Work or fly?

Question

Would you rather work for a living or fly for a living?

Also, would you rather work 80 hours a week in an office making good money, and then fly on the one or two days you have off recreationally?

or

Be a pilot for a living and fly every day without sitting in an office?

Answer 1

When I was flying in the military, I found that I enjoyed the flying part, but that was not the job. The job was, as alluded to above, all the stuff that went with it - paperwork, hours and hours spent away from home, administration headaches, weird schedules. When I got out I had the option of flying for the airlines or returning to engineering. I knew what airlines could do to a marriage. I chose engineering and never regretted it. I never kept my license. I knew that I was not safe in the air if I only flew once a month. .. and I probably would not even do that. So flying recreationally to me means going up with my old friends that stayed in and getting a little stick time. Also, I think you have a distorted view of "sitting in an office." Any career is what you make it, and my engineering career has been extremely rewarding in several ways. I never sat in one place for an entire day, and rarely for over an hour - in the span of a 32 year career. Military flying was a great thing to get into and a great thing to get out of. I have no regrets, and I'm very content with the path chosen.

Answer 2

Why do people think flying is not work? Jeez.

Answer 3

Tough question. Quite often I wish I had the good-paying 40 hour per week office job where I'm home every night and then enjoy flying on the weekends. I'm currently on day 8 of a 12 day trip, flying 9 out of those 12 days, the days off spent in hotels. I get very tired of hotels, restaurants, living out of a suitcase, working odd hours and being away from my family. Plus after 22 years in professional aviation I don't really enjoy flying that much any more, particular the days that are 14 hours long.

Some days are great and some horrible, just like any job, but for me the thrill is definitely gone from it. For instance, this week I had one day where I was up at 2am and didn't get to a hotel until 5 pm. The next morning I was up at 5am and didn't get to a hotel until 7pm. The day after that I didn't have to get up until 9am, but I didn't get to a hotel until after midnight that night. Yesterday was an exact repeat. Some people think that flying is not work, but let me tell you, it can really wear you down. I almost never work just an 8 hour day.

By the way, I own my own plane too, but probably didn't even fly it more than 8 or 10 times last year for a total of maybe 20 hours.   Either I didn't have the time, I didn't feel like it, family obligations got in the way, or the weather was crappy.

Just a little slice of the way it is.

Answer 4

I've done both. In my opinion, I'd fly for a living and then for recreation :)

Answer 5

definitely fly. Why pay to fly an airplane when someone else will pay you (well) to fly theirs.

Answer 6

I work for an airline, I'm not a Pilot though.  I work in ground operations at a CSA.  I love my position and it would be the one that I'd stay with either way.  I feel I get the best of all areas........I have flight benefits on our airline plus others, I get to be on the ground to go home every evening, I trade off shifts (give aways, and trades), and I'm at a point the the money is fair....from a certain amount of years in my favor.  So, I get lots of days off through the above and through buddy bids.  :o)

Answer 7

Fly.

I worked in an office for a year, it was the wost time of my life.  That was less than 40 hours a week.  80 hours would kill me (16 hour days, five days a week).

I just hope I don't wind up flying a desk.

Answer 8

You have to love flying and being a pilot to not get burned out flying for a living.  When you do it for a profession instead of recreation it changes how you feel flying

Answer 9

WHY I WANT TO BE A PILOT

When I grow up I want to be a pilot because it's a fun and easy to do. That's why there are so many pilots flying around these days. Pilots don't need much school. They just have to learn to read numbers so they can read their instruments. I guess they should be able to read a road map, too. Pilots should be brave to they won't get scared it it's foggy and they can't see, or if a wing or motor falls off. Pilots have to have good eyes to see through the clouds, and they can't be afraid of thunder or lightning because they are much closer to them than we are. The salary pilots make is another thing I like. They make more money than they know what to do with. This is because most people think that flying a plane is dangerous, except pilots don't because they know how easy it is. I hope I don't get airsick because I get carsick and if I get airsick, I couldn't be a pilot and then I would have to go to work. — purported to have been written by a fifth grade student at Jefferson School,

Answer 10

To be honest, many people I know who fly for their supper lose the love of flying after a few years.

They end up resenting the thing that brought them to their jobs.

I rather work at something I love and fly because I want to - not because someone tells me to do it.

But - from the way you worded your answer, I doubt you will take my advice.

Answer 11

i want to be a pilot so i can go anywhere and see everything like i'm on top of everything...

Answer 12

I'd like to fly.