Originally Posted by wildcat1

The best plan, and most here will probably agree, is to go to college for something other than aviation. Get a degree in business as that can be used for just about anything. Fly at the local FBO (like you mentioned) and pay as you go for as long as you can.

This year, start saving money and working weekends. If you work all summer (two jobs if you have to) you should be able to save close to $15K by the time you graduate. Also, help your money make money. AmTrust bank has a savings account that will earn you 4% interest. It is not a lot, but it is a safe and FREE way to earn a little extra money.

Your senior year, by books geared toward your private, instrument and commercial certificates. Check with the local FBO to see what they use. ASA has some good books. Study them and know them before you start training. You'll be 90% of the way to your goal.

The summer before you go to college, knock out the private, instrument, commercial and instructor certificates. If you can. Three months goes by quick, but if you fly 4 hours a day and study 4 hours a day you can have 250 hours in 63 flyable days. Set up your checkrides before you start training for each certificate and you'll have the time pressure to keep you on track.

Go to a community college near home. Don't move out if you don't have to. Living on your own will eat up $1000 a month. Flight Instruct on the side (weekends are busiest anyway so you won't miss much flying while you are in class).

Use the money you earn as a flight instructor to get your multi and MEI. My MEI got me to 100 hours ME while I got paid. Can't beat that.

You'll probably be over 600 hours before you graduate. However, I would strongly urge you not to go to a regional airline. Speaking as someone that made that mistake, regionals are bad jobs and should be accepted only as a last resort. OR....use the regional to get enough multi time to pick up a good job with a charter company that will be willing to upgrade you.

Some huge don'ts:

Do not, under any circumstance, look at a regional as the ultimate goal. The same holds true for the Majors. As weird as it may sound, you are better off at a NetJets or FlexJet over United, American or Delta. I should preface that by saying all jobs in aviation are volatile and unpredictable, so take my observation for what it is worth; a snapshot of this moment in aviation.


Don't pay to work. People do it all the time and I'm convinced it is more of a burden to their career than it helps. People know when you say I was an FO for Gulfstream, what you really mean is I bought time to work radios on a 1900.

Don't pass up a good job because you are "building time" for the great job. The great job recruiters are looking for trainable, like-able people. They are not looking for the pilot that will only work at Airline X. That person isn't like-able.

Finally, don't give up when times get tough. I started my career at the worst possible time, 4 years before 9/11. I was laid off or furloughed 3 times in one year. I was even fired once on top of that. Today, I have a great job flying a corporate aircraft with good pay and very little work to do. The dream is attainable, but you have to work for it.

I hope this helps.