That's about it. Seems like a nice job. See the world. Work with interesting machinery. Flight attendants. A few cons of course but seems like a job I should have done.
...and you?
I never did get my Licence in the end...But the people of that industry
are soooo different from the norm....I found them down to earth,
pleasant to be around and your flying...that is not greater buzz 
I don't think being an airline pilot is as good as it used to be. Most airlines are either low cost, low budget airlines with planes that are buses with wings, or they are going broke. Sometimes they are both. Pilots are a cost and like all costs, struggling companies are trying to reduce them. I've heard in America airline pilots are really lowly paid and are not respected.
A friend of mine's grandfather was a QANTAS pilot and he was treated almost like royalty. Unfortunatly he became a crazy hippy when he retired.
Imagine you were back in 1993 and you had $10K to invest in a government corporation that was being privatised. You put your $10K into QANTAS, its worth bugger all now. You put $10K into the Commonwealth Bank. You could probably have paid off your 1993 mortgage with what its worth now.
There is probably a huge difference between the wages and conditions of a QANTAS pilot and a Jetstar pilot. They probably are not hiring many QANTAS pilots anymore.
I was going to get my license a few years back - the local aero club was looking for new members and had offered a discounted rate so that they could make sure their plane kept up regular hours of use...would've been cool! I've had an introductory lesson & flown for about 40mins, did everything from taxiing up the runway, take-off, flew over mountains, did some banked turns & landed it at the airport (with a pilot sitting next to me talking me through it) - loved it & recommend that experience to anyone!
As for pilots - the husband of a girl I used to work with (he's a chopper pilot) got a job on a private cruiser of a gazillionaire...he spends half the year flying his boss & guests to & from the boat, the rest of the year off doing some tourist contract work - lucky bugger!
It was all I wanted as a kid. Almost got into the air force as a pilot when I was 17, made shortlist of 6 and they picked 3. I missed out because I hadn't done anything towards getting licence even though I could have started at 16 - ie couldn't prove I wanted it enough. Which to be honest I didn't. And 99 of 100 air force pilots spend their time studying or flying hercules, not jets.
General idea was train in air force, retire in 30's become qantas pilot.
Glad I didn't do it now, I reckon it'd be a terribly boring job. How boring is it on a flight? Well news flash, pilots do sweet FA in between take off and landing. Autopilot on, chat up hostess, sleep, etc. Sit in seat getting fat. B-o-r-i-n-g.
Yeah but an analysis of flight data recorders showed that 75% of pilots around the world have uttered the same last words: What's that mountain goat doing up here?
I always dreamed about flying and now own a fleet of four hang gliders
. Nothing like having the wind in your face comming in on final then ploughing into the ground, na that doesn't happen too often, but thermaling at 8 grand or having a Wedgetail hitch a ride or the nose cone is magic.
I fly with stunt pilots, airline pilots and even one who's landed an F14 Tomcat on an aircraft carrier who now flys Hornets and turboprops in Perth and they choose to fly HGs for fun, what better endorsement is there?
I'm just finishing my commercial licence now. When talking to people everyone says that it was something they have always wanted to do. In single engines it doesn't get much better in my opinion. Flying up the coastline with a great view and really hands on. Pretty rough start once you are newly qualified, pretty much forced to go somewhere remote with nil pay. I know a couple airline captains - one qantas 747. They enjoy it although it is a lot of time staring at a blank screen but ok if your old. Don't see why qantas/Australian airline pilots complain about low pay. Sure they have worked hard but they are making atleast double or triple what the average person would take home. I'm hoping to get with the flying doctor, those guys do some really interesting/dangerous hands on flying.
Future son in law is ex Air Force, got commercial licence & did some hard yards in outback, joined QantasLink 15 months ago to fly Dash 8's because it is lots of FLYING.... as in take offs & landings.
Just back from 10 days white water rafting on the Franklin......
They PAY him to fly.....
He knows it & says he is "LIVING THE DREAM"
How do you know if there's a pilot at a party?
Don't worry... they'll tell you.
(from another failed, ex-wannabe-pilot who had bought the books and done a couple of demo flights 
)
"I'm hoping to get with the flying doctor, those guys do some really interesting/dangerous hands on flying."
Ah, you've got a looong way to go if thats your attitude. There is absolutely NO dangerous flying in the RFDS. In fact they would be the most procedual adherent company around, and for good reason. As sad as it may sound, they will risk losing a patient on the ground before they risk the crew of 3 or 4 in the aircraft. Cowboys they are not.....
Believe me, when you are waking up at 3 in the morning for the 5th time that week, flying back of the clock type shifts or landing at 4am after a 12 hour flight and knowing you still have to deal with immigration and customs, then it becomes 'just a job'....
Smart people dont become airline pilots anymore (dying industry with reducing conditions). They become Lawyers, doctors, engineers or FIFO on the mines and fly for the FUN of it.....
GypsyDrifter, you are of course correct. But 20 years on the attitude can change a little bit. If you want to get into flying these days than it needs to be for the love of it because the rest of the 'fantasy of flight' no longer exists.
While I am sure evlPanda's original post was tongue in cheek, it is no longer about the sun, surf girls and good pay (80k for a Jetstar co-pilot and that's after spending $45k on learning to fly the A320). Sure it's a good job, but it does become a job.
Jackfa, you may have "personally witnessed this", while I have personally done it. Single pilot IFR at night is NOT DANGEROUS... It is very procedural as I said earlier. If you are competent, kept current and do not stray from, miss interpret or bend the rules or succumb to commercial pressure to 'get in' then it is SAFE. So by all means send me a PM or give me a call. I am not bitter and twisted about the industry and I will give you all the GOOD bits, but I will also tell you all the warts as well.
Panda, chopper pilots are a different breed of people. That in my opinion, would be fun...
GypsyDrifter, you are of course correct. But 20 years on the attitude can change a little bit. If you want to get into flying these days than it needs to be for the love of it because the rest of the 'fantasy of flight' no longer exists.
While I am sure evlPanda's original post was tongue in cheek, it is no longer about the sun, surf girls and good pay (80k for a Jetstar co-pilot and that's after spending $45k on learning to fly the A320). Sure it's a good job, but it does become a job.
Jackfa, you may have "personally witnessed this", while I have personally done it. Single pilot IFR at night is NOT DANGEROUS... It is very procedural as I said earlier. If you are competent, kept current and do not stray from, miss interpret or bend the rules or succumb to commercial pressure to 'get in' then it is SAFE. So by all means send me a PM or give me a call. I am not bitter and twisted about the industry and I will give you all the GOOD bits, but I will also tell you all the warts as well.
Panda, chopper pilots are a different breed of people. That in my opinion, would be fun...
. Nothing like having the wind in your face comming in on final then ploughing into the ground, na that doesn't happen too often, but thermaling at 8 grand or having a Wedgetail hitch a ride or the nose cone is magic.)
I think you'll find that Ronny RAAF is, overall, the highest paying airline in Oz now. By far the best aircraft and the best type of flying. There is also a career structure as a pilot instead of as an officer, so they try really hard to get as many young blokes into fast jets as possible, and allow them to progress into more sedate aircraft as they grow older and more sensible. As long as you can keep passing the medicals you can continue flying. When I was in the RAAF there were very few 40 year old pilots not flying desks. That was the main reason why they mostly ended up flying buses for the airlines. During the '70s and '80s Cathay's crew room was 36 and 37 sqn's crew rooms 5 to10 years before. All the RAAF aircrew I ever knew (LOTS of 'em) would have much preferred to stay in military aviation. They only flew buses because it was marginally better than becoming a desk jockey.
Spent my whole child hood wanting to join the merchant navy as a ships captain.
Same thing attracted me, the ocean, travel, work half the year and get paid a crap load.
I had cadetships lined up, had the marks and subjects from school (the only rugby league forward pack player doing physics and chemistry) and went to do a month of work experience.
Most boring month of my life and could not wait to get off those ships.
Changed tack, went to Uni did a marketing degree and have worked in this field ever since.
There is some sort of cancer that flight crews get from being closer to the suns radiation.
Flying sounds great but not if this is the result.
