Retired from Singapore Airlines. If you’re going into this profession for any reason other than sheer love of and passion for flying, I’d tell you to find something else to do. Don’t do it for the money, don’t do it for the travel, don’t do it for any reason other than you just simply love to fly. It’ll save you a lot of grief. It’s the greatest job in the world if you love it. 42 year career, B747, L-1011, B757/B767 and B727 Captain. Just my two cents.
This. I'm at a part 135 with a 5 on 2 off schedule getting paid less than my friends working at an office. I'm getting my ATP here shortly and will hopefully get a job with a nice pay increase but yeah you gotta love flying or you'll burn out.
@@AFO3310 It’s true. The money, etc., comes much later. Not as late as it used to, but later nonetheless. And those office friends? Well, they’ve got their view out of the window (if they have a window) and you’ve got yours. If you truly love to fly the money isn’t the most important thing. Keep going and don’t give up! Keep the faith, ok?
@georgiathai4961 as a 747 pilot i get paid pretty well. I've met other 747 pilots that do it for the money. I don't blame them, flying the 747 is pretty boring. So the paychecks makes up for that.
Bill, you asked AMAZING questions and I truly enjoyed the conversation. However it was numerous times where I felt that BigErn was going to drop a golden gem but you cut him off and he wasn’t able to finish his thoughts.
Hey man! I'm new to your channel and love BigErn. One little tip i'd give as a viewer is to let your guess finish his story. You cutting him off was a little annoying. Other than that it was great! keep it up!!!
I can’t wait til I switch careers and get back to flying. The airlines have a way better schedule then us truckers lol I’d love to be home half of the month and making good money instead of having to be on the road 6+ weeks and home a few days making average money.
You know “six figures” ranges from 100k to 999K right? Plus being a pilot in the 70s is way harder than the 2020s In terms of workload, qualification needed.
I’m confused. It looked like you were flying in circles. Were you in a hold? No ATC audio. Was this a fake movie like flight? With just video playing in the windows :-) Very strange.
I went into the military so it was free for me so that’s what I usually recommend but I’m not a commercial pilot. You should reach out to Ernie on Instagram I’m sure he could give you an answer!
@@BillAllenREI Military training is hardly free. I hear young people parroting recruiters spouting this nonsense all the time. While you’re serving your time in the military accumulating very little actual flying time, other youngsters who got hired by companies like Envoy, etc., and were given seniority numbers at their parent major airline based on their Envoy hire date. Meanwhile they are flying hundreds of hours a year. That seniority number will result in hundreds of thousands of dollars of income over the course of a career that their friends who joined the military won’t get the benefit of. Military training is far from free. It costs you a fortune over the course of a career. If one aspires to be a military pilot that’s one thing. But to say military training is free is just nonsense.
@@georgiathai4961 With the post 9/11 G.I. Bill and VR&E at a part 141 school, you don’t have to spend a dime. Speaking from experience, 100% funded. Maybe that’s what he meant.
I don’t understand bidding on a schedule. You bid on an item in an auction. How can you bid on a schedule? They are not using the word “bid” as it is used normally. Kind of like the word “stall” in an airplane is not how you use “stall” in a car
They use the word bid because it's just like auction bidding. The airline puts out the avaliable schedule and the pilots that want that day bid on it. Whoever is more senior wins that bid.
@@Heyemeyohsts I really don’t care what people who are clueless in regard to the industry. Bids are submitted and are awarded on your seniority based on the highest bidder. There is a “bid program” used to sort your bids and to submit them. It’s really not a hard concept to understand. My wife’s company uses a bid program and my company uses PBS or Preferential Bidding System.
Because the Delta Pilots had leverage in the negotiations that brought aboard PBS it was a system that the pilots had control over. Turns out it was in many was a better bidding system than was anticipated. Line of time bidding is about as archaic as it gets and not efficient, nor does it get you days off or vacation as easily as a good proper pilot designed PBS.
@@LEVELGAZANOW If you say so. I used line of time bidding at Delta for 20 years and Delta PBS for 10 years and I found that PBS gave me much better control over my schedule. If you are junior PBS is not quite so nice because line of time has a randomness that a junior pilot can get lucky now and then, less so for PBS.
@@couespursuit7350 Well, I’m 25 years at Delta and I hate PBS. My wife, who is a SWA Captain, has much more flexibility with bidding her schedule than I do. Keep in mind, SWA pilots voted down PBS because of the inflexibility. Given the fact that she earns equivalent, if not more than me (767 CA), I truly wish I had gone to SWA. The 2006 bankruptcy screwed many of our careers.
Get real, man. You're contention is based on ideal location and economy. If you have a wife and kids, and youre a beginner, you can probably say goodbye to family life. Six figures without many years of experience and building connections...in what universe?
Retired from Singapore Airlines. If you’re going into this profession for any reason other than sheer love of and passion for flying, I’d tell you to find something else to do. Don’t do it for the money, don’t do it for the travel, don’t do it for any reason other than you just simply love to fly. It’ll save you a lot of grief. It’s the greatest job in the world if you love it.
42 year career, B747, L-1011, B757/B767 and B727 Captain.
Just my two cents.
This. I'm at a part 135 with a 5 on 2 off schedule getting paid less than my friends working at an office. I'm getting my ATP here shortly and will hopefully get a job with a nice pay increase but yeah you gotta love flying or you'll burn out.
@@AFO3310 It’s true. The money, etc., comes much later. Not as late as it used to, but later nonetheless. And those office friends? Well, they’ve got their view out of the window (if they have a window) and you’ve got yours.
If you truly love to fly the money isn’t the most important thing. Keep going and don’t give up! Keep the faith, ok?
@@georgiathai4961 thanks for the tip captain! got my instrument checkride next week, wish me luck!
Respect your wisdom and perspective!
@georgiathai4961 as a 747 pilot i get paid pretty well. I've met other 747 pilots that do it for the money. I don't blame them, flying the 747 is pretty boring. So the paychecks makes up for that.
Let the man finish a thought
Man that was a great time Bill. Thanks for the hospitality🤙🏽.
PS, I loved the 850. It’s on the replacement list now😁
Great video Bill, really enjoy Big Ern, good knowledge,good stuff
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the support! He’s a great dude!
Bill, you asked AMAZING questions and I truly enjoyed the conversation. However it was numerous times where I felt that BigErn was going to drop a golden gem but you cut him off and he wasn’t able to finish his thoughts.
Hey man! I'm new to your channel and love BigErn. One little tip i'd give as a viewer is to let your guess finish his story. You cutting him off was a little annoying. Other than that it was great! keep it up!!!
Big Ern. Coolest pilot in the skies
Big Ern!!!
Good conversation
I can’t wait til I switch careers and get back to flying. The airlines have a way better schedule then us truckers lol I’d love to be home half of the month and making good money instead of having to be on the road 6+ weeks and home a few days making average money.
Awesome video Bill, following you also now ...thanks for sharing this video
Great vid. We definitely need a deep dive about the spousal being a real estate pro to offset active income with passive losses.
too many interruptions and not enough listening.
Big Ern!
Who’s big Ern 🐦?
You love hearing yourself talk. Jeez!
Six figures is what they paid pilots in the 70s
You know “six figures” ranges from 100k to 999K right?
Plus being a pilot in the 70s is way harder than the 2020s
In terms of workload, qualification needed.
You better listen to him
I’m confused. It looked like you were flying in circles. Were you in a hold? No ATC audio. Was this a fake movie like flight? With just video playing in the windows :-) Very strange.
Big ern,next holg Hogan,
Thank you for this, do you think it’s worth taking out $100k in loans to pursue this career?
If you’re young and smart. If aviation is your passion and want to see the world from your office.
I went into the military so it was free for me so that’s what I usually recommend but I’m not a commercial pilot. You should reach out to Ernie on Instagram I’m sure he could give you an answer!
@@BillAllenREI Military training is hardly free. I hear young people parroting recruiters spouting this nonsense all the time. While you’re serving your time in the military accumulating very little actual flying time, other youngsters who got hired by companies like Envoy, etc., and were given seniority numbers at their parent major airline based on their Envoy hire date. Meanwhile they are flying hundreds of hours a year. That seniority number will result in hundreds of thousands of dollars of income over the course of a career that their friends who joined the military won’t get the benefit of. Military training is far from free. It costs you a fortune over the course of a career.
If one aspires to be a military pilot that’s one thing. But to say military training is free is just nonsense.
Should be more like 70k and if you work you can do it without loans
@@georgiathai4961
With the post 9/11 G.I. Bill and VR&E at a part 141 school, you don’t have to spend a dime.
Speaking from experience, 100% funded.
Maybe that’s what he meant.
It is hard to believe that SWA is still bidding lines.
Why? Nobody in their right mind wants to contend with PBS
Does Southworst Airlines ever do maintenance?
@@johnh2527 You’ll never know but I guarantee, considering your statement, you spend a lot of time on your knees blowing your Boss to get “A Head!”
I don’t understand bidding on a schedule. You bid on an item in an auction. How can you bid on a schedule? They are not using the word “bid” as it is used normally. Kind of like the word “stall” in an airplane is not how you use “stall” in a car
Actually, the term “bid” is used appropriately in this situation
They use the word bid because it's just like auction bidding. The airline puts out the avaliable schedule and the pilots that want that day bid on it. Whoever is more senior wins that bid.
@@devenmoorehead5836 its aviation industry lingo. It is not proper use of the word. But they are free to use words however they please, just as I am
@@LEVELGAZANOW Okay! Tomorrow - go and ask a stranger on the street to bid on a schedule. Let me know what they say
@@Heyemeyohsts I really don’t care what people who are clueless in regard to the industry. Bids are submitted and are awarded on your seniority based on the highest bidder. There is a “bid program” used to sort your bids and to submit them. It’s really not a hard concept to understand. My wife’s company uses a bid program and my company uses PBS or Preferential Bidding System.
Gotta be out of your mind to go to medical school.
Hey Big Ern.. Im guessing you're married.. How do you juggle work with married life.. ?
Because the Delta Pilots had leverage in the negotiations that brought aboard PBS it was a system that the pilots had control over. Turns out it was in many was a better bidding system than was anticipated. Line of time bidding is about as archaic as it gets and not efficient, nor does it get you days off or vacation as easily as a good proper pilot designed PBS.
Delta Pilots hate PBS. SWA has the most versatile scheduling for pilots.
@@LEVELGAZANOW If you say so. I used line of time bidding at Delta for 20 years and Delta PBS for 10 years and I found that PBS gave me much better control over my schedule. If you are junior PBS is not quite so nice because line of time has a randomness that a junior pilot can get lucky now and then, less so for PBS.
@@couespursuit7350 Well, I’m 25 years at Delta and I hate PBS. My wife, who is a SWA Captain, has much more flexibility with bidding her schedule than I do. Keep in mind, SWA pilots voted down PBS because of the inflexibility. Given the fact that she earns equivalent, if not more than me (767 CA), I truly wish I had gone to SWA. The 2006 bankruptcy screwed many of our careers.
Hate the title. Nice conversation.
There is a different Big ERN in the Financial Independence community. His blog is Early Retirement Now. Karsten Jenske.
Get real, man. You're contention is based on ideal location and economy. If you have a wife and kids, and youre a beginner, you can probably say goodbye to family life. Six figures without many years of experience and building connections...in what universe?
Not necessarily
First year FO’s, who do not commute, typically make between $150-$200K/year.