Reading for the Future Airline Pilot

[flyf15]

The best practice you can get is to pull an uncomfortable chair up to about 3 feet from your TV, put one foot on the floor and another on the TV, and read the USA Today.

That kind of sounds like what I'm doing already....

 

[414Flyer]

That kind of sounds like what I'm doing already....

He said reading USA Today,not watching Girls Gone Wild.

 

[Goose Egg]

I work as a software engineer. Every day when I go to work and sit in my cube, I contemplate gouging my eyes out... I'd give both testicles to have a flying job.

Man, I love my flying job!

However on this board this conversation is like peeing into the wind, almost everyone has a college degree and feels everyone must be like them to successful... I know too many pilots who have made it to career positions at Air Tran, Spirit, SWA, CAL, UAL, NWA, and Jet Blue without degrees. Many before their 30th birthday.

Yip, what you don't seem to be getting is that not all of us define success in those terms. Maybe a degree is important for an airline job, and maybe it isn't. The fact of the matter is that I have my education, and I wouldn't trade it for anything on this planet. It is one of the ways in which I define my success.

And to be quite honest, I have very little interest in flying for the airlines, save a certain 402 operator only.

-Goose

 

[NTXPilot]

Anyone mention Stick and Rudder?

 

[Dangerkitty]

Anyone mention Stick and Rudder?

Ahhhhhhhhh forgot that one!!!! That should be a part of everyone's aviation library. A true classic.

Good call.

 

[pilotyip]

goose good for you, as I have stated many many times I have nothing a against a college dgree. Get one for whatever reason you want to, but it is not the route to a successful flying career. I am just a voice in the widerness saying you do not have to follow the "college is the only way" crowd to be successful in this buisness.

 

[cforst513]

but yip, come on!!! what about when you LOSE YOUR FLYING JOB?! due to furlough, medical, who knows? what do you fall back on? do you support your family at burger king or what? having a degree, especially one outside aviation, is a great back-up plan. what's your plan?

 

[mayday1]

but yip, come on!!! what about when you LOSE YOUR FLYING JOB?! due to furlough, medical, who knows? what do you fall back on? do you support your family at burger king or what? having a degree, especially one outside aviation, is a great back-up plan. what's your plan?

Yip will say that a degree that hasn't been put to use because you've been flying will not hold any value (not trying to answer for you Yip, but I have seen your response to this question)... However, I disagree. Sure, the degree's value is augmented by experience, but there are plenty of people out there with philosophy degrees working in business, or people with business degrees working in healthcare. Point is, the degree was a requirement to get your foot in the door.. the major or concentration is less important.

Here's a hypothetical.. you're 30, a pilot, and you no longer can/or want to fly (medical, furlough, just want to do something different, whatever). I can tell you that an undergrad degree will provide a couple of key benefits: 1) as mentioned above, it can get your foot in the door where a degree IS REQUIRED; 2) it can be the academic background you NEED to pursue a graduate degree... i.e. you ain't goin to grad school w/o an undergrad degree.

Not to mention, if you're this 30 yr old, which situation would you want to be in.. presenting yourself as having a lot of flying experience with no other skills or education to speak of, or someone with professional flying experience AND a degree? And that degree being the stepping stone you'll need to pursue other career options... easy answer for me.

 

[rvsm410]

Personally, the pursuit of flying/aviation is an exciting and wonderful fulfillment of ones personal dreams....I would only caution you of the pitfalls of that life....its not very good on mot marrages and family life...which is nothing new....however as some here have aluded too, do your research, ask questions and understand that making the hugh dollars seen in years gone by are Gone!...I would say based on my experience and the many pilot friends I have, that you should expect to top out at around $135K/yr sometime in your flying career....depends on how you progress from company to comany....The most important thing is to really enjoy what you do, except that no matter where you go, do or who you work for, there will always be the down sides...

Its great that you have your degree..it will go a long way to serve you...look at aviation, like sports professionals do, you know you have something to fall back on when the flying days are over, and they will be over someday, hopefully you will have a long aviation career...good luck...

 

[scubabri]

Professional Pilot, John Lowery

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0813820987/ref=pd_ys_pym_a_1/103-5271533-5529449?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance

 

[PastFastMover]

Arghh. My CFI made me read "Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" when I had 100 hours. Then I ended up using it as a reference when I began teaching.I/QUOTE]

I have to say that this book is the bible. I don't read it but use it for reference when anyone asks a question I can't answer (more often than not).

 

[freeflyer14]

Get one for whatever reason you want to, but it is not the route to a successful flying career. I am just a voice in the widerness saying you do not have to follow the "college is the only way" crowd to be successful in this buisness.

Yip, I think we would all agree it is not "THE" route to a successful flying career, but it is "A" route. Not one single person can say that one path is better than another... Know why? Because every single person will tend to believe that their way was the best, and no one can really have an unbiased opinion. Which is all we are really spewing forth here anyway - opinions. And the definition of "successful flying career" is very different from person to person. You may have found your successsful flying career, and for that I am truely happy for you, but do not think for one second that it is everyone's idea of successful.

 

[pilotyip]

freeflyer could not agree more

freeflyer I agree 100% getting a college degree is one way to pursue a career in avaition, but it is not the only. It is only one of the ways. That is what I have been standing for all along. Again my experience at age 54 looking for a job when Zantop bit the dust. My college degree ment nothing, no job offers, no interviews, no nothing. The fall back value of a degree after not using it for 30 years is greatly over rated. True I needed to get one to get into Navy Flight Training back in 1965, but that is a differenct story.