The Culture-Loving Pilot Wife: pilot wifestyle

Showing posts with label pilot wifestyle. Show all posts

Monday, February 1, 2010

Flying Cheap ...The Regional Lifestyle?

The CRJ-200 - My husband's birdie

My pilot wife friend Melissa tipped me off on this upcoming Frontline special: Flying Cheap

Quoting the Frontline website:

From producer Rick Young —

The crash of Continental 3407 outside Buffalo last year, killing all on board, was big news, as any commercial crash is. But like many who were fortunate enough not to be touched personally by the tragedy, what most caught my attention was the news that followed. The co-pilot had been making less than $16,000.

While I knew the airline industry had been struggling through tough times since 9/11, I sure didn’t know that some of the folks that fly me around are working second jobs and overnighting on lounge room La-Z-Boys. And I didn’t know that regional airlines, once thought of as puddle-jumpers, had grown so fast that they now account for more than half the nation’s daily departures. We are on our way to becoming a regional airline nation. (more »)

If you missed this big industry shift, that’s understandable. Most flights today still carry the codes and colors of the major airlines. But over the past decade, fewer and fewer of the majors are actually flying those planes. That job is increasingly outsourced to small regional companies with names most of us hardly know. Continental 3407 wasn’t flown by Continental, but by a company called Colgan Air.

The rapid growth of airline outsourcing is part of a fiercely competitive industry that keeps airfares affordable for many. And that’s good for consumers. But the crash of 3407, and the year-long investigation that has followed, raised significant questions about the safety practices of regional operators like Colgan. So it seemed a good time for FRONTLINE to journey into the world of the regionals and see what the insiders had to say.

In this clip from the film, you’ll hear about the lives of regional pilots, crash pads and the pressures that outsourcing brings to bear -- “pilot pushing” as its called in the industry. Two former Colgan pilots agreed to speak publicly for the first time, and so we flew to California and sat down for long, amazing interviews. While their stories were in many ways surprising, we knew they weren’t unique. We’ve spoken with many regional pilots, both former and current, and most all shared similar concerns about what’s happening in the airline industry.

The full expose will be showing on February 9th. But even from this 10 minute snippet, you'll see and hear some pretty harrowing facts...poverty wages for newbie first officers, crazy crowded crashpad conditions, the realities of duty time vs paid flight time, company efficiency quotas, the reasons why so many people commute. I'm a little perturbed that the video infers that all regional pilots are low time and underexperienced...but that's a pretty common media angle.

It will be interesting to see if the special mentions anything about pilot families, and how the commuting lifestyle affects family life. I don't deal with the physical fatigue my husband experiences after his fourth 16-hour day in a row, but to say I'm immune from emotional fatigue would be false. I do know the existing duty FAA guidelines are currently under revision, and things can't stay at the status quo much longer. And this includes bargain-basement airfare.

And now for some light entertainment...

Friday, January 15, 2010

Sneak Peek at How My Weekend Started

Sleeping at SLC gate C09

(Yep! I Even Brought my CPAP!)

Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Bachelor: On The Wings of Love?

The Captain of Her Heart?

When I first heard that the new season of ABC's The Bachelor was going to feature an airline pilot, I thought it was a joke. Knowing what I know as the wife of a pilot, I was baffled that any woman would willingly thrust herself into the pilot wifestyle. Then I realized that most of these women probably DON'T know the reality of being a pilot wife.

This is what I know so far about the Bachelor, Jake Pavelka:

"31-year-old Jake Pavelka is out to prove to the world that nice guys don't finish last. No, they finish in love. Fasten your seatbelts and leave your relationship baggage at the door as this handsome commercial pilot from Dallas prepares to take flight as The Bachelor.

"Jake knows himself well enough to know that he's not made to live alone. He just needs to find the right woman -- his best friend and soul mate - and that's whom he'll marry. Searching for a woman who is intelligent, confident, energetic and spontaneous, he admits that he can't wait for fatherhood.

"Jake Pavelka grew up in Denton, Texas and attended University of North Texas and Embry Engineering University for Aerospace Science. He discovered his passion for flying at a young age, as he started taking lessons at age 12. As an accomplished pilot, he was fortunate to discover his passion at a young age, Jake started taking flying lessons at age 12. An accomplished pilot, he became an airline captain flight instructor at 23. On his days off, he has fun flying acrobatic planes, taking dance lessons and woodworking at the home he owns near Dallas." (ABC.com)

"In person, he's feeling nothing but love from fans, many of whom are passengers who greet him as they deplane. (Pavelka is a captain and airline flight instructor for Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a Delta Connection carrier.) "Everything's been so flattering," he says. "I'll go to different airports in different parts of the country, and there are really great people going, 'Hey, so glad you came back.' That's really humbling."(Dallas News)

This first thing that hit me was the fact that he attended Embry-Riddle Engineering University for Aerospace Science. Within the first few minutes of episode one, Jake mentions that he was fortunate to have a "storybook childhood" and that he was the only one in his family to not pursue medicine. For anyone who knows anything about flight training and education, Embry Riddle is typically where you go when your family is rolling in the big bucks. According to the Embry-Riddle website:

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world's oldest, largest, and most prestigious university specializing in aviation and aerospace. It is the only accredited, aviation-oriented university in the world.

Undergraduate Cost of Attendance

Tuition and Fees	$28,600
Room and Board	$8,500
Books (estimated)	$1,200
Total, non-flight students	$38,300
Estimated annual flight costs*	$15,000
Total with Flight	$53,300

* Flight Instruction: Embry-Riddle's flight program is designed to allow students to earn their ratings in just three years (unlike many other schools). Flight students can estimate average annual costs for the first and second year at approximately $15,000 per year. The average cost for the third year of instruction is $10,000.

From what you see, Embry-Riddle's program appears to cost a little over $53k. But when you read the fine print, it says that flight instruction is $15k for years one and two, and $10k for year three. Add that together....you're looking at $78,300 to attend the "Ivy League" flight program. To achieve comparable training at a state university (such as UND or UVU), your undergrad studies would be slashed by 2/3rds (plus flight costs).

The next frustration was the wording of the bio on the ABC.com website: "An airline captain flight instructor at 23." To quote Jake in the introduction of episode one, "I've been in the pilot seat for most of my life...I've been a commercial pilot for 10 years. My office is at 37,000 feet. There's really no word to describe my passion for aviation." He goes on to talk about his obsession with aerobatic airplanes (another luxury of the wealthy pilot)

Now what exactly is an airline captain flight instructor? Oh yeah....there's no such thing. To paraphrase Wikipedia for a moment; One cannot become a commercial pilot (CPL) until age 18, nor an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) until age 23. Although one technically could become a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) once completing one's CPL, it is highly unlikely that said instructor would be airline captain flight instructor at age 31. A more appropriate description would be "a regional airline captain who flight instructs on the side."

One thing ABC did get spot on, is the typical pilot obsession for fitness and staying in shape. Pilots must be evaluated by a medical examiner frequently, and many common ailments can disqualify you from flight. My pilot is very concerned with his health and appearance, which can be difficult to keep up with rigorous schedules and limited availability to fitness centers during trips.

So what about the lucky ladies? What advice do I have for them? If you want to be a successful pilot wife, these qualities are a MUST:

Flexibility: Despite a pilot's seniority. there will ALWAYS be hiccups in his schedule. Flight mixups, freak weather, maintenance delays, etc. Or he just may have a crappy schedule in the first place. Be prepared for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays without him, year after year (and always celebrate the ones you DO have together) Don't expect to live in the same domicile (or country!) for the rest of his career. He could be furloughed, displaced, or downgraded with no notice. His payscale may stagnate, or cut in half (if downgraded from captain to first officer)

Trust: No matter what career your man is in, there WILL be temptation. The persona of an airline pilot is suave, debonair, and powerful, which will attract both flight crews, passengers, and airport employees. Cheating happens in aviation, just as it does in medicine, finance, education, etc; but it is enabled by the provided access to hotel rooms in random cities. This isn't to say that your pilot will cheat, but you need to keep your relationship strong, and the communication often and honest. If my husband and I don't talk at least 3 times a day, we really start missing each other. When he's home, smother him with affection to help him remember why he's working so hard to support you.

Independence: The pilots who hold fabulous lines will still be gone several weeks per month. If you have children, you'll have to act as a single parent. At some point, you'll have to go to parent teacher conferences, recitals, and sporting events alone. You will likely have increased daycare costs (if you work outside the home). Cultivate your talents and begin new hobbies to fill up the time that you'd otherwise sit around lonely. Realize that you may be sitting on the church pew, week after week, without your man at your side. Take advantage of your flight bennies and visit a friend out of town whenever you get a whiff of jealousy of all the fabulous locales he flies to (Evansville, South Bend, Dayton, Wausau...definitely worth getting jealous over!)

Debt Management: Few pilots are as fortunate as Jake to have a "storybook childhood," with a family able to finance flight training. My husband is a 3rd year first officer at a regional airline, with his take-home pay BARELY able to touch his monthly student loan payments. Most of the pilots I know have well over $100,000 in debt to cover plane rentals, instruction, insurance, exams, and travel expenses. Gone are the idyllic days of extremely wealthy pilots, especially as they start our their careers (except the high-seniority captains, like Sully, who have taken significant paycuts as well). You will probably have to bring in supplemental income to cover the inevitable living expenses beyond his paycheck. Many pilots have to take on second jobs on their off days. Learn how to budget and live within your means.

A good support network: There are many cities that you pilot may be based: MEM, JFK, DTW, LAX, CVG, MSP, DFW, ATL, etc. Sometimes you will have no control over where you'll be assigned, and it can be VERY lonely to be in a new city with no friends and family (just look at my posts from Detroit and Atlanta....lonely times) Or your pilot may commute, as mine does, and that is even more time that you are without your significant other. Make it a priority to establish a great LOCAL network of friends, family, neighbors, and church members . Join some of the established websites such as Pilot Wives Club or Wives and Girlfriends of Pilots Facebook page.

Now that I've said my two bits, I'm going to sit back and enjoy the romantic reality drama!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Tender Tennessee Christmas?

Since Taylor has been with his airline, he's had relatively good luck with having holidays off. Sometimes he'll miss an "eve" but make it for the "day," or part of the accompanying weekend. For Thanksgiving, he had three days off. He flew in to ONT Wednesday morning at 4 am, and flew out of LAX Friday morning at 4 am. It is difficult to spend so much time commuting, especially because it typically involves pickups/dropoffs at early and strange hours. Since he's been in MEM, he's had much better luck jumpseating on FedEx than on Delta....and those flights are usually during the inconvenient hours.

Last week he got his December schedule, which made us happy and sad. Happy because he has 16 days off (for the first time since he was domiciled at DTW). Sad because he is scheduled on 4-day trips over both Christmas and New Years. He'll be overnighting in Nashville Christmas Eve, and Knoxville New Years Eve. It doesn't make sense for Rosie and I to fly out to be with him....he's flying multiple legs December 24, 25, 31 and January 1. My first (sarcastic) thought was "Another tender Tennessee Christmas," a song I love off of Amy Grant's Christmas album. Amy makes it sound so idyllic...for Taylor it will mean nights alone in a Hampton Inn or Fairfield Inn.

Come on weatherman,give us a forecast snowy white.
Can't you hear the prayers of every childlike heart tonight?
Rockies are calling, Denver snow falling,
Somebody said it's four feet deep.
But it doesn't matter, give me the laughter;
I'm gonna choose to keep

Another tender Tennessee Christmas,
The only Christmas for me.
Where the love circles around us like the gift around our tree.
Well I know there's more snow up in Colorado
Than my roof will ever see,
But a tender Tennessee Christmas is the only Christmas for me.

Every now and then, I got a wanderin' urge to see
Maybe California, maybe tinsel town's for me.
There's a parade there, we'd have it made there;
Bring home a tan for New Year's Eve.
Sure sounds exciting, awfully inviting,
Still I think I'm gonna keep

Another tender Tennessee Christmas,
The only Christmas for me.
Where the love circles around us like the gift around our tree.
Well they say in L.A.it's a warm holiday;
It's the only place to be.
But a tender Tennessee Christmas is the only Christmas for me.
(Ohh, you know I wanna be home.)

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Pilot News

Pilots, planes and aviation have been in the news a lot this year. Let's go over the highlights:

Planes that crash just short of the runway in wintry conditions

Distracted pilots who overshoot their destination by 150 miles

A drunk pilot failing a breathalyzer test prior to a trans-oceanic flight from London

A flight landing on the taxiway instead of the runway at ATL

Air France flight 447 crashing into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all on board

It would be nice if there were more stories of successful "near misses" or "Miracles on the Hudson?" (well, obviously NO crash would be better, but if problems arise, I want my crew competent like Sully, Skiles, and their experienced flight crew) Crew payscales are ridiculously low compared to the last few years, and some crew members have resorted to living in an LAX airport parking lot.

But not all pilot news is bad. My favorite news is when I know that my husband is successfully assigned a non-rev or jumpseat and he's on his way home (even if it means picking him up at 5 am). It's been tough having him commute from Memphis, but I'm excited for the time DO get to spend with him. Even better is when he brings along my other favorite pilot for the ride. It can get a little zany with two pilots in the house, but it never feels more like home.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

My Memphis Valentine

A few months ago, the radio station I listen to had a contest called Lovers in Japan : tickets to see Coldplay in Tokyo on Valentines Day. Needless to say, I didn't win the contest, but it did get the wheels spinning to do something special this year. Taylor's February schedule gave him 2.5 days off for the V-day weekend, so it sealed the deal. We would have a Valentines Date away from ATL. It would be the first trip Taylor and I took away from home, just the two of us, since our honeymoon in 2004. Some friends from our new ward agreed to watch Rosie for us, and we were off to Memphis, TN!We flew into MEM Friday night. We picked up our rental car and drove across the Mississippi border into South Haven. We got dinner and dessert at O'Charleys. The caramel pie didn't live up to my expectations, but the mural on the wall was pretty cool. After dinner, we headed to our hotel. We got a great rate at the Fairfield Inn...but I won't fill you in on the sordid details of our hotel time ;)
In the morning, we had our free breakfast. I like staying in Fairfield Inns because they have comfortable beds, and good hot breakfasts! After we ate, we checked out and headed into town. We stopped at the Memphis Pyramid - it was build with hopes of being a destination convention site, but as far as we know it sits vacant as a spot for photo ops.
Then we crossed the bridge over the Mississippi River into Arkansas. I have never been, and really don't have reason to. We just went so I could cross it off my U.S. map.

We stopped for drinks at the Pilot. I made him pose for this shot. He wasn't amused.

Then we drove back across the MS River back into Memphis. The city is definitely more interesting coming in from AR than it is from the suburbs.

Then we had the sentinel moment of our weekend...Corky's Bar-B-Q! We shared the ribs for two set up, with rolls, beans, and fries. We had half a slab of dry rub (Taylor's preference) and half a slab of wet (my preference).

More than anything, we love the Apple BBQ sauce. We could drink it straight! (At least, I would)

Next we went to Beale Street...which is what Memphis is probably most famous for. We were immediately greeted by a drunk wino asking for money. I immediately slung my purse over my shoulder, inside my jacket. that's why my butt looks bigger than usual in this pic.

Random Elvis Mural

What do you think, can I pull off this look?

There were blues bars a-plenty, but none were offering daytime karaoke (much to Taylor's relief)

Boas a-plenty! I chose the red one for Valentines Day (don't worry, I didn't buy it)

Who wants some totally uncensored pork?

More Elvis paraphenilia than you'd ever care to find.

This is my favorite find of all the kitschy stores: A tin that says "Well behaved women rarely make history." Appropo, no?

After Beale Street, we drove back to the airport, turned in our rental car, were harassed by rude TSA agents (who threw my lingerie out for all to see, and made Taylor check his bag for no good reason...even though he had his crew badge). We flew back on the 3:40 flight, and were home for a quiet evening with Rosie by 7:00 pm. Memphis, I'm sad to say, is probably not a place I'll visit again (other than Corky's) but we had a great, memorable time.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

In addition...

Taylor's February reserve started today, and he immediately got called out on a 4-leg overnight trip. The lame part is that it's to ferry a plane from Detroit to Cincy. So he deadheads to from ATL to CVG, from CVG to DTW, lays over for 4 hours at DTW and ferries the flight to CVG, and deadheads back to ATL.He reports at 6:00 pm tonight, so I won't get to see him after work today, and he doesn't get home till after 9:00 pm for my birthday tomorrow.

This stinks.

At least he has the night of my birthday party off (where only 3 of 20 people invited are coming.)

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Pilot Wife Resources

My hubby's plane

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

A pilot widow week

This morning Taylor left for Memphis for CAT-II training. He'll overnight there, and then fly up to Montreal for 4 days of simulator bliss. He will be at the Bombardier Headquarters, and apparently its a pretty nice place to train. Unfortunately, that means we're going to go 4 days without talking on the phone. I've briefly blogged about it before, but Taylor is very anti-surcharge when it comes to our phones. It took two years before he agreed that it was worth the $5/month to add texting to his phone. He knows it would only be $5/month to be able to call from Canada, but since he flies there infrequently, he doesn't want to sign up for a month, just to cancel. It's 35 cents per text, so we'll text if it's an "emergency." We're going to rely on webcams and instant messaging to communicate for the next few days. It means we'll only get to chat at night, but better than nothing!

Once he's done in Montreal, he flies back to Atlanta Monday afternoon. He hopes to take care of his SIDA badge and get his parking pass Monday. He'll fly home to Detroit sometime Tuesday, pack up his car, and "move" to Atlanta Wednesday. His first flight in his new bird is Thursday - Friday. His November schedule should be posted tomorrow, but it will likely be a month of reserve.

It was so nice to have him home for 5 days. It's going to be a long time till he has that much time off in the same location as me for a long time.

As for the job hunt...about 20 applications in, two "thanks, but no thanks" emails, and no calls.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Lansing

At the junction of the 69 and 96 - this sign was the most exciting thing I found in Lansing

Saturday evening, Taylor called me from DTW. He was waiting around for his last flight of the night to Lansing. This particular flight is pretty ridiculous, only 75ish nautical miles and 23 minutes away. He went into his usual complaint about being "stuck in a lonely hotel room with a comfy bed and nobody to share it." I realized that the next day was Labor day, and I didn't have anywhere in particular to be. Rosie and I decided to drive up to Lansing to enjoy the Hampton Inn on the airlines' bill. We left Canton about 10 minutes before his flight left, drove the 70 minutes to Michigan's state capital city, and got to the hotel at about the same time as the hotel shuttle. We grabbed dinner at Bennigans, bummed around the hotel room for the evening, and slept on Taylor's favorite hotel mattress. A decent free breakfast was enjoyed, Rosie and I did some school shopping at the Lansing Mall, and we were back home in time to enjoy an afternoon BBQ at the Medleys.

One of these days, I'd like to fly on his plane with him to somewhere cool. But in the mean time, we have Lansing.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

From one pilot family to another...

Last night I was bumming around looking at blogs, and I found out about a couple that were severley burned in a plane crash. Stephanie Nielson, was burned over 80% of her body and her husband, Christian, over 30%. There were just 3 people on board and the pilot was killed in the accident. This couple has 4 children that were not with them and a LONG recovery ahead of them.

Christian had recently completed his private pilot rating. Hearing about this crash took me back to 2005 when Taylor had just completed his PPL. He was so new at flying, and although his instructors frequently commented at his natural skill at flying, a part of me would panic everytime he drove to Salt Lake Municipal Airport #2. My ears would perk up when weather reports were sketchy, or an airplane mechanic failure or crash was mentioned on the news. Even though he's flying passenger jets now, I know there is always a risk when flying (although Taylor will always pop out the statistic that you're more likely to die in a car crash on the way to the airport than you are to be in a plane crash.)

My heart goes out to the families that have been affected by this accident. To hear their story, and see how you can help, www.nierecovery.com

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Crazy July Schedule

Taylor left on another 4-day trip today. I feel like I've hardly seen him the past month. 4-day trip, then Cali for 3 days, then 4-day trip, then to SLC (together) for 3 days for the funeral, then 4-day trip, and three days off (which I worked 2). Once he gets back from this trip, he's taking Rosie to Cali for 5 days (She hasn't been back since December), flying her to SLC to wait a day till I go to SLC for my high school reunion. Taylor will be on another 4-day trip, so he's missing the reunion. He actually has been getting 14-16 days off per month the last 3 months, but he's gone almost every weekend. At church today, I was realizing it's been over a month since we've gone together, and he won't be home for at least the next two Sundays.

It's a blessing to have the flight bennies. Especially when you get on your first-choice flight. While Taylor and Rosie are in California, I've been contemplating taking a quick overnight trip somewhere. I don't think its a good idea to fly all the way out to Cali just for one day (when I did so in May it took a week to recover) when I'll be back in SLC the next weekend. Car rentals are disgustingly expensive right now, so I probably shouldn't plan on a city that I'd be on my own. I'm not too excited to spend a weekend at home, since our air conditioning is broken at our apartment, and who knows how long it will take maintenance to fix it.