Originally Posted by San Diego
Hey new to the forum. I live in the San Diego area, out in East county. I have an ultimate goal of wanting to become an airline pilot. Here is a little background about me and maybe you guys would be able to throw some suggestions my way. I am 24 years old, I have a 4 year degree, I have a pretty decent paying job and I would hope to be able to use it as a means to an ends as far as aviation is concerned, I am single, I have no kids, I have a car payment under 300 a month, and a couple thousand in credit card debt that I am starting to work on paying off.
I know that there are a lot of FBOs down here. I am really close to Gillespie Field, within 15 minutes away. So I guess I have a few questions. First, based on your guys' experiences what would be the best way to get started that will not put me in debt like a law student? Second, mu job hours are M-F 9-5. If I wanted to get lets say my PPL how long would you expect that to take? And third, does anyone know or have suggestions as to reputable flight schools in the area that would be good to check out?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Hey San Diego,
My comments are somewhat on par with what others have already said: flight time and senority is key.
My suggestion would be to consider getting your private pilot's license at a school near your current home. Aim to get it done as soon as you can... 3-6 months, depending on how much time you can commit. After you finish your private, consider going to a school that specializes in professional flight training and work on the rest of your ratings full-time.
I followed a similar course of action, and finished my instrument rating, time building, commercial, and CFI ratings (all single and multi-engine) in about 6 months.
Next, I'll drop the names of some schools you might already have on your radar: Ari-Ben (Fort Pierce, FL), ATP (many locations), Mazzei (Fresno, CA), and Skymates (Arlington, TX). I visited each of these schools before I made my choice, and I would suggest anybody do the same before spending $30K+ on flight training.
Finally, I'll plug the school I work for. I chose to train at Skymates, and now I work there as a flight instructor. I would strongly recommend that anybody considering professional flight training take a close look at them.
I'll be happy to answer any other questions.