Also, with your teaching background, don't discount the possibility of taking that experience into aviation with you. There are lots of great jobs instructing in aviation.
A good buddy of mine started in aviation, bailed out due to 2008 furloughs etc and became a math teacher, and came back in 2017. He's now a simulator instructor for a large regional airline on pace to make over $300k this year. Home every night.

 

$300k/year in the sim is entirely possible at a regional, assuming you're hired as a line pilot. This is due to line pilot hourly pay for double (or even triple) sessions with sim override.

But that's a lot of work, and the volume is only available when there's a lot of movement. No movement, it's just recurrent and junior instructors go back to the line.

I have not heard of that kind of money for people hired solely as sim instructors. Also you don't actually need much of a teaching background to get an instructor job, just CFI certs. At an airline you don't even need CFI certs.

 

I am 50 and started my pilot training this year at CalAir (Hawthorne Airport). I plan to get my private license with them because they offer flexible schedule to accommodate my full-time job now as a doctor.

I plan to sign up with Sling Pilot Academy in August of 2023 and start training full-time. This will save me money compared to the private lessons. I will quit medicine by that time.

I am already a cadet with SkyWest, and I am hoping to start flying with them in 2025.

 

How does the cadet program work?


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Yes, get to 1500 quickly, but don’t devalue what that 1500 brings you in terms of experience and judgement as a pilot. Embrace whatever job you have to get the 1500 and be the best at that job, don’t just look past it. Back in the 90’s there was no 1500 hour rule, but you actually needed more than 1500 to be competitive for a commuter job.

 

I went from zero hours to 1475 in 26 months and was at Skywest in ATP/CTP. I did Part 61 full time. I had a great instructor and a full understanding with the owner. I paid in two $20k installments which got me a 10% cash discount. I spent $40k on $44k in training and got everything through CFII. I did my written in this order, PVT/COMM/CFI/INST/CFII/FOI. Did my Comm and CFI then my INST and CFII back to back on the same days. I used MZeroA for ground and saved a ton of money getting written sign offs. I was at the school everyday studying, discussing, flying, helping on 100hrs, etc. Private in 30 days, Comm ASEL 5 months, CFII by month 6, and my CFI by month 9 (could have been faster but I was burned out after CFII). Then taught at Aeroguard. I would never recommend anyone getting their ratings there, long story. The key to my success was finding a school I could negotiate a fair deal, well maintained aircraft, and a good instructor. If I lost any one of those I would have been screwed, like the guy who came in as I was leaving hoping to do the same. All the instructors left so he struggled to complete his instrument and now is back in IT. I still teach on the side. I get numerous clients asking for me to do for them what was done for me. None have followed through. You have to have drive and a little bit of panic to get through fast.

 

This ^^^
To get through period.
Statistically 70% of the people that start flight training do not finish.
There are no short cuts to experience.

 

Jumping in on the career changer thread (first post on here). Rundown- 44, Commercial, Instrument, CFI-MEI 330 total time (100 multi). Made my first run at this in 04-06- long story short had to get a real job and move on. 20 years later in corporate america and it's time to go. 21 years left on the clock. Anybody done instructing on the side while keeping a lucrative job? Have a large 141 flight school near me and have good connections to get a position. Thoughts/Advice? Target is to get to 1500 get on with a regional like skywest. Need to keep the pay rolling in until I can make the move.

 

You need 1200 hrs, that’s 18 months of instruction if you do it full time.
You need to make a choice, it’s one or the other. Keeping a job on the side doubles the time to 3 years…if not more.
Uber on the side for a couple of hours each day or more on slow days when you have a coupes of students on XC or taking written tests.

 

I see your point and I agree but with a family (at this moment) that's a hard sell. I will say one thing that might work in my favor is that I have an extremely flexible job where I could block out afternoons or mornings with no issue. There is also weekend time. The school I am near is cranking a full speed and has a high student load. Appreciate the input.