Your path to the flight deck was?

[Alaskaairlines]

Hello pilots!

I think this would be interesting to guys in training (like me) if you all would share the way you made it to your airline job - and how you would recommend guy like me following in your foot-steps.

Please state how you achieved this, what would you recommend doing, and what to stay away from.
And anything else............please post.

Thanks guys!

 

[FearlessFreep]

I don't know how young you are, and that would certainly temper which footsteps you would take.

The only thing I can tell you is that aviation is a broad field of endeavours. The be all end all for some people may be the cockpit of an airliner at Alaska, Fedex or UPS, but that is certainly not the case with everyone. Without experiencing different types of flying you will never know what you may be missing. Keep your eyes and ears open to just all the different possibilities there are out there.

Slow down! Enjoy the trip, getting there is half the fun. There is so many different types of flying you can do before you get to that coveted airline job.


Make your journey your own personalized experience, it will be more fun that way.

 

[Alaskaairlines]

I am almost 18 and have my SE/PPL. Working on instrument gs now, and plan on getting my multi in June with Inst/Comm following.

I sure hope to end up in a major flight deck some time in the not to distant future (7 yrs?).
Kinda want to fly the MD-11 at Fed-Ex - but AS would be nice to!

 

[FearlessFreep]

Well that being the case enjoy yourself you have lots of time. What I will outline is NOT what I did but is usually the path that will get you to your goal of flying for the airlines. In any case the standard rejoinder:

Military: This is predicated on perfect physical health. This of course will take you longer than seven years.

Go to college, get a technical 4 year degree. Enroll in ROTC, or attend a Military Academy. Go though military flight training. Make career of Military (20 years). Network with your associates. Get out of the military, and apply to airlines, utilize the networking you developed to help you. Fedex is VERY partial to military pilots.

Civilian:

Go to College. Get 4 year degree. Get your commercial license, CFI, CFII. Instruct. Get your multi rating. Build your multi time by any means possible (MEI?, ditch flying, etc.). Network. If at this point you are over 1500 hours total time get ATP. Secure employment with regional airline. Fly the line, network. Apply to major airlines. Keep applying and networking until you succeed. Note: Alaska currently is for the most part hiring "silver bullets", people with internal strong recommendations.

Well that's the standard route, I am sure that you have heard all of this before. Those two options all the two most well tred proven paths. They certainly don't represent the entire gamut or methods to realizing your goal of being an airline pilot.

FYI, "Be careful what you wish for, you might get it"

 

[Timebuilder]

Time frame

A few years ago, "seven years" to an MD-11 might have been a possible, if somewhat optimistic time frame for a young pilot who is now working on his instrument rating. I think that given the circumstances, you may be looking at roughly twice that time frame.

Don't become discouraged by that estimate. There is plenty to do between now and then, such as some piston twin PIC 135 time, some turbine experience in something like a King Air, and some jet time, too. Your focus is threefold now: learn all you can, do your best, and (most important) don't screw this up. This means: don't get arrested, get a bad driving record, hang out with the drug crowd, disfigure your body, or let yourself become lazy and comfortable. Your future competition may be involved in any one or more of these things, and if you can dodge these bullets you will be that much more attractive to a future employer.

It is the journey.

 

[Russ]

My path was air ambulance flying in Az. The most depressing job there has to be in aviation. It wasn't so bad flying elderely folks as I could justify it by the long life they enjoyed. Flying kids was a whole different thing. Alot of rules were broken flying kids, stuff I wouldn't have thought about doing with an 80 yo in the back were done because it was a 8 yo patient.

 

[pilotyip]

4 yr degree not needed

I learned to fly in the Navy, and have bounced around the airline business for 25 years, 11 jobs, 7 flying, 4 ground, 5 of my flying jobs were jobs I planned on retiring from, I am hoping I make to retirment here at USA Jet. So for advice, forget about the majors, in 7 years they will still be working on recalls, if they are in business. If you want to a pilot, find a flying job any where at any pay and start flying and building time. Forget about MD-11, it will only disappoint you when you fail to make the grade, and the probability of that happening is very high. Most college degrees in aviation have no real employment value outside of the cockpit. Any readers have a great non-flying job in aviation with thier aviation management degree? There is a good chance you have close to 2000 hrs if you do not waste your time in college by the time you reach graduation age. The flight time will bring you flying jobs faster than the degree. I know lots of Captains at national airlines making close to 100K per year with no college degree, flying 100,000 pound plus size airplanes. When hiring finally starts again in 2007, you will have competive flight time numbers to get some decent interviews. Look into the Army, they may still have their high school to flight school program. I know alot of pilot do not consider helos worth flying, but helo pilots have great skills and we have found them very easy to train in the DA-20 with less than 50 hours of MEL time. They are military, they are professional pilots. If you go to college get a degree in Nursing, that way when you are "between jobs" you can get a decent paying job anywhere.

 

[T-Gates]

Pilotyip

Would you care to clarify this statement for me:

Forget about MD-11, it will only disappoint you when you fail to make the grade, and the probability of that happening is very high.

Are you being rude and pessimistic, or am I taking it out of context?

Thanks,

--03M

 

[Diesel]

GET A DEGREE

Washing planes for flying lessons at 17. Flying fire patrols and scenics. 135 flying in a single engine over the mountains. Flying every king air from a 65-90 to a 300 single pilot. Got on with a fractional at a young age and been there ever since.

The only regret I have is that I tried to hide the fact that this is what I wanted to do with my life. Tried to major in something else in college. Left college to fly for a living. Wish I just changed colleges to an aviation college and flew too.

I really miss the fact I didn't get a degree. I'm doing the internet thing but it's not the same. Get the degree it will give you more options in the end and you will well rounded.

 

[Alaskaairlines]

Hey there guys!

Thanks for all the tips! I am planning on getting a BA degree in Business, and btw I just got a Tuition Wavier Scolarship at the University of Anchorage, Alaska - so thats a major help!

I also have my foot in a door at a good regional, who are known to hire extremly low time employees, like 300tt and a few multi - right into the right seat of a 19 seater. That sure would be much nicer than going the CFI way! And I can do this all while I am in college - yes it will be tough, but definately worth it. All that turbine multi time.........love it!

BTW, I said MD-11, but I hope to get on with a major in that time frame, not exactly into the heavy metal right off - and that might mean to sit side-ways for sometime........I'm willing to do it all.

Thanks!