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Happy 2023!
2 years ago
A little late but I figured I'll post my summary of the year, and what I hope to achieve in this one!
2022 was definitely a roller coaster that ended as something that felt like a low point. It started out great with getting my helicopter commercial pilot license and shortly after, my certified flight instructor rating. Was able to pretty much immediately start with the school I was learning at around mid-July. During my training, I was starting to feel and see that the way the school was being run had declined quite a bit since when I first started learning back in 2013. I thought that "It can't be that bad!" Turns out it is bad and is getting worse.
The commute from the city out to Long Island is either a coin toss of whether or not you'll get stuck in heavy traffic both ways, or a very unreliable train schedule plus either a short bike or uber/lyft from the station. That combined with only getting paid when I was providing flight or ground instruction meant that there are a lot of things I have to do that I don't get paid for. The money I made on days where I flew an intro flight or with just one student either was going to gas, or was less than the round trip cost of commuting. Gas prices have come down so now its more economical to drive and sit in traffic for longer than I work than take public transit. I'm pretty much stuck working weekends and most student's can't fly on weekdays because they're working. I was told that he will "try" to ensure I get at least a day off a week. During the summer/holiday seasons, I've gone at times 10 days straight for just one or two flights a day (weekends being swamped back to back). On days where I'm fully booked out, I found that I barely have time to grab a sip of water or a snack because I have to keep on a time table. I've gone many days straight of skipped lunches.
As much as I want to say more details, I'm just going to summarize it as: The owner has been getting more and more toxic, and there is a huge disconnect between employer and employees. The operation feels more like prioritizing profit over quality.
A lot of this is the reason why I've not producing too much art.
Now on to the positives!
I've accepted a seasonal law enforcement ranger position in a Southwestern UT park I've worked in as a biological science tech in the past! On top of that, I've completed the first of 3 stages for getting to interviews for a permanent law enforcement ranger position. This is bringing me one step closer to being able to move out of NY and to a setting that would be more beneficial to my goals. At the very least, I know that I'll be able to get out to a better work environment in a few months.
I'm also starting to look in to other flight schools where I can potentially finish my IFR rating and maybe get my CFII rating and continue to teach, if those are the cards dealt.
I'm hoping this year will get me out of this toxic hole I'm currently stuck in and help me move on to a better setting!
2022 was definitely a roller coaster that ended as something that felt like a low point. It started out great with getting my helicopter commercial pilot license and shortly after, my certified flight instructor rating. Was able to pretty much immediately start with the school I was learning at around mid-July. During my training, I was starting to feel and see that the way the school was being run had declined quite a bit since when I first started learning back in 2013. I thought that "It can't be that bad!" Turns out it is bad and is getting worse.
The commute from the city out to Long Island is either a coin toss of whether or not you'll get stuck in heavy traffic both ways, or a very unreliable train schedule plus either a short bike or uber/lyft from the station. That combined with only getting paid when I was providing flight or ground instruction meant that there are a lot of things I have to do that I don't get paid for. The money I made on days where I flew an intro flight or with just one student either was going to gas, or was less than the round trip cost of commuting. Gas prices have come down so now its more economical to drive and sit in traffic for longer than I work than take public transit. I'm pretty much stuck working weekends and most student's can't fly on weekdays because they're working. I was told that he will "try" to ensure I get at least a day off a week. During the summer/holiday seasons, I've gone at times 10 days straight for just one or two flights a day (weekends being swamped back to back). On days where I'm fully booked out, I found that I barely have time to grab a sip of water or a snack because I have to keep on a time table. I've gone many days straight of skipped lunches.
As much as I want to say more details, I'm just going to summarize it as: The owner has been getting more and more toxic, and there is a huge disconnect between employer and employees. The operation feels more like prioritizing profit over quality.
A lot of this is the reason why I've not producing too much art.
Now on to the positives!
I've accepted a seasonal law enforcement ranger position in a Southwestern UT park I've worked in as a biological science tech in the past! On top of that, I've completed the first of 3 stages for getting to interviews for a permanent law enforcement ranger position. This is bringing me one step closer to being able to move out of NY and to a setting that would be more beneficial to my goals. At the very least, I know that I'll be able to get out to a better work environment in a few months.
I'm also starting to look in to other flight schools where I can potentially finish my IFR rating and maybe get my CFII rating and continue to teach, if those are the cards dealt.
I'm hoping this year will get me out of this toxic hole I'm currently stuck in and help me move on to a better setting!
