The next time you fly and see a pilot, keep this in mind:
When you see a pilot, he’s not getting paid. When you see a pilot going through the same security you go through, he's not being paid. When you see a pilot walking in the terminal, he's not being paid. When you see a pilot at the gate pulling up the paper work, planning the flight, and conferring with the agent, he's not being paid. When you see a pilot walking around the aircraft doing a preflight inspection, he's not being paid. When you board the aircraft and look in the cockpit and see the pilots setting up the flight deck, they're not getting paid.
When you land safely at your destination and walk off the aircraft and see the pilots shutting down the aircraft, they're not being paid. When you see a pilot waiting for a ride to a hotel for the night, he's not being paid. The only time the pilot of your aircraft is getting paid is when you DON’T see him ... when he's locked behind the cockpit door as you push back from the gate. Every thing else he does until this point is for free, for no wages, nothing!
The average airline pilot is at work 12-14 hours per day, yet gets paid for less than 6 or 7 hours.The average airline pilot is away from home, at work, for 70+ hours a week, yet gets paid for only 15 to 18 hours per week.Most pilots’ schedules have them working 15 days or more a month. That means they are not at home half of the month. Holidays, weekends, birthdays, anniversaries, summer vacations ... not at home.
A majority of pilots have 4-year college degrees or more. Then they begin training as pilots. A large majority of pilots have spent 8 years or more flying in the military, risking their lives and protecting your freedom for wages most of you wouldn't accept in the civilian world. Civilian trained pilots have spent $50,000 or more to acquire the training that qualifies them for a Regional Airline job, which pays a wage less than the poverty level in most Western countries. Most pilots do not attain the required experience level to be hired by a major airline until they are well passed the age of 30. The average age of a new hire airline pilot is 32.
Airline pilots are subject to random drug and alcohol testing any time they are at work. Fail a test and they lose their job and may face prosecution. Airline pilots are required to undergo rigorous training and certification every 6, 9 or 12 months, at which time they could fail and lose their jobs, licenses and livelihoods. Airline pilots are required to submit to random government "line checks" during which their license could be revoked and livelihood destroyed. Airline pilots are exposed to radiation levels far exceeding the normal safe radiation limits mandated by the FDA. Airline pilots are required to submit to a government medical examination every 6 months for Captains and every 12 month for First Officers. Year after year. Fail one and their career is over. How many of you go to work where people try to kill you? How many of you have had someone try to turn your office into a cruise missile?
How many of you work behind a bullet-proof door? How many of you are responsible for the lives of 200-300 people, with any small mistake in your performance resulting in the death of yourself, all of your customers and the financial destruction of your company?
How many of your jobs require you to fight your way through thunderstorms, rain, snow, ice and turbulence, day and night, year after year? No mistakes allowed. The excuse "I had a bad day at work" never accepted. Many pilots volunteer on their own time and at their own expense to be trained as Federal Flight Deck Officers and to carry weapons to defend their aircraft, crew and passengers. They maintain their proficiency and qualifications twice a year on their own time and with their own money. How many of you go to work where you are searched, patted down and your personal items scrutinized by strangers?
Airline pilot pay scales wages and hours worked are usually posted by absurdly overcompensated managers who are waging a PR campaign against pilot unions and trying to justify their own greedy bonuses while asking for lower labor costs from others.
Next time you see your pilot, thank him for his hard work. If he or she looks young, he or she is also probably broke and sleeping out of his car in the airport security parking lot like my brother did for months, while trying to financially support his family.
(My brother Brandon flies for Skywest. This pic was taken during christmas time. Notice the christmas lights in the cockpit)
