Originally Posted by
TurboCheez
The son of a friend of mine (who spent a few thousand on flight training) had his career sights set on Delta Air Lines and suddenly changed his mind and went to work for the Phoenix Police Department, apparently a permanent decision. I notice the Pheonix Police Department is recruiting at a "pilot" job fair.
My question to all you pilots is: "Is this a common career move from pilot to law enforcement, or is it just a unique situation?"
That was not a "major airline pilot career change".
Having your sights set on DAL is a very, very long way from actually being employed by them as a pilot.
It is relatively common for entry-level pilots to drop out and go do something else, especially when times get hard. I would estimate that 30% of those who earn a commercial pilot license switch tracks within a few years.
Those who like flying are often also a good fit for military, law enforcement, fire dept and vice versa.