What is the best route to become a Pilot

[lukegcox2]

hi, i'm a sophmore in texas and i am looking into becoming a pilot, i would like some of your inputs on what field to do and what you wish you would have done or what you did. Thanks

 

[kingairyahoo]

...would you be surprised if I voted USArmy flight school

 

[guido411]

Work hard, fly every day you can. Study hard. Be prepared for lots of debt. Be prepared to make peanuts in the beginning. Do what you can to become qualified for as many jobs as possible. Be ready for the less experienced guy to get the job because he knows the right people. Know the right people. Be prepared to be laid off/furloughed. Be prepared to move or commute for a job. Plan to save for your own retirement. Start early in life so if you decide to change careers you're still young.

It's easy to see the positives like not keeping office hours, flying shiny multi-million dollar toys, traveling to new and exotic places, wearing really neat hats, etc. But make sure you're prepared for the every day monotony of it being "just a job" some days.

Still want to be a pilot? Just start flying. You don't have to decide today if you want to fly a 777 or a Gulfstream. Pilots of both types STARTED in a Cherokee or a Cessna unless they went the military route (which is an option but I'm not qualified to discuss it).

Good luck

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Well since you posted this on the corporate board - The best advice I could give and some things to consider:

1. Live where the jobs are! When times are rough its hard enough to keep in good jobs, dont make it impossible by living in remote or economically hammered areas. If you want to live in isolation (not knocking it at all) become an airline pilot and commute. Unless you are highly qualified and strongly recommended chances are you wont get relocated for a corporate job.

2. Build a solid network right from the start. Weenies who screw people over or are difficult to work with dont get many rec's in corporate aviation...and this is how the vast majority of good interviews are obtained. By network I mean real people you consider friends, not strangers with pet names on internet boards. I dont network very hard, but still frequently hear about good job possibilities from close friends, all looking out for each other.

3. Just start flying and be a Captain as soon as you can. Prop, jet, whatever...nobody in corporate hires an SIC unless they are filling a box or its a dead end job.

4. An education is assumed..just have one. Aviation related or not it does not matter.


I'd say there are definitely better ways to make money in this world. I cant say I would ever highly encourage my kids (or anyone I know) to be a pilot. The challenge, fun, travel wears off pretty quick... but I still enjoy the free time aviation gives me. Bottom line is its an OK way to make OK money.

Good Luck!

 

[pilotyip]

...would you be surprised if I voted USArmy flight school

Ditto, apply at every service for flight training. If you are selected you will receive the best training anywhere. You will be marked as professional from day one. You will have head of the line privileges at almost any flying job. Army training is the best rotor wing in the world, more corporations are using helos, they will hire almost only ex-military, because where else does someone turbine helo PIC? I know the fixed wing brotherhood looks down on the helo drivers as lessor pilots, I mean they have never been to FL410, or done a M.78 descent. Hovering into a dark LZ on goggles is much more demanding of a pilot’s skills than shooting a Cat II approach. Someone has to figure out why uninformed management knuckleheads don't view a multi-crew Captain time in an advanced IFR helo like the H-60, H-46, H-53 or H-47 as not real flight time. However, PIC in a VFR only C-150 in the traffic pattern is the breakfast of champions for an airline career by those who set hard fixed wing limits and ignore helo time in total time. Why are most management and insurance company’s sooooo waaaayyyy out of touch with reality? Ops I am sorry I was management bashing again.

 

[340drvr]

Lots of ways to go, military, aviation college/academy, local FBO/flight school.......whatever route you might decide, I'd strongly recommend staying away from any kind of flight-training incurred debt (training loans). The pilot profession is very volatile and fickle as far as hiring, and the entry level positions (if and when available) don't pay well at all. The idea of being a 20-something year old brand new pilot with low-time and limited experience, with $40,000 of flight training loans to pay off, is just not a good business plan in anybody's book.
My pick for a route to a pilot career (unless you want to do the military route) would be to pay-as-you-go for training, one rating at a time, at your local flight school/FBO. And, I would add, pursue a college degree in some other field of interest (not an aviation degree), that way you have other options for employment along the way.

 

[say again]

Ditto, apply at every service for flight training. If you are selected you will receive the best training anywhere. You will be marked as professional from day one. You will have head of the line privileges at almost any flying job. Army training is the best rotor wing in the world, more corporations are using helos, they will hire almost only ex-military, because where else does someone turbine helo PIC? I know the fixed wing brotherhood looks down on the helo drivers as lessor pilots, I mean they have never been to FL410, or done a M.78 descent. Hovering into a dark LZ on goggles is much more demanding of a pilot’s skills than shooting a Cat II approach. Someone has to figure out why uninformed management knuckleheads don't view a multi-crew Captain time in an advanced IFR helo like the H-60, H-46, H-53 or H-47 as not real flight time. However, PIC in a VFR only C-150 in the traffic pattern is the breakfast of champions for an airline career by those who set hard fixed wing limits and ignore helo time in total time. Why are most management and insurance company’s sooooo waaaayyyy out of touch with reality? Ops I am sorry I was management bashing again.

Military training doesn't equate to superiority in the sky. Sorry to burst your bubble. It's all about the time and dedication one put's into it. I've flown with excellent military trained pilots, and I've flown with some pretty damn scary ones. The exact same goes for civilian trained pilots.

 

[pilotyip]

Not sure I said that

Military training doesn't equate to superiority in the sky. Sorry to burst your bubble. It's all about the time and dedication one put's into it. I've flown with excellent military trained pilots, and I've flown with some pretty damn scary ones. The exact same goes for civilian trained pilots.

I am not sure I said military trained pilots are superior. Civilian flight schools do not screen like the military and if you have the money you graduate. These schools turn out many pilots who may be better than their military counter part. The same can not be said for military training, not everyone can get into it. Not everyone can graduate. There are also the opportunities military pilots have to gain valuable flying experience that their civilian counterparts may not get. Like my self at 350 hrs TT sitting in the left seat of a 135,000 4 engine P-3 doing radar run ins on targets off the coast of Vietnam at night a 300' agl. I have hired almost 400 pilots in the last 14 years, 47 of these were military trained, and we had one training failure in this group. Of the other 350 or so pilots we had 42 failures. The mil fail rate of around 2% and civilian fail rate of over 10%. Please do not make this into peeing contest, it is only my observation and of course my prejudice based upon the most fantastic experience of my life. BTW What is one of the key attributes to getting a job at Fedex, UPS, etc.

 

[AA717driver]

Pretty good info here. Don't be a d!ck to anyone along the way. You never know when that person will be sitting across the desk interviewing you (or never get there because he remembered you and $h!tcanned your resume). Until you get some experience under your belt, stay in the corner with your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut. You'll figure out soon enough who has their stuff together and who is a blowhard.

ANY military flight time is good. The whole rotor wing prejudices are gone in the airlines and melting away in corporate, IMO.

G200's recommendation to "live where the jobs are" is dead on. You want a career in corporate? Live near TEB (Teterborough, NJ), So. FL, Van Nuys, CA. There are other good areas but that's the big three.

On a personal note, get a thick skin. You'll be dealing with some of the nicest people on the face of the earth and some of the biggest d1ckheads out there, too.

Bottom line for me is: If all you've ever wanted to do is fly professionally, go for it. If you're in it for the money and prestige, go somewhere else.

Good luck.

TC

 

[pilotyip]

Bottom line for me is: If all you've ever wanted to do is fly professionally, go for it. If you're in it for the money and prestige, go somewhere else.Good luck.TC

That is truth, if you fly because you like to, it is the world's greatest job. my tag line says it all.

 

[say again]

I am not sure I said military trained pilots are superior. Civilian flight schools do not screen like the military and if you have the money you graduate. These schools turn out many pilots who may be better than their military counter part. The same can not be said for military training, not everyone can get into it. Not everyone can graduate. There are also the opportunities military pilots have to gain valuable flying experience that their civilian counterparts may not get. Like my self at 350 hrs TT sitting in the left seat of a 135,000 4 engine P-3 doing radar run ins on targets off the coast of Vietnam at night a 300' agl. I have hired almost 400 pilots in the last 14 years, 47 of these were military trained, and we had one training failure in this group. Of the other 350 or so pilots we had 42 failures. The mil fail rate of around 2% and civilian fail rate of over 10%. Please do not make this into peeing contest, it is only my observation and of course my prejudice based upon the most fantastic experience of my life. BTW What is one of the key attributes to getting a job at Fedex, UPS, etc.

Def. not a peeing contest. I'm partial to both, but don't want the original poster to feel military is the "best" way. It all depends on the individual. Great pilots can be made going either way. I've had excellent "real world" experiences flying civilian jobs.

One key attribute to FedEx and UPS...4 yr degree.:laugh: I know, I know, you think its a waste, but an attribute nonetheless.

 

[say again]

Bottom line for me is: If all you've ever wanted to do is fly professionally, go for it. If you're in it for the money and prestige, go somewhere else.

Good luck.

TC

Excellent point! You will be disappointed if your in it for the latter. :beer:

 

[pair_of_pratts]

The true way of becoming a pilot: Tommy's New Job
Part 2: Tommy Gets a Promotion
Part 3: Tommy Gets a Pilot Interview

 

[svcta]

doing radar run ins on targets off the coast of Vietnam at night a 300' agl.

300' AGL over the water?


Man, you guys ARE good!

 

[pilotyip]

300' AGL over the water?


Man, you guys ARE good!

Yea easy, it was on the rad alt reading 300', maybe should call it AWL (above water level), MSL was not reliable because of a lack of local altimeters setting.

 

[Jetdriver69]

I agree with kingairyahoo. It is is almost impossible to get into the quality of flight training and the type of flying the army will offer to a 18 year old with no college degree. In fact, I am encouraging my youngest son to pursue warrant officer training. That is where I started, got my BS in the US Army, switched services, got my MBA and finished 20 years in jets in the USAF. It might be a sore spot with some people, but I didn't spend a dime on flight training. However, you will pay for that training, one way or the other. I can honestly say that I enjoyed my entire time on active duty and the experience was critical in securing my present and hopefully last flying job.

 

[LAZYB]

Best route...

2 words

Marry rich :beer:

 

[CorpCaptain]

Or just pick up Flight Simulator 2011 and save yourself the $100,000.

 

[gern_blanston]

The best route is persistence, plain and simple. Military? Great idea. CFI for a couple of years? Great idea. Buy a Baron and fly it for a thousand hours? Sure.
But you've got to be willing to beat your head against the wall one way or another for quite a while. It's like running a marathon. It's all about pain tolerance.

 

[pilotyip]

The best route is persistence, plain and simple. Military? Great idea. CFI for a couple of years? Great idea. Buy a Baron and fly it for a thousand hours? Sure.
But you've got to be willing to beat your head against the wall one way or another for quite a while. It's like running a marathon. It's all about pain tolerance.

It is called paying your dues, almost eveyone does it in one fashion or another be it, CFIing, Military, 135 on-demand, etc

 

[Cstyle]

There are a lot of ways to skin a cat, as they say. All paths have pros and cons. My advice to you is to make sure you really LOVE flying. If you don't, it is unlikely that you will be willing to endure the hardships you are certain to face in this career.

Personally, I could not recommend this profession right now because the risk/reward ratio is WAY out of balance. That will hopefully change in the next few years and you may get in at just the right time. (You wont know that until it's to late to do anything about it)

In the meantime, get involved in as many aviation related activities as possible. Pump gas at the local airport, wash airplanes, Aviation Explorers, etc. The goal of this is to make sure you have the drive you will need to be successful in this business.

I personally know several individuals who are paying off 50-80k worth of flight training loans and their careers in aviation either never got started or ended quickly because of a lack of dedication. This will have a financial effect on them for decades. (I'm not talking about guys who have been laid off, that's a whole other issue)

If you really have the LOVE, this can be a great job. But it still is a job. There are day's when I don't want to go to the airport. Also, this career can be very challenging on your family life also. You must marry the right kind of person or it wont last, and you'll be sending half your paycheck to her every month. I've been happily married for 9 years now and it can be a real challenge.

All of that said, I love what I do, and I cant imagine doing anything else.

One last thing....Don't let whiny, bitter pilots talk you out of your dream. (If it is your dream) Remember, the only thing pilots do better than fly airplanes is complain

Good Luck to you

 

[bunman45]

Medical School.

 

[say again]

Medical School.

:beer:

 

[T-1GUY]

45 days of programming in a college dorm room and pretty soon your the CEO of a company called Facebook. The flying is in the back seat where the service is pretty sweet...

Day one goal has always been to move from the front seats to the back...

Until that day, I'm someone's Beeeoochhh...:crying:

 

[lionflyer]

45 days of programming in a college dorm room and pretty soon your the CEO of a company called Facebook. The flying is in the back seat where the service is pretty sweet...

Day one goal has always been to move from the front seats to the back...

Until that day, I'm someone's Beeeoochhh...:crying:

Google, Ebay, Netflix..Why didn't I think of that? Oh yeah I'm a pilot.

 

[FO4life]

YOu want to be a pilot? Do something else that makes money and fly for fun. and if youhappen to get a job flying at least you will have something to fall back on. and while your at your first flying job making no money and hardly flying you can do the other job on the side and make money. If/when you get laid off/ferloughed(sp) you have something to fall back on.

 

[cheyflyer]

45 days of programming in a college dorm room and pretty soon your the CEO of a company called Facebook. The flying is in the back seat where the service is pretty sweet...

Day one goal has always been to move from the front seats to the back...

Until that day, I'm someone's Beeeoochhh...:crying:

To the original poster, this is the way of thinking you should be looking at to get into an airplane. Come up with something innovative, make lots of money, buy your own plane, learn how to fly it, then hire one of us losers on FI to fly it for you while you hang out in the back with your buddies or a gaggle of hot babes. All the while said losers in the front will be wondering... howd that happen, why didnt I think of that.!!

 

[slider]

The best route to become a Pilot is to become a Doctor!

 

[DAS at 10/250]

I would tell you to do anything other than flying, but, you won't listen and will have to learn the hard truth on your own.

Good luck. You're going to need it.