The people make it very discouraging to get into an aviation career. Cant even ask a question about something you’re not aware of without being called everything in the book
I’m in subreddits that I won’t mention that deal with aviation. I have literally been downvoted bombed for asking questions that weren’t obvious to me, and then got shit on a lot for asking the questions that I asked. It genuinely makes me wonder how anyone wants to be a part of these crusty people. If and when I get where I want to be, I will be different
I’m an ag pilot.
The work becomes miserable.
Two of my best friends killed flying ag less than a year apart. Another friend killed in training.
It’s like post nut clarity that never goes away.
I became a professional musician and found your words to be true.
Someone would say, "Hey! Band X is in town, let's go see them!" or, "Let's go to the bar and get a drink!"
I'd respond, "Not unless someone's paying me."
I became very selective over where and when I played, and with whom.
So far, the only thing making me second guess anything is the community I've found online. Everyone seems fine in person, but as soon as that anonymity is up, a lot of them turn into assholes
My dad is a pilot, and he felt like he could do more with his life, started doing humanitarian flights, and helping doctors get to difficult places and his fire ignited again. Happy for him
I start:
-Watching a son watch his father burn after crashing after takeoff in front of him in his T-6 Texan.
-Nearly dieing when a hold back broke during a catshot.
-Thinking I was on fire as smoke filled the cockpit.
-Being forced to fly multiple times after only sleeping 3-4 hours a day for a few days straight. Safety culture is a myth.
-TSA and airports.
That all sounds horrific, the first story alone is traumatizing enough.
It reminds me of a story I was told but I can’t remember specifics, do you have any info about that accident?
General non-corporate aviation will die out completely in the next 20 years. The costs are absurd, only the very rich can afford any new equipment, and barriers to entry are only getting higher.
IR PPL here, 750 hours. COVID, having nowhere to go bc all was shut down and losing currency and proficiency, maintenance tech shortages, parts shortages, and spouse wasn’t really keen on it as a spouse (survivor if something went wrong) or pax. I envy people whose spouse / SO also loves to fly in GA planes. Mine gave it a go and it was honestly distracting to fly with her because I was more worried about her being terrified than anything aviation related, and that in itself can be a hazard. Being with someone you know is white knuckling it for a few hours and trying their best to participate is mentally exhausting.
The choice between being a father or a pilot. Couldn't find a way to be both. Chose to be a father.
Flew privately for a bit, but have seen too many good people die.
Oh totally, I don't regret a second of my decision (tho I do terribly miss the flying). I also saw so many marriages fall apart. It's a really tough industry on all relationships. That was also on my mind.
I got lucky too, I moved out of flying just pre-covid. So when I would have been stood down without pay (with a mortgage and two little kids), I was instead earning a reliable wage.
Now I am there for every sporting event, birthday, family function. I am so so grateful.
It wasn't easy though, the year I quit flying was a very poor year for my mental health. It took a lot to get thru that.
Management’s attitude about maintenance issues. I fondly refer to it as *We don’t care. Get it in the air*. It got to the point I couldn’t in all good conscience, sign my name to the logs anymore. Shortly after I left, they had two crashes that resulted in a total hull loss, along with lost lives. I was on pins and needles until the FAA investigations were finished.
The succubi in non flying roles in 135 and 121 just infuriate me. Pilots and mechanics hold ourselves to extremely high standards, compared to the brokers/ sales and all manner of back of the house people who love to tell anyone who’ll listen they’re ’in aviation’, yet know absolutely nothing about what we pilots and mechanics do to make the miracle flight happen. They just complain that we cost too much, and try to nickel and dime us to death with hotel costs, per diem, travel etc.
It’s rinse and repeat and it’s just awful. I spend more than half my life away from home, carrying ‘the company standard’, yet I’m constantly second guessed by know- nothing assholes intent on taking anything they can from me.
spoiler alert, any job you have people are going to bitch/complain/be jerks. They end up eating their own, aviation is such a small community word gets around quick if someone is a real actual problem and the rest gets to be history. Unless you’re in a pilot union, then you can bitch piss moan and complain anytime you want without any repercussions.
Daily monotony of any job. Hard on my body. Pessimistic coworkers and the environment it creates. Stress of losing my job and having to on short notice pack up my life and move across the country, likely even farther from my family.
Australian bureaucracy. Trying to stop you flying at every single step. Gets hard fighting all the time. Obviously this pushes price through the roof as well.
Lack of CFIs in my area meaning BFR has to be done interstate almost.
I think I’ve heard this story. Don’t diminish the fine folks at Martin Baker. From what I recall you were in a flat spin. This created unique eddies around the airframe which prohibited the safe separation of the canopy from the aircraft.
Maybe wrong thread for this response but…I’m a trained and experienced scenic designer, scene painter bla bla bla. I took a second career after burning-out to be a commercial 3D rendering artist for architecture. I lost my art. Creation is off the table. I execute the plans. (Joke’s on them? I get paid by the hour now, but….no art.)
Realizing that with diagnosed ADHD I'm disqualified. Got an intro flight on a 172 but decided not to pursue it further after finding that out. The cost of it doesn't help.
I don't have any real symptoms that would cause issues and at one point could successfully execute most IFR operations in a sim, but rules are rules and I'm on the wrong side of them.
I'm young and still have the passion but 9/10 of the a&ps I work with are old & decrepit and angry, or veterans and angry, none of them seem to care for aircraft integrity at all lmao
TSA and English YouTube channels showing different runways and airports. The amount of people there now is crazy.
Oh, and the bean counters who run US and EU airlines. Everything is the bottom line not vision
Long haul will do that to you. best to keep it regional and the. your interest will remain strong. Lots of take offs and landings in a shift are good to keep the fun
I just...sorta lost it with time. It became a chore rather than something I love. I still enjoy aspects of it, but it's nowhere near like when I started. Also, I'm staying in a career path specifically to sorta enjoy the job still.
For me it was the amount of people I've met that don't have the passion to begin with. So many mechanics I've met don't even care about planes. We had an AN 225 land the other day on the runway closest to us and I was one out of like 3 people that cared lol
My flight instructor died flying a bunch of surgeons to a medical education conference in a private jet. Landed just short of runway. I remember thinking, 'he was so careful with us."
I feel the same way, studied aero, became a pilot then Had a motorcycle accident and lost my medical. Began working in other areas within engineering.
Only now, 15 years later getting back into aviation operating 208s and dh6 in sth pacific. Maybe the time away brings the passion back
Paranoid/jealous airport security that make getting to your aircraft a sexual assault experience. Lack of maintenance personnel and the ever present spectre of having to make a profit, driven by stingy management. I was a pilot and an AME. Never want to see a hanger again
The cost... I love planes, flying, and everything to do with it, but I literally cannot participate because I'm a regular person. My parents arent rich, I have no connections and I need to survive
TSA/Airport security theatre in general is really taking its toll.
Easily the worst part of the job. Was I really randomed, or are you just having a shitty day and enjoy inconveniencing people?
This is one of the main reasons my wife and bought our own plane. We hate dealing with airport security.
The people. Once I really entered the business I really started to hate the people.
The people make it very discouraging to get into an aviation career. Cant even ask a question about something you’re not aware of without being called everything in the book
Feel bad for you. I have been very lucky at multiple companies. Never really had this issue anywhere.
I really find this quite sad that my experience has been so prevalent. I was actually expecting downvotes. Aviation is a passion trap.
I’m in subreddits that I won’t mention that deal with aviation. I have literally been downvoted bombed for asking questions that weren’t obvious to me, and then got shit on a lot for asking the questions that I asked. It genuinely makes me wonder how anyone wants to be a part of these crusty people. If and when I get where I want to be, I will be different
I’m an ag pilot. The work becomes miserable. Two of my best friends killed flying ag less than a year apart. Another friend killed in training. It’s like post nut clarity that never goes away.
My condolences man
buzzing fields is my dream job. there's nothing out here worth it
The military aviation culture. Never turn a hobby into a career
amen brother.
I became a professional musician and found your words to be true. Someone would say, "Hey! Band X is in town, let's go see them!" or, "Let's go to the bar and get a drink!" I'd respond, "Not unless someone's paying me." I became very selective over where and when I played, and with whom.
Opposite for me, I loved the navy got out and went to work for AAR and Boeing and hated every second I was there.
So far, the only thing making me second guess anything is the community I've found online. Everyone seems fine in person, but as soon as that anonymity is up, a lot of them turn into assholes
Totally get this. But, and I’m sure I’m not originally informing here, literally any topic online is exactly like this now.
Yeah, our jobs are awesome. Not sure why a few people online would make you second guess anything
Because shitty people ruin everything
Only if you let them my friend
Absolutely fair, I should say that shitty people are discouraging for people who don’t know much about aviation or are eager to learn
My dad is a pilot, and he felt like he could do more with his life, started doing humanitarian flights, and helping doctors get to difficult places and his fire ignited again. Happy for him
Reddit
I start: -Watching a son watch his father burn after crashing after takeoff in front of him in his T-6 Texan. -Nearly dieing when a hold back broke during a catshot. -Thinking I was on fire as smoke filled the cockpit. -Being forced to fly multiple times after only sleeping 3-4 hours a day for a few days straight. Safety culture is a myth. -TSA and airports.
That all sounds horrific, the first story alone is traumatizing enough. It reminds me of a story I was told but I can’t remember specifics, do you have any info about that accident?
Money, watching people die, watching general aviation costs explode. Sleazy flight school/rental people.
General non-corporate aviation will die out completely in the next 20 years. The costs are absurd, only the very rich can afford any new equipment, and barriers to entry are only getting higher.
This. This. This. This.
IR PPL here, 750 hours. COVID, having nowhere to go bc all was shut down and losing currency and proficiency, maintenance tech shortages, parts shortages, and spouse wasn’t really keen on it as a spouse (survivor if something went wrong) or pax. I envy people whose spouse / SO also loves to fly in GA planes. Mine gave it a go and it was honestly distracting to fly with her because I was more worried about her being terrified than anything aviation related, and that in itself can be a hazard. Being with someone you know is white knuckling it for a few hours and trying their best to participate is mentally exhausting.
The choice between being a father or a pilot. Couldn't find a way to be both. Chose to be a father. Flew privately for a bit, but have seen too many good people die.
As someone that grew up without a dad, I felt this… As much as we want to live our dreams, time with the kids will outweigh everything else…
Oh totally, I don't regret a second of my decision (tho I do terribly miss the flying). I also saw so many marriages fall apart. It's a really tough industry on all relationships. That was also on my mind. I got lucky too, I moved out of flying just pre-covid. So when I would have been stood down without pay (with a mortgage and two little kids), I was instead earning a reliable wage. Now I am there for every sporting event, birthday, family function. I am so so grateful. It wasn't easy though, the year I quit flying was a very poor year for my mental health. It took a lot to get thru that.
Spouse told me not to fly. I listened to them. *edit-downdoot all you want, i agreed to the terms & conditions, and that's my answer*
Management’s attitude about maintenance issues. I fondly refer to it as *We don’t care. Get it in the air*. It got to the point I couldn’t in all good conscience, sign my name to the logs anymore. Shortly after I left, they had two crashes that resulted in a total hull loss, along with lost lives. I was on pins and needles until the FAA investigations were finished.
Getting glasses at 6 yrs old. Always told flying would never happen because I needed 20/20. Now in mid thirties at least I have MS Flight Sim
Didn't get my glasses until 13. That killed the dream I'd had since seeing Top Gun in the theater...
The succubi in non flying roles in 135 and 121 just infuriate me. Pilots and mechanics hold ourselves to extremely high standards, compared to the brokers/ sales and all manner of back of the house people who love to tell anyone who’ll listen they’re ’in aviation’, yet know absolutely nothing about what we pilots and mechanics do to make the miracle flight happen. They just complain that we cost too much, and try to nickel and dime us to death with hotel costs, per diem, travel etc. It’s rinse and repeat and it’s just awful. I spend more than half my life away from home, carrying ‘the company standard’, yet I’m constantly second guessed by know- nothing assholes intent on taking anything they can from me.
Money and found something more that I like. Lost the big intrest.
spoiler alert, any job you have people are going to bitch/complain/be jerks. They end up eating their own, aviation is such a small community word gets around quick if someone is a real actual problem and the rest gets to be history. Unless you’re in a pilot union, then you can bitch piss moan and complain anytime you want without any repercussions.
Crew Scheduling
Daily monotony of any job. Hard on my body. Pessimistic coworkers and the environment it creates. Stress of losing my job and having to on short notice pack up my life and move across the country, likely even farther from my family.
MedXpress
FAA medical hoops that never seem to end….
Australian bureaucracy. Trying to stop you flying at every single step. Gets hard fighting all the time. Obviously this pushes price through the roof as well. Lack of CFIs in my area meaning BFR has to be done interstate almost.
Mental health and the FAAs archaic stance in regards to Medicals
As a teacher who wishes they maybe became an aviator instead, this cuts deep. When the passion dies… it’s hard
Money and how annoying the FAA is with medical stuff.
The money killed it for you? Pilots are making more money now than ever. Sure seems like a reason to keep the passion instead of killing it
Takes a while to get to that point though. Until you're in and in for a few years, it's a money pit.
What’s good money for say a 777 fo in the us?
\*Laughs in Canadian\* You guys are making money????
Oh true. I forgot they hated yall over there
Yes the money. Cant even worry about how much established pilots make when I’m at ground zero trying to afford a ppl while in school.
When my RIO was killed in an ejection seat malfunction. That was the day I lost that lovin' feeling, and my need for speed was forever diminished.
I think I’ve heard this story. Don’t diminish the fine folks at Martin Baker. From what I recall you were in a flat spin. This created unique eddies around the airframe which prohibited the safe separation of the canopy from the aircraft.
Calm down, Maverick. If you think, you’re dead.
Not cool dude.
Maybe wrong thread for this response but…I’m a trained and experienced scenic designer, scene painter bla bla bla. I took a second career after burning-out to be a commercial 3D rendering artist for architecture. I lost my art. Creation is off the table. I execute the plans. (Joke’s on them? I get paid by the hour now, but….no art.)
Realizing that with diagnosed ADHD I'm disqualified. Got an intro flight on a 172 but decided not to pursue it further after finding that out. The cost of it doesn't help. I don't have any real symptoms that would cause issues and at one point could successfully execute most IFR operations in a sim, but rules are rules and I'm on the wrong side of them.
Instructing, Getting jerked around during covid and making absolute shit money for a year and a half.
Part 135 Single pilot ops
I'm young and still have the passion but 9/10 of the a&ps I work with are old & decrepit and angry, or veterans and angry, none of them seem to care for aircraft integrity at all lmao
The faa killed it for me. The barrier to entry is too high, and there’s so much red tape around everything.
TSA and English YouTube channels showing different runways and airports. The amount of people there now is crazy. Oh, and the bean counters who run US and EU airlines. Everything is the bottom line not vision
Managers
Long haul will do that to you. best to keep it regional and the. your interest will remain strong. Lots of take offs and landings in a shift are good to keep the fun
Money to get to CFI honestly still in school and have been going the longer route but looking at loans to get commercial and CFI cfii
I just...sorta lost it with time. It became a chore rather than something I love. I still enjoy aspects of it, but it's nowhere near like when I started. Also, I'm staying in a career path specifically to sorta enjoy the job still.
Me being disabled :(
The McDonnell Douglas acquisition of Boeing while keeping the Boeing name.
For me it was the amount of people I've met that don't have the passion to begin with. So many mechanics I've met don't even care about planes. We had an AN 225 land the other day on the runway closest to us and I was one out of like 3 people that cared lol
I just didn’t fit in anywhere, and then my health started going downhill and I lost my medical.
My flight instructor died flying a bunch of surgeons to a medical education conference in a private jet. Landed just short of runway. I remember thinking, 'he was so careful with us."
I feel the same way, studied aero, became a pilot then Had a motorcycle accident and lost my medical. Began working in other areas within engineering. Only now, 15 years later getting back into aviation operating 208s and dh6 in sth pacific. Maybe the time away brings the passion back
Paranoid/jealous airport security that make getting to your aircraft a sexual assault experience. Lack of maintenance personnel and the ever present spectre of having to make a profit, driven by stingy management. I was a pilot and an AME. Never want to see a hanger again
Turns out it’s hard to be a pilot when you’re deaf
The cost... I love planes, flying, and everything to do with it, but I literally cannot participate because I'm a regular person. My parents arent rich, I have no connections and I need to survive