What did it take?
 

What did it take for you to get to this job? How long? How much financial cost? How much personal sacrifice?

The reason I want to start this tread is to find out the true cost to get the job. If we find by comparison that it is fairly easy and any one can do it, we may be asking too much for this profession to ever be a profession again.
What I hope we find is that no mater what road we took to get here, it was at high cost, we did do something not everyone can do, and we should not sell ourselves short and continue flying airliners for low wages.

Be honest in you assessment of the path we take. We cannot compare ourselves to other professions such as Doctors, if the path is entirely different.


I began flying at age 15, washing airplanes trading for flight lessons at the local FBO. I slowly got the private done by age 18 and left flying for a while. While working my way thru school, I slowly paid for the Instrument rating. I quit college due to cost and took a job as a mechanic’s apprentice at the local FBO. While spinning wrenches, I bartered my time with aircraft owners doing oil changes and the like to fly their planes for the cost of gas. After a while, I had the hours to get the Commercial rating. I moved some planes around the country for a broker to build a few more hours. I paid in one lump sum for the Multi Commercial it St. Charles Mo. I got a break thru networking flying cargo for a year in 310s and 210s 135 VRF.
I applied to only one airline, Mesa. The training was done in Phoenix and I would not have to pay for a hotel room during ground. I was 25 years old.
All said and done, I have no student loans, I paid less than $15,000 for all of my flight training, but it took a long time.

Started flying at 14 off and on....really started training at 15 to solo on 16th birthday. Private at 17th birthday. Paid for my primary flight training working during high school at a golf course and also at a church as a janitor. Instrument, Multi, Commercial done at ERAU, graduated at 20, got hired at an airline 2 months before graduation and passed sim training just a few days after I turned 21. The deal with my parents was I pay for half of my tuition and they pay for the other half. I asked them to cover the first 2 years and I would take care of the rest. Managed to graduate in the first 2 years with my bachelors and all of my flight training done. I have zero debt and have been furloughed for almost 4 months. And no, my Daddy is not rich and I didn't drive a BMW during college.

Started flying while in college at age 18 (1984). Worked full time job and a part time one to pay for flight training. Left school, moved to LA and started flight instructing. At 1900TT, I got my first FAR 135 cargo job flying single engine planes. Got hired on at Ameriflight after four months. Did a short stint flying air ambulance. Got hired on, as a direct entry captain, at a Eastern Airlines commuter and flew until both went out of business. I was then hired on, again as a captain, at a Northwest Airlink commuter out of Boston. After they shut down, I did a "pay per view" DC-8 training program and was hired by a DC-8 operator out of Kansas City. After they had trouble paying payroll, I applied to and was hired on at my present employer in 1996.

Never wanted to be a pilot growing up. Took my first lesson at 26, after other pursuits failed. Went to an average university flight program. Graduated with an aviation degree. Got hired 3.5 years after I started at the regional I wanted. Nobody helped pay for anything. If I was going to do it quick, I had to get loans. After deferring the loans for 3 years, I started paying on the grand total of $106k. Do I like my job? Sure. Would I choose this path again? NOPE!

One thing that really bothers me is when other pilots say that we shouldn't do this job for the money, but because you love flying. I agree, there is no money in this anymore, but the airlines will surely deplete your love of aviation. I got into this to have a professional career (respect and money). Boy was I wrong.

For many of us that had to worked full time while going to school, while getting our ratings, it seems like it took longer, but in someways it was a lot cheaper.

I remember sitting there studying for my commercial at an FBO a few hundred miles from base, and a couple of kids from a very popular school (spelled with 3 letters ;)) came in. I started talking to them, turns out one of them had been flying less than 4 months, and he already had all his tickets and was building split time in their twins, and the other had never been in an airplane (ever) until 1 month before. Total cost for those guys for just their ratings and time $85K, my total cost without "microwaving" the process was a third of that, including my degree. Am I any better than those guys because it took me a long time to get to where I was going? Absolutely not. Am I better financially? Actually, yes, I was lucky enough to get hired later that year and I have 4 years left of my loans. How much do you think those guys have left?

It's all about perception, I still enjoy the gig, despite the ups and downs, but working for decent company under a good contract has made that possible.

goaround

Took my first lesson when I was 18. While going to college for a degree in ATC I worked at an FBO to pay for my ratings at a Part 61 school with two airplanes. By my junior year I was able to get my CFI. I started teaching and got lucky enough to get a gig flying a Navajo for a guy without his medical. After teaching and Navajo'n for about a year and a half I was able to get hired at a regional and based about 30 minutes from where I lived. Spent a year there, got furloughed and went back to instructing full time. The navajo is parked b/c of the economy. I'm 23 with my ATP and about 2000 hours (400 of which were at the regional). I spent about $25,000 on my ratings.

I used to study for all the writtens while working nights at the FBO. It was actually an airnet pilot that helped me out and signed me off for my Comm. written. During his sit at the FBO he'd do ground with me. Super nice guy.

Got my private in 2000 while on active duty. Maintained/instructed F-15's for 13 years. Paid out of pocket for all ratings and finished Riddle before getting out of the AF. Got hired by EGL.

Growing up becoming a pilot was always my dream. I worked hard in high school and received a full tuition waiver to a state college. Said college happened to have an aviation program and at 21 I graduated with the 4 year degree, 50k in debt, all my ratings, and 800TT. I walked into a 121 job a month after graduating. I'm 24 y.o. now with just under 4000TT and still employed with that company.

Would I do it again? Absolutely not. The day-to-day of the job is mostly enjoyable, but beyond that it leaves you with very little else in life.

Are you actively looking for something else outside aviation?