Commercial airline pilot: Cool job, or glorified bus driver?

[BillGates]

I used to really want to be a pilot when I was younger but now it doesn't look so cool. I love to travel and fly but think it would get really old, really fast. Any pilots here?

 

[Keego]

Ditto to the inquiry, I still think it'd be a great job to have.

 

[MailBoxHead]

C'mon now. Do you have any idea of the stringent requirements on how to become a pilot especially commercial? A lot of the school bus drivers are guys out of programs such as drug rehab and prison.
I know that for a fact since my neighbor refers people to those type jobs.

 

[aswedc]

I don't know how much fun it would be, but you make lots and lots of money...

 

[Dudd]

Far from a glorified bus driver. There are a lot fewer people qualified to fly a 767 than those who can drive a bus. Plus, they get paid crazy amounts of money, something like 150k or more a year. Probably why all the airlines save Southwest are having problems, but that's another thread. And, if I'm not mistaken, many pilots are ex-military pilots. As MailBoxHead said, this compares rather favorably with the type of people who drive buses.

 

[Zenmervolt]

A cousin of mine flys turbo-props and he enjoys it. But he doesn't have a family so being constantly away from home isn't a big deal.

ZV

 

[Zebo]

I'll go with the Glorified Bus Driver choice. But as I was told about most all carrers by my dad "Work Sucks. Choose a path where the paycheck makes it feel better at the end of the work week" Airline Pilot is about $70,000 a year more better feeling than a bus driver....

 

[MacGaven]

I think being an Airline Pilot would be a great job to have but it certainly would not be as glamourous as one would think.

I heard that they usually are transferred from the military to sector to the private or commercial airline sector. This would really be a nice set-up experiencing both kinds of jobs and being well trained as a pilot.

 

[thraxes]

bus-driver...

It was great in the 60s to the mid 80s when the lay-overs were relatively long and one could take in the sights. Nowadays the crew arrive one day and are gone the next or the day after that.

 

[Atrail]

Bus Driver, still not a bad job.
If you can fly the small business jets like Leer Jets, I hear those are much more exciting.
But the work is probably more spotty, depending on how succesful the company is.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

and now, piolts are starting to carry weapons.

 

[BillGates]

Originally posted by: MailBoxHead
C'mon now. Do you have any idea of the stringent requirements on how to become a pilot especially commercial? A lot of the school bus drivers are guys out of programs such as drug rehab and prison.
I know that for a fact since my neighbor refers people to those type jobs.

I'm not talking about the required skillset so much as I am the similarity they share: carting ungrateful passengers around the country.

I know the money is definitely good but surely it would keep family relationships strained due to little time spent at home. I think I'd be really tempted to cheat on a significant other as being in other cities/countries can seem so separated from real life.

 

[Darein]

My dad flys 747's and now is not a great time to be an airline pilot. Overall you work a lot, 14 days a month or so is typical, spend a lot of time sitting on your butt, many times have no idea what time/day it is (just from changing so many timezones), and it really wears on a person. Its a little tough having a family in that you are gone for long periods of time and often miss important days.

 

[vi edit]

Next time a bus driver is doing 555MPH @ 37,000 feet in a multi million dollar piece of equipment let me know!

Calling a pilot a bus driver is like calling your average street ricer...err racer an F1 driver.

 

[Yossarian]

Commercial pilot is an awesome job but very hard to get, plus this is a lousy time for them. Airlines are going out of business so there are more experienced pilots for the remaining companies to choose from. A 20-year commercial pilot for one of the majors is pulling down some big bucks though and gets to choose the routes he flies.

 

[HappyPuppy]

Airline pilots are much more than glorified bus drivers. Yes, it can become routine and boring, but the next time you're flying coach and one of the engines goes out, or the flight hydraulics start acting up, just be glad that these are some of the best trained people in the world. They will fight with all their knowledge to pull a diving or inverted aircraft back to normal flight right up to the point where they plow into the ground. I have far more respect for pilots that bus drivers.

 

[StageLeft]

Gotta say I don't know too many bus drivers who drive BMWs to work and get free airline tickets

What is a NASA engineer besides a glorified handyman?

 

[LordRaiden]

Dude, the best pilots jobs these days are in air freight and Valet piloting (aka you're the personal pilot for someone) hands down. Commercial airlines treat their pilots like cr**!! Go with like FedEx or UPS, or even USPS. They'll treat you good.

Heck, if I didn't have Diabetes and my vision was just a bit better, I'd probubly do that for a living. I love to fly!