I am new to this whole thing, however I have been reading different forums throughout. I am 17, President of my Junior Class in High school. I was just wondering what the best approach(s) would be for me to get to fly a scheduled airline. I have dreamed of flying since i was 5 years old and i am still extremely passionate on fa filling my dream. I cannot see myself doing anything else in life at this point. I have been flying for 3 years on and off with financial stresses periodically.
Long story short. I am not going into the Military so what are some things I should consider doing?
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Why no military? I think that is the best option if you really want to fly but don't know how to pay for it. They will pay for your college also... just saying, not an option I would disregard so easily if you are serious about flying... Other than that, I would say try and find a reputable school or a good FBO at your local airport and inquire about pricing etc... You are about to be starting college I assume and it is a big commitment to go to school full time and do serious 5 days a week flight training... not to mention if you have a job and bills to worry about. I just focused on my private license and didn't even realize I wanted to fly for a living until a little after I completed it. Test the waters with that and once you have accomplished that... then look ahead to the future.
If your set in flying for a career , get what ever job you can now. Seniority is everything ...... With all my ratings I got my 4 year degree online while flying..... This way you gain seniority while doing school in the mean time.....
Just advice: Keep flying while you get your 4 year degree from anywhere studying anything. Just do something you enjoy. Don't wrap yourself up in the airline world...You never know what opportunities you may cross paths with. I'm not favoring any specific path...you have time to decide. Fly and have fun doing that. Get a job at the local FBO working the line (get a discount and meet people who will take you flying for free.) Get a tailwheel endorsement, fly some acro, get your commercial and tow gliders or throw skydivers out, get your CFI, CFII, MEI. Of course keep in mind that multi time is valuable, but don't spend every penny on multi time. Try to get paid to fly. By the time you graduate college you'll have great flight time, great experience and the airlines and others will be in full swing hiring.
Work hard to be sure you never fail, or fail as few checkrides as possible. This is one thing you can do now to help achieve your career.
The above is just one possible career path...but it worked for me.
I would go to a reputable university (UND, Western Michigan, Southern Illinois, MTSU, Kansas State, OSU, Kent State, etc), get your degree and certificates and flight instruct there until you get hired at a regional. Study your ass off, and enjoy your $100,000 of student loan debt for the following 10 years.
Well you know you need a college degree to have solid prospects in a career in flying. Our standard advice here is not to get it in aviation. Instead, do something that broadens your horizons and makes you a more rounded person. Do flight training as an adjunct to your college career. You won't lose much ground over someone who goes to an aviation academy, as long as you have the money to continue and keep working at it. The person with the aviation degree will realize its uselessness at some point when they get furloughed, while you will havwe the option of falling back to a decent paying job for a while. Get a degree in engineering, for example.
Focus on getting your ratings, and find a way to work in the aviation industry as soon as you possibly can. Whether that's answering phones at the flight school, washing planes, etc, any early experience that lets you get your foot in the door somewhere will be invaluable. The connections you make and the networking you can accomplish will make your life WAY easier once it's time to get a more "serious" job, whether that be as a CFI, pilot, etc.
Concurrently I would recommend starting out at a community college while you work on your ratings, and then transfer to a 4-year program if you choose to seek a bachelor's degree right away. Remember, a college degree is nice, but not mandatory at the regional level (and I would NEVER advocate getting one with the word "aviation" in your major). Not saying you don't want a degree, but just saying it's not essential, and jumping straight from HS to 4-year college isn't the right timeline for everybody's situation. Bottom line is keep all your options open.
Yeah but he is crazy not to get a degree somewhere along the line. As far as I know, competition for jobs at the majors still makes a degree mandatory. It does not have to be in a hard subject- he could do theater arts, sports nutrition, or flower arranging.
Thats easy go to ATP and they will finance your 100,000 dollar educational investment. youlll even get a bs degree with it. Then they will promise you a flight instructor job making 15hr maybe more in hopes of making it to a job that pays 18,000 a year net. Seariously though why does everyone dream of flying for an airline? Flying a small plan or whatever is the same thing without all the layoffs, crappy lifestyle, and stress. I have never went to atp> I got a job at the local airport to help pay for my training.
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