"Near suicidal IMC" - What exactly is that. If you mean a pilot who is unsure of themselves and can't make decisions (such as yourself) flying around in low weather, than I agree, it's suicidal. Otherwise Actual IMC is part of the job and training/experience will see to it that it's nowhere near suicidal.
I can only reiterate what everyone else has said: You will never have all the answers, and you need to become more decisive. Collect the fats you have, and make a decision. At this point your pretty far away from a career in aviation, not only in your training but in your attitude. Focus on your ratings and your academics. You may want the exact opposite out of life in a few years, concentrate on your training right now.
And stop remarking about all the poor attitudes on this board. If your maturity was a little more in tune with theirs, you would see they're are a lot of great people with a lot of life experience.
Deftone, by "near suicidal IMC", I mean the flight conditions that check airmen, overnight delivery flights etc have to deal with with small planes without the the nice toys that jet aircraft have. 210s and Piper Lances and Barons...yes they are very nice airplanes...but not for hard core IMC. I'm not speaking from experience, but from logic here. Places, which I would be interested in flying for, such as Airnet and Ram Air Freight...but which make my question the risks that pilots have to take in order to deliver a buch of bags or boxes at all costs by a certain time. Now, if you are going to come back at me with "that's what pilots do, and that's what you have to accept, because all pilots do so" don't. Because it's not hard to compare the safety of a Citation X and an old Piper Lancer in turbulence, icing, thuderstorms and IMC.
About your advice, thanx, I agree. I should concentrate on academics and flight ratings right now...but all I'm doing is getting information along the way...so that the day the decision time comes...i don't go into whatever, blindly.
And as for the attitudes of the people on this board, I'm trying to say, without offending anyone, that I didn't like many of them, how they easily made fun of me. I'm 20 years old, I'm not a kid. I'm studying rocket science, and most probably lived in more places, speak more languages, been exposed to more cultures, and seen more of the world than more than two thirds of you at least. So don't easily judge my maturity. My responses might have been squeezed out of me, as no one seems to be on my side. I've never liked the idea of making fun of somone. I never did, and never will. I think it degrades humans. It's like an insult to whoever you are making fun of. That's why I've been having trouble seeing how mature you all are.
Archer,
dude, don't take this stuff too serieus.
The point is this: if you choose to become a pilot then you better be 2000% convinced about that that is really what you want.
Are you willing to e.g. go to Alaska or ND or whatever, to fly for a lousy cargo company for a pittance just to gain more hours in order to be able to have a shot at a better job later on, a job that may never materialize. Pretty much anybody on this bulletin board would be willing to take that chance to pursue their dream. But would you? Considering the current economic climate, there is a probalibty that you'll be flying a Piper Chieftain in 10 years, and nothing bigger, earning 25k/yr. I personnally would take that chance, but--again--would you?
So, think it thoroughly through before making drastic (financial) decisions.
Good luck!
g'day!
Flyingdutchman, another helpful post.
I'm just trying to clear things up. There is a lot of experience and knoweldge in this community, and I don't want to throw it out of the window.
I understand that becoming a pilot seems to translate to (in today's market) accepting a miserable salary, accepting crappy schedules, high work loads, little benefits, possibly old equipment, no insurance of keeping your job, no promise of upgrade and promotion among other things.
Well...it seems extremely depressing then, to be a pilot. And yet, here an there, I hear of jobs offering 100,000 to CL604 Captains...or GIV Captains...etc...
so it seems there is hope, but almost a lifelong struggle to get there...going through instrcuing, crappy 135, crappy 91, back to crappy 135 back to crappy 91...intermediate 91...until you finally, after eons, end up getting what you want (maybe, if you are lucky).
So obviously I'm questioning whether I want to live such a miserable life. That's some pretty insane amount of love you got to have for flying...
and I got it...I just try to look right and left...for there is more than one path in life...
Archer
