Wondering if anyone was/ is in a similar situation. I am 25 years old, weigh 280 lbs( 6ft tall). I have been a flight instructor for 3 years and now have 850 hours TT. I keep telling myself that I need to loose weight in order to be eligible for an airline job. Id like to be 220 or below. What is anyones take on this?

 

"6' tall and 280lbs" doesn't paint a useful picture for anyone to offer advice.

What's your body composition? How are your labs? What's your fitness level? What does your doctor say?

Arbitrary numbers are just that - arbitrary.

 

Well, I got a first class medical recently, and doc said I needed to work on blood pressure a little for.future medicals

 

Also, id say my bmi is pretty high...obese

 

BMI isn't a great indicator of overall health, in fact it's based on average populations in the 1800's. Further, a complete BMI calculation includes waist circumference and risk factors for diseases and conditions associated with obesity.

A 6' tall and 280lbs is a BMI of 38, although that doesn't give any indication of overall health. I know guys who are 6' and around 280 that have under 10% body weight, can deadlift 2.5x their body weight, and have perfect labs. Those guys are NOT obese despite what the BMI chart says.

So, if you're a little soft around the edges and your labs indicate you have risk factors for diet related disease.....come-on, you know the answer.

Airlines don't look for arbitrary numbers on the employment physical, they look for healthy.

 

My wife says I should get a complete physical as a baseline on what to work on...I tell her I want to lose weight then get one... I guess im afraid something bad would come back, and stop me right now, vs loosing weight/ watching what I eat to fix it first.

 

First always listen to your wife.

Second, Google "baseline".

 

There are big guys out there (a few that are really big) in the 121 world, but not too many. I don't know what the cause/effect relationship is, but here's something to consider: flying is great, but the airlines make it into WORK.

This means that you will, when the bloom is off the rose, want to be compensated for the work done. The only time you are going to make any money is down the line--when you are several (many?) years into your career. So to make the whole thing work as a career, you have to have a middle age for yourself that is healthy and productive. So even if you can get that 1st Class now, you MUST be prepared to get it again and again.

Bottom line-- you can and should lose weight, or the job won't work long term, most likely. As far as getting your foot in the door, the medical and a great attitude are all that matters. If you are a fun person and sharp, you're in.

 

Also, if you go to a regular (non-FAA) doctor for medical issues and fail to self-report them on your FAA medical form, it's totally illegal AND you will almost certainly NEVER be found out, unless you stroke out in the cockpit. DON'T hide from the truth--that could kill you stone dead, brother.

Additionally, join AOPA and use their aeromedical help line as a sounding board for your problem. Worth the $35 a year.

So to recap:

1) DON'T wait to go to the doctor, even on the sly.

2) DO apply and interview. Get a job.

3) DO lose weight for yourself and your future. Diabetes, heart probs, stroke, you are DONE flying, even for fun. DON'T WAIT. START NOW. Crossfit and the paleo diet worked for me, but the important thing is to have a plan (get some help if you need it) and execute.

 

+1 on CrossFit and proper nutrition