Hello, I am interested in becoming a pilot. With all the baby bloomers retiering soon, will there be a high demand for pilots? Im 17 years old. Would this make pay higher also?

 

Flight schools have been selling that same story since pilots first took to the sky.

Skyhigh

 

My advice to you would be to pursue your dream...however, do not limit yourself to the US. Look abroad. There are many opportunities for flying worldwide. Just something to think about when the time comes. Until then, finish high school, enjoy college and your flight training at a local FBO/school that is reasonably price.

Live and take advantage of the academic, financial, social and economic opportunities that will inevitably come your way.


atp

 

if you want a career in aviation now is the time to start. it's hard to start, but the long run makes for a good living and a fun job. stay in school, get a degree and figure out if you want to do airlines/frieght/corporate/charter/airtaxi/etc. There are so many ways to make a living flying, you are bound to find something that suits you. Just be prepared to ride out the tough times this industry always experinces. Thats what the degree is for. If you get laid off/furloughed, you will have something to fall back on.

 

1.) Pay as you go, do not go into debt for flight training. It will make your first years in this industry very difficult.

2.) Get a college degree in something other than aviation so you will have something to fall back on should you need it.

3.) Work on your ratings while in college, a buddy of mine had his CFI when we were in college and instructed as his part time job. I wish I had done the same, it was a good idea and a really cool college job.

4.) Prepare for setbacks, you cannot predict where this industry will be in 3 to 5 years.

5.) Do not go to a flight Academey (FSA, DCA, etc.) way overpriced!!!

6.) If you train at an FBO, network, network, network!!! You never know who is going to offer you your first "real" flying job.

7.) Have fun! If it is not fun you should not be doing it.

Just my .02 , good luck!

 

I'm with Pielut. You can go to a university program, get a 2nd non-aviation degree while there, but not the "Academies" that only get you an associates.

There's lot of threads and info in the "flight training" forum also for this topic.

 

I once heard an old-timer say: "The future of the aviation industry is in the next 30 seconds. Long-term planning is a minute ahead." It's very hard to predict what will happen a few years down the road, but traditionally, waves in the industry tend to come and go every 4-5 years.

 

I read another post of yours where you also asked about the money aspect of aviation. My advice to you concerning the financial aspect of this industry is to take a look at the current salaries right now, if they make you uncomfortable or you don’t think that you could live on those numbers then save yourself and your future family the trouble and look into something else. If you want to make a whole lot of money I would suggest a career as an investment banker but…

 

Rubicon Lover,

Something else to consider...

While the economy is the most horrific consideration for the current, overall pilot group, you have to remember that you can be sidelined by more than just layoffs...

Forget about just getting furloughed or fed up with the lifestyle...you need to have alternatives ready if you lose your medical, get a violation, and so on.

Posts telling you to get a degree in something other than aviation are right on the money. This doesn't mean that you should not pursue an aviation degree. Just make sure that when you do you at least double major in a good, respectable degree (engineering, business, computer science) that can keep your head above water when times get tough.

Outside of having another degree or a single, more useful degree, it is just as valid to pick up other certificates that are issued by the FAA. I know of several pilots who have their Parachute Riggers certificate, which allows them to make a pretty decent buck repacking both sport and bailout rigs for pilots and jumpers. Even if you are flying, it's a nice hands-on way to make some extra cash.

An even more valuable certificate to look into would be an FAA Dispatcher Certificate. I'm working on this myself; this cert will give you another opportunity to stay employed in aviation (with an airline's flight operations) when flying alone just isn't an option. This certificate is also great because the tests and theories are pretty much the identical content that you will be exposed to during an ATP/Captain-upgrade training/testing event.

The bottom line is this: Flying is wonderful, and it's never bad time to get into it. BUT IT IS DEFINITELY A BAD TIME TO GET INTO IT IF YOU'RE NOT VERSATILE AND WELL ROUNDED.

 

When you add them to the baby BOOMERS, maybe we will be in good shape soon