struggling 16yr old student pilot.

[Aeropilot55]

i have recently lost my job and ive searched for every job in my town for two weeks, I even put a message on the post board at my airport that i will wash planes for flight time. or any other aviation related job.

ive tried every thing i can for my age and it just isnt working out anymore, ive logged 15 hrs over about a year(pretty low).
i worked my but off for those hours. i love flying, and someday i wish to be a future pilot. does anybody have any advice for me?

does anybody know any private pilot scholarships that i could try and win at?.....
please help me, advice would help greatly

-nick

 

[BradG]

have you tried line service at the local airport?

 

[Aeropilot55]

no

Im not familier wih the line service ,
could you explain it please.





-nick

 

[5280high]

agreed

yea man i agree with all of these guys...you can learn alot about flying working at an FBO i think...you get so many differnet view points of flying...you get to meet so many different people since pilots fly in and out of little airports...there are many exerianced pilots out there that will bend over backwards to basiclly give you free ground lol...they'll usally tell ya everything you need to know..

not to mention its money in your pocket and your always around planes...but if you go out and ask people for jobs doing whatever around your local airport...don't be discourged if you don't get it your first try...when i was 16 i went to my local airport to see if i could get on cutting grass, cleaning toliets,you know whatever...i never heard from them again untill i was 18 and one of my classes i had in high school...my teacher set me up for an job shawdowing spot at the same place...and wouldn't you know there was an opening and i started working..saveing money and then when i had enough i rented the plane there and worked on and earned my private pilots liences...

in short its a blast you'll have a great time..or i did...now i'm in college i can't wait to get back there and start working and do alot of the things i miss doing...

goodluck man! and Godspeed

 

[El Cid Av8or]

Off hours

I don't know what you do in your "off" hours (once you get another job) but I would become a "certified airport bum". I learned a lot about flying while riding in the back seat of some singles and a few small twins while I was working on my private certificate. Any pilot that knows anything about weight and balance will also know that an airplanes stalls "differently" with 150 pounds or so in the back seat compared to how it performs when it's not there. When I got my multi rating, my instructor and I did a flight with just us two, then one with one back-seat passenger, and also one with two back-seat passengers. It does make a difference. Bottom line is this...you won't be able to log the time but you can learn a lot by observing. At least it's getting you in the air and helping to prevent what I refer to as "ground-sickness".

Good luck and don't let anyone steal your dream, ever.

 

[Aeropilot55]

the only problem about doing that is most people dont put their planes in hangers here, they park them outside in a feild, they dont need towed there because they just taxi out to their spot.

My airport is not so big, the terminal house closes at 5:00pm.
the people up here are pretty "cautious" about their planes and probably wouldnt let me touch them........i rode there on my bike about a week ago and everybody kept staring at me like i was a criminal...i think they thought i was going to do something bad to the airport...

how would i approach them , asking them for a little job to do, or to pump gas...?
any other little jobs?

-nick

 

[LR25]

Agreed, if you can find a bigger airport, it will do you some good.

I started flying when I was 15, all I did after school was go to the airport and hangout.

I eventually got to know everybody, flew all kinds of airplanes and they finally put me on the payroll at the local FBO.

I would help out in the hanger turning wrenches(when they let me), help people wash there airplanes, whatever, I was there. Eventually I was doing maintenance test flights, bringing people places, delivering airplanes, you name it.

Basically sun up to sun down I was doing the airport bum thing.

You also meet lots of people and that comes in handy to when you start needing that first break in the business.

Find yourself an airport, and start hanging out.

Good luck

 

[pilotmentornet]

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Good Luck!

 

[Float Pilot]

Try being an entrepreneur - a young businessman. Cut grass or do snow removal if you live up north. Hopefully the family has a lawnmower, snowblower, or better yet a small garden tractor. This way you'll get paid a much better hourly rate, because they're paying for the equipment, too, and that'll leave more time to go flying, talk flying & read about flying.

 

[Vik]

My recommendation is to first work your butt off and save enough. Then go do all the flight training in one go. Thats how I did it. Its the only way to go. 15hrs/year is a waste of your time and money.

Since you are only 16yrs old, you probably have high school to worry about and then college. My recommendation stands .. work, stop flying. You can go to an aviation college and use loans to pay for your training.

I realize this is probably what you didn't want to hear, but honestly, its best in the long run because at 15hrs/year, its like trying to walk towards a wall cutting each distance in half .. you'll never make it.

 

[Timebuilder]

My advice:

Busy yourself taking math and science classes in your high school, and get the best grades you can possibly earn. Then, look for a scholarship to an aviation university, and take a minor in something not related to aviation as a backup.

Go to an AME (aviation medical examiner) and get a complete 1st class physical, and discuss your family medical history. Drag a parent along with you, since you may not know that one side of the family has consistently died before age fifty of a genetic coronary malformation, or some other aviation "deal breaker".

With teriffic grades and a clean bill of health, you have a good shot at getting others to help you follow your dream. You just might have to wait until you are 18, and that's okay.

Persistence pays.

 

[SelectZoneFive]

I started flight training when I was fifteen, soloed at sixteen and had my private at seventeen. And, if I can do it, you can to. Trust me on this one .

Stay away from loans at all cost, they will end up being a ball and chain. I have several freinds who are crippled by them. I flipped burgers, worked as a janitor , and finally got a job as a lineguy at the local airport.

There are several aviation scholarships out there. Two national organizations that come to mind and that have pretty good scholarships are Sporty's Pilot shop and the NATA. Also, if your local airport has a flying association or club for the locals to be members of, then sometimes they do some kind of gift certificate.

In addition a truer word was never spoken as far as the value of being at the airport. I used to get my folks to drop me off and pick me up. There used to be nothing better than sitting at the lunch counter and chatting "Aviation" with a corporate pilot or one of the old veterans. You can learn huge amounts of cool stuff from those guys.

Your airport sounds a little quite? So you will have to eyeball the scene yourself. But plug away at it, you'll be surprised at the results.

 

[TDTURBO]

All the above is great advice, I have always lived less than a few miles from my airport with an overwhelming urge to fly. I worked everywhere BUT the airport to save enough to begin flying lessons. I was on a mission and did it in 35 hrs, went to med school and 20 yrs later own my own plane. I always flew an hour a month during the lean times knowing I would return full force. I went through 11 yrs of college so I could one day afford what I love best, flying. Set your goals and stick with them!