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PlaneSense / Alpha Flying

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PhilatAU-

I live in the south, and in a small town. I do know what it cost. It is not near as bad down here as it is in most places but I can not see how someone can live on there on ( in a decent way ) without help on $27K in the ATL area. Thats only $2250 a month before taxes. Do you own a car? Do you have any kind of life outside of flying? Do you have a girlfriend? ( If you do she better have a decent job if your making $27k). Do you eat anything other than Romain noodles?

My point is Alfa Flying is a professional job that is paying substandard wages. Have you seen the cost of gas today? Milk? INS? Or is someone else paying that.

Not trying to bust your bubble but I wish you luck and I hope you are able to stick around long enough to see a Grob Sp.

BTW, I love the PC-12!
 
PhilatAU-
Do you own a car? Do you have any kind of life outside of flying? Do you have a girlfriend? ( If you do she better have a decent job if your making $27k). Do you eat anything other than Romain noodles?
Yes, but its paid for.
No.
No.
Yes, peanut butter sandwiches.

Listen people: There are (give or take) 100 people at my flight school right now. Of those, maybe 3 wouldn't trade in their left thumb to be in my position right now: Still a month from (on time) college graduation with >1000 hours of total time and a job already lined up.
Everyone in my immediate family has settled for jobs they don't like just to earn enough to get by. I'm chasing my dream career.
I set criteria a year or so ago on what I would take for my first flying job out of instructing, and Alpha meets all of them.

Based on all that, I am in NO position to complain. Sorry I can't join the ever-growing club of aviation whiners.
 
Yes, but its paid for.
No.
No.
Yes, peanut butter sandwiches.

Listen people: There are (give or take) 100 people at my flight school right now. Of those, maybe 3 wouldn't trade in their left thumb to be in my position right now: Still a month from (on time) college graduation with >1000 hours of total time and a job already lined up.
Everyone in my immediate family has settled for jobs they don't like just to earn enough to get by. I'm chasing my dream career.
I set criteria a year or so ago on what I would take for my first flying job out of instructing, and Alpha meets all of them.

Based on all that, I am in NO position to complain. Sorry I can't join the ever-growing club of aviation whiners.
No offense young buck but you're far too inexperienced in the game of life to be calling anyone who highlights the difficulties in living on 27k a year a whiner. Maybe you still live at home? With three roommates? If you end up with a girlfriend, guess how quick going out a few times a month will eat up that after-tax take home pay.

A piece of advice, you'll really know about a company after you've worked there for a year or so. Doesn't matter what company. It's probably hard for you to understand right now but someday you'll see.

Mr. I.
 
No offense young buck but you're far too inexperienced in the game of life to be calling anyone who highlights the difficulties in living on 27k a year a whiner. Maybe you still live at home? With three roommates? If you end up with a girlfriend, guess how quick going out a few times a month will eat up that after-tax take home pay.

A piece of advice, you'll really know about a company after you've worked there for a year or so. Doesn't matter what company. It's probably hard for you to understand right now but someday you'll see.

Mr. I.


C'mon - let him be excited about his first professional flying job. Flying a PC-12 will be a good learning experience for him plus he'll get to see a lot of short airstrips and uncontrolled fields that his ASA buddies will miss. He's a young guy and he can always go the regional route later if needed. $27K is a lot more than his ASA buddies will be earning initially and with multiple roommates it is doable in Hotlanta. 7/7 will also give him some time to enjoy the local nightlife. Sounds like a good situation for someone just out of school - especially if you don't want to go the airline route.
 
Ok, I do see your points. It is great that he is excited about getting out in the working world and pursuing a dream of flying for a living! Per the original posters query, 27k isn't so much obviously. Although at that age being broke is pretty much expected. The perspective of a 22 year old is far different than that of a 30, 35, or 40 year old.

Good luck Phil. Have fun.

Mr. I.
 
Based on all that, I am in NO position to complain. Sorry I can't join the ever-growing club of aviation whiners.

You will be in that position soon enough, and become a whiner as well.

It may sound cliche, you are young and just getting into this industry, expect the unexpected. What ever you think will happen will be the exact opposite.

Especially when you are a year deep, you're still not upgraded, but they've been saying your so close to it for the last six months, and those jets that are supposed to show up still haven't and when they do its still going to take you another 5 years just to see the right seat of it.

So you decide you want to search for another job, with all that oh-so valuable single engine sic time, and then you realize you you were one of those fools that signed a 2 year training contract to fly a single engine plane as an sic.

Oh but you'll just pay it off, with what money, all that 27k you just made, after bills, cost of living, and taxes, unless mom and dad spot you the cash, good luck!

Do yourself a favor and stick it out til you get 135 minimums, you're very close. Yeah life might suck for a couple years after that but you'll look back on it and be glad you did it.
 
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Lots of help in what NOT to do, very little in what TO do. That's another thing you'll learn in aviation. There are a lot of 'can't' types and very few 'can' types.

These 'whiners' have a reason for being bitter, with broken dreams and false hopes left unfulfilled. However, know that there are cool jobs out there that make sense. There are so many jobs out there that aren't cool and DON'T make sense. A guy could waste a lot of time before learning his efforts aren't really getting him anywhere, and that's what you should be taking away from many of the comments.

You're here on this board. That's a plus. Read as much as you can concerning suggestions to young pilots. There is experience hidden within these posts that can be a benefit to you if you know what to take and what to ignore. Ignore the anger, take the knowledge.

For my part: PIC time is invaluable. SIC time is only valuable on an aircraft that REQUIRES an SIC. Reviewing those with SIC time, I'm looking for those that are on the CRJ, ERJ, -8, etc, others with a requirement to have an F/O. Those with Caravan and 402 SIC time go to the bottom.

Think about finding a company that has both singles and twins. Hiring into the 207 with upgrade into the 402 (as PIC) will make much more sense. In a year's time, you have maybe 500 hours of single pilot multi engine PIC, where the other guy has ..... 500 hours of turbine SIC in an aircraft that doesn't really need one. Is it loggable if it isn't required? Sure, under certain circumstances. But the multi PIC time is a no brainer for me. I'd rather take the guy that's developed some skills as a multi PIC decision maker over the gear monkey taking the place of the autopilot. But that's just me.

Just make sure it makes sense for YOU. And good luck!

Ronin
 
With a 7 on/7 off couldn't he CFI on his days off? Maybe even log some ME time as CFI. I would think after a few years he would be in a pretty good position to move on to bigger and better things...

Prespectives - its all about prespectives.

I would love to work for Alpha Flying as a career. Of course, I'll be a retired AF 03 with a pension and 38 years old next April when I move to aviation...
 

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