after college/university
 

okay, so you pretty much NEED a 4 year BA in something to get hired into an airline, and of course your liscences. But what other options do I have other than flight instructing?

Uh, not exactly. HS only. 1.7GPA.

very few. There are some people that get connected, but unless you spend LOTS of time at an FBO or around other pilots, your options are very slim. However, here are a few.

Tow banners if you have a considerable amount of tailwheel time.

Fly Skydivers if you have some time in a 182 or 210, but they typically require at least 500tt.

Traffic watch - flying a cameraman around in a 172. Also typically requires 500tt.

Fire patrol - normally contracted through an FBO and done by a flight instructor.

Pipeline patrol - fly at low altitudes and look at oil pipelines. Also typically requires 500tt.

Pacific Wings - a place in Hawaii where you sit right seat in a caravan. Worthless time to most regionals, but some desperate 135 operation will love the time when you have 1200tt.

Try being a cady at a country club. I know a guy who cadyed for somebody that owned a Learjet and he got hired with very low time in the right seat of a Lear. They got talking about flying while they were golfing and he happened to have an opening for an FO position and now he has several thousand hours on the lear. Didn't teach a day in his life.:rolleyes:

You do not need a 4 year to get hired at a regional, but it helps. You can safely assume that you will never get hired hired at a major airline without a bachelors. There are a few exceptions out there, but they are relics of a bygone era.

Flight instructing is the industry's accepted method of acquiring sufficient experience to qualify for an airline job. All of the alternatives have drawbacks:

1) Pay-for-training: Spend $80K-$120K+ on a a training program that gives you a preferential interview at one or several airlines. If you don't get hired, your money is down the toilet. If you do get hired you will be considered a short-cut taker who bought his job, as opposed to earning it. You will be generally despised.

2) Traffic Watch/Pipeline Patrol/Skydiver Driver: Harder to come by, and the daily routine is pretty repetetive, ie you don't learn as much doing it. Airline new hire training is geared toward the CFI level. If you are a commercial pilot whose most recent exposure to aviation knowledge was your comm checkride a couple years ago, you will get spanked at the interview and in training. Airline training failure rate for these folks is exceedingly high.

3) Know somebody who has an airplane: great work if you can get it, especially if they pay for your training in a turbine airplane.

Some folks might mention light cargo work, but that is all part 135, so you will need 1200 hours to legally qualify, which is more than what you need to get a regional job these days.

Im confused if I should complete a degree first or get liscensed through an accelerated program, then complete my degree and fly part-time to build hours. What do you guys think?

Yes the caddie thing does work... You meet alot of rich people out there just looking for pilots. I have caddied for several people and have had offers but do not have the credentials to take the job offerings yet. I am working on my degree and flying at my local FBO right now. I plan on instructing these next few years to get hours. In 2.5 years I hope to have about 1500 hrs + at the least and then maybe I'll find someout out at the course with something that I can fly..

Only the fabulously wealthy can hire a caddie with less than 1000 hours. They have to be rich enough to be self-insured or pay ludicrous premiums and not care.

Your call, flight training and college could be a lot of work. You might want to get all of your ratings, including the instructor ratings before college. You would only lose a semester, and then you could work as a CFI, build hours, and make some money while in school. You could reasonably get 1000+ hours and land an airline job shortly after graduation.

degree first, then flight training...
 

Complete your degree first. Work while in school , put the max amount you can into a ROTH IRA, put the rest into savings or a money market account and use it to offset the loan amount when you go or your ratings...

Make sure to keep your grades good. You never know the flying thing may not work or you may decide to get into grad school later on in life...

School first - keep the GPA high...Work - invest / save...Flight training full time...

My two cents worth...

-LAFF