How long did it take you
 

I am going to go to Utah state university for aviation. I have my private pilots license already and hopefully i will have my Instrument by the end of the year. Im starting to have doubts of USU, if i am not happy i will most likely transfer to ERAU. I chose USU because it was an actual university with different majors and not just a specific major oriented school. I figured i can also get mountain check outs as well as density altitude practice while flying in utah

How long does it take most people from coming out of college to get into the airlines. I would like to fly charter out of college to build hours and maybe move up into flying with mountain air and eventuallly move up to fedex. Or just fly regional and move up into the bigs. But what i am really asking is how long did it take most of you that are already flying in the airlines to get from college to where you are now. I'm just really afraid of my parents spending so much money to put me through this, and eventuallly me not being able to find a job. I am a little relieved that there will be tons of retirements in the next 10 or so years. So i may have a chance


I also have neurofribromatosis . The medical examiner that i go to for assistance is Jack Hastings. He says i am fine for getting my 1st class medical. He says that there are pilots with Neurofribromatosis, which i find interesting. I am trying to figure out what i might want to do if my 1st class medical is denied.

But anyway

What college did you go to? Are you a CFI? Does it matter what aviation school you go to?

I really want to avoid being a CFI. I can't teach for squat. I know that is how you gain hours, i would be absolutely terrible at explaining everything to a student

I have by no means "made it". Started flying a little over 3 years ago and I'm just finishing up with my CFI initial.

Ever considered another major at school and continue flying/certs with a part time job?

FWIW I didn't want to go the CFI route either but knew it was good for building time and earning a little extra cash from my full-time job. Glad I have gone this route. I have really had to learn everything all over. I feel much more confident and I haven't really even started with students yet which I hear will really open my eyes.

Also- from what I understand the airlines (regionals) don't really care too much about college as a degree is not required but preferred, unlike the major airlines. As long as you meet the minimums...

It's great you are asking these questions and educating yourself about what to expect, but before you go any further you really need get that first class medical now, not just rely on what your AME says. I have seen it happen to students, they invest time and money to fly, and then find out they can't get a first class medical. As far as how much time to get to the airlines who knows, especially 3 to 4 years from now when you are finishing school.

Unless you have good reason to believe that your NF is very mild, it seems like a huge financial gamble to invest in an aviation career. Even if you get a 1C today, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to keep it. You might have ongoing medical certification challenges throughout your career. I would stick to hobby flying in your shoes... lot easier to keep a 3C.

A couple decades. Really. Hope you can do it faster.

I agree. I have the typical indications of NF, learning difference, spots, etc..It is infact pretty mild. It is recommended that i get an MRI every 6 months to make sure there isn't anything that looks like it will harm me.The neurologist pointed out a small portion of the center of my brain was a little lighter than normal but other than that i'm like literally perfect.

Hastings has dealt with guys like me. And apparently there are guys out there with NF still flying.

I did all my flying part 61. Was a CFI for a year. I actually enjoyed that. Then landed a job at a regional. Upgraded in three years. Spent the next ten years as a Captain. Should have put out resumes, and with any luck, would have been at a Major by now. So, pick the right airline at the right time and you will upgrade quickly. Maybe make it to the next level in a year after that upgrade. If not, it might not turn out so rosy. I have sat next to talented pilots that have been in the right seat of an RJ for nine years. That's not to say you will not get hired without PIC. It does happen, and quite often now. You hopefully have one thing going for you. The next ten years should be much better in this industry.

I'm just getting started at Utah Valley University. Going to Colorado to get my PPL next month and then maybe 2-3 months later I will do my Instrument and hopefully get my commercial by the end of next summer.

It has taken me a year to get through all of my ratings after my ppl (instrument through CFI a couple weeks from now)... My ppl took about 8 months to get but I only flew once or maybe twice a week and I was working 50+ hours a week and going to school. Just started working commercially a couple months ago but time has been coming slow so far. About 20 to 25 hours per month right now. It should pick up soon though.

-- Graduated College May 85
-- Graduated USAF UPT July 86
-- Initial Qual C-130 Nov 86
-- Aircraft Commander Upgrade C-130, Oct 88
-- Instructor School Jan 90,C-130E
-- Left Active Duty Feb 92
-- AE (Flagship) ATR-42 March 92-Aug94 (Agent and Brokers Lic in NC Real estate on the side )
-- Part 91 421C private owner in NC Sep 94-May97
-- Left aviation bought and ran family printing company
-- Hired Shuttle America E170, Nov 2007- Jul 2008
-- Part 135/91k Jul 08 - Feb 09, Citation 550/560s
-- Contract pilot March 09 - April 10, Cit 550/560s
-- Hired Kalitta Air, B747-200 FO, May 2011- Present

Dunno..... have I made it?....LOL

HercDriver130,

If you have been on strike, downgraded, and furloughed or company went out of business, then yes, you have made it!:D

Check 2 of those in my favor then.....LOL

30 plus years in this paid hobbie of ours, currently a 76 captain. Don't really know the answer, what constitutes making it in this business?

If there is no conflict at work or home with the job, and you still have money left for Corona at the end of the month....well, how can you go wrong?

+1............

I instructed in college and started at my regional before walking the stage by a month, 3 years at regional before going to nwa now delta. So it is possible to do it quick but it takes alot of luck, timing and sacrifice. Good luck

+2..............lol, make it Becks please.

commercial to Legacy was 8 years. 135/121 long haul in between among others. I feel pretty lucky.

I went tom USU, but finished at ERAU. I was at USU in 2003 and their flight program was abismal. Virtually every flight I had in the winter was canceled due to weather, and winter there lasts from October through April. since then the fleet has been upgraded. My instructor while at USU is still right seat at SkyWest. I flew Metro with 3 guys who went through the USU program and all of us are flying turboprops either for charter or part 91. My honest opinion about USU is that you won't get what you pay for.
My career progression however my be different than others. I instructed from 207-2010 and have been flying turboprop air ambulance since then. Some of my USU classmates are jet captains, but I have opted to be less flexible with where I move as I prefer to stay in the northwest. I also have opted it to go part 121, which is not entirely out of the question, but I'd prefer 91 or 135. Everyone's career progression will be different depending on you goals, family and flexibility.

Note: my experience with USU is 9 years old, so things may have changed.

First official lesson to start my track as an airline pilot - August 2006
First entry as a regional airline pilot on a -145 - October 2011

I often fly over the small single runway, uncontrolled field where I got my private, remember just a few years looking up at the jets fly over thinking "someday."

USU can be a great college experience, maybe not your flight experience. If I could, and perhaps more so because of a possible medical issue, look into their amazing college of engineering. If this bet (and it really is an issue of timing and luck, like many bets) doesn't work in your favor, you are a mechanical engineer with an emphasis in petroleum, a very lucrative career. AND, you can still be a professional pilot.

meh, what do I know.

I would suggest against going to an aviation school... it makes no difference.

I started working on my private in high school, and got it summer after I graduated. I went to Florida State and got my instrument my freshman year. Summer after my freshman year, I got my Commercial Multi-engine. Sophomore year, school was crazy so I couldn't fly as much, but got most of the work for my CFI's done. Got my CFI/CFII/MEI the summer after my soph year, and got hired at the FBO in Tallahassee when I came down for college to start my junior year.

The company quickly started using me for charter work as well as CFIing, so I was able to snag King Air, Navajo, and Saratoga time. I worked basically 7 days a week my junior and senior year and graduated (degree in Philosophy/minor in Geology) on time with 1500 hours.

I got picked up by Pinnacle (with about 1700 hours and 350 multi-engine) later that year, and made CRJ captain a year and a half after that.

I flew as captain for about 2 years, and got picked up by Delta after that with 5000 TT time and about 2000 jet PIC.

Got hired at Colgan in 2005, left for XJT in 2006, I am still an FO.........
6,000hrs TT, 4,500 SIC Jet......

I haven't made it, that's for sure, lol....... I won't feel like I made it until I get on with a legacy etc...

Just get a degree,non aviation preferably, luck and timing has more to do with this "making" it then anything else...........


Some guys got hired at XJT, upgraded in under 2 years on went to a Major within 6 months of Upgrading, some guys have been here for 10 years and can't get an interview.....

I am due to upgrade in the next class, if I can't get on with a Major within a year, (during this next wave), I'm going to leave flying and work for the family business. The ability to drive to work and make good to great money will be worth it :), still can't believe Inhavent left yet, but Inguess knowing its always there means I can be patient

Graduated College (Non Aviation) in Dec 2010, Hired at a regional in April 2011. Started flying in 09, CFI/CFII a year later then 1 year of instructing. Got lucky and instructed at an extremely busy school. Flew so much almost wanted to quit flying, be careful not to burn yourself out.

That is almost unanswerable... if you had unlimited funds, you could buy 1500 hours of multi engine time and go from college to a regional airline job (assuming they hire you, and there are a few of them, so the odds are good).. or you can do like I did, and flight instruct for about 2 years before you had the hours... or some fly checks, do traffic watch, etc.. all have one thing in common, low wages, long hours, and significantly more danger than a FAR121 flying job..

best to get that out of the way before you even go down this road.. GO and get a 1st class medical, and DISCLOSE the illness to the FAA... see what happens..


A normal 4-year, after 2 years at the JC... I didn't attend a top tier university, nor did I major in Aviation... for me, everything I knew about flying I was going to learn thru the process of getting my ratings and by self motivated study.. I wanted a degree in something outside aviation as a fall back, and it has served me well TWICE now...

none sense.. I learned more about the basics of flying by being a CFI than I ever would have if I'd gotten a job with 300 hours in my logbook working traffic watch, pipeline, etc.. and more than likely, you are going to need 1500 before anyone will touch you for a normal "commercial" job anyway... PLAN to be a CFI for 2-3 years during/or after you graduate college and you'll be a lot happier..

Also.. best bit of advise.. PLAN to be an RJ captain for the rest of your life (no necessarily a bad thing).... there are only so many jobs at the legacies, Fedex, UPS and Southwest.. etc.. the majority of jobs are outside of those companies.. you plug away at it, but don't think it's a sure bet. Took me 12 years with 4 companies, two bankrupt airlines, etc.. to get to my career job with Hawaiian..

you could always tell guys who never CFId, they usually where terrible sticks......

Agreed .

I don't know if I'd blanket statement/stereotype to that degree.

If the person was a banner/glider tow or something similar their instrument scan may have had a catchup point, but they still seem to be able to fly.

Those that may have done a pay per view program or were simply meat in the seat for a 135/corp gig can be another story.

Like I said, "can" being the key word. It's usually ones bragging with the "so there we were" type stories, etc.

agreed...............

Making it?
 

What does that really mean anymore? Making it to a jet? Not all that hard.

Making it to a good stable career that pays a wage that is worth all the hardship? You have to hit 65 and be able to look back before you really know that.

Famous Last Words in Aviation: "I have finally made it".

Eastern Airlines, Independence air, Comair, TWA, Reno Air, National Airlines ...ect.. You never really know what tomorrow will being in aviation. Most likely however it will not be good news.

To me making it means having considerable control over your life and earning enough to be able to support your family in a manner that they are well cared for.

Skyhigh

Then I guess I have made it, according to your definition.

This is very true!

Or how about NWA, Delta, AA(yes they're going through BK now but guys had great careers there) Western, Southwest, FedEx, UPS, NetJets, etc...... :D

Every 20 years
 

It seems like most airlines get 10 to 20 years i the sun then fade away. SWA and UPS are starting to show some cracks already.

Skyhigh

I start flying when I was 14 and by the time I was 18 I had my CFII/MEII. At 19 I had my first CFI job. After working full time for a year I went to college, Vaughn College of Aeronautics to get my 4 year degree, A&P and FCC. I was 25 and just months out of college when TWA hired me but I had already logged a couple of thousand hours while going to school as an instructor and 135 pilot.

Things were great until our TWA/AA merger and 9/11. I have worked for two airlines since then, one went bankrupt and the other was just not the fit. In the middle I tried owning a trucking company that did not work and now a floor cleaning business that I just shut down. I am now 42 and back to flight instructing, yep I once flew 767s international and now I am flying the 172s.

There is no crystal ball and if you had asked me where I would be when I was 42 at the age of 25 IT WOULD NOT BE MAKING NO MONEY AS A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR. I only had one interview my entire career that did not come with a strong personal recommendation and that was with ATA, but keep in mind they were extremely sympathetic to what the TWA pilots were going through an what was being done to us. All the others, strong letters of recommendations, so be a good person and make a lot of true/solid connections/friendships and keep them.

The pilots that are working a lucky, because being on the outside looking in is not fun and sadly there are zero guarantees in aviation. The aviation industry is an ugly one and sadly our fellow pilots can be our worst enemies. Good luck, it is not going to be easy.

Good luck to you NoWake. I had a couple of friends who got on with TWA ~'98-'99 period. One is now (after several years of "here and there") with jetBlue and I've lost contact with the other but the interim years weren't much better for him (was starting a family around that time too).
I hope you find something soon. There were some good people in TWA.

This is very disheartening :(

For every line holding DL captain story in aviation, there are 2 or 3 NoWake200 stories. Just look around on these boards.

Best of luck, NoWake, I fly with two ex-TW guys, they admit they got lucky here.

GF

Private in high school.
Instrument freshmen year.
Comm/multi/CFI/cfii sophomore year
Instructed junior and senior year and got an MEI during that time.

Regional at 22
Captain at 24
CX 747-400 FO at 25

Hard work is essential but even moreso is amazing timing.

^Baller :), CX is Cathay Pacific I presume?