JCharlton

PaintCan: Well that is a good idea, I can also continue my art career while getting my license to fly.

LCCescapee: I agree. I have chosen two very challenging careers. I have not yet been bitten by the flying bug. I have been told that I have serious potential to sell my art and have won awards. I'm prepared for the long road, but don't you think thing in the aviation will be better in the next 5 years?

Alterbridge: Thanks for the advice, but how could someone create any money form real estate in this economy?

FlyJSH: Art is not a dream, I have friends who are not as skilled as myself and they take home over $500,000 annually. Its a demanding field and can get very boring living in your studio.

shockoe bottom: I'm getting a degree in art, I have 2 more years until I get my BA. I will definitely be on the look out for a good instructor now that you mentioned it.

JetPiedmont: I would rather take my risks doing something I enjoy, then waste my life as a lawyer. Don't take it personally or anything but law is the LAST thing I would ever what to do.

FANS cripple

Personally, I'd go to med school, then buy an airplane. That always seems to work out pretty well.

capncrunch

Art will give you more options and less BS than aviation. Flying is great and its the love of the job that keeps many of us here but that is what management loves about us. By the time we make it to a major/good corporate job(if you ever do make it), were stuck and they know it. I can't tell you how many sh!t sandwiches(served piping hot by management) I had to eat to get here and how many more on their way. Fly privately and you'll be a happier camper in the twilight years. Just my humble opinion.

capncrunch

They always tell the new guys there is a pilot shortage but it never really seems to materialize. There are so many well qualified pilots on the streets right now its silly.

JetJock16

If you want to be a pilot then get started now. There’s going to be a large push starting here in the next 5 years and you don’t want to be on the back side as it will lead to being on the bottom of a pilot list and furloughed many times. If you start your flight training now you should be hired by a regional operator within the next 3-4 years. After that it shouldn’t take you more than 2-3 years to upgrade and another 2+ years to gain the valuable 121 Turbine Pilot-in-Command time needed to move on to the majors. Some say that the age 65 push won’t be that big but the fact remains and the numbers don’t lie, over 20,000 airline pilots will need to be replaced by 2021 (starting in 2011) and over 50,000 by 2031 (that's 60+% of the industry). Even if mainline reductions their operations by 10% they'll still have to replace over 15,000 pilots by 2021. You can easily see a shortage of pilots in the future when you take into account that there are only around 18,000 pilots in all of the regionals; 10+% of those regional pilots will retire and 30-40% will stay with their regional. Add to that the fact that less and less military pilots are choosing the civilian route (Uncle Sam’s paying huge retention bonuses), civil pilot training has been declining over the past 15 years and for those looking to become a future pilot financing will be harder to obtain due to the condition of our banking system.

On a side note, this industry isn’t what it once was and it will never get back. My father started flying back in the 50’s and ever since deregulation this industry has gone down the crapper. Back in the 70’s he was making the equivalent of $400K+/yr. Today, if you make it to the majors you’ll top out around $150-$250K (after 5+ years at the regionals and 12-20+ years at the majors). Not bad but remember that it’s going to cost you $60K+ just to get your licenses and then you still need a college degree to work for Mainline so add to it another $20-$40K. Regionals don’t care about a degree so you can work on one on the side after you get hired, that is if you want to move on, if you choose to stay at the regional level you’ll top out in pay around $125ish after 18+ years. Your first few years will be spent making wages between $20-$35K until you upgrade. Then you’ll be making around $60K as a new regional captain.

All in all it’s still a good career but not great. If you live in domicile, like I HIGHLY recommend, you’ll have a lot of spare time for your art. Plus being an average airline pilot pays a lot better than being an average artist.

Something else you need to keep in mind: an airline career is one big guessing game. You can get hired by an airline that goes out of business after 5 years and since your experience isn’t transferable when it comes to wages and seniority, you’ll have to start over on the bottom of someone else’s pilot list. Or you could be hired by an airline that has a great management team and expands into the next Southwest. As a pilot you have ABSOLUTELY NO control over your airlines future seeing that you’re nothing more than skilled labor. Only your Mgmnt team has control of your company’s direction.

Ever heard of Braniff International Airways (BI)? They were one of our nation’s largest airlines until 1982. Then one day my dad woke up in Chile with no job. He and his fellow pilots thought their airline was healthy only to find out otherwise. He was a Captain making BIG money and after he got home, if he wanted to continue to fly, he’d have to start all over on someone else’s list making 20% of what he was pulling at BI. In comparison, an office manager at Enron with decades of experience was able to use that experience to find another job making close to or more than he or she was before Enron’s collapse. You will not find that in this industry so be very weary and do your research before you sign on with an airline. Otherwise you may end up with a Lorenzo, Ferris, Hulas or Orenstein at the controls of your future. Being an airline pilot is like playing career roulette; one year you have a great CEO and then next the devil can take over and 5 years later your jobless. If you don’t know who Lorenzo (70's TXI, 80's NY Air & CAL, 90's EAL and then banned), Ferris (70's-80's UAL), Hulas (present day TSA : GoJet) or Orenstein (present day Mesa) are then try using the search function

Best of luck and take care.

JCharlton

JetJock16: That is the most realistic advice I have ever received. After my tour of FlightSaftey I will consider starting my training now. Those figures are very interesting, I cannot imagine 60% of the pilots being replaced. It's a real shame how the industry has gone down the toilet. I mean pilots are responsible for more human lives than a surgeon or a doctor and only get paid a fraction. It's really nice to get advice from real pilots, thanks.

Alterbridge

Alterbridge: Thanks for the advice, but how could someone create any money form real estate in this economy?


There are plenty of ways to make money (don't listen to the media). Do some research and you'll see--it could actually be another outlet for your creativity as it is a necessary skill in real estate. But, contrary to what the late night TV shmoes say, it ain't get rich quick (unless you want to screw people over).

I believe you said you were 19 in your original post--what I wouldn't give to be your age again and take a different career path.

Make flying a hobby. Seriously. Learn it well, but make it a hobby.

JCharlton

Alterbridge: Well, I would not screw people over, thats just me. I just have so much creativity and drive burning inside me I don't want to waste it. I will research real estate, but are there any particular areas that you have in mind? Flying as a hobby seems to be the vibe I'm getting from a lot of people. I would always pursue it as a hobby, regardless of profession.

JetJock16

Remember that this is not the job it used to be but it is still a respectable one. In the end, if you make it to retirement, you'll realize that it's all luck. There is a bell curve and on that curve there are the lucky ones who are current mainline Captains who have had solid careers and on the other side there are those who have been furloughed 3 times and haven't make more than $40K/yr as they bounced between carriers. I wish you the best but it's truly all just dumb luck and your future position on the curve is currently unknown.

As for the retirements, take a look at this thread. It only shows the schedule for DAL (includes NWA), UAL, CAL and AA but you can see the yearly retirement numbers.
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ma...-schedule.html

Also, when and if you start training for your future in aviation, take ownership of your choice. You are the only one who is truly responsible for your future so if you fail it’s no one else’s fault but your own. Be very picky about your flight school (many have failed and ran off with their students money, JetUniversity and Makarion come to mind) and your airline.

Here’s another link for you:
Mistakes
or
Potential

LOL! God those crack me up.

Also have you ever heard the quote, "I'd rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate." .............George Burns................RIP!

DYNASTY HVY

I,ve seen some great art in regards to aviation so give that a try .
As far as flying for a living all I can say is too each his own on that score .
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.




Fred