How many of you thought you'd be where you are now in your career?

[PureMuscle]

I was just wondering how many of you all knew you were going to make it and knew you had what it took to be a proffesional pilot all your lives, or working as a first officer, captain, military pilot, or just getting all your rating, etc...... instead of doing some other profession.

 

[satpak77]

I was just wondering how many of you all knew you were going to make it

please define that statement

 

[PureMuscle]

Haha, let's see....

I just mean how many of you guy's or girls knew that flying was for you either growing up or even getting into it later on in life, and if you ever had any doubts going through the process but still followed through knowing you have what it takes and it payed off. I'm not talking money wise, that really doesn't define success to me necessarily.

Sorry if I didn't explain it any better this time, but I tried.

 

[U-I pilot]

I took one discovery flight in 1997 and knew I wanted to fly. Started lessons the next summer, aviation college, all my ratings, and graduating in a month then gonna build time and experience.....Never second guessed, never looked back.
In fact, I still can think of nothing else I would rather do as a job. Maybe that opinion will change when I see issues that are inevitable with any job but in the end its still flying....what a joy.
No better office view.

 

[FN FAL]

please define that statement

Yea, really. Wouldn't the better question be to those Ex Eagle and Comair guys that you run into almost anywhere that are selling insurance or real estate? I bet at 30% of non-towed airports, you could throw a beer bottle in the air and have a 50% chance of hitting an ex-Simmons airline pilot in the head.

I think the one statistic they won't ever publish is how many guys graduate from expensive schools, that never fly a airplane for hire ever. like my buddy's two kids that just graduated from UND last year.

 

[PureMuscle]

I took one discovery flight in 1997 and knew I wanted to fly. Started lessons the next summer, aviation college, all my ratings, and graduating in a month then gonna build time and experience.....Never second guessed, never looked back.
In fact, I still can think of nothing else I would rather do as a job. Maybe that opinion will change when I see issues that are inevitable with any job but in the end its still flying....what a joy.
No better office view.

Awesome man, good luck with everything.

 

[PureMuscle]

Yea, really. Wouldn't the better question be to those Ex Eagle and Comair guys that you run into almost anywhere that are selling insurance or real estate? I bet at 30% of non-towed airports, you could throw a beer bottle in the air and have a 50% chance of hitting an ex-Simmons airline pilot in the head.

I think the one statistic they won't ever publish is how many guys graduate from expensive schools, that never fly a airplane for hire ever. like my buddy's two kids that just graduated from UND last year.

The reason I didn't define it like you did is because I thought there would be a little too much negative feeback like there has been on this board in other threads. Even though your comment is the reality side of the aviation business currently, I figured I'd have a thread to show the other side, but I'm definitely not trying to deny the drawbacks.

 

[Cardinal]

I had chosen my career path by age 5. Seriously. I had my mom sew a pair of epaulettes on a white shirt and built a cockpit procedures trainer (didn't know the technical term then) out of Construx.

Only about a year behind where I thought I would be by now, 20 years later.

 

[PureMuscle]

Damn, you should have kept that trainer you built, unless you did. That would have been classic to see years later.

 

[Big Duke Six]

Personally, I've always WANTED to fly. I used to lay in the grass when I was about 4 or 5 just to watch airplanes fly over. I was always driven to do this.

BUT, as far as KNOWING whether I would make it or not is a totally different question. I always knew that that question would be answered not by me, but by the check pilots I've had to exhibit proficiency to along the way. I always felt like I got a fair shake on civilian checkrides, but the military was a little different. Not that they weren't right in their assessments, it's just that there was less room for error. So, in that environment a lot of us felt uncertain of our futures at one point or another. I always felt I would make it, but I didn't KNOW.

Then, I look back at all the fine people I went to college with who gave up their dreams long ago. Out of all the people I knew in the program then, I'd guess that only about 20% are doing what we set out to do. I'm sure they all wanted it as bad as I did, but for some reason fate was not with them.

I feel very fortunate when I compare my journey against some others. I always knew I wanted to do this and here I am, but I would be a fool to say "I always KNEW I would make it".