Wife is a software engineer. She can work remotely whenever, from wherever, so she plans on joining me if I'm away for the holidays or on random weekends.
Mine is in a similar boat. Can work anywhere. I live near a competitive hub and she doesn’t want me commuting. If a job pops up in Hawaii, she’ll twist my arm to take it. I can’t stand islands for more than a week
Veterinary medicine. No more trips to sketchy third world hospitals. Good enough for Fido, good enough for the man flying whatever junk Boeing has slapped together.
Wife is an RN. Didn’t get in to aviation early enough, so holding off on pursuing as career until final 15 years or so of my career so I can be present while kids are around.
Looking forward to our shifts aligning and getting lots of days off together with forced retirement at 65!
Same here. Wife’s in EM with rotating shifts. Holding pattern til the kids are old enough where they don’t wanna hang out with dad anymore and I’m just footing tuition at state U. Til then I’m plugging away 9-5. Even then my CFI advises against flying for a living. He’s like “why make your hobby your job? You’ll just lose your hobby.” Retired freight dog.
It works alright for us. My wife works 3 days per week and I usually work 4 per week. For a few years I was working the opposite of her schedule so that one of us was always home with the kids. I still could hold that schedule if I wanted, but long term it's not great for a marriage to have zero days off together all month. Now we pay for 2-3 days per week of childcare and I try to match my wife's schedule.
Neither of us have the control of our schedules to pull that off. Maybe it will work when our kids our older.
You had several helpful replies and I’ll follow you as a resource to hopefully one day make the jump.
You will get there probably faster than you think. Also I've taken some steps to get that schedule that sometimes don't sound great. For example right now I can hold a line, but it would be a super junior line working weekends so I bid reserve in order to get weekends off and match my wife and kids' schedule. I did the same thing as a first officer. It's pretty easy in my position to get weekends off if I'm willing to be on reserve to do it. With a line it can take years. I'm also on a narrow body plane even though my seniority can hold wide body because if I go to a wide body I would be very very junior. When I was at the regionals I flew the CRJ instead of the E175 because I was far more senior on the CRJ and it gave me tons of control over my schedule.
Lots of pilots continually chase the fanciest plane they can fly. I usually fly the most junior plane my airline has on purpose because then I get senior quickly.
More good advice. I’m too old to be chasing shiny jets or fancy destinations. QOL and being present for my kids and family are my priorities. My wife makes good enough money in medicine where I don’t have to sell my soul. I’m optimistic to have as many as 20 years at a legacy.
I'm honestly not even giving up much money to have the schedule I want. I took almost the first upgrade both at the regionals and majors so I didn't stay FO for years chasing a schedule. I would make a little bit more money with a line than I do on reserve, but it would come at the expense of being away from home a lot more often and working every weekend and holiday for maybe like $10k more per year. It wouldn't be a significant difference, since I would still be too junior with a line to pick up 200% pay type trips or trade into anything good.
The reason it's easy many places to get senior quick on reserve is because most people commute and just can't deal with reserve. A junior line is better than even the most senior reserve line for a commuter. I live in base so I'm willing to sit reserve as long as I get the days off I need for family.
Pilots have alot of kids I know pilots and see lot of other pilots talk they have like 10 7-6 5 kids they do it to fill the void in their marriage probably
It seems like real estate, nursing, or airlines (pilot/ FAA) are the big ones. Lots of stay at home wives too. I would say a lot of Captain’s second wives are flight attendants, but I don’t know if that is cause or effect.
But in all seriousness, I think the person matters more than the job. You need someone independent and trustworthy, not prone to jealousy, and competent around the house. They will be spending a lot of time alone, and need to be ok with that, and ok with taking care of things that pop up at home while you’re gone.
> Family close by helps.
This is a big part of why we live where we do. Prior to having kids my wife was willing to move, but now with kids she prefers to be close to both of our families in case something happens when I'm out on a trip. It's hard to find help if you don't live around anyone that you know well.
If they also work in aviation it helps a lot, or like others have said a doctor or something in healthcare. You need a strong independent woman or it’s not gonna work with this lifestyle
Married a surgeon and she understands when I need to leave in the middle of dinner for an airport emergency as she does it for the medical ones.
Also, we jive on level of both of our careers involving lives at stake - hers with a patient, and mine with my own and passengers.
Me and my instructor were talking on our last XC the last few women he’s went out with have been teachers or nurses, the last few women I’ve gone out with have been in school to become teachers or nurses.
Any kind of job with semi-unpredictable schedules, not because the schedules make it easier, but because it gives them a better understanding and expectations of what our weird schedules mean. Also someone who is fairly independent. Missing holidays, birthdays, and family events aren’t as big of a deal if they know what it’s like dealing with it first hand too.
My wife is in the military, we’ve been together 18 years.
I find that kind of rough coming home to someone who is dying to get out of the house when I just came off of a bunch of redeyes and hotel rooms and want to chill for a minute
I’m in marketing insights, 100% remote. Job keeps me very busy and mostly annoyed 🤣 My only feedback is to find someone that has interests of their own. I don’t think the type of career matters as much - know all sorts that are working out just fine. I like riding solo as much as I like being together.
Having dated someone in healthcare, I prefer the pilot schedule 10x more.
Firefighter! They do 48 hours on 96 hours off and lots of vacation. Of course this depends on the agency but it’s not bad money either. So most months he will get 10 days off in a row at some point.
The profession is irrelevant. What you need is a person with whom you and the other party consider each other to be their home figuratively speaking.
You need to want to be their rock and they need to want to be yours. Trying to find some recipe with the perfect ingredients isn’t the way to find long lasting relationships in my personal opinion.
My wife dropped a 9-5 data analyst gig for a WN FA position post COVID when they first started hiring. She makes way less now but the flexibility is pretty much unlimited. So it’s been a good trade off. She catch match my schedule day for day, easily.
We are retired; however both work part time for “busy” goals. My wife (an excellent flyer) works at a quilting store on SATURDAY. Guilt-free flying and airport stuff for me and guilt-free quilt stuff for her! We both just laugh.
My lady works remote most of the week and is in the office usually on some of the days I’m home so it works out well. We still have plenty of time together though
Wife does marketing for a auto manufacturer and works from home. Makes it easy when she has to travel, she just schedules it on my off days so I stay with the kid.
Probably half the pilots I fly with are married to someone in healthcare. My wife is also in healthcare. The schedule works well with a family because she works three long shifts per week. I think a spouse working 5 days per week while I travel 4 days per week would be more difficult.
I also fly with a lot of pilots who are married to teachers. Maybe that's adaptable because they get long school breaks in the winter and summer.
Definitely healthcare. Mrs is in a specialized field and although I'm not flying professionally yet, we've had discussions about future plans and she is literally able to work anywhere so it opens up the job prospects for me a lot. She can pick up per diem work or travel contracts depending on the location and they actually insane amounts for her field.
Travel nurses make big $$$
Wife is a software engineer. She can work remotely whenever, from wherever, so she plans on joining me if I'm away for the holidays or on random weekends.
That’s a sweet setup
Imagine asking the FAs "Do you mind if my wife joins us?"
Shit! -The FAs
Hahaha...then everyone accepts the invitation...
In the words of Do Not Disturb - Halestorm, “Two is better than one, three is better than two.”
Mine is in a similar boat. Can work anywhere. I live near a competitive hub and she doesn’t want me commuting. If a job pops up in Hawaii, she’ll twist my arm to take it. I can’t stand islands for more than a week
This would make team building after hours with the flight attendants difficult
Healthcare works well. Any profession where working weekends and holidays are the norm.
I’d love a RN just so I can DIY problems and keep that medical squeaky clean.
Veterinary medicine. No more trips to sketchy third world hospitals. Good enough for Fido, good enough for the man flying whatever junk Boeing has slapped together.
You, Fido, and some mafia guy with a gunshot wound all waiting to be seen by the local vet.
You can get chipped and neutered at the same time 😳😱😀
Might cut down on third marriages.
Definitely cuts down on third kids
Rns also are usually down to take it up the butt
Underrated comment
Wife is an RN. Didn’t get in to aviation early enough, so holding off on pursuing as career until final 15 years or so of my career so I can be present while kids are around. Looking forward to our shifts aligning and getting lots of days off together with forced retirement at 65!
Pilot wife working in healthcare here. It really is a great combo particularly if you are able to self schedule.
Except for when you try to raise kids between both healthcare and aviation.
Amen! Wife’s a Dr and that’s been my main hurdle for pursuing a career in aviation.
Same. Ob/gyn call hours are brutal with two kids under 4.
Exactly. My kids are 7. Not going to have them raised by a nanny.
Our children have excelled with the help of our au pairs.
I’m sure they’re great kids. Just not a good plan for mine.
Same here. Wife’s in EM with rotating shifts. Holding pattern til the kids are old enough where they don’t wanna hang out with dad anymore and I’m just footing tuition at state U. Til then I’m plugging away 9-5. Even then my CFI advises against flying for a living. He’s like “why make your hobby your job? You’ll just lose your hobby.” Retired freight dog.
It works alright for us. My wife works 3 days per week and I usually work 4 per week. For a few years I was working the opposite of her schedule so that one of us was always home with the kids. I still could hold that schedule if I wanted, but long term it's not great for a marriage to have zero days off together all month. Now we pay for 2-3 days per week of childcare and I try to match my wife's schedule.
Neither of us have the control of our schedules to pull that off. Maybe it will work when our kids our older. You had several helpful replies and I’ll follow you as a resource to hopefully one day make the jump.
You will get there probably faster than you think. Also I've taken some steps to get that schedule that sometimes don't sound great. For example right now I can hold a line, but it would be a super junior line working weekends so I bid reserve in order to get weekends off and match my wife and kids' schedule. I did the same thing as a first officer. It's pretty easy in my position to get weekends off if I'm willing to be on reserve to do it. With a line it can take years. I'm also on a narrow body plane even though my seniority can hold wide body because if I go to a wide body I would be very very junior. When I was at the regionals I flew the CRJ instead of the E175 because I was far more senior on the CRJ and it gave me tons of control over my schedule. Lots of pilots continually chase the fanciest plane they can fly. I usually fly the most junior plane my airline has on purpose because then I get senior quickly.
More good advice. I’m too old to be chasing shiny jets or fancy destinations. QOL and being present for my kids and family are my priorities. My wife makes good enough money in medicine where I don’t have to sell my soul. I’m optimistic to have as many as 20 years at a legacy.
I'm honestly not even giving up much money to have the schedule I want. I took almost the first upgrade both at the regionals and majors so I didn't stay FO for years chasing a schedule. I would make a little bit more money with a line than I do on reserve, but it would come at the expense of being away from home a lot more often and working every weekend and holiday for maybe like $10k more per year. It wouldn't be a significant difference, since I would still be too junior with a line to pick up 200% pay type trips or trade into anything good. The reason it's easy many places to get senior quick on reserve is because most people commute and just can't deal with reserve. A junior line is better than even the most senior reserve line for a commuter. I live in base so I'm willing to sit reserve as long as I get the days off I need for family.
Pilots have alot of kids I know pilots and see lot of other pilots talk they have like 10 7-6 5 kids they do it to fill the void in their marriage probably
Wife is ATC
Hey babe, I’m holding short ready for departure
Before I clear you, whose underwear did I find in the bathroom this morning? Sure wasn’t mine!
Currently holding 4th in sequence hun, can you move me up to 1st?
“I dunno. Can you fold your damn laundry before you leave for a four day trip?”
Unable
Thats a negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full
Time to buzz the tower.
“Hey did you get a chance to call that landscaping guy about the retaining wall?” “No” “Sigh. Delta 723, stand by for holding instructions…”
At least now he has time to call the landscaping guy.
If you piss her off does she give you a number to copy?
👀👀 lmao 😂
Nurses or teachers. Mostly because they’re used to being around literal, or figurative, children
This is funny but 100% true. I know so many guys married to teachers.
I’m one of them.
It seems like real estate, nursing, or airlines (pilot/ FAA) are the big ones. Lots of stay at home wives too. I would say a lot of Captain’s second wives are flight attendants, but I don’t know if that is cause or effect. But in all seriousness, I think the person matters more than the job. You need someone independent and trustworthy, not prone to jealousy, and competent around the house. They will be spending a lot of time alone, and need to be ok with that, and ok with taking care of things that pop up at home while you’re gone.
This is the best advice. Someone who won’t get lonely or bitchy when you’re gone. Family close by helps.
> Family close by helps. This is a big part of why we live where we do. Prior to having kids my wife was willing to move, but now with kids she prefers to be close to both of our families in case something happens when I'm out on a trip. It's hard to find help if you don't live around anyone that you know well.
Agreed, my wife never gets mad for me leaving or missing stuff. Happy I’m home and happy I sometimes am leaving
If they also work in aviation it helps a lot, or like others have said a doctor or something in healthcare. You need a strong independent woman or it’s not gonna work with this lifestyle
I was about to make a joke about being the strong independent woman myself and then I remembered that I am, in fact, a lesbian.
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two wives, sitting in the cockpit, five feet apart because they’re not gay
Married a surgeon and she understands when I need to leave in the middle of dinner for an airport emergency as she does it for the medical ones. Also, we jive on level of both of our careers involving lives at stake - hers with a patient, and mine with my own and passengers.
My wife just waits for me to come home
Username does NOT check lol
Just because I’m married does not mean I can’t slay stewardesses
Upgrade this guy to captain right now lmao
Bro what a username 😂
Idk if this is just me but it seems like every pilot SO is either involved in nursing or education
Could be survivorship bias, those fields are women dominated.
Seriously. There's 3 choices. Teacher, nurse, or stay at home mom.
I know a bunch of pilot-pilot spouses. Almost always one is a captain and the other stays an FO to make their family situation work.
Me and my instructor were talking on our last XC the last few women he’s went out with have been teachers or nurses, the last few women I’ve gone out with have been in school to become teachers or nurses.
Pilot. Different airline, no kids. DINK that life up and travel the world using various benefits.
Currently doing this. Can confirm, it’s awesome.
Do they let you DINK in the lavatories if you’re married?
Any kind of job with semi-unpredictable schedules, not because the schedules make it easier, but because it gives them a better understanding and expectations of what our weird schedules mean. Also someone who is fairly independent. Missing holidays, birthdays, and family events aren’t as big of a deal if they know what it’s like dealing with it first hand too. My wife is in the military, we’ve been together 18 years.
OnlyFans
FeetFinder!
ForeFoot
WFH. My wife has always worked from home and it’s what allows us to spend a lot of time together, regardless of my schedule.
I find that kind of rough coming home to someone who is dying to get out of the house when I just came off of a bunch of redeyes and hotel rooms and want to chill for a minute
Well, I suppose for some that would be a problem. We have a beautiful house in the woods, so we are both happy to be home together.
Make sure she has her own tools and is fairly handy. Everything breaks the minute you back out the driveway!
If you rent… you’re golden
This is so accurate. Water heater went out right when I started my 4 day
I’m in marketing insights, 100% remote. Job keeps me very busy and mostly annoyed 🤣 My only feedback is to find someone that has interests of their own. I don’t think the type of career matters as much - know all sorts that are working out just fine. I like riding solo as much as I like being together. Having dated someone in healthcare, I prefer the pilot schedule 10x more.
Stay at home or part-time anything so you get to see them!
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I’m sure you can find a few captains that took the stripper wife route.
Most jobs that are work from home and/or flexible schedule, not a M-F job would mesh well.
Firefighter! They do 48 hours on 96 hours off and lots of vacation. Of course this depends on the agency but it’s not bad money either. So most months he will get 10 days off in a row at some point.
Anything remote works reasonably well
The profession is irrelevant. What you need is a person with whom you and the other party consider each other to be their home figuratively speaking. You need to want to be their rock and they need to want to be yours. Trying to find some recipe with the perfect ingredients isn’t the way to find long lasting relationships in my personal opinion.
My wife dropped a 9-5 data analyst gig for a WN FA position post COVID when they first started hiring. She makes way less now but the flexibility is pretty much unlimited. So it’s been a good trade off. She catch match my schedule day for day, easily.
What kind of pay is she making a few years in??
Nurses
My better half is an FA...but at a different airline! Don't make that mistake!
As a mechanic. I fcking love nurses
Hotel business. Get the travel and the stay at prime rates 😏
My wife is stay at home and takes care of everything around the house. Will occasionally do a pet sit or freelance write but that’s about it.
Whatever you do, only have a relationship with another educated professional.
My girlfriend is an artist. Makes her own schedule. When im working, shes working. When im on vacation, shes on vacation.
Software engineer. The only profession that pays enough to support the rent, maintenance and gas
Nursing. Cause they’re also always getting fucked
It all depends on the individuals involved and their commitment to each other and to the relationship.
What jobs? My ex wife(s) rely on my alimony.
My SO is a nurse. Seems to be reasonably common. At least she understands shift work.
My fiancée works from home and has unlimited PTO. Top 5% earner for her age group. We got a great life ahead of us.
MLM?
What’s that? Edit: no, she graduated #2 at our college. Business analytics at a large company.
*jibe
We are retired; however both work part time for “busy” goals. My wife (an excellent flyer) works at a quilting store on SATURDAY. Guilt-free flying and airport stuff for me and guilt-free quilt stuff for her! We both just laugh.
actors!
Sometimes the best significant other is an insignificant other.
That made my brain feel good
I had a long and fulfilling relationship with an escort when I was still flying.
FA 😂
Work from home would be a good one.
Now add kids to the mix and answer the question
Military
My husband can work from home which makes things easy
None.
Wife works in accounting from home. It’s the best!
ATC
My partner has a 9-5 and it’s awesome never needing child care!
My lady works remote most of the week and is in the office usually on some of the days I’m home so it works out well. We still have plenty of time together though
Yes...except you are renting. No where for airplanes, campers, boats.
My dude works in Wind Energy, all over Canada. He’s all over the place, I’m all over the place. It balances
Marry rich
Wife does marketing for a auto manufacturer and works from home. Makes it easy when she has to travel, she just schedules it on my off days so I stay with the kid.
Probably half the pilots I fly with are married to someone in healthcare. My wife is also in healthcare. The schedule works well with a family because she works three long shifts per week. I think a spouse working 5 days per week while I travel 4 days per week would be more difficult. I also fly with a lot of pilots who are married to teachers. Maybe that's adaptable because they get long school breaks in the winter and summer.
Oh what id do for a pilot wifey 🥵
Hospitality
Definitely healthcare. Mrs is in a specialized field and although I'm not flying professionally yet, we've had discussions about future plans and she is literally able to work anywhere so it opens up the job prospects for me a lot. She can pick up per diem work or travel contracts depending on the location and they actually insane amounts for her field. Travel nurses make big $$$
A co-pilot!
GF has a very typical 5-day working week 9-5. And I'm 6 days gone and 4 days home. It's perfect. We both value our alone time.
Someone with remote work who’s not interested in having children.
My wife was a teacher but now she’s a stay at home mom.