Thread: Pilot career
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Old 02-14-2006, 10:21 AM
  #2  
Flying Ninja
Need More Flight Time!
 
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Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Flight Simulator X
Posts: 400
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I got into this flying career because it was exciting and I loved doing it. I thought it would be great to do something you love as a career (despite my CFI's advice against it). After I got my PVT, I started looking for flight schools. So 18 months into the CAPT program I graduated with my Commercial ASEL, AMEL, Instrument, DC-9. My resume went out to ASA but they just decided to stop the hiring process due to fleet deployment plans. I could have applied to Pinnacle but living at Memphis/Detroit/Mini was not my cup of tea. Not to mention the instability/uncertainty of their only client, Northwest. That was an easy *no thanks* for me. My other option at the time was Focus Air. The job would mean first year slaving away at a desk job and then second year flying as FE. Two years of no flying wasn't what I was looking for. Not to mention, if I wanted a desk job, I could be making a ton more doing what I was doing before. My resume is going to Air Wisconsin this week but the boards are jumping about how they're suspending hiring until April/May. I don't have as many hours as you (460/101) so you're in better shape than I am. For me, it was bad luck, bad timing.

At quick glance, I think you're assuming you're going to be flying 1000 hours a year. That's allowable by regulations, but doesn't necessarily mean you're going to fly 1000 hours. I got buddies at Pinnacle and ASA and they're averaging 40-60 hours a month. You may want to put that into consideration.

So to answer your question:

IF I COULD DO IT OVER AGAIN, I WOULD sit at my desk and enjoy the fact that I was making a lot of money to afford me the luxuries of flying a single-engine to my heart's content. They say preserverence is the key to success in aviation. Well, my job hunting preserverence has led me to starvation and the eventual visits from Tony and Joey with the "where's my money" baseball bat for the enormous loan I took out for CAPT. I basically walked out of CAPT with a very expensive instrument rating. It's the only thing I'll be using along with my PVT privileges once I start making enough money to afford to fly again. I wish there was a way to sell off my commercial single and multi privileges. If you want my hours, you can have them. I have no need for hours anymore. If I'm lucky enough to find another job in the industry I left at the same pay, I'd still be 3-4 years behind because of my loan payments. As it stands, the only luxury I can afford is the dollar menu at Wendy's once a week...coming from top shelf sushi once a week before I got into this insane flying non-career.

My advice to you is to do as much research as you can and talk to as many people as you can about the industry. Don't take the good at face value. Ask for the bad too. One thing I learned from flight training is that it's a lot cheaper (and survivable) to learn from other people's mistakes.
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