Considering career pilot
 

Good Evening Gents/Lads,

I'm not sure whether to post my questions here so I apologize in advanced if I cause a headache to the admin.

I'm 29 y/o currently firefighter/paramedic in FL. I have a ppl with a little over 100 hours logged. Close to completing my BS in Biology. I'm considering a career as an airline pilot.

My questions to you fellows are the following:
-What are the best 141 flight schools in FL?

-How does the 141 school thing work?

-Any advices will be highly appreciated.

Thanks to all.

You have much of the groundwork in place, now you need more quality hours and ratings. Get that degree since you're almost done. For many $$ can be an issue with training. You need to get far enough to where you accumulate more hours while getting paid something.

The 141 schools will have more of the 'fast track' through the process, compared to the freelancing CFI at the local airport.

A little faith comes in handy too, no guaranteed job at the other end. If all the rest is in place, then a good dose of motivation, it's very doable. One has to be ready to do what has to be done(moving as needed) to get to the finish(start) line.

I have a relative in a 141 school(Purdue). All the best to you. The old adage of 'making it happen' as opposed to 'waiting for it to happen' is another key factor.

I too in the same boat as you, ops18, in terms of age and with a stable career. So $$ isn't my biggest concern for any training needed. However, my biggest concern for being a pilot is not able to find a job after training. I did a good amount of research on this forum, as well as on google, that lots of qualified pilots are out of job.

Pilot shortages is a myth and I'm afraid i will not be able to support a family of 3 and a mortgage.

Your concerns are valid ones (not that you needed me to tell you such a thing). There is a shortage of pilot pay. This is not a career I would recommend to anyone. Carriers are still living in 2008. Eventually, there may be a change for the better but the entry cost into the field is not worth it. One day carriers will find a way to outsource this job to the lowest overseas bidder. Information Technology folks never imagined it happening but it happened to them. It will happen to us. Desperate times will call for desperate measures on behalf of bottom feeder operations nationwide.

Stay with your FF/Paramedic job. You have a degree in biology so you might want to consider nursing school. Become a flight nurse if that is your calling. You can fly, save lives, and make good money doing it. Your agency might also have a pension program. If you think you'll even get near the same kind of retirement plan with an airline then think again. Better yet, just read the posts on this forum.

As someone who worked in public safety I can tell you that I've seen the grin on faces of firefighters as they smashed in windows with axes that I will never see on the faces of pilots. Firefighting is an honorable profession. There is no honor in flying civilian airplanes (esp. part 135). Those days are long gone, circa 1978.

141 training programs generally cost more and have less flexibility than part 61 programs.

In the past, the best (and only in most cases) justification to go 141 was if you had military GI Bill benefits...that would only pay for 141 programs.

Now there is another benefit to 141, reduced minimum flight time to qualify for an ATP (and hence an airline job), referred to as R-ATP. But the catch is that you ONLY get that benefit if enrolled in a two or four year degree program with a school that offers 141 training as part of the degree program. The school has to be approved for R-ATP as well. This probably does not apply to you unless you want to earn another degree. Of course these programs are not cheap...

61 offers best value and flexibility. 141 schools will try to sell you about how airlines prefer 141, blah, blah. Total BS, schools like 141 because they get to charge you MORE but graduate you with LESS total flight time. BTW, the sole criteria for getting a regional job today is total flight time, ie ATP mins. So why pay more for less total time???

I'm just curious if the OP has read any of these responses...