wordfromthewise

My love for aviation began as a little boy. After seeing the movie “Top Gun” at the age of 4, I knew that being a fighter pilot was what I wanted to do with my life. I completely immersed myself into military aviation. I read countless books from libraries. I knew every fact about every modern military aircraft. I watched movies and TV programs about fighter jets. I built models. My dad further nurtured my obsession with trips to air shows. I will always remember one experience I had with an F-16 pilot at one particular air show. I was probably 14 or so and to me…pilots were gods. I was always nervous to talk to them. So I freaked out when my mom walked right up to this pilot standing by his viper and told him that I wanted to fly. I was able to muster up some courage and talk to him. He told me to be a well rounded person, and most importantly he told me that if I wanted it bad enough I could do it. He told me the most important thing was to NEVER GIVE UP.
Around the age of 14 I was involved with scouting. One of the requirements for the aviation merit badge was to take a flight. I was very anxious because I had never flown before. I had spent the last ten years of my life living and breathing aviation, and if I didn’t like flying or got sick or scared on this scouting flight, then my whole career choice would be destroyed. I sat in the co-pilot seat as the old grizzled pilot lifted that beautiful piper off of mother earth… I was hooked.
During high school I took a few lessons in a c-150. I continued to learn and absorb all I could regarding military flying. I went on a few trips to Mexico in small GA aircraft with doctors to volunteer in clinics. That experience greatly enhanced my love for civilian airplanes and general aviation. After graduating from high school in 2001 I enrolled in community college and also in AFROTC at CSUSB. Much to my shock and surprise it turned out that I HATED AFROTC. It just didn’t feel right to me. Marching, taking orders and being told that my hair was too long and sideburns to thick was not my cup of tea. I quit. And my dream of becoming a fighter pilot was destroyed.
I started flying lessons back up and had about 25 hours under my belt and one year of college done at the end of the summer of 2002 when I decided to serve a two year unpaid volunteer mission for my church in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada. I returned in late 2004 and began community college again. I was broke and couldn’t afford any flying. I missed it. But I began to look into other career options. I applied and was accepted to Brigham Young University in Utah in 2005. For two years at BYU I switched majors like crazy. And was completely lost as to what I was going to do for a career. Finally in early 2007 I decided on a B.S in geography. After 4 years of college under my belt I was ready to be done with school. The summer of 2007 I was able to convince my dad to pay for my private pilot’s license. I earned my license in 2 months. I loved it. And felt so proud of my accomplishment. I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do for a career. Military flying was out of the question. And I wanted to be an airline pilot but was not keen on the idea of instructing, flying freight and regional’s for 15 years before making any kind of real money. But I loved the flying and the challenge of it. So during the winter semester of 2008 at BYU, while taking a full load of classes and working part time I earned my instrument ticket in 3 months (funded by begging my parents for a loan).
So here I stand…150 hours private instrument rated pilot. Two semesters left for my B.S in Geography. No money and a failing airline industry to look forward to. My dad is a very successful optometrist and makes 200 K a year. I am looking into going into optometry. It would involve 2 more years of pre reqs at a community college followed by 4 years of optometry school. Eye doctors make good money and have a very satisfying and stable life style. I would enjoy doing that. But it is not my dream. It is not my passion. I am scared to dive into aviation because of the uncertainty of it all. I haven’t flown in 4 months. I miss it…but not that much. I just don’t know if I have the burning desire to never give up like that viper pilot told me over ten years ago.

Jughead

I'm not sure if you're asking a question, looking for advice, or just wanting to tell your life story.

Do you want to be a military pilot, a optometrist, or a guy who uses his Geography degree to do whatever door that opens?

In any case, I wouldn't form an opinion about not flying in the military based on what you did in AFROTC...that's not the real world. I never once marched anywhere after I pinned on my butter bar. True, I kept my hair short, but that's the way I roll anyway. You need to look deep within yourself and ask the tough question: what's better, flying the F-16 or hanging on to the porkchop sideburns?

I've never flown with someone who didn't want to be there...those people quit or never started to begin with. That encompasses 21 years of flying general aviation, regional airlines, military, and major airlines. Either you want to fly, or you don't.

Good luck to you in whatever decisions you make.

J
B.A. Geography

USMCFLYR

One problem that you seemed to have encountered is that you might not like the structured military lifestyle. I was in AFROTC in college and now after almost 20 years in the military I can say that ROTC is just a taste of the military. You very well may march around, you will be told to shine your shoes and get a haircut, and you will CERTAINLY be told what to do and when to do it. That is the military. I'm sure that you would love to fly that Viper, but there are sacrifices to be made for that priviledge. The question isn't whether you want to fly fighters, it is whether you want to be in the military. I always give this piece of advice. If you join to miltary to fly aircraft, then realize that you are a military officer first and a pilot second. You will have quite a few jobs that have nothing to do with flying. Your evaluations (at least in USMC) have more to do with how you do your ground job - not flying.
I agree with the "never give up" statement. It is not a sprint, it is an endurance race. There is often advice handed out here to do something else to making a good living and have a stable lifestyle and then buy your own airplane and enjoy flying at your leisure.Best of luck to you.

USMCFLYR

Slice

So you want to be a major airline pilot, but don't want to go military, CFI, fly freight, or go to the regionals for an extended period of time... Yeah, good luck with that. It takes time and dedication to make it to the top, even then not everyone makes it. It's simple kid, you either want it or you don't. You either have the balls to go for it or you don't. Only you can decide. To me, it sounds like you lack enough desire to make it. There are a lot of sacrifices to be made along the way and you are already second guessing before you've even really begun.

__________________
Will fly for...$

tomgoodman

You have answered your own question about an aviation career. Get that college degree and start earning a living at something, or you may drift and dream forever. Fear of making the wrong career choice has kept some people from having any career at all.

rickair7777

I'm with slice on this one...

Aviation is guaranteed to require dues paying, but there are no guarantees on the payoff.

Medicine, law, dentistry, and even optometry also have dues to pay, but the end result is more predictible.

I'd probably go with predictable in your case...nothing wrong with that, and this industry doesn't need one more regional FO who will support the bottom end of the industry for a few years, get sick of it, and quit.

Most folks are more than happy to get a paycheck and 2-3 weeks vacation out of their job...fulfillment isn't part of the package for most, that's what hobbies are for. You could have a pretty good aviation hobby on $200K/year.

Fly Gal

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