Originally Posted by
elijahmike1
I am a 31yr old firefighter for a major dept in metro Atlanta. I have a wife and 2 kids and "survive" on 50,000 a year. I have always wanted to fly. I was close to joining ATP's self paced program (0-hero). Im a vet so after VA would have taken on about 40K grand debt. I began to question my career change and if it was possible. I read an article that said ATP is now only hiring 30% of their grads for CFI positions after completion of training. I called and questioned and was told "your the type of person we are looking for, older, professional, and would not have a problem getting hired as a ATP CFI...for sure" Yah...OK. Then I became concerned w/ the pool of potential pilots growing everyday and nobody hiring. So I questioned...was told "the best time to train is during a downturn and that I would have no problem in 1 1/2 years getting a job that the "regionals will be hiring like crazy". When I asked about the ridiculous pay, that I had no idea was the case BTW, I was told that it's only like that the first year and it's realistic to make 35K-40K in yr 2 and then upgrade to make "good" money. Then I stumble on this forum! Anyone out there who can offer good advice that is not just disgruntled would be appreciated. Be safe!
Why not just get your private pilot's license and an instrument rating. These two cornerstones should not be rushed anyway. With these, you can rent a plane and flt you and your family anywhere you want to go. You need to build a little time in between, which is great for getting your wife and kids involved with your dream. Even if a pilot career isn't in the cards... you will never regret doing just this much, and you'll have it for as long as you are able to fly.
Down the road if you want to add on Commercial or Multi-Engine training, these can be done in a relatively quick period of time. Feel out the industry, but don't gamble on it.
You may find that you would rather spend the money to add on a glider or seaplane rating. Maybe get some aerobatic training... 5 to 10 hours of that will give you a new outlook on flying. Perhaps you would want to dabble in those expensive helicopter things.
Or you can pick up a sport pilot license for around 3 grand, and there are a couple fun, inexpensive planes you can fly with that....
The point is that there are many options that don't involve committing a large sum of money on something you might never see a return from