Fly for fun
 

Remotely piloted airplanes are the future. Artificial intelligence and automation is taking over the flight deck. If you want to fly a plane buy a Cessna 150 and get a real job.

Skyhigh

While you are working toward your commercial license, be looking for Air Guard/Reserve slots too. There are web sites dedicated to the ANG/Reserves (someone got that link?) but if you are persistent and get selected for pilot training, you will get FREE flying lessons, in JETS, and have a good job to come back to when you complete pilot training.

Then you are free to pursue your civilian flying dream, be it airlines or corporate, while you also fly for Uncle Sam part time.

Beats living in your car :rolleyes: or flying a 150 with Skyhigh!

The expert has spoken, time to close the thread.

The best thing to happen to the aviation industry.... Skyhigh's failure! Flying with you would be miserable.

If not the whole forum...:p

Ok, I get it, you are a "glass half empty kind of guy" Yes, in life there are disappoints. But in the long run, if you are persistent, prepare for the job you want, you have a better chance of getting that job than say hitting the Powerball Jackpot. One must be realistic about the career they are striving for, especially an airline career. If your vision is not correctable to 20/20, you have a drunk driving conviction, a FAR violation or bend metal on an airplane, no matter how hard you work you will not work for a major airline

Unless your name is Joe Balzer.

Here's that website I was talking about earlier:

JSUPT - USAF Military Pilot Training Information

They will actually -pay you- to take flying lessons! :eek::D

Nope. I'm actually blessed with what most consider one of the best jobs in the US commercial aviation industry and I consider my glass quite full. Not to say there wasn't some significant gnashing of teeth to get here but I was fortunate to have a good network, good quals and a serious amount of luck (you'll note I did not mention persistence). I just think a newbie considering entering this industry deserves some realistic advice and not the koolaid party line. Now that you've amended your statement, I'd agree with you - a powerball hit is probably a just little less likely than landing a good flying job. However, buying a ticket in a 7-11 involves far less sacrifice, expense and potential disappointment.

This new guy looking for advice would be much better served getting some from an airline pilot who has actually been in the job market sometime in the last decade.

Probably the best advice I could offer him is to join a Guard/Reserve unit, get some outstanding training, get paid while he's getting it, build his network at the same time, gain some credible qualifications and eventually land his dream job with his self-respect intact. Or, he could wh0re himself out to every shady employer looking to take advantage of "persistent" new guys willing to sleep in their car for what might be a pipe dream. His choice.......:cool:

"Probably the best advice I could offer him is to join a Guard/Reserve unit, get some outstanding training, get paid while he's getting it, build his network at the same time, gain some credible qualifications and eventually land his dream job with his self-respect intact. Or, he could wh0re himself out to every shady employer looking to take advantage of "persistent" new guys willing to sleep in their car for what might be a pipe dream. His choice.......:cool:[/QUOTE]

Getting into the Guard/Reserves IS great advice. The industry is full of shady operators and "whoring yourself out" as you say, (short of being a scab of course) is acceptable to me because it's just another step up to your next flying job. Let me be clear; there are a lot of FBO's and charter operators out there that have the mind-set that "the pilots should be PAYING them to fly their airplanes. Most people pursuing an airline career will eventually fly for these operators - apparently, you never did. You were very lucky, to say the least.