initial training
 

So I started flight training, have logged 2 hours so far. I know so many! Many more to go. I will also be attending college for an aviation degree. The college also has great simulators available to students. My goal is to make a career (hopefully :)) out of flying. However, after reading through these forums and taking 2 lessons, it seems that there is a ton and ton of information and regulations to know. Also talking with ATC seems a bit confusing and tough.

But my question is it really that tough if you set yourself to do and try to succeed? Is all this training going to be very overwhelming? I know this seems kinda stupid, just want to see what you guys think! Thanks for POSITIVE responses.

A not-for-profit website on the airline pilot career which happens to be complete now is

The Truth About The Profession.

A not-for-profit website maintained by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics has impartial information on the piloting career:

US BLS Pilot Career

Welcome to the world of aviation and congrats on your accomplishment. Yes you do have a long way to go. Take one step at a time. Flying is great and if you have a passion for it and if you love aviation, then I think you should keep going. Work hard, believe me flying will demand you that. Other than that, you are merely exploring the tip of the iceberg. Good luck!!

My first post was deleted because I put a link to a website with resources for someone who wants to become a pilot, I guess it was replaced by a post with a link to a similar website...not sure what the difference is. Anyway, here is my orginial post with the link taken out:

Wow...where do I start?! A career as a pilot is one of the toughest things I have ever undertaken...actually, it's the toughest thing I've ever undertaken, but I wouldn't do anything else. You really have to have a strong passion for it and be willing to work extremely hard at it if you want to be successful.

My best advice to you is to read as much as you can about becoming a pilot. First, what type of pilot do you want to be? Airline pilot? Corporate? Test pilot? Depending on what you want to do, you need to tailor your education and experience to make you the best candidate for the job you eventually want. Most people that want to "be a pilot" think of being an airline pilot. If this is you, I can tell you that you can plan on spending anywhere from $40,000 - $200,000 before you get your "dream pilot job." You will also spend 15 years or more from now before you get that "dream pilot job."

That being said, I hope you are brave enough to follow your dreams, as long as you do, you won't regret it. Do as much research as possible, just Google "How to be a pilot" and you'll find a lot of resources on the topic.
Good luck!

At two hours in it might seem overwhelming. But you are too early in your training to get yourself worried about that. Take things one step at a time, and in the next 10-20 hours, as you get closer to soloing, things will all start coming together and feeling more natural. After each step things that once seemed so difficult and overwhelming become much much easier. Flight training is challenging, even frustrating at times, but you will feel a great sense of accomplishment for each step you complete. Stay focused and positive. Talking with ATC also gets a lot easier as you do it. It takes time to learn the lingo and getting used to listening for your radio calls.

As for ground stuff, make time to study as you go along. Don't wait until the end to cram everything in before a written or oral. If your CFI says to read something, or know something, do it. It will help you in the airplane and getting on to the next step. Like flying, all of the ground will start coming together, as long as you stay focused and put time in into it.

Congrats on the first flight! I remeber my first two flights very well. It is VERY overwhelming at first, but your knowledge and skills will soon increase so much you won’t be able to believe that you had problems. And don’t freak out about atc. Just keep trying, it will become automatic eventually.
The real training will start once you go to college. Out of curiosity, what University do you have in mind? I am attending Southern Illinois University at the moment. It’s a great school and has a great flight program. It took me from zero time to commercial in about a year and a half. There are great instructors here, and our flight team is number 1 in the nation!
My biggest struggle with my first few flights was talking to atc as well. Luckily we have a great and forgiving control tower at our airport that understands and helps new students adapt to talking on the radio. They will slow down there speech, and even offer pointers for future reference.
SIU also offers numerous internships with airlines and corporate flight departments. These help immensely with getting your foot into the industry and also with getting your first job.
If you haven’t decide where to go for college, check out Siu.