight and even worse if you're in the jump seat
Saltyspaceballs@reddit
6am sounds a treat. Doing that at 2pm you’re destroyed before you even get off the aircrsft
snowfoxiness@reddit
Since you mentioned airlines, I'll give my thoughts:
14, 16, 18 hour days, 3am callouts, being on the road for 18+ days a month.
Being unable to see a doctor, dentist, or do "normal human things" like playing sports, going to events, fur meets, birthdays, skiing, or any of the other regular things people do.
Having a life outside of work.
The schedule flips, the ten hours rest ("min rest") in base, an hour of which is spent just going between employee parking and the terminal and back.
Arriving at a destination late at night and having no food available; leaving early and having no coffee in the lobby.
Day four of five, unable to remember which direction to turn to leave your hotel room, or what city you're in.
Flying sick because you've called out sick "too much" due to little sleep, poor diet, exposure to thousands of sick people, and no time off to recuperate, and your airline wants to talk about "next steps."
Getting told how lucky you are to be getting paid what you're getting paid by people who fundamentally can't comprehend the concept of inflation, or the cost of housing in the cities we live in, or any city with an airport, for that matter.
On that note, commuting.
Constant maintenance/replacement of uniform items, luggage, uniform bling, little of which is covered by the company.
Having to do CBTs in the few hours you actually have available to rest.
Being called every single reserve day of a month at 3am, with a 5am show, 14 hour duty day, and min rest in base (see above).
The mental exhaustion of dealing with a day where everything goes wrong, followed by getting 9.5 hours of rest "from the hotel lobby" in a hotel with no hot water, no food available, and then having to show at 5am to do it all over again.
Hearing people falsely glamorize the job by saying that airline pilots work "less than half the month," or talking about "exotic destinations," or how easy the job is.
The "rule of cool."
The flying is the good part.
Don't go into debt for this industry. And if you CAN not fly for a living, you SHOULD not fly for a living. It's a calling, not an easy job, and definitely not an easy place to get to.
dyljcks@reddit
Wtf is a fur meet?
snowfoxiness@reddit
A gathering of furries, often for bowling, fursuiting out and about, gaming, music, etc.
dyljcks@reddit
Well, that's what I thought, but didn't expect
BooTsMaLoNe98@reddit
He just tossed it in their all non chalant 😭
MountainMan17@reddit
Preach.
I'm a retired AF navigator who has some very close friends who are now airline captains. They're bringing in some serious coin, and my wife and I couldn't be happier for them. Proud of them too.
Even though they're all in the top third of their respective seniority lists, it still looks like a demanding way of life. No matter how senior you are, no matter how much money you make, you're still schlepping luggage around and negotiating a variety of hours.
When I retired, a couple of them tried to convince me to use my GI Bill to pursue flight training, but it was a hard pass for me. After years of deployments and TDYs, I just want to be home.
Plus I'm lazy. Real lazy...
casualdogiscasual@reddit
Completely agree. People over-glamorize the airline pilot lifestyle. The paycheck is good, but the toll to get it is high. Something more “normal” may be better in the long run.
Gentleman_Jim_243@reddit
I guess that's why AP's are paid so much - there's a cost suffered by the pilot.
Gentleman_Jim_243@reddit
This was very enlightening. Thanks for laying it out.
Several-Village5814@reddit
Speaking facts mam
snowfoxiness@reddit
Oh, and one last thing:
Crew Support.
LaserRanger_McStebb@reddit
Finding time to actually fly consistently.
Soapy_Ninja@reddit
Getting a job
TheFlyingMeerkat@reddit
Being civil with a pilot you do not like.
A 4 hour duty with someone you do not get on with can feel longer and be more tiring than a 18 hour duty with a someone you get on with.
WorkingOnPPL@reddit
Generally speaking, what do you think causes those conflicts?
21MPH21@reddit
The other person
Seriously, too many guys that forget they were poor once, that they struggled and that they're lucky to be where they are now. The hate for anyone's union besides ALPA is insane.
Every workgroup basically has the same make-up of excellent, good, average and substandard employees. But these guys think our union is the only one that shouldn't be dissolved.
MountainMan17@reddit
"But these guys think our union is the only one that shouldn't be dissolved."
And a lot of them are prior military pilots whose training, salary, medical care and... well... EVERYTHING was publicly funded. Yet they're the first to shrieking about socialism when it comes to government-sponsored health care, education initiatives, and tax increases for the wealthy.
My fellow military retirees (some of them airline pilots) blow a gasket when I remind them of this, but the truth hurts. And hypocrisy is real...
21MPH21@reddit
True. Because, like farmers, socialism is the devil when it's not for them /^s
fingermydickhole@reddit
You’re saying ALPA should be dissolved?
Eknowltz@reddit
How did you possibly get that from his answer?
fingermydickhole@reddit
Explain it to me then
Eknowltz@reddit
Explain what exactly. Your response has nothing to do with what he said.
fingermydickhole@reddit
Ok thanks
Eknowltz@reddit
Your welcome fingermydickhole
21MPH21@reddit
go away
fingermydickhole@reddit
You’re part of the joseph smith codeshare? What are you trying to say?
21MPH21@reddit
omfg go away
fingermydickhole@reddit
?
richmondjd11@reddit
This is absolutely the crux of being a professional pilot. I've had many transcons where the other pilot and I found ourselves where the time went because it just blew by. On the other hand I've had grueling 4 days with a pilot that just couldn't take the hint that I didnt want to indulge in his conspiracy theory lectures. Sometimes you click and the trip fly by quick and easy. Sometimes you butt heads. A professional will recognize quickly and stick to job related communication only and fill silence with reading company provided material. Those trips are also kinda peaceful in their own rights as well. The trips were you do not see eye to eye and the other pilot doesnt get the hint, even with direct communication telling them you do not wish to hear their religious/political opinions, well those trips are brutal.
Aggressive_Mud5665@reddit
I'll be honest I use at least an hour to brush up on FOM and FM shit so I can be home when I'm home. Then I do a little fun reading too. The amount of guys that think I must hate them just because I enjoy reading is honestly kinda depressing. Don't get me wrong I'll bs about commuting and contract and rah rah. But I enjoy reading
MountainMan17@reddit
Sorry, but what is FOM and FM shit?
MountainMan17@reddit
Without want to "go there," how often do you have to deal with political, religious, or political-religious monologues?
boobooaboo@reddit
“Aw snap we better brief, TOD’s here!” Vs “well might as well brief early eh?”
TheBuff66@reddit
Recently had a 7 on with a guy who would not speak. Absolutely 0 conversation. In 7 days the only things said were call-outs. No animosity in either direction, the guy just wouldn’t talk. Drove me up a wall but I guess it’s better than the opposite
Several-Village5814@reddit
Better than being with a guy who says political and other stuff for 7 days
jp60397@reddit
I’ve had the same. Long haul. Very curious. But there are times when constant banal conversation can be equally exhausting.
bcr76@reddit
This is the answer right here.
WastingMyTime8@reddit
On the flip side. It’s a benefit of the job as well. We get to meet many people, hear their stories. Some people are kind of strange and it gives you something to talk about outside of work. The vast majority of people go to an office or wherever with the same 10 people all the time. I have pilots I dislike working with, but when you only have to work a little with that person it’s kind of just entertaining.
Direct-Bunch-8679@reddit
Think the hardest part of it is asshole CFIs who abused power and authority. Students shouldnt fear trainers. Enviroment needs to be nurtured. But asshole just loves to abuse power and authority
non-butterscotch@reddit
Figuring out how to spend $400000 a year.
psychonautical101@reddit
I can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not?
Pretty-Ticket5071@reddit (OP)
From what i can tell its based on seniority
rkba260@reddit
Remembering to tell people you're a pilot.
SpiritedPlatypus6131@reddit
In my opinion, the hardest part as a pilot is becoming consistent, being professionell every time. In order to pass your education with the scores you like, you need discipline. For example, i startet studying for my atpl exams 6 months prior than the start of my education. So most of the stuff they teached me wasnt New and i didnt had to learn 10+ hrs a day and got in every subject 90+. And this goes to all steps in your education and your job life. Stay always ahead and your life es getting so much easier. Understanding this and believing into it wanste easy because you need to change your whole life in order to achieve this.
slacker130@reddit
Hardest part is making sure everyone you meet knows you’re a pilot. Exhausting really.
56mustang@reddit
I dated a gentleman that was a fighter pilot in the Marines many many years ago. His best friend (from the Marines). He had just moved back to the States so we went to visit them. As they were unpacking the friends wife opened one of the many boxes and saw an old photo album and says, "Oh, John, here are pictures of you when you were a blue angel." WTF! He never mentioned that to me. At a much later date, he ran across the jumpsuit that he had saved from when he was a Blue angel and he showed it to me.
Cool_83@reddit
Saw that in a Irish bar in NJ recently, this guy just needed to tell a lady about the plane he flew and the personal yacht that he owned. I really had to concentrate on my own beer before commenting:)
eroyrotciv@reddit
Lmao 😂
rdrcrmatt@reddit
Not being able to tell people fast enough that I’m a pilot.
Few-Panda7558@reddit
Ground
mustang__1@reddit
Walking around with my massive balls
New_Medicine_2965@reddit
Avoiding instructors that just want to milk you for flight hours.
SandySprings67@reddit
Your balls have to be so big as to make it hard to sit in the seat and for the plane to be able to lift off adequately.
Phillimac16@reddit
Not telling people I'm a pilot...
Davidechaos@reddit
Why so? If I can ask
Phillimac16@reddit
Because I'm a pilot. Damn it!
Big-Carpenter7921@reddit
Trying not to tell people that you're a pilot
Davidechaos@reddit
Why not?:)
trampled93@reddit
What happens if you tell them?
Flyguy115@reddit
At different stages different things become harder. I always tell people that it’s one of the only careers that the studying never ends and you are constantly tested on everything from the beginning of training to the point you are at. It’s not like normal school where you study and as soon as you pass you forget what you learned because it doesn’t matter anymore. So if you don’t like to study it’s probably not a career for you. Every check ride ( time you are tested, for captains it’s every 6 months) your job is on the line. I have seen captains go to check ride, fail, and are immediately terminated.
RaiseTheDed@reddit
Most days are easy. But we are trained for the worst days, which for some, never happens.
The hardest part is being away from home.
Pretty-Ticket5071@reddit (OP)
Im trying to find the right job for me however i worry about my hair falling out from stress
Rustyshackilford@reddit
Hair?? In this economy?
Should be the least of your worries. If it goes, it goes.
HoldinTheBag@reddit
Just work for delta and you get to wear the hat
LikenSlayer@reddit
No body is getting out of this game Alive. Stress is a sign of you not being in control. Just try your hardest & be a good person. That's all you can really do 🤘🏽
spitfire5181@reddit
The round trip would be less than $200 to Istanbul!
Sunsplitcloud@reddit
Fending off all the women that want to sleep with you once you tell them you’re a pilot in the first 40seconds of meeting them.
Tailwheel1991@reddit
This might sound petty, but if you enjoy working with your hands, tinkering, or otherwise making things, then this can be a very difficult career to find a good balance.
I’ll often plan out my off days so that I can knock out a project, only to have materials not show up, a tool break, or something happens on your trip and you don’t get home the day you were planning to. The part that’s frustrating is that it’s not a 1 day setback, it can be weeks or months. I’ll often plan to have a project done in a week or two and six months later it’s half done.
I was supposed to have a VFD delivered tomorrow to get a piece of equipment back up and running and US Customs held it up with expected delivery next month… so yea that projects cooked for a long time.
Gentleman_Jim_243@reddit
Not a pilot, but I've always wondered how I would accommodate my hobbies of leatherwork and target shooting/hunting if I was a pilot.
Tailwheel1991@reddit
Lots of pilots shoot competitively and/or amateur gunsmith. Very prevalent in the industry.
Gentleman_Jim_243@reddit
Interesting. I'm wondering how they have time to practice.
Jealous-Ad9556@reddit
Standing in a room of learned peers are realising you’re not that smart compared to other professions.
imav8n@reddit
Making it the 2nd thing I tell people about when I first meet them. Much easier though, since I started doing CrossFit
Gentleman_Jim_243@reddit
🤣🤣🤣 If you were a former Marine it would fall to #3.
Pretty-Ticket5071@reddit (OP)
I used to do crossfit before i went back to school and it was fun
Cool_83@reddit
We can all bitch and moan, but coming towards retirement, few million in the bank, no wives with demands, it is basically the best job in the world :)
Honest_Bison_1494@reddit
If you can’t tell by the wide variety of these comments, it’s your coworkers. Some are normal, more are not. It’s a weird group of people that are often complaining.
Consistent_Damage824@reddit
probably the lifestyle more than the actual flying tbh. Early mornings, jet lag, being away from home a lot… that seems way harder than people think.
pimbaman1337@reddit
The hardest part for me was not cheating on my wife when i left the military for the airlines
noideawhatsupp@reddit
First hurdle is to come up with the money. Then it’s realizing you need to study a lot more than you fly. After that it’s realizing how hard it is the get a job, cause everyone and their mama has a Licence and more hours than you. Once you have a job it’s being either terrified or bored to death without much leeway between. And the final boss is finding a gig that pays well and lets you have time with your loved ones..
jp60397@reddit
I remember listening to my daughter.. who was about 8 at the time talking to her friend. They were discussing what they want to do when they grow up..
Friend says , I want to travel the world blah blah..
My cute little baby replies… my dad travels the world, he just seems very lonely.
May have had as much to do with her vile, bloodsucking mother as the job, but it still made me weep…
iheartrms@reddit
SimonBumblefuck@reddit
AtariFerrariNH@reddit
Managing your personal time and making sure the other people in your life understand the job.
Historical-Pin1069@reddit
Training phase when things get delayed. Resilient is much needed.
Typical_Trifle_1185@reddit
True true
canyonblue737@reddit
Time away from family. It gets better at the majors and with seniority but the early years are a lot of work.
miuyao@reddit
Walking around with balls the size of melons (bush pilots)
PilotBurner44@reddit
Fighting off all the women constantly making advances at me.
But for real, having a healthy sleep schedule. Red-eyes and time zone changes really screws with my ability to sleep.
peepledeedle4120@reddit
I love flying airplanes, and I love everything that goes into it. For me the hardest part is being away from home.
WastingMyTime8@reddit
So I’ve been in the industry for almost 20 years now. I will say the number 1 worst thing is variable start and finish times. I’m somewhat jealous of the 9-5 ers sometimes. I feel like if I could work those hours I would sleep much better.
Pretty-Ticket5071@reddit (OP)
It seems pilots live miserable lives sadly
azbrewcrew@reddit
Juggling the wife and girlfriend.
Austerlitz2310@reddit
Getting someone to give you a shot with the low hours.
Phocio@reddit
Paying for everything
crourke13@reddit
Missing my daughter’s birthday for the 5th year in a row.
e_pilot@reddit
Managing sleep.
Mojak66@reddit
I'm a retired pilot. The hardest part was being gone 60+% of the time. The 60% always seemed to include birthdays and holidays.
Pol_Potamus@reddit
Sounds fatiguing. Maybe even sickening.
Several-Village5814@reddit
Yea call sick on a holiday
Lanky-Rabbit8694@reddit
Although we work way less it’s often not convenient. You can have 20 days off a month and still miss things somehow. Want to coach your kids baseball tea? Sure but next weeks practice / game I can’t make it. Also two weeks from now same deal. Yeah you worked 9 days but it still gets in the way trust me
Mike93747743@reddit
As a professional who carries passengers, it is far more about team building and managing people than you probably realize.
TheLastDelivery@reddit
Listening to other pilots complain all the time.
eroyrotciv@reddit
Fucking first world problems. Complaining about the insurance and dock fees on the half million dollar boats.
No-Cell-8208@reddit
Juggling multiple wives and families at the same time.
eroyrotciv@reddit
Ha ha ha
HotRecommendation283@reddit
And they all want money!
Kemerd@reddit
Trying not to talk about it at parties
just-hangin-around1@reddit
Both the easiest and hardest job I've ever had. Long days, lots of constant studying and having to be at 100% all the time. Days of diverting for weather maintenance medicals can be exhausting along with constantly being gone but when things go good its easy. Most of the time things go good and its the best job in the world. Had a 6 figure desk job prior to being a pilot and I don't regret the change one bit.
Pretty-Ticket5071@reddit (OP)
People are saying you miss a lot of life flying
Mediocre_Paramedic22@reddit
Affording it
Zamboni007@reddit
Watching a flag get passed to your buddy's wife, and seeing the wife's soul get crushed in that same instant.
pdt1293@reddit
Landing
fatmanyolo@reddit
Fighting off all the women /s
Mrs_Fagina@reddit
The only ladies I fight off are the ones calling from Crew Scheduling
They’re hot for my duty time
Ok_Witness179@reddit
Fuckin' gold 🤣
toshibathezombie@reddit
This right here.
"You must get all the girls numbers"
No but somehow every fucking girl in crewing has mine. And they call me non stop. Even the guys...
Beautiful-Low9454@reddit
Holding procedures and NDB approaches and learning how to land
jaws274@reddit
Having enough patience for all the delays, the people, the TSA, the gate agents, your coworkers, and the time away from home. It’s such a great job, don’t miss the opportunity if you have it.
Valid__Salad@reddit
Flying three legs, a four hour sit, and one last leg on go home day.
Polorutz@reddit
OO?? feels like COS domicile therr
ChampionOk533@reddit
Worse when it’s two legs, a 4 hour sit in base, then a victory lap
Ok-Door-4991@reddit
This 4am show tomorrow, why am I on Reddit!
Brambleshire@reddit
Inconsistent sleep
MenRest@reddit
Me on these overnights
AntwonBenz@reddit
Paying for it.
DearKick@reddit
Nothing beats the early days: paying for and having time for training, and finding the first real job, after that its cake.
rckid13@reddit
I'm away from home all the time and I don't work regular hours so my sleep schedule is totally messed up. Many nights I get home from work at midnight and my kids are up at 6am.
Pay is based only on seniority, not experience. If I get laid off I have no qualifications outside of aviation and I lose my seniority so I go back to year one pay. It's actually possible with this job to take a $500k/year pay cut and have to figure out how to re-structure your life around that. It's scary and that's one of the reasons why pilots are notoriously cheap.
BrtFrkwr@reddit
Getting the job
Zestyclose_Duck_9359@reddit
The flying part becomes second nature pretty fast, the hardest part is accepting that the job owns your schedule and your family feels that before you do.
DuckApprehensive1805@reddit
Fatigue
Gold-Weather_69@reddit
Not having a job after you meet yall the requirements…
PineappleLong510@reddit
That is every field
Gold-Weather_69@reddit
Thanks for that information captain obvious. 😉
etch-bot@reddit
The different schedules. When i have 7 days off... im the only one off
21MPH21@reddit
But the empty house and all the echos makes it worth it /^s
Valid__Salad@reddit
Kinda \^s … I sometimes enjoy that I’m the only one home on a Wednesday morning but by like 2:00… where’s my wife I’m lonely
21MPH21@reddit
All my friends at work too
bUt ThErEs ChOrEs To Do {sigh}
xtrapickles71@reddit
Aside from the hard road getting there (financially), maintenance. I am so sick of maintenance. Planes break but dealing with logs, finding solid mechanics, cheap owners, repeated issues, issues with unknown sources, etc is just exhausting.
The_Big_Obe@reddit
The time away from the family
Embarrassed-Gift-938@reddit
Paying for it yourself, but I can say I enjoy this shit a lot more than some of these kids who got it all handed to them. You can tell real quick
Denim-Luckies-n-Wry@reddit
Once the thrill of operating a jet becomes routine:
The best part is the freedom for 16 days a month, to do anything you please in a fascinating and exotic foreign city.
The worst part is the angst and loneliness for 16 days a month, of being away from home.
snowfoxiness@reddit
And keep in mind that most people don't end up off 16 days a month. 12-14 is more normal, unless you're considering your overnights to be "off." And "exotic foreign cities" tend to be Des Moines, IA, El Paso, Texas, Newark, NJ, until you're decades in.
And when you're at work, you're just plain gone.
Denim-Luckies-n-Wry@reddit
A question as general as this one, is answered from the individual experience and perspective of each pilot. My perspective is blue water -- yours appears to be domestic -- a pipeline patrol pilot would have another perspective entirely.
Each of those perspectives is valid. The point is to provide the spectrum of experience.
snowfoxiness@reddit
Yes, but realistically speaking, most pilots are flying domestic, not international—international widebody flying is a pretty small club, and most people who get there have to spend a significant portion of their life doing domestic.
The spectrum of experience is great, but if #1 on the seniority list at $Legacy chimes in and says "Oh it's great, I fly one day a month and make $700k," people from outside the industry will latch onto that as if it's normal.
I think it's really important to paint a realistic picture for what most people will see—and most airline pilots will never fly widebody international. A great many won't even make it to narrowbody domestic at a legacy.
I think it's important to manage expectations in these sorts of questions.
Occams_ElectricRazor@reddit
Wtf
notagreatpilot@reddit
Not getting the jobs you want while watching others with less experience get said jobs
Wheels322@reddit
Growing and maintaining meaningful relationships
Vintagepilot2@reddit
Learning to enjoy Mexican food without a beer or margarita because you have to fly later.
It never gets easy
Ryder1587@reddit
Tired from Beating all the women off with a stick.
ClientPowerful@reddit
Crashing
T-1A_pilot@reddit
I just don't look good in stylish sunglasses, but unfortunately it's mandatory to wear them .
CaptMcMooney@reddit
spending the money, picking which gf/wife to spend the holidays with, complaining about getting weeks off at a time, not bringing it up in casual conversation, not making money, etc..
NonVideBunt@reddit
Finding places to put all my money.
mr_dee_wingz@reddit
Its the easiest when you have a job, hardest when you’re without one.
able_archer84@reddit
Getting from the employee lot to the plane…
TheSeanski@reddit
For many when starting out in your career you won’t have the luxury of being able to choose where you want to work, you have to go to where the jobs are. I’ve worked out of three different towns all over my country gaining experience and it makes relationships hard. I’ve finally landed my dream job with the National carrier and it’s gonna require me to move again!
dcl415@reddit
Dealing with people
Greenbench27@reddit
Being a guest in your own home
rumpel4skinOU@reddit
Fighting the boredom
ronerychiver@reddit
You can’t do it from your couch.
airbusman5514@reddit
Keeping my second family from finding out about my first /s
Burgershot621@reddit
Being away from home for me. I thought I had mentally steeled myself and was realistic in my expectations for a work/life balance. Then I actually had a family and it all changed. Have to remind myself I get paid well for the job I have and that makes me able to enjoy time at home that much more.
InJailForCrimes@reddit
Today, it’s getting a better job. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.
21MPH21@reddit
Damn, just felt a chill
ma33a@reddit
It depends for hardness.
For some pilots its the long time away from home.
For others it's the 6 monthly simulator checks, or line flight checks. Not to mention the continuous study and exams.
For others it's their medical.
For others it's the stress of their rank/position.
The type of flying you do, and the type you fly, and who you fly for all play a part.
Personally I find it depends on the day,
Sometimes work is easy and fun, and some days I am neck deep in an approach that ticks all the boxes for legal but is tickling where I consider myself capable of operating and not.
Some days I stress out about an upcoming simulator session, so many edge of your seat events in a short time is hard to prep for.
Some nights, but mostly early mornings I wish I was in bed rather than staring at a magenta line in the dark.
Sometimes I miss important family events and that's hard.
But then I jag an amazing landing, or a great trip somewhere nice, or see my friends at work 8-5 while I'm at the pool, or I do pick up and drop off at school everyday for a week or 2, and the benefits pay off. It honestly depends on what you want and what you can make of it.
Paycheck helps as well.
cjt09@reddit
For me specifically, the landings.
PhilRubdiez@reddit
Being able to do the same things safely and consistently for 30,000 hours. To quote Avon Barksdale from The Wire, “Thing is, you only got to fuck up once. Be a little slow, be a little late, just once. And how you ain't gonna never be slow, never be late?” That being said, the advances in human factors training and recognition is so much better than even 25 years ago. It’s a lot larger margin for error.
Due-Letterhead6372@reddit
Becoming a pilot is difficult but rewarding.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
I was thinking about pilots that fly those commercial planes and was wondering if its worth becoming a pilot and if its hard flying.
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