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Originally Posted by OneToughHerring
Periscope Depth,
are you sure about that, although I've heard that too. Not to discourage anyone who is becoming a pilot.
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To start this gloomy segment, some context:
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssA...27962220080623
I am speaking from a perspective of US airlines and what I know. It may be different in the UK. I am not a part of the industry, but know several people who are. This isn't meant to discourage people who want to be a professional pilot, it is meant to inform people with what is happening in the industry right now. Granted, the industry is very cyclical and could get better tommorow, but it looks like the extraordinarily high cost of oil has permanently changed the structure of the industry, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel just yet.
Getting all your licenses and getting to the point where you can get hired by a regional airline costs roughly $50K here. And that gets you (assuming you are able to be hired by a regional airline, not many are hiring anymore. The hiring boom that occured ~2005 is largely over now.) an FO job at a regional. You are now making ~$20K a year, hopefully you haven't taken a big loan out to pay for your training expenses. You will work long days and only get paid for the time you actually spend in the airplane. You will likely be furloughed a few times, and furlouging in the US is rough as you start at the bottom of the ladder again making ~$20K a year once you are able to find another airline hiring.
Reading Internet forums that are supposed to help newbies into the industry (jetcareers being one of them) is getting depressing. It is a bunch of newer pilots working long hours at regionals, not getting paid squat, and in constant fear of having to find a new job and if they will be able to. It's a lot worse if you have debt from flight training they need to pay at the same. A lot of them are saying stuff like, "I love flying, but hate commercial aviation." They do not recommend anyone taking the plunge into the industry without a college degree and real world job experience (~2 years) to fall back on if it doesn't work out.
Granted, it's a great job once you get to the heavy metal making a decent salary and working 2 weeks out of 4. But it's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll. I guess it's deciding if you think a poor quality of life and being poor for 2-10 years before you can get picked up by a major airline is worth it.
And like I said, you live in the UK so this might not even apply to you. I would talk to people who are in the commercial aviation industry in that country now (NOT flight schools, they are trying to sell you a product when you get down to it).
Edit: Or do you live in the UK Herring?
PD