is this a good job for me?
09-04-2015, 01:13 PM
#1
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Joined APC: Sep 2015
Posts: 2
is this a good job for me?
I am a 17 year old guy with one more year to go in high school. I have flown small planes before and i loved it. I have been thinking about becoming a airline pilot but i would like to know from pilots if i fit the profile of a good pilot.
I enjoy being around airplanes and airports, i love flying, i enjoy travel, i have no girlfriend so being away for a long time is not be a problem for me, i am not that worried about making alot of money for the first 5 to ten years. I am a gamer idk if that matters but i am just throwing it out there. I am nice and easy to get along with most of the times. Oh and i live like 15 minutes away from a school that offers a two year program in aviation. One more thing idk how important this is in being a pilot but math is not my strong set. I am ok with formulas and once i do them enough times they are not that difficult. Do you guy's think that i would make a good pilot?
I enjoy being around airplanes and airports, i love flying, i enjoy travel, i have no girlfriend so being away for a long time is not be a problem for me, i am not that worried about making alot of money for the first 5 to ten years. I am a gamer idk if that matters but i am just throwing it out there. I am nice and easy to get along with most of the times. Oh and i live like 15 minutes away from a school that offers a two year program in aviation. One more thing idk how important this is in being a pilot but math is not my strong set. I am ok with formulas and once i do them enough times they are not that difficult. Do you guy's think that i would make a good pilot?
Last edited by newguy154; 09-04-2015 at 01:14 PM. Reason: mistake
09-04-2015, 01:28 PM
#2
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2012
Position: ERJ, CA
Posts: 718
It is impossible to know that, but are you willing to work hard? Can you afford $100,000+? Are you willing to literally live on Ramen? Do you like to interact and teach other people things-it is likely you will have to flight instruct to build experience. Are any of your games realistic flight sims? You can learn some things from those. You might want to check out young eagles or Civil Air Patrol in your area to get more exposure to flying. When it comes to math, no one expects you to design an airplane, but you do need to be able to do algebra fairly quickly on your ATP exam--much later. Generally, the math is all little formulas you use for rules of thumb, and a little trig for crosswind correction.
A good way to start is become a sport pilot, then add on from there.
A good way to start is become a sport pilot, then add on from there.
09-04-2015, 01:44 PM
#3
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Joined APC: Sep 2015
Posts: 2
i wouldn't mind being a student pilot. I want to get my pilots license after i get my drivers license at the end of this month. With the whole math thing do they let you use calculators on the tests? Because i am ok with using a calculator it is just mental math that i am awful at.
09-05-2015, 09:41 PM
#4
Gets EVERY weekend off
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: SIC
Posts: 1,367
Many things evolve over time OP -
No girlfriend now, but you'll have one eventually.
Not strong at math w/o a calculator, you can work on the requisite skills.
Enjoy being around airports, but there will come a time when you loathe being around airports.
- End result - It's hard to say if this is the what you want in life, truth be told it's hard to tell if it isn't. No one is going to know that better than you. What you should do, is think about what it is you'd like to do, there's no requirement for you to go to college for job A, and work job A for 30 years, then retire.
I worked as an aircraft mechanic for 3 years (loved it), worked as an instructor pilot for 1 year (liked it), worked as an airline pilot for 3 years (loved/hated it), worked as a federal worker for 6 years (endured it/succeeded at it), am getting back into aviation for the first time in six years. Love the learning, love the SIM time, am ok with the time away from home...love getting back into the lifestyle of an pilot...odd that I have to "get back into it", it's different...and this is the first time in a half decade that I don't think of myself in terms of an analyst or supervisor...You have plenty of time to decide if this is what you want, if you want to work on a sport pilot or private pilot certificate go for it...it won't hurt you down the line, and you can decide if you really love aviation.
No girlfriend now, but you'll have one eventually.
Not strong at math w/o a calculator, you can work on the requisite skills.
Enjoy being around airports, but there will come a time when you loathe being around airports.
- End result - It's hard to say if this is the what you want in life, truth be told it's hard to tell if it isn't. No one is going to know that better than you. What you should do, is think about what it is you'd like to do, there's no requirement for you to go to college for job A, and work job A for 30 years, then retire.
I worked as an aircraft mechanic for 3 years (loved it), worked as an instructor pilot for 1 year (liked it), worked as an airline pilot for 3 years (loved/hated it), worked as a federal worker for 6 years (endured it/succeeded at it), am getting back into aviation for the first time in six years. Love the learning, love the SIM time, am ok with the time away from home...love getting back into the lifestyle of an pilot...odd that I have to "get back into it", it's different...and this is the first time in a half decade that I don't think of myself in terms of an analyst or supervisor...You have plenty of time to decide if this is what you want, if you want to work on a sport pilot or private pilot certificate go for it...it won't hurt you down the line, and you can decide if you really love aviation.
09-06-2015, 11:17 PM
#5
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: Center seat, doing loops to music
Posts: 825
What is self-evident, to me at least, is that you'll never attain a level of personal satisfaction or lasting meaningful accomplishment, from monitoring a transport category aircraft on autopilot, the way you can by handflying a Pitts or Edge/Extra on a lazy saturday afternoon on your own dime and time, or island hopping in the Caribbean with a slow seaplane or 3 mile a minute twin-engine cruiser, again on your own time. Or taking a Viper or equivalent military jet and doing things less than .01% of the world's population will ever dream about being capable of doing. These things are "purisms" in aviation; they seldom make good reasons to do something for a living when taken as singularities of motivation.
When I was single and young I was motivated by these singularities. Now that I have a son, I'd readily cut my hands off to ensure he fulfills his potential in life before I'd set foot back into a paid airplane gig at the expense of his health, happiness and welfare. That diametric shift in motivation cannot be understood until you're physically in that life position, which is why I've never taken too much stock in giving young people advice. Everybody always think they know everything at 21, because 21 yos are fundamentally incapable of projecting/extrapolating how they'd feel at 45, with imperfect life circumstances no less. Those that do, literally bend the spoon of fate and get a jump on their peers, to borrow an analogy from the Matrix. They also tend to capitalize economically on such rare exercise of foresight.
Look, if I could make WB FO pay and be home as much as a senior one can be, by proverbially selling life insurance or defrauding pensioners via Wall street (assuming I could stomach the ethical forbearance) , I'd be the first one to get on my house-slave monkey suit and peddle that desk jockey crap while whistling Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" under my breath. Because I can't or won't, I entertain this vocation instead. But that whole mantra of "if you don't love it, it's not for you" is garbage. Nobody "loves" falling asleep on top of an FMS doing yet another RNAV arrival into DFW on yet another Saturday and Sunday away from your family. You do it because you can't make six figures/afford your family's lifestyle any other way, and you're able to work out some combination of QOL that is better than making less money while staying home every night, that otherwise doesn't make you want hang yourself while on layover day 2 of a 4-day. The others simply don't need a primary source of income. The rest are just lying.
My 50 centavos anyways.
When I was single and young I was motivated by these singularities. Now that I have a son, I'd readily cut my hands off to ensure he fulfills his potential in life before I'd set foot back into a paid airplane gig at the expense of his health, happiness and welfare. That diametric shift in motivation cannot be understood until you're physically in that life position, which is why I've never taken too much stock in giving young people advice. Everybody always think they know everything at 21, because 21 yos are fundamentally incapable of projecting/extrapolating how they'd feel at 45, with imperfect life circumstances no less. Those that do, literally bend the spoon of fate and get a jump on their peers, to borrow an analogy from the Matrix. They also tend to capitalize economically on such rare exercise of foresight.
Look, if I could make WB FO pay and be home as much as a senior one can be, by proverbially selling life insurance or defrauding pensioners via Wall street (assuming I could stomach the ethical forbearance) , I'd be the first one to get on my house-slave monkey suit and peddle that desk jockey crap while whistling Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" under my breath. Because I can't or won't, I entertain this vocation instead. But that whole mantra of "if you don't love it, it's not for you" is garbage. Nobody "loves" falling asleep on top of an FMS doing yet another RNAV arrival into DFW on yet another Saturday and Sunday away from your family. You do it because you can't make six figures/afford your family's lifestyle any other way, and you're able to work out some combination of QOL that is better than making less money while staying home every night, that otherwise doesn't make you want hang yourself while on layover day 2 of a 4-day. The others simply don't need a primary source of income. The rest are just lying.
My 50 centavos anyways.
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