re: So I just met Nick Fairley

Wise decision

Branniganed

quote:

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Don't worry about it we know you're the fat guy on the right.

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Literally yes. Yes I was.

Like I said he was super cool and I was super dorkey because Nick Fairley.

That pic has so much potential.

Are you a pilot?

Yes he is a pilot

No. N97883 was one of Auburn 's flight school Cessna planes back in the glory days of the University owned flight program they had at the airport. It was painted with blue and orange stripes. It's probably been turned into beer cans by now. We wore those planes out but man was it a good time with good people.

I really don't like the name. Wish I had done something else.

Fwiw, I work at Delta. Between the aviation program and the rotc/military we have a boat load of Auburn people here and a lot of the young crowd. Then the regional Airlines have a lot of Auburn people including a lot of girls fwiw. The program probably wasn't that much better than a normal flight school but it was big, busy and made for well rounded personalities vs an aviation only college. By the time you get to the airline level you've proven you can fly so hiring becomes very personality driven and a lot of airlines evidently like Auburn civilians and military guys personalities. Yeah Auburn.

I just happened to meet Fairley today. I usually leave celebrities alone and you do get used to them here, but not an Auburn one. He has better pictures than I of him up there. The best was him turned around in the seat with the hands on the controls ready to go.

If anyone here is at Auburn or just out and interested in flying for a living now is a pretty good time. Major doesn't matter but four year degree is a company requirement. The stagnation in this field is about to end and we are going to lose nearly 7000 of our 12000 pilots over the next few years. It's like being a doctor, the end pay and life makes the early pain worth it. Figure about 40k-70k for basic licenses, a year or two of teaching, then regional hopefully for a short duration and then mainline. Pay ranges from $4500/mo for your first year, $11-17k a MO including 401k about six years in then captain pay is about 40% above that. I'm about eight years in and love it. For QOL, the min days home is usually 12 a month not including partial days, 16-19 off normally and it can be easily 20+ in a vacation month. We do put new hires in everything from the small mainline jets to the 767 international flying. See the world if you like, the international overnights are a blast.

Another possible good field is being an air traffic controller. You can make six figures working the floor in the bigger facilities in your second year. You have to be younger than 27 or something like that. But the pay is good, degree doesn't matter. If you play ncaa on the Playstation and simultaneously find the open receiver while actually listening and acknowledging what your girlfriend just said... on the varsity level mind you... you probably have the aptitude. Pay is good and depending on how you do it the training could be on the government's dime.

That's my pitch, hope it helps someone... now to ban myself for a long post and return with a more fun name.

War Eagle

You cant ban yourself

I'm 23, how long does it take to become an air traffic controller.