Advice for an aspiring airline pilot

Diego95

Diego95

Well-Known Member
Hi, my name is Diego and I want to be a professional pilot when I graduate from high school. I'm a junior in high school and I hope to start my training next year. I love aviation and I can't wait to start my training. However, during the last few weeks, I've been doing some research about this career to see if it's worth it. It seems like is not and I think that I will have to chnage my career, and probably become an aerospace engineer. Before doing this research, I used to say this to myself "i would love to become an airline pilot even if the pay is not that good because i love flying!"


This shows my determination, and that's great!! But thinking realistically, we all want to have a good paying job, because that is going to be our main income in our life. Having a job of an airline pilot is different to leisure time and having fun. In leisure time activities, or doing something to get pleasure out of, you wont care if you're being rewarded or not, you just want to have fun. Flying for the pleasure, for example.


In the US, the regional airlines pay you little and you have to work close to 16 hours a day. In addition, you have to pay a lot (more than 100,000 dollars) to obtain your licenses and then when you start working for the regionals, you earn $ 20,000 a year.


So after doing this research, I decided to study something else (aerospace engineering) first, then earn some money and start my training later on. After planning my future, I realized that I might start my training at the age of 30 or 33.


So, my question is, should I follow this route, or should I follow my heart and become a pilot right away?. My plan is to attend Embry-Riddle. Yes, I know is expensive, but with financial aid, scholarships, and parent's savings, I know that I will be able to cover all the expenses. Please I need a good advice because I feel lost and don't know what to do. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it
 
Its great that you understand that a love of flying does not pay the bills. That being said, you have to figure out what you want the most. Flying airplanes is a very rewarding activity. It is by far the best part of the job. I'm really not sure I could ever be shoved behind a desk for a living.

But you are right, it is very likely that you will end up not making a lot of money for at least part of your career. It is still possible to make a significant amount of money flying airplanes. But it does take a lot of dedication, persistence, and most of all luck.

Flying for the regionals can be downright abusive. But depending on where you go, and how senior you are, you can still make a comfortable living. I'm on 4th year pay at a regional, my wife works part time, and my wife and I are closing on our first house at the end of the month. You certainly have to work to live within your means, but you can make it work.

Bottom line, if you're going to get into this industry, go all in. Get a degree, hit the books hard, don't be content with just being good enough to pass. Second of all, network. Joining Jetcareers is a great way to network. But you can't just sign up, post every once and a while, and then PM some random person asking a stranger to walk your resume in. Make friends. Even if you get a random person to walk a resume in or make a recommendation, that's where it will stop. If you have a friend do it, they'll not only walk it in, but follow up to make sure something is done about it. You'll also get a much stronger letter of recommendation.

You still have lots of time left to figure out what you want to do. Things are certainly in a state of flux in this industry right now. Between the new regulations coming down the pipeline and the large amount of pilots set to retire in the next few years, things could get a lot better in a hurry. But I certainly wouldn't bank on that. Go to college, get your degree (in whatever you care to study), and keep an eye on things. If flying is a passion, at least get your PPL knocked out. Then take a step back, look at the big picture, and figure out what you want to do.
 
Diego95 said:
In the US, the regional airlines pay you little and you have to work close to 16 hours a day. In addition, you have to pay a lot (more than 100,000 dollars) to obtain your licenses and then when you start working for the regionals, you earn $ 20,000 a year.
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Ratings cost about $40k if you use a lower priced FBO. I've never worked more than 12 hours in one day. Most days are about 8 hours with plenty of 4 hour days. I'm on first year pay for the second time and I've never been forecasted to make less than $25k which is still crappy but it's better than $20k.
 
Do well in school.

Go to a state university.

Save money.

Get a degree in something worthwhile and bankable, like science or engineering. Maybe go to medical school.

Hang a airplane picture on your wall or buy some airplane books when you get the airplane bug.

Get a good job, make money, and then buy your own airplane.

You will be MUCH happier, and money ahead.

Richman
 
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But seriously. It is. Don't just look at airline pay, look at airline job security. Eagle was hiring like mad last year. And now.... Same with Colgan. They couldn't hire enough pilots. And now...

Do engineering. Fly on the side if you want.
 
Go get you're Private right now if you're really that interested. Or at LEAST go do an intro flight at your local FBO. You'll be closer to making that decision than you are now. Figure out if you really want to do it. Last year was my second year as a professional pilot and my income before taxes was right around 50k, so not all flying jobs pay terribly. This year will be less, but I imagine by next year that'll be fixed.
 
Richman said:
Do well in school.

Go to a state university.

Save money.

Get a degree in something worthwhile and bankable, like science or engineering. Maybe go to medical school.

Hang a airplane picture on your wall or buy some airplane books when you get the airplane bug.

Get a good job, make money, and then buy your own airplane.

You will be MUCH happier, and money ahead.

Richman
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Maybe, but not necissarily. I would be pretty miserable with the schedule that a doctor keeps. Even with all the money. On top of that all you hear is people's problems all day. "Hey doc...I have this rash on my weenus..."
 
I thought I wanted to be a doctor until I saw a video of a leg being amputated. That pretty much ended my interest in going to medical school.

Anyway, to the OP, really weigh your options right now. You are in high school. I would recommend going to college. You need a Bachelor's degree to compete out there, and it doesn't hurt to have one in aviation. Except it doesn't need to be in an aviation-related field. Couldn't hurt - but it doesn't need to be. For me, college really gave me a nicer view of the world. I experienced another culture for a year when I was an exchange student in Germany. It's something I would never trade and I think about it every day despite it being almost four or five years ago. Hell, I just miss college in general. The parties. The women. Oh yeah. Anyway, once you've studied some stuff you might have a better idea of what you want to do.

I recommend taking an intro flight and maybe a few lessons. Some people really wanna be a pilot, but maybe they really hate flying planes or just suck at it. Some people were born with 100LL in their veins.

Good on you for having goals at that point in life, though! A lot of people hadn't the foggiest of what they wanted to do when they graduated.
 
First: You're in high school. There's really not any rush. I'd say go out, take a discovery/intro flight and see what it's like, before committing. You can start flying now, but your education is at this point much more important and is also a good opportunity to enjoy having fun. I got my first pilot/crewmember job because I happened to have a computer science degree along with a commercial certificate.

If I can impress upon you a few things: First, do NOT go to an aviation university unless someone else (e.g. the government) is paying for it. The return on investment is exceptionally poor. Second, it's a good thing that you're looking for advice now. Third, network: this is a small industry and (from personal experience) my friends are a big part of why I am where I am now. Talk to everyone you can. This is a good place to start.

Play sports, keep your nose clean, get good grades (okay...decent grades...), go to a state university for a four year degree—no seriously, do it—work full time while there and fly on the side. You'll march in debt free that way. And that makes all the difference in the world. Fly airplanes. Study hard.

HerrGruyere said:
I recommend taking an intro flight and maybe a few lessons. Some people really wanna be a pilot, but maybe they really hate flying planes or just suck at it. Some people were born with 100LL in their veins.
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Please don't do this if you suck at flying or hate flying. It's miserable flying with people like that. (Hating the flying business is also not the same as hating flying outright too ;) )

Good on you for having goals at that point in life, though! A lot of people hadn't the foggiest of what they wanted to do when they graduated.
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True, and these days you're going to wind up switching jobs/careers a bunch anyway.

Jet said:
Ratings cost about $40k if you use a lower priced FBO. I've never worked more than 12 hours in one day. Most days are about 8 hours with plenty of 4 hour days. I'm on first year pay for the second time and I've never been forecasted to make less than $25k which is still crappy but it's better than $20k.
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Right on, regarding pay - regarding duty day, I've done a few 16 hour days thus far due to weather and mechanical misadventure and it's rather unfun but you can do it. Just be prepared to sleep like a rock the next morning. :)
 
Simply put, go to college and get a degree in something completely unrelated to aviation. Something interesting to you that you will succeed in. Get your private pilot's license somewhere along the way from a local FBO and maybe get an instrument rating if you are hooked but stop there. Pursue the Air National Guard with intensity and let the government pay for your training the rest of the way. You'll get great training, do some amazing flying in top notch equipment, get paid a livable wage, meet excellent airline contacts within your unit, and have all the benefits/insurances that a Guard job offers you along the way when your airline inevitably takes a turn for the worse. Plus you will be able to skip the regionals entirely which is reason enough. Don't give up on your dream just alter your plan a bit. The Guard will allow you to be an airline pilot with some degree of employment and financial security...that's a powerful position to be in these days. Despite reaching goals and having some tremendous luck along the way, not pursuing the Air National Guard is my biggest regret. Good luck in your endeavors!
 
Lot of good points above. It should also be pointed out that there are other parts and aspects of aviation that pay more, much more.

I recently had a student/friend of mine also that picked up a degree in agriculture and flew on the side part time to get his hours. His dad owns a few planes so he never had trouble getting time but ended up flying ag, started out at about 60k/yr did it a for a few years, saved, reinvested bought his own turbine ag-cat and started his own business. He is making good six figures, works 7 months per year and told me he once made almost 4k in one day.

I met a fire bomber a few years back, with a similar story. He worked for a company fighting fires in Cali, NV, Arizona, etc. Made something like 60-80K during season and spent the rest of the year traveling...

Aerial survey pays well also starting out (if you get in with the right company).

Point being, there's more to being a pilot than just flying airlines if your so inclined...
 
If that's what you want to do in life never stop living the dream and go for it early. Don't be one of the "what if?" guys.............
 
Don't chase an upgrade and don't get a job based on a job you COULD get from said job. Get a job that is near your home or a place where you know you could easily settle into.
 
I see where you're going. You may have the occasional hot patient; but as an OB-GYN be prepared to deal with the nastiest, most rotten ones you'll ever encounter. Also consider that maybe your old, crotchety neighbor down the street needs a check-up and you're the closest, best-priced doc in town!
 
Here's my advice FWIW.

Me to crew scheduling the day before yesterday: "Yes I'd like to request late reserve on Sunday due to commute."

Crew scheduling to me when I called 20 minutes ago for Sunday's assignment: "O hello First Officer ****, yes we have you on 5am airport reserve, have a nice night."
 
Here's how simple this issue is:

Do you want to fly airplanes?

If you want to fly airplanes, then fly airplanes. If you don't want to fly airplanes, don't fly airplanes.

But if you want to fly airplanes for a living, find a way to facilitate that and get moving on it.

When you're young people talk about "good jobs," or "the right job," or "the best school," or "a good education."

I'm here to tell you that it's a big giant lie, and that you need to find a way to do what it is that YOU want to do, and you need to find a way to do it in a way that is acceptable to YOU. Your parents, your guidance counselors, your classmates, your friends, and your teachers will not have to deal with the consequences of the decisions you make.

You will.

If you want to fly airplanes, then fly airplanes.
 
jtrain609 said:
Here's how simple this issue is:

Do you want to fly airplanes?

If you want to fly airplanes, then fly airplanes. If you don't want to fly airplanes, don't fly airplanes.

But if you want to fly airplanes for a living, find a way to facilitate that and get moving on it.

When you're young people talk about "good jobs," or "the right job," or "the best school," or "a good education."

I'm here to tell you that it's a big giant lie, and that you need to find a way to do what it is that YOU want to do, and you need to find a way to do it in a way that is acceptable to YOU. Your parents, your guidance counselors, your classmates, your friends, and your teachers will not have to deal with the consequences of the decisions you make.

You will.

If you want to fly airplanes, then fly airplanes.
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BINGO!

As a career changer myself.....having always knowing I wanted to fly for a living, but listening to others in my youth, I totally agree w/ jtrain on this one. I lost a great deal of time doing 'other' stuff before I finally committed to flying and left all else behind. That said, I wouldn't call my time completely 'wasted'.....rather somewhat directionless.....after all, I am who I am because of my history. In that time, I've gained a great deal of life experience and perspective BECAUSE I didn't start flying straight away. AND, I know now that I am much, much happier flying for a living than I was in my past life. This is not to be understood as I think an airline pilot job is perfect....because it's far from it. But, I'd venture to guess the only job that would be perfect for me would be the one where I get paid to stay home and do only things I wanted to do....like watch TV, play video games, build stuff for my house, etc... Sadly, I don't believe that's ever gonna happen, so I'll just keep showing up to move the metal from ABC to XYZ and be as happy as I can be while I'm away from the ones and things I truly love (home/ family). We spend a great deal of our lives working, so you better find something you enjoy or life will slowly wear you down.
 
All I can do is echo what most of the above have said. Take lessons. Get your private pilot's license and see if you really do have the passion to fly airplanes. If you do discover that flying airplanes is the thing you most want to do, then you will find a way to pursue that passion.

If you discover that flying isn't everything you thought it would be, then the worst that has happened is that you've gotten your private license - which is still pretty cool and good for the rest of your life.
 
jtrain609 said:
I'm here to tell you that it's a big giant lie, and that you need to find a way to do what it is that YOU want to do, and you need to find a way to do it in a way that is acceptable to YOU. Your parents, your guidance counselors, your classmates, your friends, and your teachers will not have to deal with the consequences of the decisions you make.
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Pretty much. Life is yours so you better like what you do! How you get to that point is half the journey (and fun!).

I feel as if a lot of students are mislead when it comes to decisions like going to college and such. I was 17 and simply told I need to go to college. It wasn't a big deal because I knew getting a Bachelor's is something that helps. However, I had no idea what I wanted to study. My original majors were psychology and chemistry, and everyone always asked what I was going to do with it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with it. In fact, the only thing I was concerned about was how pretty and friendly the girls might be and the likelihood of me getting laid within the first month (I did not :/...). I graduated college with (don't laugh) a Bachelor's in English Linguistics and a Bachelor's in German. It was a completely different course of action and the sad part was (and still is), I didn't know what I was going to do with those. Luckily, I (eventually) got a job where I can speak German. I did a lot in my college career and wouldn't trade it for anything. However, it made me realize that sitting in an office all day on a computer is not what I want to do for the next 50 years, so I'm transitioning and taking a shot at being a pilot.
 
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