Im typing my Senior Research paper!

[Futurepilot69]

Hello everyone. My name is Rick. Im a Senior at Mentor High School in Mentor, Ohio. Currently I am writing my final research paper, required by the state, so I can graduate. The topic of my research paper is.... "Things to consider when pursuing a career in Aviation"... or something like that. In this paper I am required to get some quotes and material from other people that know a lot about this topic. I thought I might ask you guys and girls some question that could help me out with this topic.
If you can help me out here just let me know, I have to comprise a list of question that I can ask you about ceratin areas of interest. I also will be looking for imput from anyone who has had any expierence in the Air Force, Army, or Navy.
I will be posting again tomorrow, but for right now I have to start writing my thesis. Thanks for you time.
Rick

 

[350DRIVER]

Rick-
I am glad to see that you have picked aviation as the topic for your paper. A few things that you may want to consider to make reference to or point out, compare, contrast, etc..:

1) Age of the person.- Is he a career changer or someone who is starting right out of high school.??

2) Civilian route vs. the military route- advantages and disadvantages of both.

3) Cost of training programs. College- Internships,etc..

4) Big name flight school vs. small flight school at local airport.

5) Current shape of the industry.

6) Airline pay scale versus corporate 91 flight departments and 135 companies.

7) What is the quickest route to get to the right seat.? MAPD

8) PFT and how this is very detrimental to the industry and is undercutting many others.

9) What is the biggest obstacle to overcome.

10) How can one finance the costs of flight training.

11) Numerous routes to go.

12) The best "positives" of a career in aviaton and the "worst".

13) The gambles and sure bets in this industry.

14) How long before the hiring will pick back up to full speed.

15) Anticipated retirements at the airlines in the next 3, 5, 10 years.??

16) Some sites, sources, websites, that one can find information on a career in aviation.

17) How important "networking" is and why.?

18) Why is aviation a difficult market to tap into initially.?

19) Is the market predicted to get better.?

20) Why the fractional companies and 135 departments are continuing to make money present day.

21) SWA, Jet Blue, and Air Tran are making money and the others are loosing quite abit of money- why.?? differences in route structure, strategy, etc, etc, .....

22) Will I be able to support a family with my first job in the industry and if not how can I plan to make the additional money "needed" to make ends meet.?

23) How much can you expect to make in your first year as a pilot being paid for his services.??

24) How long before you top $40,000 a year.??

25) How much do you really want to be a "pilot".?

26) Is your family willing to support you in your desire to become a professional pilot.??

27) What is your biggest concerns, fears, or questions pertaining to a job in aviation.?

28) How long will training take.?

29) Is college a must.??

30) How can one obtain additional information on a career in aviation.??


These are just a "few" things that come to mind that may get you on the right track or possibly give you some ideas on what to include in your paper. Good luck and any questions shoot away..

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[350DRIVER]

31) How much money can you expect to pay for your "required" flight training.? Private through Commercial-multi/instrument.?

32) Is a CFI/CFII a must to build flight hours up.??

33) Why some internships may benefit you in the long run.

34) How long will it take you to pay back loans.?

35) Why is the military flight training program so highly regarded and respected.?

36) Different options you have in the reserve, national guard, etc, to build experience up.

37) How can a college "bridge" program get you hired with a "lower" flight time than the "minimums".?

38) How a commercial pilot at 250 hours TT can obtain employment within the industry- options??

39) Is it better to go to a big name college over a smaller, less known school.??

40) Advantages and disadvantages of "accelerated" programs..


Just a few more points that may help you on your paper-

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[Draginass]

"Things to consider when pursuing a career in Aviation"

Here in the last 2 years the industry has fundamentally changed, and not for the better. Things to consider?

1. Increased boom and bust economic cycles.
2. Long periods of unemployment.
3. Low pay even at traditionally "end game" jobs at major airlines, 401k retirement only, working to FAR maximums.
4. Lack of job protection. Outsourcing jobs to lower paid contractors.
5. Expects unions to become irrelevant. Union power emasculated by goverment and courts.
6. All the public and politicians care about is cheap tickets and not too many airplane crashes. Inherent cultural safety will not be a prime concern . . . . only a concern when the smoking wreckage is shown on TV.
6. Probable lifting of restrictions on foreign ownership and cabotage rights. Expect Republicans and some Democrats to push for foreign ownership and point-to-point US flying restrictions to be lifted. Expect cheap foriegn pilots to complete directly for US jobs through contract code-share, etc.
7. Expect starry-eyed new pilots to the profession to become disillusioned and leave the profession when they see there is no lucritive career goal. Expect large percentage of young pilots to abandon the profession after spending thousand of dollars in training cost.
8. Expect fewer entrants willing to self-fund the huge costs of training.
9. Expect the few military pilots that leave service to take major jobs to retard progression of pure civilan pilots even more than now.
10. Expect future work rules to seriously restrict the abilty to commute to work.
11. Expect the FAA to become even more imbedded in the pockets of the companies than before.
12. Expect terrorists to again target the industry, despite the wishful thinking of many industry people. Imagine what another murder-suicide attack would do to it, and it's hard NOT to expect it 100% at some point in the future.

Other than that, the commercial aviation industry has a great future.

 

[bobbysamd]

One or two more points . . . .

Benefits and disadvantages of an aviation degree versus a non-aviation degree.

Ways that pilots can remain employed in the aviation industry in the event that they are removed from flying status.

Medical considerations for pilots.

Finally, here are a couple of things that you can read that might help get you started.

U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics commentary on pilot and flight crew employment.

This letter from Dr. Harvey Birdseye of the Aviation Department at Lane Community College in Oregon.

Hope all this helps. Good luck with your paper. It would be nice if there would be a way for us to view the finished product.

 

[hydroflyer]

How does the quality of life compare between different types of flying (121, 135 charter, 135 Cargo...)?

Definately have to agree with bobbysamd in that as a pilot you always should consider the "what if" and have a backup plan in the event you lose your medical and can no longer fly.

Will be glad to help you out on this so if you have any questions, just ask or PM me.

 

[Futurepilot69]

Thank you for all of the imput everyone. Many of the ideas you gave me, I had already planned to use in the paper. However in order for me to get credit and be able to use anything I learn here, I have to conduct this as more of an interview format.
I guess I can post questions here and you may respond to them on these message boards, or you may email anything to me you wish to keep confidential. So, if you can help me it would be greatly appretiated.
This first line of questions are aimed at your own personal expierence. These will help me get a pilot's perspective on what it was like to earn your pilot's license and make it through any college.

1. What was it that made you decide to go into this profession/career?

2. Why did you choose the flight school you did?

3. How long did it take you to make it through the various schools? Was there any reason it took you this long?

4. If money was not a problem, where would you suggest that someone should go to get their license?

5. What sort of college degrees should one get that wants to become a pilot?

6. How did you pay for all of your schooling?

7. What type of this must one consider when deciding what type of pilot to aim for. (commercial, fighter, private, etc.)

8. Did the Air Force possiblity ever factor into your career decisons? If it did, how helpful was it?

9. What is ONE thing you would tell someone who wished to go into aviation?

Now keep in mind that these are general questions. It is not nessesary to go into much detail with these. I just need them as more of a body to the paper. The more detailed questions are yet to come. Excuse any spelling or gramatical errors, im in a hurry tonight. Thanks again for your time.

~Rick~

 

[Draginass]

9. What is ONE thing you would tell someone who wished to go into aviation?

Don't do it. Get a degree in something else useful that you like. Get your private license and use all that money you save on advanced ratings to pay for pleasure flying or buy an aircraft for yourself.

 

[ClearRight]

1. What was it that made you decide to go into this profession/career?

Growing up on Air Force bases, I've always wanted to be a pilot. First I wanted to be a fighter pilot in the armed forces, but my asthma got in the way of that. Then I wanted to be a missionary pilot in the jungles somewhere, but my wife and kids got in the way of that. Now I'm an airline pilot and LOVE IT! It's a rare thing to have someone actually love going to work.


2. Why did you choose the flight school you did?

I went to LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas and got a degree in Aviation Technology with the Flight Option. It's a BS degree where I got my A&P Mechanic license and all pilot ratings through CFII. I chose it because the program has the A&P included which is what a missionary pilot MUST have.


3. How long did it take you to make it through the various schools? Was there any reason it took you this long?

Four-and-a-half years including two summers. Normal time for this degree program.


4. If money was not a problem, where would you suggest that someone should go to get their license?

I'm a supporter of the big aviation colleges and universities. Your flight training is part of your tuition and you get it all done at once. ERAU, UND, LeTourneau, and others with a DEDICATED flight program (not just a partnership with a local FBO) tend to be well organized and cover a lot more than just flying.


5. What sort of college degrees should one get that wants to become a pilot?

I think aviation related degrees are okay. I have one, but have been fortunate enough to stay in the industry. That said, my A&P pulled me through a few lean years of waiting for that "break-in" job.


6. How did you pay for all of your schooling?

I was fortunate enough that my parents started saving for my college from birth and had enough and sacrificed enough to put me though completely.


7. What type of this must one consider when deciding what type of pilot to aim for. (commercial, fighter, private, etc.)

Must be getting late. . . .don't understand the question!


8. Did the Air Force possiblity ever factor into your career decisons? If it did, how helpful was it?

YES. If I didn't have asthma, I'd be in the Air Force. Although, at the time I would have been ready to get in, there were very few pilot slots open and they would have gone to the Acadamy guys. I might be a ground pounder if I went in. That exact thing happened to a friend of mine in college. Got all his ratings, went into the AF, hasn't stepped foot in a cockpit since.


9. What is ONE thing you would tell someone who wished to go into aviation?

Right now is a tough time and the industry is going through some major changes, but it's all happened before and people will always have to fly from here to there and back again. There will always be a need for pilots and the industry will pick up again.

 

[Futurepilot69]

7. What type of this must one consider when deciding what type of pilot to aim for. (commercial, fighter, private, etc.)

Must be getting late. . . .don't understand the question!
[/B]

If someone were to choose flying a career, there are obviously quite a few types of jobs availabe. Such as being a Air Force fighter pilot, or a commercial airline pilot. The question should be, if a person is unsure what kind of aircraft/type of job they want to fly/have what are somethings that they should consider when making that choice. It may be a poor question, but I hope that my explanation helps.


Thank you, by the way, for your answers and time. I hope to hear from more of you before I start handing out more questions for you guys to answer. You are all being very helpful.
Thanks again.

~Rick~

 

[Purple Haze]

1. What was it that made you decide to go into this profession/career? My Dad is a private pilot - loves everything about it. I grew up watching him build an airplane in our garage.

2. Why did you choose the flight school you did? USAF, free and no experience necessary.

3. How long did it take you to make it through the various schools? Was there any reason it took you this long? Start to finish: about 5 1/2 years. The breakdown = College: 4yrs. Officer training school: 3 months. Undergraduate pilot training: 1 year. Survival school: 2 weeks. Follow-on training (aircraft specific): 2 months. Many other schools later (upgrade training, etc.).

4. If money was not a problem, where would you suggest that someone should go to get their license? Depends on your long term goal. I am biased toward the military - the Air Force, in particular. The training is good, the pay is good, the experience is hard to beat, and a multitude of pilot positions. However: You must be willing to give it all in combat if it becomes necessary. You will also be required to perform MANY nonflying duties (many).

5. What sort of college degrees should one get that wants to become a pilot? Depends. Military fixed-wing pilots (not helicopter) require a 4-year degree (any major, though a "technical" degree may be more competitive).

6. How did you pay for all of your schooling? I enlisted in the Air Force right out of high school and let them pay for most of it. I attended college in my spare time.

7. What type of things must one consider when deciding what type of pilot to aim for. Do you want this to be your career, or are you doing this as a past time? Do you want to jump from one low paying job to another while you build hours, or do you want to be Uncle Sam's servant 24/7 for at least 11 years?

8. Did the Air Force possiblity ever factor into your career decisons? If it did, how helpful was it? Yes......very helpful

9. What is ONE thing you would tell someone who wished to go into aviation? Have a real backup plan -- My "sharp stick in the eye" theory. All career pilots are one sharp stick in the eye away from NOT being pilots.