flystraightin

Hey guys, first off I want to say that this is an amazing site!!

I just turned 17 and am a junior in high school. My uncle was a pilot for Cathay and Qantas and I've always been interested in aviation. Last year I got my first job, as a contact (Canwest Flt Services Ltd.) ramp agent, working for QX and WS, as well as HMY Airways, SSV and Air Transat at Victoria International (YYJ, Class C, about 20nm NNE of Port Angeles, WA) We do pretty much everything, for everyone (except AC) including catering, deicing, baggage handling, marshalling, grooming etc.

I've got a question, I really want to fly commercially and I've started taking lessons for my PPL at Victoria Flying Club, but I know, from talking to pilots, reading these forums and working part time in the industry, that the airlines are hurting and it isnt a very stable job. I want to get a business degree or something like that to fall back on.

My question:

From what I understand, there is two ways to go, a) work with a CFI for my PPL then CPL, multi, ifr, night and ATP, or b) head south and go to a much more expensive "big school" such as ERAU, Delta Connection Academy or PRO IFR which will expedite my training but sacrifice the quality and 1-on-1 training I'd get with a CFI. Which should I choose, I've got dual citizenship and my grandparents live in PHX, so I could live there and fly VFR 360 days a year or stay here and work with my CFI??

In a perfect world, I'd like to fly for 10-15yrs then work within the airline in a management position and work my way up the ranks that way into a board position of some sort.

Thanks

JMT21

I just finished up my Junior year at the University of North Dakota and have been pleased with the program. The real beauty of UND is that on one side of campus is your typical public university offering degrees in everything from biology to theatre arts, on the other side is the school of aerospace sciences which includes an aviation program that is second to none.

If you were to major in aviation management, you would be able to get pretty much any degree from the school of business (economics, finance, accounting, management, etc.) with just one additional year of school. If you stay during the summers you would be able to walk out of here with 2 degrees in four years. You typically meet with your flight instructor atleast 3 times a week. As far as I can tell, you get the best of both worlds.

Tuition is reasonable and cost of living is low. You also get to experiance all types of weather-thunderstorms in the summer, ice in winter, and everything in between. Hope this helps, the link at the bottom may be of some help to you, let me know if you have any questions about the program.

http://flightops.aero.und.edu/facts/

rickair7777

A degree in non-aviation is a good plan.

You should probably decide up front whether you would rather work in Canada or the US, and get your ratings in the country you wish to work in. Conversion between the two is not real hard (not like JAA), but there is some expense and effort.

I would suggest a small school, or a good CFI at an FBO if you can find one who can work to your schedule needs. Most of the big schools will take advatnage of you.

You've hit on a touchy subject regarding your career path. Planning to fly for a few years and then go do something else makes it sound like a hobby or a lark, for which are willing to get paid little or nothing. Unfortunately, those of us who plan to stay and raise our families and send our kids to college on airline pay deeply resent folks who want to "just do it for a while". Some of the most profitable business sectors today are those that involve disposable employees, prefareably young and stupid...this sort of employee will work for peanuts and no benefits and not care because they are not planning on staying. Most retail and fast food fall into this category. Airlines would be ecstatic if all their pilots quit at age 35 or so...they would be replacing pilots with low-paid new hires. This works great unless you happen to be one of the employees left behind in that industry...look at any 55 year old walmart employee.

If you want to get into top management you need to go to a big-name college then a big-name business school. In today's world you will not stay at one company, but change jobs every 5 years or so. Board of director members normally come from outside the company...they are CEOs of other companies or other high-profile people (retired admirals, ex-senators, etc). This is a totally different career than flying. You could however become a management pilot at some point...you would perform management duties in the flight operations part of the company, but still fly occasionally. These guys can make good money sometimes.

BURflyer

Just to remind you that flying in the desert when it gets hot wich is like 10 out of 12 months, can be one of the bumpiest experiences that you can encounter. Frankly I don't know how people go train at places like las begas phoenix or tucson. Some of the worst turbluences I've encoutered has been over the desert. I would suggest going to phx and experience the 110 degree heat first before you make the commitment to fly there. To answer your question I would train in the U.S since there are more flying jobs over here.

BROKE CFI

Big schools are a waste of money. You'd be better off to find a good CFI at a nearby FBO and study and fly as much as possible. It all depends on how much effort you put in it, but you can get all your ratings within a year or so. A lot of those grads from big schools might think they rock because they have a degree that they spent $90,000 on, but I have met plenty of them that dont have crap for real experience. I have met plenty of big school grads that have their CFI and have 0 actual instrument time. How horrible is that?

mistarose

Training to get you ratings is not about getting actual instrument, it is about getting your ratings. Everyone who continues there aviation career will rack up their actual instrument time, it is unfortunate that a CFI has zero actual instrument time, but its simply unfortunate, nothing more then that.

SkyHigh

Some actual experience is a good thing to have. There are plenty of guys claiming to be instrument pilots who would be minutes from death if they accidentally flew into a cloud.


SkyHigh

Laxrox43

I have flown with Instrument students and even people that have their Inst. rating ("ready to run before they can walk" type) like that...where I had to take the controls when we popped into a cloud. A couple of hours in the soup may, strangely, save your life.

Lax

mistarose

You're working at Horizon right? If so, Horizon just came over to our school (CWU) and did some "direct hiring," 4 guys may have been hired. Kind of off the subject, but have you heard anything about that, not that you would, just curious.

SkyHigh

I am also a CWU grad and flew for Horizon a few years ago. I live in the same town as you however I am out of touch with the daily operations of Horizon. It wouldn't surprise me though. If you are looking for a quality new or newer rental home PM me.

SkyHigh