Good stuff, great story. Grew up on 7 mile and Livernois. Detroit city is where I learned to fly. Some people don't realize how good they have it. Sure, work ethic is required. But plenty of people have that and still don't make it...

And plenty of people who do make it assume those that haven't didn't have work ethic. Frustrating.

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If this is the conclusion you came to after reading my posts then i'm not sure that this concept is going to be something you are able to grasp.

No worries...best wishes!

 

....You're either unknowingly (and hilariously) making my point, or you're saying that the funds (grants and loans) were easy for you to come by, in which case congrats. It was not that easy for the rest of us.

Yes, there is no doubt that there are SOME people who just aren't cut out to fly an airplane. The point, however, is that the MAJORITY of people, given the flight training, would have no problems getting through the training and becoming competent pilots, given the MONEY to make it happen. The biggest reason people with the desire to be a professional pilot don't finish flight training is money. There's really no reason, aside from ego, to be contesting this.

 

There's really no contesting the fact your premise is still ridiculous. It's not an ego thing at all. You're losing me at your insistence of the word majority. A small percentage maybe, the majority, no way. I'd agree that for those who possess the skill set to to become an airline pilot many drop out due to lack of funds but to say the majority of people could do the job makes no sense. Tweak your argument and I might come onboard. As it stands it's ridiculous. Perhaps your definition of a competent pilot is much lower than mine.

 

I don't think ego has anything to do with anyone contesting your point. Making sweeping statements (ie the majority of people that clean the toilets and such at Newark could make it through all the tests and interviews necessary to become a proficient and competent professional pilot) with absolutely no basis whatsoever is where some of us are getting hung up. You can quantify this how? I agree with you that SOME could. But the majority? Highly unlikely. Just like you can't say given the money every kid could be an engineer or a finance guru. Comes down to different skillsets, personal drive, intelligence etc. Money does not make all else equal.

 

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Thank you

 

Lol, huh?? This assumes that the only people who even begin flight training are those that "possess the skill set" and those that don't possess it don't begin training. What is the skill set? How can one determine what "the skill set" is? There are no barriers to beginning civilian flight training. There are no prerequisites.. other than "Do you have the money?"


I really don't get how you guys are getting so hung up on this. There is a reason you don't need any more than a high school diploma to get a job as a pilot. There are some hefty hurdles to get into med school. There are hefty hurdles to get into law school. You've gotta do some work to get into a good engineering program.

What do you have to do to get into flight school? Cash, card, or check.

Yes, flight school is challenging. Yes, you will have to put some work in. But again, there is a reason you only need a high school diploma and some technical training to get a job as a pilot. It ain't law school. It ain't med school. (Both of which you have to qualify to even get accepted in the first place) The vast majority of people that start flight training to become a pilot, and don't run out of money along the way, are successful.

Yes, this job is amazing. I've wanted to do it since I was a kid and I wouldn't trade it for the world. But stop acting like we're somehow better than those working below the wing because we were fortunate enough to scrounge up the money for flight training.

 

No where have I said I'm better than anyone. You're being challenged by myself and others because you insist on saying the majority can do the job. Maybe you need to quit relying on automation and actually do some hand flying.

 

If you want to continue to downplay what it takes to do this job and say that those of us that disagree have an "ego problem" that's your prerogative. I know some very smart people with much more than a high school diploma that I wouldn't want anywhere near the cockpit of a military or civilian jet. There are many jobs out there that simply require a high school diploma. They also require some form of post secondary training ( ie a year or two of flight training, votech, etc). You can get a job working with an A&P with a high school diploma and shadow them to learn the job. Can I make a sweeping statement that anyone can be a proficient A&P just because it requires a high school diploma and technical training? Absolutely not. Again, everyone has a different skillset.

Nothing else to say on this one. I'm out.

 

You are hard core. Faced with that, I would have become a plumber and enjoyed life.