Originally Posted by Rockie

My contact information is georgeejr@msn.com or if anyone would like to contact me by phone: 503-956-0330. A little more specific info. I am going through Portland CC and doing my flying at Hillsboro Aviation at KTTD. My first name is George.

Thank you to all of you who have given me an honest report of how tough the aviation industry is- especially right now. I'm glad for that input as it gives me an opportunity to explain some of the meat and potatoes of the kind of person I am I am 28 years old and have seen a lot of the grim realities of the cold shoulder most people call the real world. I grew up under Portland's airspace shelf and so have wanted to be a pilot since I was four years old. I started my flight training back in 2006, earned my private pilot's license, then had to put off my flying for almost a year because the airlines were hiring up instructors as fast as they could and so good CFIIs became a rare commodity at flight schools. After a year and a half of one set back after another I got my instrument rating. Working on my commercial license hasn't been any better- one delay after another. I haven't figured out why some people aspire to fly planes and other people either run from them or don't care one way or another. Flying planes is my passion and calling and one I don't intend to abandon. Perhaps this puts me at a big disadvantage because the problem with knowing what you want to do is that you won't be happy doing anything else. All pilots stand on the shoulders of aviation pioneers who came before us. All of those pioneers became legends because they never gave up no matter what. The Tuskegee airmen are a good example of this aviation tenacity. You can all quote me on this one if you like, but I love to tell people a simple, yet profound truth I have figured out- the only difference between successful people and failures is that successful people are failures who never give up! I'm sure a lot of pilots reading this are thinking, "sounds great, but you have a lot to learn kid!" I know I have only begun to learn everything there is about aviation, but Damn it! I'm not giving up no matter how hard it gets! When it comes to discouragement and difficulties I say, "bring it on!" I love discouragement and difficulty as they are the fuel that keeps me fired up!