Junior in HS, Important Decision to Make

[Reckless]

Hey everybody.

I'm a Junior in High School out on Long Island, and the time has come for me to pick my senior year electives, and I've got a situation on my hands. I've got 3 periods free to choose classes.

Now, my school offers a 3-period a day class in Aviation, and I love, love, flying. From what I understand, the class covers a pretty large portion of the costs of getting my Private's rating. I'd get my private's pilot license by this time next year, and I would seriously love flying for a living, and writing on the side.

However, I still want to get a "back-up" degree in an English/Journalism/Creative Writing field. Now, that line of thinking is making me consider dropping that class in favor of more "practical" classes (AP Psyc, Creative Writing, Social Issues), and that's where my schedule lies thus far.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love to write, I'm good at it, and I'm sure I'd find jobs in the field I love doing.

However, I took a drive to MacArthur Airport today. Right as I pulled my car up aside the dinky little Cessna fixed-wings and the Bell choppers, my heart began to race, and I knew I was where I should be. My hands are still shaking, and I've been home 2 hours now.

So, basically, I know flying is where I want to be and what I'm meant to do. However, my problems are as follows...


1) Is there anybody here who has a job in Aviation? I'd like to talk to someone one-on-one very much.

2) Will colleges frown upon my choice, if I switch back into Aviation? I'm still taking Physics, AP English, AP Gov't + Politics, and Math 12 alongside it, so it's not something I'm doing just to avoid work during my senior year. Even if I get my license and love flying as much as I know I'm going to, I'd still like to go to a 4-year college to improve my writing ability and get my degree in English.



And that's basically it. Any help would be much appreciated. I'm going to make an appointment with the instructor of my High School's Aviation program to see exactly what they're going to pay for.

 

[lovetba6]

I suggest that you do take that aviation class that is offered in your highschool so you can get a better idea about aviation in general. It is a tough field to get into initially and as for myself I am still currently flight instructing. I have a student that was in your shoes last year and took an aviation class in his highschool. He is probably one of the better students I have had and many things have come easily to him because of his aviation class.

As for you second idea about getting a "back-up degree". My answer to that question is GO AND DO IT!!!!!!... Like stated above aviaiton is a difficult field to get into, so you might as well have a back up plan just incase you need it.

As far as how awesome flying is... I still love it and have been doing it for about 6 years now. I would not change a thing except how much I get paid but you will hear that from mostly everyone at my level of flying experience. I currently flight instruct for a University and I love teaching someone who has no clue what an airplane is or does, and getting them their private license.

If you have any more questions, private message me and I will gladly talk with you ...

Good luck!

 

[b350capt]

I agree with loveta. Take the courses. You need to know if you still are interested once you start getting into the nuts and bolts. Its not as easy as it looks, nor is it as hard as it looks, lol. I started flying in high school, and had my CFI summer after high school. My suggestion is that you start flying and taking courses as soon as possible. The costs add up fast, so if you can get anything done in high school, do it. As far as that backup degree goes, i would highly suggest it. I went to a four year aviation university, degree in aviation. Many people in the companies i've worked in, cargo, fractionals, corporate, and passenger charter do not have degrees at all, so I would suggest that you get a degree in another field that excites you, just in case. You will need a degree for the better corporate/airline jobs out there, and it doesnt matter what its in, trust me. The benifit that aviation universities may have, is that they typically have internship or 'bridge' programs with regional airlines that can have you flying in an RJ at 400 hours. I didn't want to go that way, and can't imagine flying for a regional, but thats just me. Many people have gone that road before and its paid off well for them. Feel free to PM me as well. Good luck, and get flyin!

 

[minitour]

How do those courses work? I've been trying to get in touch with guidance counsellors in the area to set up aviation related classes that count for credits for the students. Not sure if I'd have to be certified by the state to teach since it's in a school or if just the CFI/AGI is good enough since I'm teaching aviation.

Anyone have information they'd like to share would be great!

Oh...and take the class! Definitely!

-mini

 

[MFRskyknight]

Hey everybody.

I'm a Junior in High School out on Long Island, and the time has come for me to pick my senior year electives, and I've got a situation on my hands. I've got 3 periods free to choose classes.

Now, my school offers a 3-period a day class in Aviation, and I love, love, flying. From what I understand, the class covers a pretty large portion of the costs of getting my Private's rating. I'd get my private's pilot license by this time next year, and I would seriously love flying for a living, and writing on the side.

However, I still want to get a "back-up" degree in an English/Journalism/Creative Writing field. Now, that line of thinking is making me consider dropping that class in favor of more "practical" classes (AP Psyc, Creative Writing, Social Issues), and that's where my schedule lies thus far.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love to write, I'm good at it, and I'm sure I'd find jobs in the field I love doing.

However, I took a drive to MacArthur Airport today. Right as I pulled my car up aside the dinky little Cessna fixed-wings and the Bell choppers, my heart began to race, and I knew I was where I should be. My hands are still shaking, and I've been home 2 hours now.

So, basically, I know flying is where I want to be and what I'm meant to do. However, my problems are as follows...


1) Is there anybody here who has a job in Aviation? I'd like to talk to someone one-on-one very much.

2) Will colleges frown upon my choice, if I switch back into Aviation? I'm still taking Physics, AP English, AP Gov't + Politics, and Math 12 alongside it, so it's not something I'm doing just to avoid work during my senior year. Even if I get my license and love flying as much as I know I'm going to, I'd still like to go to a 4-year college to improve my writing ability and get my degree in English.



And that's basically it. Any help would be much appreciated. I'm going to make an appointment with the instructor of my High School's Aviation program to see exactly what they're going to pay for.

If the school is paying for that much flight time, DO IT!!! Get a jump on working on your ratings, and take the other classes in college. Unless you're trying to impress the pants off of some top-notch college, why does it matter what you took in high school? Well, I know there are some high school classes that count as college prep, but still... faced with the potential to get the private for well under full cost, that seems to outweigh it by far.

I don't have a job in aviation (yet), so I can't comment on the other stuff (yet). Let me get back to in a year or so.

Best of luck to ya.

MFR

 

[epic!]

wish my high school would have offered something like that

 

[flysparke]

When i was in high school we were offered an aviation course. It was run by Lewis University. We did get college credit for it. I would definitly take it if it is offered. But don't expect anymore than basic ground school stuff. Which is great and it will help you out when you start.

I don't have a job in aviation at the moment. Im in the process right now of going back and finishing all my cert and ratings. But from what i hear from everyone that i talk to it is a really good idea to get a non aviation related degree to fall back on. You don't want to spend all that money on a degree that you can't use. For example god forbid you start to have health problems and you lose your medical. Would you really be happy sitting behind a desk watching everybody else go up and have fun.

 

[mddg3581]

What area are you from? Definitely take the course and get as much done flying as son as possible. It sounds like you are about 17 which is a perfect time to start if its your passion. Imagine the possibility of having aal your licences and ratings completed by time you are 19-21.. Most people take their first job as a CFI which is a gresat way to build your time and solidify yourknowledge base in aviation. All the while you can still take college courses. Definitely get the degree in something. The upside to the degree in Aviation is there are certain colleges which have online programs which offer up to 44 credits for the licenses you hold. If being a pilot is what you for sure want to do chip away at the college as you build more time. As far as the necessity to have the degree CFI's do not require one and nor do the regionals so you might want to focus the energy into the flight time and licenses becasue those things are still a bit off into the future. I agree with the above the statement that Majors and alot of corporate will require a degree. They really dont care what it is in so the aviation degree can be completed much sooner because of the credits attained just from your licenses. They can count for as much as 20 -30 %. The negative to the aviation degree is that if the aviation industry fell through or you decided on a career change then the degree doesnt do much. Get into the class and see what happens. Being your age right now getting into this just puts the industry at your command because of your youth. What I mean is down the road youll be at "The Job"(major airline..corporate) much earlier than most of the people you wil be working with meaning more years of experience in the long run and more years of making pretty good money. Many pilots dont decide to pusue the licenses till they are in there 20's or even 30's. Since it takes time to get to the higher caliber postions the sooner you can get there the better. Im 25 and regret waiting till I was 23 to start. When I did though I git all my stuff done in 1 year and became a CFI immediatley which to me is a really enjoyable job. A good online school to research that gives you 44 credits is Mountain State University in Virginia. Any questions feel free.

 

[Reckless]

Sorry it took so long to get back to you guys, been busy figuring all this out.

So, I'm definitely going to take the class. It's Sachem district out on Long Island, I figure it's way too good an opportunity to pass up. Here's what I know so far...

1) The school portion of the class is essentially ground school. The better grade you can maintain in the class, the more flight time you're rewarded with.

2) Flight time is quite nearly free through the class.

3) An American Flyers location is about 10 minutes from my house, so I went down and checked it out. It's really an amazing place with great people, so I'm going to take their $60 IntroFlight course and probably ground school there to give me an advantage going into the Sachem class.

Now, here's another question for you guys. Can I study for/take/pass my written without very little flight time? Because if I can, I'll have no problem passing it during summer break. I want to make sure I can get the best grades possible in the Sachem class so I get as much free flight time as I need.

 

[mddg3581]

Yes you can do that. The test results stay valid for 24 calender months.

 

[FlyinKiddo]

wish my high school would have offered something like that

I wish my high school offered it too... I'm in the same situation. I'm a sophomore and I want to start flying soon, but I don't know how much time I have with school and sports and homework. If I have to I'll choose flying over sports though.

 

[aviatorbeast]

Follow Your Dreams

Hey Reckless, it's nice to see that you've caught the flying disease. Your situation sounds very similar to what I went through two years ago. I am currently a freshman in college, studying engineering, and working on my ratings. I also became interested in flying while in high school and began taking lessons. I soloed at 16, private at 17, Instrument rated at 18, and I got my commercial license late last summer. Having been through almost a full year of college, my advice to you is to acquire as many ratings as you can afford while in high school because once you get to college, time and money will prevent you from flying regularly. I plan on getting my CFI this summer and instructing my way through college; doing something I absolutely love, not to mention that by the time I graduate, I will have plenty of flight time. As recommended by many others, I decided to pursue a non aviation degree because it only takes one medical exam to bring an aviation career to a halt. Also, there is no need to worry about getting into college because you decided to drop the "normal people" classes. In fact, I was told by one of my college advisors that my acceptance to their university was heavily based of the fact that I had a pilot's license. There are not many people who can put that down on a college application or essay, and it shows that you are a highly motivated individual with aspirations. Hopefully this provides some comfort, knowing that it is entirely possible to achieve your flying dreams in high school. If you have any other questions about my personal flying experiences or anything in general, send me a message. Best of luck, hope to see you in the flight deck someday!

 

[RockbrigadePC1]

That's great man.

Just wonder on your other classes. Is AP Gov a full year at your school? If not, AP Macro is really easy and will get a SS credit at most schools.

Also, if you have the chance to take AP physics, do that. I got 10 credit hours for it. It helps when you register, which increasing the odds of getting the classes you want.

What is Math 12? Same here, AP Stat or AP Calc AB or BC would also get you more credit for registration.

Good luck.

 

[Reckless]

I know this is one hell of a necropost, but I thought it'd be cool to update you guys on my decision.

I'm in the class now, and it's amazing. The teacher is a CFI with about 1,000 hours logged, and he's got a great way of instructing the class, which is basically ground school for 2 hours every school day. Mostly, he's been focusing on our first flight, and how if we want something badly enough, we'll find a way to get it. While he focuses that lesson towards our PPL, it's applicable to all facets of life and truly a great piece of advice.

I look forward to 5th-7th periods every day just because it's all material I completely and fully want to learn.

Our flight lessons start up in two weeks via Mid-Island Air based out of both Brookhaven Airport (un-controlled) and Islip-MacArthur (Moderate Traffic Controlled). We get 30 hours of free instruction time off the bat, and if we solo in those 30 hours, we're awarded an additional ten. I've got to pay for anything past that, plus my Medical exam and any flight equipment I may want to buy (sunglasses and my own headset), but that's nothing at all to complain about when I'm getting 40 free hours of flying.

I really can't wait. I'm itching to get back in the cockpit and really work towards getting my PPL. Been dreaming about this for way too long, now.

I'll keep you all posted on how it's going. Thanks again for your help!

 

[minitour]

They're GIVING you enough hours to do a PPL in?

Holy snap!

40 Free hours if you solo within the first 30? Wow...Good luck and study hard!

That's a fantastic oportunity you've got..take advantage of it!

-mini

 

[hoop]

you got a sweet deal man! Do your homework and come to the plane prepared, and you'll get those additional 10hrs, no problem...... Good luck!