Originally Posted by
block30
I figured out how to pay for my flight training and was frugal AS HELL growing up. I rented reasonably priced airplanes and flew my *** off since the day I first soloed. I'm not going to apologize for that!
Also, I said IF CFIs rented, because all the CFIs I worked with did at some point (or got access to one of their student's planes for cheap). I did not say MUST rent.
By the way, my parents said they didn't owe me one dime the day after I graduated high school, so yeah, I paid for it on my own.
What else ya got?
Yes. This. Traditionally, there are a couple routes to be an airline pilot. One is your parents are rich and/or have their own plane. You get anything you want/need paid for and don't have to worry about the finances much. It doesn't mean this person is any less of a self-starter or less of a pilot. I've known ones in this genre that were exceptionally motivated and bright. Then there's the ones that go into the military to get a "jump" on things, like college and flight training. Then, there are the poor pilots that want to fly and that will struggle to earn their ratings more in terms of finances and it will simply take longer. That's not a cut on them, that's simply life. The whole point is that they have a CHANCE to make it, but it's obviously not and will never be the SAME chance that others have. You may have to work harder, longer, building up the experience will take more time, etc. This isn't "fair" and it never will be or should be. Otherwise, it'd be "taking from the rich and giving to the poor" for much more than just basic sustenance and necessities.
Is it really possible that everyone can be an airline pilot? No. It's not supposed to be easy. If it's easy, how do you convince the carriers that you are worth more than 20K/yr?