Considering a career as an airline pilot? Read this
APC has compiled a list of very informative threads about getting into this career below. If you have further questions, use the "Search" function in the menu at the top of the page. Lots of questions have already been addressed by our highly knowledgeable members.
And... if you still have questions about becoming an airline pilot, fire away on this Flight Training forum. Lots of knowledge awaits you.
Recommended threads for prospective airline pilots:
Another great resource for those seeking info/advice is the home page at www.jetcareers.com
The links on the left side of the page have info on the piloting career and the Perspectives section tells how many others have done it.
Last edited by Freight Dog : 06-14-2007 at 10:36 AM.
Reason: update
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my name is barney and im 22 yrs of age. my desire is to become an airline pilot but where can i get some sponserships to pay the flight training course. im currently living in england, london.
just face the facts... if you want to be a pilot, you're going to be in a 5 or 6 figure debt like the rest of us. but good luck! <----sarcasim
just face the facts... if you want to be a pilot, you're going to be in a 5 or 6 figure debt like the rest of us. but good luck! <----sarcasim
Yes, flight school is extremely expensive, but it's possible to have very little debt. I was fortunate to have very strong family support, getting over 20k and I got a few scholarships . You just need to start saving up early - get a job as early as you can... my first job was when I was 15, I was working at the local airport. All you have to do is not spend, SAVING is key to all schooling, especially anything in aviation.
Yes, flight school is extremely expensive, but it's possible to have very little debt. I was fortunate to have very strong family support, getting over 20k and I got a few scholarships . You just need to start saving up early - get a job as early as you can... my first job was when I was 15, I was working at the local airport. All you have to do is not spend, SAVING is key to all schooling, especially anything in aviation.
Everyone considering flight training keep what Co-pilotMike said here. You don't want to get into debt. I took out a 15 year loan to go to CAPT and if my variable APR does not change, I would have paid over $175K over the 15 years for flight training. Be very wary of programs like CAPT with pretty airplanes. Airplanes do not make a program great or guarantee that your training will be elite or quality. Keep in mind that many people before you have done it in less than perfect airplanes and a lot cheaper than CAPT! Keeping your debt low to nonexistent is critical to your success in this career choice.
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Graduated CAPT 10/2005 Summa Cum Laude w/ Highest Time (459TT/101ME) compared to any cadet at the time. No Job, Big Debt!
Tip: Stay away from CAPT!
I completely agree... Its just one fact that we have to all accept and move on...
With that kind of thinking you most likely will end up working at a gas station and deeply in debt.
It is near impossible to survive the lean years with that kind of monkey on your back. Sounds to me that you are just looking for excuses to grab the flight training in spite of it being a foolish move.
SkyHigh
__________________
Work smart. Work to live. Don't live to work.
With that kind of thinking you most likely will end up working at a gas station and deeply in debt.
It is near impossible to survive the lean years with that kind of monkey on your back. Sounds to me that you are just looking for excuses to grab the flight training in spite of it being a foolish move.
SkyHigh
Stay away from gas stations...
Most of the gas station jobs go to immigrants that work their a$$ off to send their kids to medical school / law school / engineering schools...They start by working there doing whatever they can then in a few years buy their own place and expand...Very hard-working people. They do it for one big reason: to give their kids the opportunity to become doctors/ engineers/ lawyers...A few send their kids to flight training - knowing the struggle they payoff the loans for the kids.
The only reason they work their is because they don't have the education to do anything else and they immigrated in their late 30s - 40s to start a new life for their kids...
If you're been in the US your whole life let the people that want to improve their QOL and that of their kids have the gas station jobs...Please stick to flying for the 'love of aviation"
Most of the gas station jobs go to immigrants that work their a$$ off to send their kids to medical school / law school / engineering schools...They start by working there doing whatever they can then in a few years buy their own place and expand...Very hard-working people. They do it for one big reason: to give their kids the opportunity to become doctors/ engineers/ lawyers...A few send their kids to flight training - knowing the struggle they payoff the loans for the kids.
The only reason they work their is because they don't have the education to do anything else and they immigrated in their late 30s - 40s to start a new life for their kids...
If you're been in the US your whole life let the people that want to improve their QOL and that of their kids have the gas station jobs...Please stick to flying for the 'love of aviation"
I'm done with my rant...
-LAFF
If the kids were smart they would ask their parents to buy them their own gas station instead of wasting all that money on all that education.
Stick with the gas station.
SKyHigh
__________________
Work smart. Work to live. Don't live to work.
Just saw this and thought I would add something for the mix. Everyone keeps talking about all this debt that you will go into buy getting into aviation, but this is not always the case. I know this is not for everyone but as someone coming right out of high school take a look at the AIR National Guard. I repeat the AIR national guard, the army guard I can’t speak for but 15 month deployments don’t sound fun. I joined the guard in the spring of my senior year of high school and went to training the following winter. It is a six year commitment as a part timer and all that time I sat around waiting to go to basic counted as time in service. So I took a semester off and went to basic/tech school and was able to start back up the following semester. The benefits are great, in most states they pay 100% tuition. When I joined I received 100% tuition, GI bill and kicker (about $636/month as a full time student), $20,000 dollar student loan repayment and I got an $8,000 (it's now 15K) dollar sign on bonus and on top of all that my standard pay for a drill weekend (~$150-200 bring home). Using all of these incentives to the fullest I was able to get a four-year degree and all my ratings up to CFII with only 1 loan of about 5K.
As far as deployments go, in my unit, most are voluntary. I knew several people who did their 6 years and never went on a deployment and only did the required 1 weekend a month and two weeks a year (not the road I would go, but to each his own). Sorry to sound like a recruiter but it was a great experience for me, I got to travel/party all over the U.S./World and got paid to do it. If anyone has any questions feel free to PM me.
Yes I went the ARNG route and my experience has been similar to the above post. Although I chose the Aviation science degree from WMU and even after using the GI bill and FTA and all the kickers I will still be 40K in the hole. Although I have three kids and a house. Still though 40 k for the degree and comm/multi isn't to bad compared to the non military route where you can spend close to 100k for the same thing.
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