What's your story?

[Zach15]

Hello to all,

My name is Zach. I am 20 years old and a business student in New Brunswick canada with no flying experience. I have been doing some research on how to make a career out of flying for the past month or so and stumbled apon this page recently. I can't seem to read or learn enough about flight, and you all have been a great source of information for both knowledge and entertainment. So I thank you for that.

I wanted to ask a question to all of you who have made career's out of flying. It will help me figure out the direction I want to take for myself and also just because I enjoy reading it: How did you get started on the road to where you are, and what do you do now?

I think that joining the air force will be my best bet, but I have to finish my degree before I can enter and start pilot training. I am having a very hard time trying to find out how to get started!

Any ways, if you all feel like letting me know your story I would love to hear it. Flying seems like it would be such a dream job, and I am envious to anyone who has made it their career.


Thanks alot. Good to be here.

Zach

 

[USMCAirWinger]

I just got banned for three days due to making an inflammatory post. Duh.

 

[bafanguy]

Hello to all,

My name is Zach. I am 20 years old and a business student in New Brunswick canada with no flying experience. I have been doing some research on how to make a career out of flying for the past month or so and stumbled apon this page recently. I can't seem to read or learn enough about flight, and you all have been a great source of information for both knowledge and entertainment. So I thank you for that.

I wanted to ask a question to all of you who have made career's out of flying. It will help me figure out the direction I want to take for myself and also just because I enjoy reading it: How did you get started on the road to where you are, and what do you do now?

I think that joining the air force will be my best bet, but I have to finish my degree before I can enter and start pilot training. I am having a very hard time trying to find out how to get started!

Any ways, if you all feel like letting me know your story I would love to hear it. Flying seems like it would be such a dream job, and I am envious to anyone who has made it their career.


Thanks alot. Good to be here.

Zach

Zach,

Just disregard some of the nonsense you see posted here. You asked a legitimate question and there's no reason to get anything but a legitimate answer.

The choice of a flying career can lead to a certain degree of "instability" over its course. Perhaps the same can be said for all careers. Reading what people in the field have to say on this forum can give you a bit of a look at the things that affect people who've been, or are now trying to get in, flying as a career. It can be a pretty rocky road, but that's not to tell you to abandon the idea of learning more about what's involved.

The one thing I can say is that a choice of the military as a start toward your career goal would be an excellent choice. Other people may chime in and second that and/or add other ideas. My wife is from New Brunswick and one of the family members entered the military and had excellent results in his career flying for Cathay Pacific and then Air Canada, where he is now.

Read on in this forum, ask questions and you'll get answers from some mature people. Good luck to you.

 

[Flyboyz]

Zach flying is a dream job. However, the previous response was correct about the "instability". I became a pilot at about the time you were born. Flew for a while, got furloughed and went another direction. Although my direction and life purpose changed, I continued to love to fly and in two years ago became recurrent and began to fly on a regular basis for a small charter company.

I love to fly and have a passion for it. If you have that go for it. However, please finish your degree first because you might need something to fall back on if you loose your passion. Which happens. Also the military is an excellent and inexpensive route plus you get to fly some cool stuff.

Remember that every occupation has instability in its own way and just because you like to fly does not mean you have to work at it. You might consider just getting a private, buy a plane, and fly.

Whatever it is I want to remind you to have fun and do not listen to a lot of posters on this board. Their are a lot of angry and negative pilots on here that will want to discourage you.

Good Luck !

 

[Mooneymite]

Zach,

 

[mar]

The long and winding road

I wanted to ask a question to all of you who have made career's out of flying. It will help me figure out the direction I want to take for myself and also just because I enjoy reading it: How did you get started on the road to where you are, and what do you do now?

Hey Zach, I was 15 when I got bitten by the bug and I still haven't found the antidote.

I worked a couple summer jobs to pay for my training and I completed my Private cert. by my senior year in high school.

I went straight to college at 18, studied for four (and half) years and continued to work on my training during my vacations.

When I graduated in 1990 there were no jobs (sound familiar?) so I had to work as a lab tech for two and half years.

Then I had two jobs as a flight instructor, then I moved to Alaska, flying people and things to remote villages and oil fields, then I got a job flying rubber dog crap out of Hong Kong (ok, maybe it's cheap clothing and electronics for all I know).

I learned to fly the summer of 1985. Same year you were born.

It's a long road. Good luck.

 

[HoursHore]

I learned to fly the summer of 1985. Same year you were born.




I think I will commit assisted Suicide now. I feel ANCIENT.

 

[Flic1]

Learn to fly for fun and get into a more stable career field (which will consist of any other industry outside aviation).

I hate to be 'Debbie Downer' but I will no longer encourage anyone to get into any aspect of aviation for a career. I wish someone had pointed me in another direction about 10 years ago.

 

[Stearmanut]

Learn to fly for fun and get into a more stable career field (which will consist of any other industry outside aviation).

I hate to be 'Debbie Downer' but I will no longer encourage anyone to get into any aspect of aviation for a career. I wish someone had pointed me in another direction about 10 years ago.

I second this.....

Zach, thats my son's name too, but he's only a year and a half old.....

Flying in and of itself is a wonderful thing. Flying for a career is totally different. I have been in the airlines for 7 years now, and I would say a few things to you;

1. From the time we close the main cabin door to the time when we open it again, this is a great job!
2. All the rest of the airlines lifestyle, in my humble opinion, is not fun nor exciting to me anymore.
3. If I knew then what I know now (hindsight being 20/20), I would have picked another career and kept flying as a hobby.


With that being said.....should you continue to follow a course toward a career in flying.....

1. Take advantage, as I did, of all the wonderful things in aviation to experience. When you get some time under your belt....try flying a glider, or a balloon. Then experience flying a helicopter, then try some aerobatics. Then maybe an ultralight....There is so much to do in aviation, dont fly a Cessna 172 for 1000 hours and then apply to the airlines....that would be so sad to miss out on all the different facets of aviation.

2. Should you choose to stick with airplanes.....fly as many different types as you can. Fly Cessna's, Pipers, Mooney's, Beech's and tailwheel airplanes...the more airplane types you fly, the better pilot you will ultimately become.

3. Should you aspire to the airlines, GET MULTI-ENGINE TIME!


Flying is great and can be very rewarding, but it can also lead to a very unstable and uncertain future. Have something else in your life. Dont let flying consume you, because if you let it, it will

Good luck, and feel free to drop me a private message if you'd like to chat more!

Stearmanut

 

[FN FAL]

Hello to all,

My name is Zach....

Hi Zach, I only got to visit your country for a few days and I really enjoyed my stay there. Was treated like a guest by all that I met.

Enjoy your love for flying, but proceed with your eyes wide open. Good luck and welcome to flight info.