Looking for some advice
 

So I have been looking around the forums and what people are saying definitely does not make the airline pilot career path very appealing. Low pay, furlough, pilot oversupply ... yada, yada, yada ... I've heard it all.

With this said, its what I have wanted to do my entire life. With the compensation set aside, how is this career? Here my story:

I am 24 years old and live in Michigan. I have just finished my BS in Business Administration and am currently working full time and most likely making more money per year than what everyone is saying about regional FO's. But I'm not satisfied with it. I am also married, and own a home.

Though I love my life, I miss flying. My wife tells me to go for it which definitely makes me feel better considering the debt I am about to incur if I move forward with this. But I need some direction .. I can't do ATP Flight School because I have a life and have to keep working full-time (and it's ridiculously overpriced). With this said, I am thinking about just gaining my PPL, Instrument, Commercial, and CFI here at our local airport; most likely Part 141.

I would assume after I get my certs, I just instruct and maybe "fly on the side" to gain hours? I know its the "long route" but that seems to be the only practical way considering my other real-world obligations.


Let me know your thoughts, I'd be interested to hear what you all have to say.

Your thinking is sound. Get the PPL, do some more flying, then see if you want to move on. All of the "practical" routes (including military pilot training, if you're interested in that), are long, but you have plenty of time. Good Luck! :)

It works only if you are well prepared financially to take the low pay and austere working conditions for a few years. Flying professionally will be tortuous at the entry level if you have debts in tow and a family to take care of.

You should put flying back in your life immediately, but save the career change decision for later. Much later.

As Tom says, you are going about it the right way. I had an eye towards flying professionally beginning in about 2004, and was not able to do it full time until 2009. Even then I felt I should go back to my standby career of engineering, although craving adventure brought me back to flying again last year. Currently I am flying full time and largely enjoying it, although it still amazes me how low the pay is. Indeed it is a long haul if you do not throw loose cash at the problem. Concentrate on economical flight training at this point, and in 5 years you will be eligible for an airline job and without the debt that so often ruins one.

A great man once said, "My advice to you is to start drinking heavily."

RIP JB

What is it that you love, flying, going where you want, being able to turn left or right, flying when you want, etc, or is it being an airline pilot, flying a schedule, going to the same places, going on several day trips, etc?

Flying does not = being an airline pilot.

There are dozens upon dozens, if not hundreds, of ways to work in flying without being an airline pilot. So, is it being an airline pilot that you're dreaming of, or flying on your own terms?

Seriously, whatever you do, follow these rules and you'll be OK.

Rule #1: DO NOT incur any debt in order to get a flying job.

Rule #2: When/if in doubt, refer to Rule #1.

What's your concerns other than the low salary? Can your wife support you financially for the first years?

Cubdriver,

What do you think about the possibility of flying professionally while working as an engineer (or consultant) part-time? With your schedule, do you think that it's feasible?

Lately, I've been tossing the idea around in my head obviously due to the large salary hit. I am currently studying for my patent agent license (and working on my advanced ratings), thinking that it may be a decent part-time and mobile job to have while flying. Thanks for any insight!

What makes you happy? Conversation with wife tonight - "I tell people how lucky your are. Thirty plus years of flying and you still enjoy your job and you make good money on top of it."

Everyone's career will be different. The next 20 yrs will be different than the last twenty years. Figure out what you can expect from your career and decide if you want to take the chance. Nothing is guaranteed.

Good luck.

JamesNoBrakes, you are exactly right! Personally, I just love being able to fly when I want and to have control of the cockpit. You made a good point though because I don't necessarily NEED to be an "airline pilot". I guess it is somewhat assumed that all individual need to become airline pilots in order to support a family given the low salaries; which is probably the case if that is ALL your going to do.

I am definitely considering just gaining my PPL and Instrument just to go up and enjoy ... and still have a full time job elsewhere.

Squawk87, I wish she could but unfortunately her income wouldn't be able to pay for the house and all our bills! Perhaps later down the road she could, but not right now ...

Can you imagine a better adventure than building and flying your own plane, like an RV-7 or something with some performance and capability? It's fairly economical (less than 100K vs. 400+K for similar performance with a new production aircraft)?

The best part about this is that if you choose the right career path, you can still be neck-deep in aviation and doing fun and interesting stuff. Maybe working in aviation insurance, aviation financing, aviation safety, aviation regulation, aviation and aerospace engineering, aviation and aerospace production, aviation and aerospace testing, aviation maintenance, etc. If not, you can STILL enjoy and be deep-in flying, on the weekends, getting type ratings for fun, instructing, advanced instruction, etc.

Do what you love?
 

Flying, drinking, smoking and drugs are all fun but it does not mean that we should do them. Join a support group, resist the urge and in time those evil thoughts will fade. :)

Skyhigh

Cruel
 

The cruelest thing I have seen is when the lust for aviation abates too late leaving the afflicted alive, well, too old to make a change and having to deal with the realization that they have wasted their lives.

Skyhigh

You must be speaking of yourself.

There are none so blind as those who shall not see, and none nearly so pathetic as those who blame that refusal to see on the industry or the world at large.

Skyhigh your problem is you never made it! I get tired of hearing your posts that are negative. I fly for a 121 operation upgraded in less than 2 years! Problem is people don't realize there are "other 121 ops" that are not pax ops! Oh and btw I was hired in 2010, how you like that Skyhigh?

Making it is a relative term
 

I made it far enough. I could have continued on like my peers to enjoy more lay offs and furloughs. Plenty of my friends upgraded and were then laid off again. Several are onto their fifth job since 9-11. A true success story does not really exist anymore. The best we can hope for is that things will be good for a while.

Skyhigh

Risk
 

John,

A sat to the right of plenty of old men who came to the realization long ago that they had wasted their lives. Not pretty. Some however are lucky enough to be able to perpetuate the self delusion.

I sincerely hope that everyone here is happy but wish to warn of the consequences.

Skyhigh

The good news
 

The good news is if you want to be in the left seat of a 737 you most likely can have it. In trade however aviation usually demands your wife, kids, home, friends, family, hobbies, health and financial security.

Imagine waking up from the trance in your late 50's with only a rusty old corvette and rented two bedroom apartment to show for you efforts as an airline pilot. It happens all the time.

Skyhigh

Success and happiness
 

Pilots often are happy when they go to work. The key however is to be happy to be going home. Build a life not a career. Resit the urge.

Skyhigh

Currently I am on salary and the flying takes about 3 hours per day plus about 3 on the ground, 5-6 days a week. Yes, there is plenty of time to do other things. Some things to think about might be:

* limited access to reference materials
* need a heavy duty laptop to do everything a desktop can
* can stop and start work as necessary to do the flying job
* free from hard or rigorous deadlines
* limited access to colleagues, peers, customers, etc.
* limited printing facilities, office supplies, etc.

I have never tried it but there is no doubt you can set up a portable office in a hotel and do a few hours a day on a project. Hotel engineering offices are not ideal but I know engineers who have done it. CAD, FEA, spreadsheets, reports, certain types of analyses, quite a few things can be done on a laptop. Quite a few days I end up at home, so obviously those days would be no different than working at home- but you would still seem to want to be able to pack into a bag (quickly) and open up at a hotel if you intend to meet regular deadlines.

Your read-back is correct.

I say go for it, this disease has no cure. You only live once, you probably will have many ups and downs throughout the journey. Its definitely not the easiest path you can choose. Just remember that no matter what you choose, in every profession there will be those people who are extremely depressed and hate their job.

P.S

You have a real degree so you will always have a way out in case something goes wrong!

Good luck.

this disease has no cure

Yes it does... its called the regional airlines.

Thanks for the info, Cub...

My story is similar....live in michigan with family/kids/stable flexible descent paying non flying job.....

Did the fbo ppl thru cfi

Considered career change and decided it was to unstable....

Current situation=descent stable job with cfi flying on the side....kept the family/kids

I would recommend something similar.

I wish I was flying bigger cooler stuff sometimes.......wish I was flying more ifr real life stuff sometimes.....wish I was flying more sometimes.....

Network and social skills a plus......

After awhile you can find owner/students and end up flying them around in cooler stuff.......

Plan on professional flying/retirement supplemtation when I retire @ 50

Any questions message me

Good luck

I'm kinda in the same boat as you. I'm going for it so you should too. I'm paying out of pocket to cut back on debt. Always had a passion for flying so I'm doing it.


:D

You will get different responses depending on the career/success of the responder.

I made it. I'm a major US airline captain. I love my job. I can make $1500 a day doing a Caribbean turn. I have time off to enjoy life and even waste time on this forum. :)

I've always loved flying. I've done it all. I've lost many jobs from companies going out of business or selling their plane. I've had years of very low wages. I worked long and hard to get where I am. Success is measured by you; not others, not your possesions, money, family, etc. Be content with what you have and you will be happy. If being an airline pilot is a goal, do it. If having a $600,000 home for your family is a goal, do it. You must realize you can't have it all; focus your energy and efforts.

If any kind of flying will satisfy you, then get a good job and buy a plane. It's ironic that I, as an airline pilot, miss flying around in a C152, and I can't afford one (kids, college tuition, etc). It's always been a goal of mine to own a plane, but I'll have to wait a while.

The airlines are starting to hire so if you want it, start training now.

As said above, get your PPL and than fly for fun. While this job is good, having a great paying job and being able to own/fly for yourself is a lot better.