Aviation Insights

Hello to all, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all that stuff. I really mean all that stuff, too.  Take the time to enjoy the season and celebrate what ever it is you celebrate. 

If you have or are considering a flying job, flying home or being home for the holidays, any holiday that is, can be very challenging. I’ve recently received several emails from the APA, the union representing pilots at American Airlines, about the percentage of pilots who will NOT be home for the holiday(s). These emails, rightly so, included a comparison of how many management types would be home for the holidays. The numbers are  around 90 % of pilots working, while 90% of management is home. I include this brief side note for a reason. When it comes time for you to get a flying job and you consider that you are a professional, it took time and money to get to the point where you are qualified for a decent flying job, you could lose your license every time you go to work, you could not come home from work any given day among other things, don’t forget to consider time away from home on holidays and weekends when figuring what would be reasonable compensation for your profession. Sit down and understand what it is you do as a professional pilot and that not everyone can do it and what your career sacrifices will be. Don’t allow your profession to be minimized.  Unless you own your own flying business, your boss, manager or whatever will, no doubt, constantly try to pay you less for what you do. Go back to the statements above before deciding to accept less, and when presented the opportunity, remind them of the hazards you face daily.

And, if that’s not enough, check out the blog titled seniority, seriously.  This will help you understand how large the seniority issue looms in an aviation career. Big or small flight department doesn’t matter, seniority applies.

So, to wrap it all up, if you really want to be home for the holidays, every holiday, every year, don’t get a flying job. Get a different job and buy a ticket to fly home for the holidays. If you’re OK with missing a holiday or other family event on occasion, you’ll be OK with a flying job. 

Next week, or so, I’ll get back to some more civil aviation stories and some new topics for the new year ( and a happy one to all)