My flight career is over before it even started

[AeroDMB]

As I was told by a C130H captain who got his a$$ laid off from Frontier and AA right after he did the sim training at both airlines:

"If you want to make money and fly, become a tax lawyer. That way you can afford to buy your own plane and fly it around"

Sad but true anymore...............

Yeah but then we would have to work...

 

[bobbysamd]

None of the above

I have been flight training for the past year and have earned my PPL and IFR ratings. Unfortunately, I have no more money to pay for any more flying or flight training, and I did not get accepted into WMU or any of the other schools that I applied to.

It looks like my flying career is over before it even started.

I basically have two options, either look for another low-paying job here in Cincinnati, or move back to South Carolina and work in the family business. It sucks that after all of the time that I put into this, that I have to give up my dream of flying professionally and end up working some desk job.

You haven't thought this through enough.

What's stopping you from going to another college besides Western Michigan or wherever else you applied? In this day and age, there is no reason why anyone cannot go to an accredited college. Even with poor grades and/or poor SATs or ACTs, there are local colleges, state colleges and community colleges which will accept anyone who just wants a chance. Once you're in, the rest is up to you - but, as long as you put forth the effort, you can earn a degree. In the meantime, you can still find quality flight training so you can finish your ratings - as long as you are willing to seek it out.

There are plenty of junior colleges which have aviation programs. You just have to ferret them out. As others wrote above, it's up to you to put forth the effort to make it happen. There are people in this business who have overcome far more adversity than not getting into WMU who have become successful professional pilots.

Good luck with your plans.

 

[vetteracer]

You have to get over this defeatist attitude. There are hundreds of speed bumps and potholes on the road to success. Learning how to navigate around them is a skill that everyone has to learn. There are very few people that have fairly easy rides in life. Almost everyone in this profession has starved, borrowed, begged, leveraged, went around, went under, went over, dug, climbed, walked and ran to get were they are today in aviation.

Most any school has a Non-Traditional application for students with poor grades or those that live off campus. You are usually admitted on academic probation and must prove yourself to stay in school. No big deal, if you are flunking out save yourself the time and money and leave. Actually they do it for you.

Sell your car and buy a $500.00 dollar car and a $100.00 set of tools and make due. Get a credit card and start building some credit on a responsible level. Get a checking account and do the same. Put a suit on and go to a bank and introduce yourself to a loan officer and tell him what your goals and plans are. Live at home, sell any assets of value that you can live without and replace latter in life. Reduce your overhead, get rid of the cell phone, or any other unessential fixed expense. Pack lunches instead of eating out.

Short story. There was a guy that flew freight with me that was new and had a low paying route. He sat all day at the crew house. He had a wife and kids. Money was tight. He went and bought a push mower for $200.00 and walked door to door in trailer parks etc mowing yards for $10 - $20 bucks. Make a few hundred a day. Did this all summer and sold the mower when he got hired at a regional and left in the fall.

Make some friends with similar goals, share rides to school, live together etc.

I worked every day through college, no partying at the frat house for me. Pumped fuel for an FBO and got a reasonable discount on my flight training. Since I was working there and had a good report they extended me line of credit. Talked a bank to give me a 16K loan for an airplane to train in when I was 20 years old. The payment was 150.00 a month. Used it, sold it and my costs were around 22$ per flight hour. Lived at home longer then most, drove junk, took extra classes at college and got a 4 year in 3 years at a state university that I had to commute 120 miles round trip to every day.

Life give you lemons, make lemonade. Take the bull by the horns and create your future instead of being a victim of it.

Good luck, now get back out there and make a game plan. You have this message board and hundreds of "been there, done that" guys to help you navigate your way to success. And that is much more than many of us had as we went at it alone and had to learn from mistakes.

Mark

 

[TonyC]

Get a credit card and start building some credit on a responsible level.

I have to disagree on this point. Credit Cards do NOT build credit, they build DEBT.


Beat Debt! ... and Build Wealth!

 

[vetteracer]

I have to disagree on this point. Credit Cards do NOT build credit, they build DEBT.


Yes they do. But if you have one for a few years and are not just making minimun payments on a huge load that speaks volumes for being financialy responsible.

Mark

 

[TonyC]

But if you have one for a few years and are not just making minimun payments on a huge load that speaks volumes for being financialy responsible.

Common misconception.

A credit card with a $1000 limit, 10 years of on-time payments, and a balance of ZERO is a ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR liability.



Get a DEBIT card.

 

[Jeff Helgeson]

Hoarse, but true!

Yes, it would indeed appear your career is over before it started. Reason being you have encountered an obstacle and rather than overcome it you choose to give up. That is not a desirable personality trait in this business and it is to the mutual benefit of yourself and the profession that you have chosen to retreat. Trade your self pity for courage and determination and you might have a chance.

Hoarse, but true!

 

[Pilot124]

If you really wan't to fly, and also get a 4 year degree free, it's called the Illinois Veterans Grant, flight training through comm, inst. and multi, and maybe CFI and a 4 year degree 100% paid by the state of Illinois.
To qualify, move to Illinois asap, get a driver license and find a job for 6 months to establish residency, the first day you get there enlist in one of the armed forces delayed entry programs, I enlisted for 6 years in the Marine Corps and got a guaranteed job as an avionics technician, the MOS is 6400, if you go avionics you should stay away from the front lines if you don't want to be up there.
Get an honorable discharge and you must move back to Illinois with 6 months to qualify for the IVG.

Search Illinois Veterans Grant for more info.

I had a blast the 6 years I did in the USMC, if you go avionics it's an 8 hour a day job 5 days a week.

Good thinking...Let us tax payers in Illinois pay for it!

 

[FN FAL]

You haven't thought this through enough.

What's stopping you from going to another college besides Western Michigan or wherever else you applied? In this day and age, there is no reason why anyone cannot go to an accredited college. Even with poor grades and/or poor SATs or ACTs, there are local colleges, state colleges and community colleges which will accept anyone who just wants a chance. Once you're in, the rest is up to you - but, as long as you put forth the effort, you can earn a degree. In the meantime, you can still find quality flight training so you can finish your ratings - as long as you are willing to seek it out.

There are plenty of junior colleges which have aviation programs. You just have to ferret them out. As others wrote above, it's up to you to put forth the effort to make it happen. There are people in this business who have overcome far more adversity than not getting into WMU who have become successful professional pilots.

Good luck with your plans.

Maybe it's better he just goes back to daddy's feed mill and does the clerk in the family business thing.

This guy could wind up seat locked for life as an instructor at one of the marginal qol regionals, making life miserable for career change people coming up the ranks.

 

[s0ldier93]

HHhhmmmm

HHmmmm. . . .I have to guess that your post was posted in anger or frustration. I really hope that you return and read what all these cool people have posted.

I have a decent paying job. Unfortunately, unless my wife gets a serious promotion soon, I can't leave it until a few major bills are paid off. I also rent at the moment. And my wife my be pregnant.

Having said that, I've givien myself 9 months to go from my current PPL to loaded CFI. With the help of my GI Bill, my favorite flight school getting VA certified, and an extra job soon, I will do it. And that's that.

I hope you can turn your frustration into motivation doc. If nothing else, you seemed to have vented in the right place. Use it.

 

[Dr4uh60l]

Just a suggestion

A Passenger,

IF you want quick money for college, join the Army. If you score well on the ASVAB test you will qualify for the Army College Fund. This is MORE than the GI Bill and you can serve as little as 2 years. You already have your PPL so the VA will pay 90% at a Part 141 school for the rest of your training. Also, if you are married (or close to it), the military is a great way to get started. They provide 100% medical coverage for the entire family. To get a job in Army Aviation you are probably looking at a 5-6 year enlistment, however you can go infantry/artillary etc. for a shorter enlistment period. There's too much to cover here--get in touch with your local recruiter. I was in the Army for 12 years--crewchief/maint. instructor on Blackhawk helicopters. You get out of something what you put into it.

Good Luck! PM me if you have any questions.

 

[C-150ETOPS]

A Passenger,

Before I offer some free career advice, please answer a few questions;

1. Single? No kids?
2. Your Age
3. College? (I guess "no" from your post)
4. Staying in CVG?
5. What flying do you want to do?

My "resume" is that I grew up in CVG, paid for every dime of my flight training myself ,(no inheritances/scams/ect), by working at nearly every menial general aviation job possible in temps from +100F to -15F, and have seen 50+ plus other guys do the same and end up jobs like CA's at every major airline, large corporations and even knocking down Migs in the middle east in an F15.
You may have to live in a POS place on Eastern Ave for awhile, but in can be done.

Good luck

 

[Draginass]

I recommend that you go to a university and get a degree that will prepare you for a real professional career, not a vocation like aviation. A career where you talents are portable from company to company or something that you can strike out on your own once you get some experience. Becoming a pilot will only lead to putting yourself in deeply in debt for training and disillusionment later on. For a reward for your hard work you will be exploited for your dedication, paid well below your peers who got real careers after college, no retirement nor be able to save enough for one, periods of long employment and insecure employment, and low prestigue.

 

[s0ldier93]

You already have your PPL so the VA will pay 90% at a Part 141 school for the rest of your training.

Dr4uh60l-

I think this should be 60%. Please correct me and point me to the correct link if I'm wrong. . . . . . . and if I'm wrong my next posts will be from me favorite flight school.

 

[huncowboy]

What a letdown. I was hoping for a cool DUI or DWI thread with appropriate comments. No one seems to drink anymore.



Talking about money. Right now I can't figure out how I will come up with another $300 that I am short to finish my CFII... a week ago I was trying to figure out how to come up with $600 that I did not receive in pay from my crappy_ company I have to work for at the moment... in the last three years I was trying to figure out how to come up with... (insert: X thousand $) to finish… (insert: PPL, Instrument, CPL, and now CFII). I did have money for the CFI and the multi though BTW by writing "money" I always talk about "available balance" because daddy is not a sponsor anymore (though I got my degree paid by my parents) and I could not take a nice low % loan (but lots of credit card loans instead).



I am 100% sure my story is nothing unusual or extreme. Some guys/gals do all this while they raise kids, complete degrees and work 3 jobs at the same time, and may fight a war for the rest of us on occasion.



Welcome to the club!

 

[weekendwarrior]

Correct, it is 60%. I used it for some of my ratings. Second the military thing, as long as you don't mind commitment, and putting up through BS going to officer school, flight school, and potentially being deployed. The Army is the easiest flight program to get in to, but you'll end up with a rotor rating. Nevertheless, you'll have the commercial certificate, then all you have to do is get an airplane add on, with what time you have now, it wouldn't be a problem. Join the guard, go to a blackhawk unit (The course is shorter, and there are more UH-60 courses to go around). You might get deployed for 12 months, but you'll get a sh!tload of flight time there, and a nice paycheck when you are done. You'll come back as a weekender like me, and then you can get your fixed wing add on, and CFI for not much cash at all.

But, you have to be willing to serve. Please, don't just do it for the flight time and ratings. You'd be dissapointed if you did. You'd be better off borrowing the money from key bank or sallie mae if you don't have a desire to be in the military.

Dr4uh60l-

I think this should be 60%. Please correct me and point me to the correct link if I'm wrong. . . . . . . and if I'm wrong my next posts will be from me favorite flight school.

 

[Dr4uh60l]

60%--I stand corrected. The other info I gave was based on going the enlisted route for a quick "in and out" and get the money for your education. Going the officer route (flight training) will require a 5 or 6 year commitment upon COMPLETION of a year-long flight school.

Like anything else, check out ALL your options and select the one that's best for YOU.

Good Luck!

 

[FN FAL]

Correct, it is 60%. I used it for some of my ratings. Second the military thing, as long as you don't mind commitment, and putting up through BS going to officer school, flight school, and potentially being deployed. The Army is the easiest flight program to get in to, but you'll end up with a rotor rating. Nevertheless, you'll have the commercial certificate, then all you have to do is get an airplane add on, with what time you have now, it wouldn't be a problem. Join the guard, go to a blackhawk unit (The course is shorter, and there are more UH-60 courses to go around). You might get deployed for 12 months, but you'll get a sh!tload of flight time there, and a nice paycheck when you are done. You'll come back as a weekender like me, and then you can get your fixed wing add on, and CFI for not much cash at all.

But, you have to be willing to serve. Please, don't just do it for the flight time and ratings. You'd be dissapointed if you did. You'd be better off borrowing the money from key bank or sallie mae if you don't have a desire to be in the military.

This guy doesn't have the determination to get past the first ob-stak-le in his attempt at getting into commercial aviation...how's he going to get through military training?

 

[Big Duke Six]

FN, you may be right. I've also noticed he/she has not responded to any of our advice.


Maybe it was bait.

 

[FN FAL]

FN, you may be right. I've also noticed he/she has not responded to any of our advice.


Maybe it was bait.

Hopefully anyone else that is having a hard time getting or keeping started, found something they could use in the thread that may help keep them motivated.