Why spend $100,000 or more to get to the airlines? Really?

I've owned airplanes and been in aircraft partnerships almost continually since age 17. In the current down turn, airplanes have gotten as cheap as they've ever been and if you can change the oil in your car, you can do a lot of light airplane maintenance yourself. With a little common sense, you can get the cost of flying down in the range of $35 to $50 an hour, or less.

I worked my way through night school, getting my bachelors while flying anywhere from 30 to 70 hours a month in my own aircraft. Instructed nights and weekends, picked up corporate flying and am now flying for a major with less than $15,000 of my own money. In fact, if the money made from fixing and flipping airplanes is considered, I either broke even or made a little. This does not have to be hard, or expensive, IF you are a motivated, self starter.

First, hang out at the local airport, get to know other pilots and particularly other airplane owners. Look for deals on the bulletin board(s). A well maintained, cheap to operate, airplane can be bought for the price of a reasonably good condition used car. Be willing to accept ugly interiors, out dated avionics and baby poop brown paint jobs. Think outside the box, like a Aeronca Citabria I saw recently for $15,000 with a new engine! How fun would that be? Learn to fly conventional gear, learn basic aerobatics and fly for around $20 an hour

There is no need for the latest tupperware fuselage'd glass panel faster than heat Diamo-Cirrus. Learn to fly old, cheap, gauges. You are BUILDING time, so who cares if it is slow? Besides slow airplanes are fun. Find some grass strips, pack a lunch, take a girl. Great cheap dates to be had in old airplanes flying out to no where one weekend and the beach the next. Take full advantage of airport cars, free food and the kindness of strangers.

There are good deals out there. Not soon after my private rating a man threw me the keys to his airplane and had me flying his kids back to his ex-wife half way across the Country. Another had me flying mechanics around. A company asked me to do some Angel Flight missions that their boss had signed up for, then had been to busy to get done. Once you reach your goals, help others. I try to take aspiring pilots on business trips, they sit in the left seat, fly and log the time. Probably the best aspect of this type of experience building is the fly in the weather, mission oriented, flight operation that is difficult to find in a flight school environment.

When you interview for your airline job, your breadth of experience and ability to make things happen will look good on a resume. You will stand out and you will get hired. If you pick up an A&P Certificate along the way, good for you! You will be a pilot who understands what it means to be an airplane owner / operator. You will be a pilot who has more varied and dare I say, better, experience gained from doing instead of book knowledge. You will also learn to be creative, be a person who can get things done without having to be spoon fed.

Sure there is a place for book knowledge. Get your written tests done before you even start training. But there is no reason to go heavily into debt for this career.

... and despite what you hear, it is a great career. Eventually you will fly from vacation spot to vacation spot, enjoying the camaraderie of your crew members and having enough time at home to really enjoy your family. You'll no longer get rich doing this job, but you'll get by. Not having a load of debt will sure help.

Fewer than 1 of 100 pilots I meet these days are choosing this path. Can anyone explain why?

Sincerely,
Airport Bum
ATR42/72, CL65, DC9, 737, 757, 767 Type Rated