Why'd you become a pilot?

Flying is really the only thing I've ever been able to see myself doing. Both parents worked for AA, and I was able to travel a bunch as a kid. I absolutely loved flying. My mom introduced to a pilot she personally knew on a flight we were going on, and he gave me a "tour" of the cockpit right after the flight. I was so mesmerized by all the buttons, switches, and knobs.

For my 12th birthday present, my parents got me a "flying lesson" with that same pilot. He lived in SFO nearby us, and he was still a part-time CFI in the area. We putted around the bay for an hour in a C172. Naturally, since I was one of those kids who by that time had logged hundreds of hours on MSFS 1998, I thought I was God's youngest gift to aviation. Flying a real plane taught me differently. Wonderful, wonderful experience.

Fast-forward to last year. It's my freshman year of college, and I'm saving up money to finally get started on my pilot's license. My some amazing stroke of luck and a pretty long story, I managed to get on the game show Wheel of Fortune. I won $11,000! :D:D:D

From the winnings of that show and what I had saved up already, I'm where I'm at now. :)
 
Jshutt64 said:
Flying is really the only thing I've ever been able to see myself doing. I was so mesmerized by all the buttons, switches, and knobs. :)
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I got my first flight back in 1972 on from MIA to PBI. It was on a National Airlines 727-200. I was the only pax to deplane in West Palm. Before exiting the a/c, the flight attendant introduced me to the crew. I, too, was mesmerized by all the dials, knobs, and switches.




atp
 
I still don't get why I get some sort of weird satisfaction out of flipping switches in the cockpit. :dunno:
 
minitour said:
:eek:

That has to be a longer flight than a drive.

-mini
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From gate to gate, it was about 15-20 minute flight. The drive....that's another story. Back then, just like now, using the Florida Turnpike or Interstate 95, the trip takes about an hour, maybe a little more depending on traffic.



atp
 
Since I was walking I wanted to fly. When I got into any cockpit I am in heaven. When I made it to 121 flying I thought I mastered the world. But like someone said earlier in this post "the everything else pilots put up with" well that was me. I couldn't afford to go to the bottom of a new list after moving west. Everything happpens for a reason. I would of been furloughed had I done that. I ended up going toward law enforcement becasue of a ride along in college. I never left flying as I just went back to instructing, ferry pilot. But now I am trying to secure a job flying as I work only 3 days/week in Law Enforcement. What it comes down to is being a pilot is still the only thing I want to be. My life has taking a bit of a curve though.
 
Why? Because I'm an idiot. :rotfl:

Why did I become a dispatcher, because I wanted to be smarter than a pilot. :D Plus I don't have to deal with passengers.
 
conner said:
I became a pilot to end my addiction to X-Box. Flying is a great hobby and will give you something to do forever
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I'm one of those "older" gamers at 35. I have the 3 major consoles and play way too many games. But it keeps me out of trouble and is relatively cheap compared to say, flying.

As for flying? I don't do it for a living. For me it's 100% fun. I do plan on flying for a living one day, but if I get lucky and hit the lottery it will always remain "plane fun" for me.
 
Actually, on second thought, I think the reason is boobs.

I <3 MIA. Such small shirts, yet so much they fill them with.

And Latina, too. Latin women are always a bonus for me- I know my type. Guaranteed passionate, sexually aggressive and emotionally unstable right out of the gate.

Were I not a pilot, would I have ever come here?

;)
 
I became a pilot because I love to travel. Love to travel became love to fly. Love to fly became broke leasing agent.
 
My earliest memories are of sitting in front of the TV watching Sky King!!
Fast forward 40 years- no wife, no kids- Well there always Was one thing I wanted to do.
Fast forward another 10 years- been there, done that- went broke doing it.
My initial training provided a roomie with a mechanical engineering background. He' also been military, plus a cop. He now flies FO in a shiny jet and should upgrade soon- unless mergers keep him rightseat.
My take on it? Recalling the exultation of viewing Statue of Liberty under a wing on depature once in a while.
If I had your skills, I would find a nearly complete RV, get it certified, train in it and be the coolest person in your company with a stable future.
 
I have wanted to be a pilot since Elementary school. It was around third or fourth grade that I told my Grandfather, a retired Marine Corps Aviator, that I wanted to follow in his footsteps and be a pilot. As I grew up, the inbounds to ORD would flow right over my house, and every time one flew over, I would look up in awe wondering where the aircraft had come from. The traveling aspect is another thing I love about flying. I love going to new places and seeing the world...It is amazing to see God's creation. Like many others, I Can't fathom sitting behind a desk monday thru friday for the rest of my life but I guess I get bored easily. The journey to being an airline pilot is a long one, but it will be worth it.
 
I too probably caught the bug from Top Gun, and also my old man was/is a pilot, as was my grandpa. One of the few professions that ever interested me seriously as a kid and teenager, so I guess I went for it after high school. Knowing a little more about the world now, I think there *are* non-flying jobs that would interest me, but I'm very happy where I am currently. That and I now work in the hanger I used to see in Top Gun....small world
 
I saw Top Gun in 3rd grade. I immediately went upstairs and started playing with the die cast model airplanes I'd had forever.

Then, (immediately), I realized I was not homosexual, and decided to pursue a career in the Air Force instead of the Navy.

I sure wish Navy training philosophy would rub off (sts?) on the Air Force, though.
 
frog_flyer said:
Then, (immediately), I realized I was not homosexual, and decided to pursue a career in the Air Force instead of the Navy.

I sure wish Navy training philosophy would rub off (sts?) on the Air Force, though.
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If landing jets on a boat is gay, then I guess you have a point :)

Seriously though, there are definitely goods and others to both training methods. I think both programs produce solid pilots, but the mindset coming out of flight school is probably somewhat different.....Navy being a little bit more "big boy" rules from what I have seen/heard.
 
Always wanted to be a pilot since I read the Spirit of St. Louis in junior high. I worked hard at it. Paid the dues as they say and finally landed a great job flying cookies around on MD80's and B717's. I know aviation was good for me because I met my trophy fiance' at work :) Then 9/11 happened and the whole aviation world seemed to change. Economics of it, QOL, Pay. A LOT changed and more than the obvious. Aviation is a constantly changing and adjusting industry right now. Being furloughed caused me to look deep inside myself, take the aviation blinders off and look at the big picture. I really enjoy sleeping in my own bed every night, being able to see my fiance' every day and have the flexibility to work on my schedule. I picked up a shovel and started to make my own path and career vs. follow a path being made by BOD's and private equity firms. Believe me I have seen it first hand. If the path that they are creating looks like it is going off a cliff, they are the first ones to step off while the herd behind them keeps on going. That's just business now a days. Gone are the days when the majority of companies REALLY take care of the employees and view them as the asset they are. It makes sense now more than ever to constantly educate yourself and always have a back up plan just in case. I still love flying and still look up at the planes flying by, especially when driving up north to the lake and seeing the 74's coming off the polar route going in to ORD. Hi, I am Mark and I am a Pilot. Yes flying is an addiction. An addiction that I have a little more control over now.
 
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