Well most of the advice here is good, so i`ll just tell my story which just say is "sheltered life of one airline pilot"--grew up in s.amreica left college at 19, worked in a bank for 1 year and hated it,(always always wanted 2 fly) persuaded my dad 2 loan me 5000 dollars, off 2 miami to flying school (burnside ott) age 20,(may 1966) solo-ed in 7 hrs ,cessna 150, passed all writtens in 1st month and settled down to do what i always wanted- FLY- 6 months later i`m a proud holder of a CPL, with instrument, and multi-engine ratings (#170****) can you believe lol boy i`m old, all of this for 5Gs --head on back home, to fly DC-3s for Guyana Airways, pass through Trinidad+Tobago to get a "performance A" and a type on the DC-3, while i`m there apply to British West Indian Airways (BWIA) they say no, oh well on to S.A. get uniform go on 3 "observation" flights into the rain forest, then a letter from BWIA(they have 3 brand new 727/100s) changed thier mind i can have the job, but will have to pass "british writtens" that takes 3 months, by this time i need a PC (recurrent) and a instrument ck again, now bear in mind that the biggest thing that i have flown so far is a piper aztec, they put me in a 4 engine vickers viscount
to do the ck ride boy that was fun. pass- go on a 727 type rating/course have 2 be flt eng (P3) 1st, pass that, HOPE YOU ARE KEEPING TRACK OF THE EXAMS AND CK RIDES SO FAR, remember i have not been paid yet lol--onto actual plane at last --more training then EFC (enroute flight ck) pphheeww PAY AT LAST (380 dollars its 1967) stand in front of mirror -1 stripe but proud as hell.AIRLINE PILOT. sit sideways for a year --on my 1st leave i`m in UK co calls "get back home you are going to Australia for a 707 P3 course" HUH
OOK go there for 3 months that was great lots more exams and cks -now i`m on 707 panel lol --stay there for 4 years, --more training, more cks promoted 2 F/O on 727 YIPEE, one year later MORE training +cks now a 707 F/O, (around this time 1st marriage failed lol) 2 jealous, 2 many F/A`s heh heh heh, ok back on track, stay in this spot for 5 years ---then the HOLY GRAIL (after you know MORE CKS) capt on a DC9-50, 2 years later more cks, onto an MD-83 (around this time 2nd marriage fails
ok ok my fault ,stay on the MD until 1997 , leave BWIA and you guessed it more cks fly a B737 for Air Caribbean for a short time, then phooo more cks and fly for Air Jamaica A320/321 until last year when some fly-by-night organisation the FAA ok ok just kidding, says i have to stop because i`m old ---so you still want to FLY---- as for me i wouldn`t change a single thing i loved every moment of it --still do.