Commercial pilots have it rough because the owners aren't the pilots so they get fucked by capitalism just like everyone else -- high skills be dammed. What are you going to do -- fly for someone else? Another rich billionaire who's also trying to fuck you?

Regan also gutted the unions power when the ATC went on strike.

Having a commercial license means you can get paid to fly, typically doing jobs like like sight seeing tours, banner towing, crop dusting and requires a minimum of 250 hours of flight time. to qualify for an airline job you need a minimum of 1500 hours. Most people build time instructing but that requires a separate certification on top of a commercial license. Instructing also sucks because you're usually an independent contractor getting no health insurance/benefits and only get paid for the time your student is paying the flight school. Student paying $60/hr for ground instruction and $200±/hr in the airplane? The instructor is getting paid $25/hr

Banner towing sucks because while towing the banner you fly at the slowest possible airspeed without stalling nearly the whole time. (Aerodynamic stall, nothing to do with the engine) The airplane controls are much, much less responsive due to less airflow over the control surfaces (ailerons, rudder, elevator) Its exhausting compared to flying at typical cruising speeds the airplane likes to fly at.

The best flying jobs are for major airlines but you're away from home 4 days a week staying in a new hotel every night so it sucks if you have a family. When you first start out as a new airline pilot with your 1500 hours you work for a really shitty regional airline getting paid like 60k and do 3-5 different flights per day which is exhausting because you have to do the most labor intensive and stressful parts multiple times per day rather than just flying across the entire country once and only doing the planning, takeoff/departure, and arrival/landing once. Also you’re not home 4 days a week.

Best job is 10 year 777 captain for United Airlines. Banner towing is like, the lowest of the low. Career banner-towers are probably in the single digits. It’s incredibly dangerous and pays like shit, the planes are poorly maintained, barely legal if at all.

“Commercial pilot” license means you can be paid to fly non-airline operations. I mean it’s more complicated than that but that’s the most basic explanation.

“Airline transport Pilot” license holders can fly for airlines. You can’t get this until you have 1500 hours. Renting a plane is expensive, and places like these are the only guys who will take low time pilots. Once you do have it, you’re grinding it out at a regional airline for a few years until you’re good enough for the “majors”. Back in 2009ish companies were telling their pilots not to show up to collect food stamps in uniform.

That’s if you get the regional airline job at all. The hiring boom of the past few years is grinding to a halt.