I am a new member and I apologize in advance if this is a reposted discussion. I have read through a few threads and in general I am like a lot of others, I am looking for advice on how to get into the industry.
Thank you in advance for any insight and guidance, it is greatly appreciated.

Here is a brief overview of my situation.

I have a private pilot license with 100 hours total/ 50 PIC. I have passed the
instrument written and had completed about half of the flying before I had to
move a few months back. It has been several months since I have flown.

I want to break into the aviation industry with an ultimate goal of flying. I am 33 years old, I have a 4 year degree and have been working in the social services field for about 5 years. I have other professional experience in technical fields (I made mention of these fields in case that raises a flag in my favor with a position).

I am looking to fly for regionals, freight, the US Forest Service, or something
along those lines. I understand that I have to build hours and ratings before I
can be considered for a pilot position, but what could I focus on to get in the
door with a company?

My ideal situation would place me with a company that would be willing to help me gain my ratings and flight time if I committed "x" amount of time to them.

In the interim while performing other job duties, I would need pay sufficient enough for housing, student loans, etc. Which basically means I cannot make minimum wages, however I imagine starting low on the totem pole with another company would mean something at or just above that pay.

I know I am late in the game age wise with where I should be with respect to flight time.
I am highly motivated and I am open to suggestions.
Thank you again.

 

Welcome.

There's a lot of reading you should do and some of it can be found here on APC.

You are not too old, but need to move along quickly at age 33. This assumes that you do not have a family or mortgage...if that is the case you will need independent financial means or a wife who has a high-paid portable job (ie Doctor, Dentist, Pharmacist).

The traditional path was to get your commercial ASEL and MEL, and then instructor ratings...CFI for sure, CFII almost mandatory, MEI highly desirable and then work as a CFI to build 1000-1500 hours at which point you could realistically apply to a regional. At certain times some regionals would hire as low as 300-500 hours.

If you are looking for someone to pay for your ratings check out American Flyers. They have (or had) and internship program where you would either work as an office manager or mechanic and get your IR, COM, CFI, and CFII for free.

Unless you have an A&P you would have to do the officer manager. They worrk you 12 hour days 6 days a week for a year and then you do your flight training on your own time. Pay was $1000/month IIRC (plus the flight training of course).

Once you actually get employed in aviation you will be lucky to make minimum wage...hourly rates are pathetically low, and even worse you only get paid when actually flying so you can pull a 12-hour day but only get paid 4 if that's all you fly.

At your age you will want need significant savings and the ability to self-finance your training. No Loans! If you have to take out loans at age 33 you have no business doing this to yourself. If you do an AF internship you would need money to live on during the internship, 2-3 years of CFI work after that, and the additional money to subsidize your first year (or 5) at the regional.

Also...the rules are changing. By the time you get there you will need 1500 hour minimum to get an airline job, plus some additional experience that you can't get as a flight instructor. This will likely mean a year at a small 135 freight operation before the regionals.

There are other career options besides airlines, but they are generally going to harder to get into than the regionals.

 

I really appreciate the information rickair7777. I kind of figured it would be an uphill battle (not impossible, but a good challenge). I already have a few student loans over my head and that is a concern of mine. I have read that it takes a lot of money to get where I want to be.
I will be checking out American Flyers, thank you for the information.
Thanks again-

 

First of all, welcome to APC. You'll find a wealth of information on this board that is helpful. However, treat it as if you were shopping in the grocery store. Take what you need, a little of what you want, and leave the rest on the shelf.

One other thing, by no means are you late in the game. Potentially, you've got 32 years to get where you wanna be, and based upon what you've posted, you'll have no problems getting there. In that respect, I would encourage you to view the glass half full; not half empty!

Blue skies.




atp

 

Thank you ATP,

I appreciate your insight as well.
I will definitely be doing some shopping around here.