Hi,
I am starting college next year and wanted some feedback from you guys about possible ways to make an aviation career happen. I am interested in becoming a pilot and am going to a non-aviation university next year. I will be in a pre-med curriculum so that if my interests change or aviation doesn’t work out that I have a reasonable course of action to take; medicine is my other career interest besides aviation.
What I am concerned with is my ability to finance an aviation career. My college is taken care of largely through scholarship and is not a real burden. I am aware of the entry-level and regional pay and am not interested in taking out huge loans to make those wages. I would have loved to go the military route; however, my eyesight is a disqualifier.
I’m not really sure how to approach an aviation career from here…I’ve done the research about the career and want to position myself responsibly for my future. I had given some thought to going the medical route and going to aviation afterwards but it really doesn’t seem like an ideal way to do it.
I’d be appreciative of any advice or direction you guys had. It’s really interesting to read about how some of you managed to make aviation work for you and I’d love to hear from you. Thanks.

 

Here's an ideal way to do it: Work hard to get to medical school, and find out how you can become a military flight surgeon -- maybe at a Reserve or ANG unit flying F-15/F-16/F-18s. You'd probably enjoy flying with a military squadron, as you seem to have an interest in that. Use the money you make in your practice to buy a plane and learn to fly. It would be the best of all possible worlds.
...and stay away from V-tailed Bonanzas.

 

You need a 4 year degree for piloting, it is a check the box sort of thing, so by all means continue in your chemistry or premed education.

In the meantime, continue flight training on your own dime as a hobby. I obtained an engineering degree, and in my spare time got my private, instrument, tailwheel, and commercial tickets, as well as worked one full day a week at a truck driving job to pay for them. I was on full scholarship that paid for university classes, and the part time work was to pay for the flight training. I also used federal student loans to a large extent.

Obviously money was an issue for me since I come from a poor family, but if I had the money I would have also obtained my multengine add on plus all the instructor certificates. I have heard of people doing all that while obtaining a 4 year degree in something else. They are go-getters, but it can be done.

After a while you will hopefully graduate from university and apply to med school. Bear in mind you need high scores to get in, so don't get too caught up in flight training in the meantime. Do it as a hobby. Doctors are important too, and you should make becoming one your prime focus at least until you decide it is not for you any more.

Since you already know that airline careers involve a slow climb to the top, I would make that your fall back option, and be serious about medicine. There are doctors who switched careers to piloting, and are happy and successful in the change, but they already had the money to do it before they switched careers. You will live on peanut wages for a number of years (5+) if you decide to go the airline route. That's why I never did it. The person who said to look into military flight surgeon also had a good idea.

Best of luck.

 

And for many of my classmates, it's peanut wages for 10+ yrs effectively, given that you "top out" around 40K/yr with little ability to move beyond that in the airline industry. Nothing can really progress given that there are too many airlines, planes and pilots out there. Think about the fact that wages have gotten lower and lower over the last 15yrs as airlines have whittled away at what you make as a pilot, just so the next start-up or regional airline can fly a few routes for cheaper than was done before. It's a cut-throat business and there aren't any signs it will get better, sooooo.....

Do you think you love flying, being in the air, looking down on people below, doing a few turns, maybe making a challenging landing every once and a while, going out to new and interesting places, having lunch, maybe doing a ski-trip, visiting relatives and friends, and basically "enjoying" flight, or:

Do you think you love the lifestyle of a pilot? quick turn-arounds, usually the same routes, commuting to work, poor rest, routines with little change, dealing with passengers, living in airports, etc. The "pilot lifestyle" of lots of days off with high pay is pretty rare these days. This is from the 60s, 70s and 80s and has inspired a lot of people to become pilots.

Each has it's benefits, working for the airlines you can often fly places in your free-time, if you have enough of it and enough extra money to spend at said destination, but you gotta ask some hard questions. Do you love aviation? Do you love (or think you'll love) flying? Do you think that means you'll love airlines, or can you do something else in aviation that will allow you to fly or have the financial means to own/build your own plane? There are lots of other pilot jobs out there, especially if you keep costs low and do not go to an "aviation" college or big flight school and put yourself way far in debt where you have few skills and hours outside of standardized airline practices/preparation. Many of the "0-CFI in 6 months" type operations or any that promise you certs and ratings fast are almost worthless as far as experience goes, as you forget it as quickly as you learned it, but by controlling your costs and paying it as you move along, you will have been flying for a longer period of time, and be better able to go back and reflect upon your experiences and challenges. It's harder to do your ratings and certs over a longer period of time for sure, but it's also probably better in the sense that it forces you to study more, to reflect more, to think more and not just do stuff like a robot. Then you can think about things like bush-flying, cargo-flying (for smaller operators), sightseeing, working into corporate flying, government flying jobs, forest service, and so on. There are a lot of things outside of airlines, and unfortunately the entire aviation industry seems to be driven towards the "airline funnel", except that it truly is a funnel and only a few people will make it past the "neck", because there just aren't that many jobs compared to qualified pilots, and the rest of the airline jobs are pretty crappy in terms of pay and benefits. Do you want to sacrifice 20-30 years so in the last 5 you can fly a 787, or have more fun and do your flying more on your own terms, maybe with a job or career that allows you to own your own plane? Nothing says you can't even become a CFI and instruct other people on the side outside of some other non-flying job, thereby bringing in even more revenue and keeping yourself flying with new challenges. Lots of opportunities out there for someone that is willing to think and see beyond airlines. Good luck!

Think about airport operations, aviation administration/business, safety, engineering (not just aeronautical, but mechanical and industrial), Air Traffic Control, FAA, and so on...

 

Excellent post, spot on accurate. There's lots of other (more lucrative) things to do in aviation besides becoming a pilot. But, to each their own. Good luck!