Living that pilot life. Subscribe to follow my travels across the US and some near international destinations. I like to have fun, I like to travel, and most importantly, I like to fly!
I am a pilot for Southwest Airlines. My opinions are my own, and do not reflect the opinion of Southwest Airlines. Additionally, I do not speak for Southwest Airlines in an official capacity, unless specifically stated.
No fluff, no sugarcoating. Historically, it's been "feast or famine" in the airline industry. Thank you for posting such a refreshingly informative and honest video!
It certainly does cost a lot if you're paying for it yourself. The military route covers the cost monetarily, but you sacrifice in other areas...where to live, how long you work for the military, etc. Everything comes at a cost!
My navigation abilities are so poor, I rely on google maps much more than the average person, and lose ways even within a familiar, but large building like a hospital. I think being a pilot is not for me. (Apart from those reasons mentioned already). Best wishes for those who aspire to be one.
@@FlyWithMattyB you’d agree flight attendants are right there with you in many ways. Flight attendants don’t spend thousands to train but need to go unpaid for nearly 2 months if they want the wings. I thought you might add #flightattendant or #cabincrew It might surprise future employees how the life stressors are kinda the same. Just a thought.
I flew multi-engine biz props in the 1960s for an FBO but my "real" job was engineering (aerospace, incl some work for Boeing, on the 747). I viewed airlines as likely too unstable and knew if you picked a loser you started all over at the bottom of the seniority list. But two buddies in my CAP Squadron went on to great life-long careers with United and Piedmont>USAir, both retiring as very senior Captain. Now well into my 80s, I'm flying an awesome sim setup, mostly the Zibo 737-800. The 737 is a great bird and, though a mix of old and new tech, is still very appealing to me.
OMG!!!!! I am a commercial OTR truck driver. Many of the reasons you listed here are many of the reasons people quit trucking: Schedule: I try to stick to a set start - stop time but usually it gets changed by customer demands. Some people can't adapt. Training costs" They aren't as high as a pilot but $6-$8k for CDL school, then you add the endorsements Haz Mat, Tanker, Doubles, and TWIC which all cost to get and require testing. Plus, we have to pay for FEDERAL background checks. Away from home: PLEASE!!! 2-3 weeks at a time. If you want to make any money!? High Stress Situations: With idiot drivers and having to drive in snow, icy roads, and heavy rain- if that's not high stress, tell me what is. Job security-we can be fired for many things. DOT inspection failure, accidents, scrapes. Our biggest concern is low pay! Lots of sitting: we wrote the book on that. Try sitting for 10 and a half hours straight. Trying to stay focused. Circadian changes-we wrote the book on that! You either get in rhythm or you quit! One you didn't mention is Medical: There are more DOT regulations on a truck driver than a pilot! Take all these reasons and add to them high costs of fuel, bad dispatchers / management, and pressures from spouse and loved ones back home, you get an idea of why turn over is so high in trucking!! At least you get well paid!!
Hello! I love the channel and I have a question. Im currently 16 with about an hour of flight time and i want to work at southwest. What steps should i take?
Glad you like the channel, and great question! If you want to fly for Southwest, you'll need your Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license, airplane multi-engine land. The requirements for that are the biggest hurdle: sheer number of hours, flying instruments, flying at night, etc. You can take the civilian route or military route, and each have pros and cons. You'll also need a first class medical. Additionally, you'll need to fill out an application with Southwest on their website. They aren't hiring right now, but if you keep chipping away at the requirements, perhaps they'll be hiring when you've knocked everything out. Check out Southwest's website here: careers.southwestair.com/pilots
I am assuming you are asking about how having an A&P impacts becoming an airline pilot...if that's the case, truthfully, I don't know. I would imagine it would be a net positive compared to other candidates who don't have an A&P, but how much weight the airlines do give...🤷♂️. Great to hear from an AF guy, by the way. I flew Vipers for 10 years and our maintainers were phenomenal!
@@FlyWithMattyB yea that’s my thought. A pilot with a maintenance background would be able to have a day one in depth knowledge of systems that a new pilot may not. Like the channel and I’ll be following along, thanks for the response!
Great info. Quick question. How practical do you find the Non-rev travel to be? I'm wondering about the practicality of it in reality when it comes to planning trip with kids etc. Scheduling hotels and events seems challenging enough without the uncertainty of non-rev/standby type travel. I'm on my own journey back to flying - hopefully airlines - so I'm curious how you have found this perk to work out in real time so to speak. Thanks for your insights. 😉 Ben
Great question. Truthfully, it can be great or it can be a hassle. I'm not sure how familiar you are with non-rev, but you fly standby, meaning all the revenue passengers are higher priority than you. You just never know what the loads will be on a flight. If you have lots of time and there's no rush to get there, it can be good. If you have somewhere to be and loads are full, it can be a struggle. Totally depends!
Follow up on this video, this isn't the first time and won't be the last, I made a mistake! Oh no! Great point below by Captain CAVU. The windows can be opened during flight...I was thinking primarily about flying at high altitude, but the windows actually CAN be opened in flight, just like he mentioned. Our QRH does in fact direct us to open the window in a Smoke and Fumes situation, with a confirmed fire on the flight deck. My bad!
4:19 Myth 13 Cockpit Windows CAN be opened. You might want to look through your QRH for Smoke or Fumes Removal. If the source is on the flightdeck, they're gonna tell you to open YOUR window! Also, pilots are always forgetting to Close and LOCK their window. There's a QRH procedure for dealing with it...just don't abort for it!
Just discovered your channel. I was enlisted in the Navy and am now working on my ratings at a Part 141. Subscription earned! I look forward to your other videos.
@@FlyWithMattyB Id love to see a video about how transitioning out has been for you and maybe something about getting type rated or maybe a deep dive into the 73.
Thank you so mcuh for this video. Finally someone speak truly about commercial pilot as career. As student who is going to start the training soon, I need to know such thinks about my future career. Everybody told me is a golden ticket, but no one knows what it takes. Thank you so much for such an eye-opening video
You're welcome, and good luck as you start your journey! Feel free to ask questions along the way, and try to find a way to stay motivated through the hard times. Cheering for ya!
Also the aviation is overregulated you will need to pass many courses just formaly like dangerous goods aviation security rvsm pbn etc, and also if you wish to change country of registration of aircraft you fly most probably in that country, you will not be considered to be a pilot with your license , so will need to prove that passing through again at least few subjects tests, for validation or even getting a new license of that country.
Great question, I could see myself running a small business or several small businesses. If I could start over, I'd definitely do it again. I really enjoyed my experience in the Air Force, got to live in some cool places, flew an awesome jet (F-16), made good friends, and the list goes on. And now I get to keep flying a jet. As I like to joke, it's a tiny office with a great view!
Best realistic video i've seen on what becoming an airline pilot really entails. Surprised you have less than 100 subs defintely thought the channel had 100k+ subs given the content of this video
What about DEI programs leading to less qualified "diversity" hires over more qualified candidates. Especially if the more qualified candidate is a white male.
Lol youtube is pushing your next video... about the pitfalls. Glad you have a balanced approach with both pros and cons! Glad I saw this one, too. Happy flying!
1. Schedule 2. High training costs 3. Away from home 4. Don’t like being around people 5. High stress situations 6. Job security 7. Lots of sitting 8. Circadian rhythm changes
@@southwest82 so the bulk of my trips are 3 day trips (occasionally 1 day--called a turn--, 2 day, or 4 day trips). Most of those days are anywhere from 2-4 legs per day. Sometimes 1 leg, very infrequently 5 or 6 legs. I haven't done 5 or 6 legs in a day, but they are out there. The overnights are anywhere from 12 to 20ish hours off, it totally varies. Duty days can also vary depending on number of legs, if you're behind, how long the flights are, etc.
You do not necessarily need a college degree. The number of hours is a serious hurdle, no doubt. Depending on what you fly in the military you will likely get the hours (or be very close), but that is a 10 year pilot training commitment.
@@FlyWithMattyB Also one time could you make a video about what a daily life for a pilot would look like? Idk if your allowed to bring cameras into Southwest cockpits but it would be nice to see what it’s like
Only the pilots that have kissed the right ass and lobbied to the right people and have gotten themselves into a “check-airman” position where they get triple pay per hour - those are the ones that make at or nearly a 1M per year. The rest of us (captains) are making ¼ to ⅓ of that and FO’s are making about ⅔’s of that.
