Many words have been published touting the professional pilot’s life as a path to fame and fortune. But, after years of preparation and significant sums of money, there are no guarantees to locking in a front seat on the flight deck at a decent wage.
For whatever reason, there are many like David, whose best efforts have been thwarted. His letter is presented verbatim.
“I believe you are doing a disservice by not being honest in your 'Career Advisor' articles.
“As an instructor with more than 10 years of flight instructing, finding a pilot job making a liveable wage is close to impossible. I have a two-year degree with over 1,400 hours and a couple hundred multiengine. I’ve sent out hundreds of résumés and have gotten very few responses. Here is what I would like you to publish:
“After spending $100,000 for a four-year degree you might find employment as a $10-an-hour flight instructor. Your duties will include but not be limited to washing airplanes; making phone calls looking for students; running errands for the owner; et cetera. Other instructors will steal your students and fly with them for free to build flight time. You will only be paid for flight or ground school.
“Do not plan on paying back your student loans, because you will not be able to make your payments with your meager wage. You will be reminded by the owner of the flight school how lucky you are to be flying there, and he will show you a stack of résumés with instructors willing to take less pay than you. Once you spend a year instructing, you will interview for Great Lakes, which will pay you $14,000 if you pass the interview.
“If I sound jaded, it is because I have walked this walk. I can speak from experience."
Sour grapes or reality? Maybe a little bit of both. The flying industry is fickle and frustrating. Highly qualified and good people are rejected for employment from neighborhood flight schools up to Delta and United for reasons unknown. During peak hiring at a major airline in Denver, it was rumored that only one out of 10 interviewees was offered a job.
Another tale is of a former Air Force One commander who did not get the job at a big, name-brand airline. Why? He did not pass the psychological evaluation.
Certainly, conditions are fast becoming a buyer’s market. So, that law of supply and demand will kick in, forcing the airlines and corporate operators to be less picky about four-year degrees, 2,000 hours of pilot-in-command time, and beaucoup multiengine experience.
But, there assuredly will be more Davids out there who, despite their best efforts, get jilted by the industry.
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