What does a Aircraft Tech make these Days?

[dogdriver]

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On 6/10/2003 8:43:04 PM Bob Owens wrote:

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Are you topped out? Come back and compare when you make it to the left seat in the 777.

I think you will find that his number is accurate when comparing topped out mechanics vs topped out pilots. Granted it takes a lot longer and there is no guarantee that you will ever get there but the numbers are right.


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Bob,
1. Yes I am "topped out". I''m on the MD-80 which now pays $139 an hour. Multiply that by 75 hours and you get $125,100 per year. Both of my brothers are also at top scale. One makes about $80,000 at NWA and the other makes about $90,000 at UPS. These are facts, not just a bunch of numbers parroted by someone who read something somewhere written by someone who knows nothing about aviation but likes to write trash because it stirs up people. Did you get all of that? It never ceases to amaze me how many people will believe just about anything that they read, especially if it''s a story about someone who earns more money than they do. Can you say envy?
2. Most pilots will never see the left seat of a 777. It''s based on seniority. I''ll never see it and I was hired in the middle of the pack in 1988. Oh well, that''s life. All mechs will see the top, unless they quit or die a premature death, so it''s not really an accurate comparison.

 

[dogdriver]

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On 6/11/2003 12:17:28 AM RUM@AA wrote:

So you''re saying you make $100,000.00 a year? Wow, your union sucks too. And for how many hours a month do you fly? 60 max? I''m on the clock 40 hours a week, not counting unpaid lunch.
And what does a wide body captain make compaired to the avionics technician that fixes the autoland system? I''ve heard $350,000.00 to cross the pond. Yes or no?


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RUM,
1. I earn about 125K. That''s on an MD-80.
2. Yes, my so called union sucks.
3. I fly about 75 hrs per month. I''ll also add that judging from your post that you don''t have a clue just what it takes to get 75 hrs of flying. My schedule for this month has me doing 30 legs. Each leg takes about an hour for pre-flight activities and guess what, I don''t get paid for it. Then there is the sit time. Sometimes it''s only an hour (just enough time to get ready for the next flight) and sometimes it''s 4 hours. And don''t forget all of the time spent in those 5 star layover hotels. Don''t get me wrong, I knew what this job entailed when I sighed up. I''m not complaining. I just get a little tired of people like you who have a problem painting an accurate picture. Why is that? Are you so unhappy with your own lot in life that you take pleasure in complaining about how someone else has a better deal than you? The bottom line is that pilots and FAs put in a hell of a lot more time on the job than some, like you, would have people believe. Again, why is that?
4. A 777 CA at AA makes $176.38 an hr. They also get $6 an hr if they fly international and $5 an hr if they fly between 11 PM and 6 AM (I think). Put that all together and you get about $166,000 per year for a 75 hr month. So much for your fantasy about $350K.

 

[Buck]

 

[capeman]

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On 6/11/2003 11:35:15 AM dogdriver wrote:

RUM,

3. I fly about 75 hrs per month. I''ll also add that judging from your post that you don''t have a clue just what it takes to get 75 hrs of flying. My schedule for this month has me doing 30 legs. Each leg takes about an hour for pre-flight activities and guess what, I don''t get paid for it. Then there is the sit time. Sometimes it''s only an hour (just enough time to get ready for the next flight) and sometimes it''s 4 hours. And don''t forget all of the time spent in those 5 star layover hotels. Don''t get me wrong, I knew what this job entailed when I sighed up. I''m not complaining. I just get a little tired of people like you who have a problem painting an accurate picture. Why is that? Are you so unhappy with your own lot in life that you take pleasure in complaining about how someone else has a better deal than you? The bottom line is that pilots and FAs put in a hell of a lot more time on the job than some, like you, would have people believe. Again, why is that?

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What happens on a quick turn of say 30 or 40 minutes? Do you take a full hour for preflighting? (No wonder on time performance is a problem). Also I think you are getting paid. Do you have duty rigs for the five hour sits? Perdiem is also a form of pay I believe.

I can''t believe this thread lives on about pay when there are tons of better topics out there. WHO CARES... what each person makes in this industry. The people that do the job in this industry know what is going on at the other airlines. No need to inform the public.

Moaning and groaning will not improve pay or benefits now. Just deal with what is going on and do the best you can. Some how I think what I just said will turn this thread into a TWU, APFA bitching session, just like every other thread on this board.

 

[RUM@AA]

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On 6/11/2003 11:35:15 AM dogdriver wrote:

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On 6/11/2003 12:17:28 AM RUM@AA wrote:

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RUM,
1. I earn about 125K. That''s on an MD-80.
2. Yes, my so called union sucks.
3. I fly about 75 hrs per month. I''ll also add that judging from your post that you don''t have a clue just what it takes to get 75 hrs of flying. My schedule for this month has me doing 30 legs. Each leg takes about an hour for pre-flight activities and guess what, I don''t get paid for it. Then there is the sit time. Sometimes it''s only an hour (just enough time to get ready for the next flight) and sometimes it''s 4 hours. And don''t forget all of the time spent in those 5 star layover hotels. Don''t get me wrong, I knew what this job entailed when I sighed up. I''m not complaining. I just get a little tired of people like you who have a problem painting an accurate picture. Why is that? Are you so unhappy with your own lot in life that you take pleasure in complaining about how someone else has a better deal than you? The bottom line is that pilots and FAs put in a hell of a lot more time on the job than some, like you, would have people believe. Again, why is that?
4. A 777 CA at AA makes $176.38 an hr. They also get $6 an hr if they fly international and $5 an hr if they fly between 11 PM and 6 AM (I think). Put that all together and you get about $166,000 per year for a 75 hr month. So much for your fantasy about $350K.

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I gladly stand corrected. You''re right, most will never see the right seat of a 777. But I stand on the belief that pilots make much much more than mechanics. You have 5 star hotels and we have midnight shift and poison chemicals to deal with. Try huffing MPK for an hour or two. Not complaining, just compairing. I don''t have a problem with what pilots make, on the contrary. I''m not trying to pull you down, I''m trying to elevate my profession. The point I''m making is that AA complained that mechanic''s wages were their problem while their profitable competitor''s mechanic''s wages were the same or more. Our industrial unions sold us out to protect their majority (fleet service) and have been doing that for years. OK, so you do an 1 hr. preflight and fly a 2 hour flight, that''s $139x2/3= $92.66 and hour. I make $30.00/hr so it''s %30 of what you make, I originally said %20. Again, I stand corrected. I think Mechanics should make around %50 of what a pilot makes and fleet service should make about $10.00/hr. and should be mostly part-time.

 

[MADAMT]

I am an AMT in the NYC area, and can tell you this much.

I have a family, wife, three children and live in a modest 3 bedroom home, in the suburbs of New Jersey. Far enough from NY that I am actually closer to PHL. I drive a 98 Minivan and the wife drives a 2002 mid size, the 02 is because the 95 was no longer feasible to repair.

My house payment are low in comparison to the city and Long Isalnd and my taxes are also average. My wife works and I work a part time job. I do not a extravagant life stlye, and it is difficult to live on the income I have.
When you look at the salaries it seems impossible that one might have a difficult time, but when you look at the deductions from your check after the fact you begin realise why.

I don not live above my means and I not at the poverty level, but with the pay cuts and increse in benefit costs, I am treading water, keeping my head above the water. Some months I drop below the surface but bob back up somehow.

I do not feel that those of you out there not living in the higher cost of living areas, can sit there and tell us that we ahould be able to live with the pay cuts. As far as Full benefits that we contribute heavily to.

I am not detached from reality, I am living it. I do not live beyond my means, my kids attend public school and participate in normal activities, baseball, soccer, scouts and such.

 

[Bob Owens]

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On 6/11/2003 10:51:39 AM dogdriver wrote:

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On 6/10/2003 8:43:04 PM Bob Owens wrote:

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Are you topped out? Come back and compare when you make it to the left seat in the 777.

I think you will find that his number is accurate when comparing topped out mechanics vs topped out pilots. Granted it takes a lot longer and there is no guarantee that you will ever get there but the numbers are right.


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Bob,
1. Yes I am "topped out". I'm on the MD-80 which now pays $139 an hour. Multiply that by 75 hours and you get $125,100 per year. Both of my brothers are also at top scale. One makes about $80,000 at NWA and the other makes about $90,000 at UPS. These are facts, not just a bunch of numbers parroted by someone who read something somewhere written by someone who knows nothing about aviation but likes to write trash because it stirs up people. Did you get all of that? It never ceases to amaze me how many people will believe just about anything that they read, especially if it's a story about someone who earns more money than they do. Can you say envy?
2. Most pilots will never see the left seat of a 777. It's based on seniority. I'll never see it and I was hired in the middle of the pack in 1988. Oh well, that's life. All mechs will see the top, unless they quit or die a premature death, so it's not really an accurate comparison.

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You are not topped out. You are a Captian on one of the smallest planes we have. To me it should make no difference whether its an MD-80 or a 777 but thats how you guys do things.

Maybe you never will be topped out, meaning the maximum rate you can achieve as a contract pilot, but that does not mean that the original statement was incorrect. In fact you validate it with your post. You make more than triple what your brother at UPS makes per hour. I know he gets to go home every night and all that. But the original statement highlights the divergence of pay between the two groups. Its not envy, just an observation. Why are you so defensive about it? As far as I'm concerned you guys are worth it, the whole point is to highlight how we (mechanics) have failed to keep up.

 

[LadyAvi8or]

I think you are comparing apples and oranges. When you quote your pilot salary with the minimum hours worked and then quote a mechanics (your brothers) as the yearly gross. We have no idea how much over time they put in to make $90K for the year.

I am a topped out tech and have never pulled in in excess of $75K. I choose not to work overtime or holidays unless I have to.

This next comment is specifically for pricklyheat. From a brief parusal of the forums, I take it you work for the pharmaseutical industry. Before you throw stones at this industry, in which you are an outside looking in, I suggest you try and fix your own industry. If you want to know what I make, I will tell you that I no longer maker enough to help my elderly disabled neighbor buy her prescriptions. She cannot live without them and I have been paying for them for the last 3 years. I just recently had to tell her I can no longer afford this. She has tried on several occasions with her doctors help to apply with the drug companies for free medications. They always turn her down. The pharmaseutical industry is grossly neglegent in the way they do business, IMHO. They sell their drugs to foreign countries at a severly discounted rate and charge americans sometimes as much as 3 times that. You live a very good life for peddling pills to doctors.

 

[AA80Driver]

I'd like to put to bed some misconceptions posted here.

Autoland...I've done three in an airplane and one every year in the sim to stay current.

5 Star Hotels...This is ridiculous unless you consider Holiday Inn a 5 Star.

Mechanics vs Pilots...I respect mechanics and believe you should be well compnesated. Those on this board who choose to take their frustrations with the current state of the industry and their compensation out on other labor groups are being completely counterproductive. You need to focus on fixing your problems and we need to focus on fixing ours. Unity among labor groups is a farce because we are all looking out for #1, but respect isn't.

 

[pricklyheat]

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On 6/14/2003 11:05:13 PM LadyAvi8or wrote:

This next comment is specifically for pricklyheat. From a brief parusal of the forums, I take it you work for the pharmaseutical industry. Before you throw stones at this industry, in which you are an outside looking in, I suggest you try and fix your own industry.
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I am sorry when did I ever say I worked in the pill pushing industry. I believe this is a perfect example of the antics in your industry both on the union and the company side. Point fingers, push blame, lie, cheat, steal, and take no responsibility. I work in the medical field, I admit it needs reform. When did I ever say I worked as a salesman, doctor, or pharmacist? Want to know what I do? I am a company tech rep for MRI and imagery equipment. I am skilled, not white collar. I sit and wait on doctors and nurses all day long just like you. Take responsibility for your own actions and be part of the solution not the problem.

Thank You

 

[TWAnr]

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On 6/15/2003 1117 AM pricklyheat wrote:

I am sorry when did I ever say I worked in the pill pushing industry[?]

Thank You

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You did not. You gave a vague answer which invited speculation. Here is a copy of your post and my reply to you:

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On 6/8/2003 9:42:16 AM TWAnr wrote:

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On 6/7/2003 11:05:51 AM pricklyheat wrote:

I am in the medical field. I travel all over. Period. Lots of hours. Lots of hotels. Lots of time away from the family. Unpaid.

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Reading between the lines, prickly must be in sales; possibly medical equipment or pharmaceuticals. He must be jealous of doctors and suffers from a major inferiority complex. Why else would he need to know how much other people earn and berate them, while at the same time boasting about his own income, which is substantially below that of the doctors to whom he caters? Besides, the doctors get to sleep at home most nights.Most telling about him are the first five letters of his chosen board name.

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[TWAnr]

P.S. $138,000 a year on your W2 for being a technical rep. Now, that is a prime example of a grossly overpaid individual.

 

[pricklyheat]

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On 6/15/2003 2:57:43 PM TWAnr wrote:


P.S.  $138,000 a year on your W2 for being a technical rep.  Now, that is a prime example of a grossly overpaid individual.

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And that is for you to decide, why? What exactly do you think I do anyway or have you a clue? Tell me about your training, your qualifications. I keep medical equipment safe and functional. I am non-union, don''t need one. I am well paid. I sleep at night. My job isn''t on the six o''clock news every night. I am not bickering with my fellow co-workers about who''s work location should be closed. I am not giving back money, or better yet paying to have a job every ten years. Should I go on? I will. I have a responsibility to keep a machine (ie. aircraft) safe and operational in order to possibly save a life. $138,000 year ain''t to paid for that responsibility. You have the responsibility of hauling my butt 38,000 feet through the air at 638 miles per hour and yet you can''t prove your worth by keeping an airline afloat. So that leaves you fighting for your wages among yourselves and your management team. I am sorry, need I go on?

Thank You

 

[mga707]

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On 6/15/2003 421 PM pricklyheat wrote:

And that is for you to decide, why? What exactly do you think I do anyway or have you a clue?

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Well, there''s the two biggest pot/kettle/black sentences I''ve read in a long time.
The prickster has no problem deciding others are overpaid and assuming he knows all there is to know about their jobs, but when the tables are turned on him he throws a tantrum.
He can dish it out but he sure can''t take it.
And I''ll never say ANYONE is overpaid, even him. If he can get someone to fork over $138G/year, good for him!
Pity he doesn''t have the same courtesy...

 

[pricklyheat]

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On 6/15/2003 8:02:12 PM mga707 wrote:


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Well, there''s the two biggest pot/kettle/black sentences I''ve read in a long time.


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Want to read some more, just comb through a few of the other threads on this airline industry related board.

Thank You