Where do I start?

aviationgeekatsfo

aviationgeekatsfo

Active Member
Hello everyone, happy New Year.
So.. I’m a high school sophomore and currently trying to figure out what I want to do career-wise as its time to start thinking bout it. I really love flying and aviation in general, and becoming a pilot seems like a fun and fulfilling career compared to a typical desk job. For those of you already in the industry, what are some pros and cons of flying as a career that aren’t obvious at first?
I’m also wondering where I should start with training. I’ve found an online ground school and was thinking about starting this summer to study for my PPL written or is there something else I should be focusing on first?
Lastly, I’m pretty lost when it comes to education and cost. Should I aim for USAFA and go the military route, or go civilian? How did you cover the cost of training, and what would you recommend to someone in my position?
Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
Definitely start taking lessons and working on your PPL in high school. When you go for your medical, you may as well apply for a first class medical certificate. That is the level of certificate that most airline pilots are required to maintain. Better to find out now that you have a disqualifying condition - or maybe even something that requires further evaluation - before sinking all the money into PPL training.

As far as the military route, I can’t speak to it. We have plenty of members that flew in all branches of the military so they can better offer that perspective. I believe the commitment for a pilot slot is 10 years after becoming mission qualified, meaning if you go to the USAFA, graduate and get commissioned at 22, then head to pilot training, by the time you are eligible to leave the military to pursue an airline, charter, or corporate career, you may be 34ish. Not the end of the world and having that service and experience on your resume is definitely valuable, but you may slow your civilian career progression down some.

On the other hand, civilian training is pretty expensive and many of us here spent years building flight time in order to meet the minimum requirements of the regionals. Add in the threat of an economic downturn (or even downturns), a major terrorist attack like 9/11 (ask your parents), or another Covid-like pandemic, and the civilian path is far from certain.

All this to say, I still love my job. I enjoy going to different cities, states, and countries, and experiencing all that goes along with that perk. We have the one of the greatest office views available and the day-to-day challenges are rarely the same monotonous issues that the guy sitting in his cubicle forgetting the cover sheet on his TPS reports deals with.

There are, of course, drawbacks. Time away from home and the stresses that places on the family unit are real and well documented. If you value birthdays, holidays, and weekends off, maybe being an airlines pilot isn’t right for you. Eventually, you may gain enough seniority (read: years at your airline) to manage to do the job and avoid missing the things you love. Depending on when you get hired, you may have smooth sailing or you may encounter a hurricane early on. Unfortunately, that is just the nature of the business. As has been said, you won’t know if you had a “successful” career until you look back on it when you retire.

Welcome to JC! The founder, @derg, is an amazing dude that put this together many years ago to help people just like you. Enjoy your time here, feel free to ask questions. Most of us have been in your position wondering how in the hell you get from being a kid dreaming about being a pilot to actually making it happen.

Lastly, stay out of “The Lavatory” and don’t venture into any threads that involve Alaska Airlines. You’ll thank me later…
 
guywhoflies said:
Definitely start taking lessons and working on your PPL in high school. When you go for your medical, you may as well apply for a first class medical certificate. That is the level of certificate that most airline pilots are required to maintain. Better to find out now that you have a disqualifying condition - or maybe even something that requires further evaluation - before sinking all the money into PPL training.

As far as the military route, I can’t speak to it. We have plenty of members that flew in all branches of the military so they can better offer that perspective. I believe the commitment for a pilot slot is 10 years after becoming mission qualified, meaning if you go to the USAFA, graduate and get commissioned at 22, then head to pilot training, by the time you are eligible to leave the military to pursue an airline, charter, or corporate career, you may be 34ish. Not the end of the world and having that service and experience on your resume is definitely valuable, but you may slow your civilian career progression down some.

On the other hand, civilian training is pretty expensive and many of us here spent years building flight time in order to meet the minimum requirements of the regionals. Add in the threat of an economic downturn (or even downturns), a major terrorist attack like 9/11 (ask your parents), or another Covid-like pandemic, and the civilian path is far from certain.

All this to say, I still love my job. I enjoy going to different cities, states, and countries, and experiencing all that goes along with that perk. We have the one of the greatest office views available and the day-to-day challenges are rarely the same monotonous issues that the guy sitting in his cubicle forgetting the cover sheet on his TPS reports deals with.

There are, of course, drawbacks. Time away from home and the stresses that places on the family unit are real and well documented. If you value birthdays, holidays, and weekends off, maybe being an airlines pilot isn’t right for you. Eventually, you may gain enough seniority (read: years at your airline) to manage to do the job and avoid missing the things you love. Depending on when you get hired, you may have smooth sailing or you may encounter a hurricane early on. Unfortunately, that is just the nature of the business. As has been said, you won’t know if you had a “successful” career until you look back on it when you retire.

Welcome to JC! The founder, @derg, is an amazing dude that put this together many years ago to help people just like you. Enjoy your time here, feel free to ask questions. Most of us have been in your position wondering how in the hell you get from being a kid dreaming about being a pilot to actually making it happen.

Lastly, stay out of “The Lavatory” and don’t venture into any threads that involve Alaska Airlines. You’ll thank me later…
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Thank you, I really appreciate the detailed response and the honest perspective. The advice about getting a first-class medical early is something I hadn’t fully considered, but it makes a lot of sense and definitely better to find out sooner rather than later, so thanks for that heads-up.
I also appreciate the realistic breakdown of the military vs civilian paths and the warnings about the uncertainty on the civilian side.
Thanks again for taking the time to respond and for the welcome and I’m looking forward to learning more here (and I’ll be sure to stay out of The Lavatory and Alaska threads ).
 
Don't go the military route unless your number one goal is to serve and flying is secondary. It's super competitive and from the vibe of your post it wouldn't be a good idea. If you came on and said "I want to be an officer in the military, serve my country, and fly airplanes", then maybe. But it's not an easy way to become a professional pilot. If you love airplanes and flying, it's a great career. Flying was all I thought about at your age and I pursued it with wreckless abandon. I would go take a discovery flight at the local flight school and see how that goes. Talk to the instructor and pick their brain about how they did it and why. Then go take an faa first class flight physical to make sure you can pass it. It's no big deal unless you take certain meds or can't see straight. Pro's are you get paid to fly big jets, get paid to travel, make really good money if you hit the top of the career ladder, and you only work half the month. Con's are it's a crapshoot to how far you get up the career ladder. Events beyond your control can determine your career path. You might get tired of the travel and being away from home half the time. It's expensive to get your ratings and experience to get that first job. For me, I can't imagine what other career would have been better. I by far exceeded my expectations in every way. It's cool you found this site. I would get on facebook and look at "raising aviation teens" and "student pilot community". I post on both, especially the first one. You can learn a lot about costs by just doing some research. Somewhat depends on where you live. If you can't find a flight school nearby feel free to PM me and I'll see what's around.
 
DE727UPS said:
Don't go the military route unless your number one goal is to serve and flying is secondary. It's super competitive and from the vibe of your post it wouldn't be a good idea. If you came on and said "I want to be an officer in the military, serve my country, and fly airplanes", then maybe. But it's not an easy way to become a professional pilot. If you love airplanes and flying, it's a great career. Flying was all I thought about at your age and I pursued it with wreckless abandon. I would go take a discovery flight at the local flight school and see how that goes. Talk to the instructor and pick their brain about how they did it and why. Then go take an faa first class flight physical to make sure you can pass it. It's no big deal unless you take certain meds or can't see straight. Pro's are you get paid to fly big jets, get paid to travel, make really good money if you hit the top of the career ladder, and you only work half the month. Con's are it's a crapshoot to how far you get up the career ladder. Events beyond your control can determine your career path. You might get tired of the travel and being away from home half the time. It's expensive to get your ratings and experience to get that first job. For me, I can't imagine what other career would have been better. I by far exceeded my expectations in every way. It's cool you found this site. I would get on facebook and look at "raising aviation teens" and "student pilot community". I post on both, especially the first one. You can learn a lot about costs by just doing some research. Somewhat depends on where you live. If you can't find a flight school nearby feel free to PM me and I'll see what's around.
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I do live in an area with a ton of flight schools, and I also have a good family friend who owns one of the smaller aviation clubs nearby, so access to flying and instructors isn’t really an issue (good ol' family networking). One of my bigger concerns right now is the cost of training, especially since it’s noticeably more expensive to train locally (25% - 45% more) compared to other parts of the country. I’m trying to figure out the smartest way to approach that without rushing into unnecessary debt. I’m definitely planning on taking a discovery flight soon (sometime in the summer). I really appreciate you taking the time to share. Thanks again for the insight.
 
aviationgeekatsfo said:
Hello everyone, happy New Year.
So.. I’m a high school sophomore and currently trying to figure out what I want to do career-wise as its time to start thinking bout it. I really love flying and aviation in general, and becoming a pilot seems like a fun and fulfilling career compared to a typical desk job. For those of you already in the industry, what are some pros and cons of flying as a career that aren’t obvious at first?
I’m also wondering where I should start with training. I’ve found an online ground school and was thinking about starting this summer to study for my PPL written or is there something else I should be focusing on first?
Lastly, I’m pretty lost when it comes to education and cost. Should I aim for USAFA and go the military route, or go civilian? How did you cover the cost of training, and what would you recommend to someone in my position?
Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...

The advice given to me worked really well and helped me manage the cost of flight training. Find a community college near you that has an aviation program and enroll there. Apply for any and all grants, student aid, and scholarships you can find. There are a ton and youd be surprised how few people even apply. One of the scholarships I received in college was simply because i was one of 3 people to apply. Live at home with your parents to save on boarding and living costs. I had one main job and would pick up 1, sometimes 2, more in between semesters to save money for flight training. Do whatevers comfortable for you while trying to limit how much you take out in loans, you'll be thankful for this later.

At the end of your AS degree, you'll have your CFI or Commercial Multi allowing you to make money building hours. Complete the rest of your bachelors online, at a state university, or at a satelite campus of a private university. I went to a satelite campus of ERAU that was 1/3 the cost, and the counselors at my community college helped me take as many classes as I could there that would transfer over.

This is gonna put you in a very marketable position. You'll be 22ish years old and have more than enough experience for a regional airline or to apply for a UPT position in the reserves or ANG. I didnt serve but the advice given to me was to avoid chasing an active duty pilot position and instead go for a guaranteed pilot slot in the reserves. I'll let one of our current or former military members give their thoughts on that as im no really qualified to elaborate.
 
RORO said:
The advice given to me worked really well and helped me manage the cost of flight training. Find a community college near you that has an aviation program and enroll there. Apply for any and all grants, student aid, and scholarships you can find. There are a ton and youd be surprised how few people even apply. One of the scholarships I received in college was simply because i was one of 3 people to apply. Live at home with your parents to save on boarding and living costs. I had one main job and would pick up 1, sometimes 2, more in between semesters to save money for flight training. Do whatevers comfortable for you while trying to limit how much you take out in loans, you'll be thankful for this later.

At the end of your AS degree, you'll have your CFI or Commercial Multi allowing you to make money building hours. Complete the rest of your bachelors online, at a state university, or at a satelite campus of a private university. I went to a satelite campus of ERAU that was 1/3 the cost, and the counselors at my community college helped me take as many classes as I could there that would transfer over.or

This is gonna put you in a very marketable position. You'll be 22ish years old and have more than enough experience for a regional airline or to apply for a UPT position in the reserves or ANG. I didnt serve but the advice given to me was to avoid chasing an active duty pilot position and instead go for a guaranteed pilot slot in the reserves. I'll let one of our current or former military members give their thoughts on that as im no really qualified to elaborate.
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Thank you for the advice! I'll definitely do some research into programs like that around me.
 
You're asking fantastic questions so you're already off to a great start, and all the answers so far are sound and accurate.

Sign up for an AOPA Student membership, its free and will give you tons of good, up to date information about general aviation and flight training. Student Membership

Get a discovery flight in and a few lessons after scheduled as well. If you're wanting to get going with flight training you can start now! You're able to do your first Solo flight at 16 and get your PPL at 17. Its kinda a neat "I did this on my birthday" thing. I know a few people that did their solo flights on their 16th birthday in the morning and went and got their driver's permit in the afternoon.

If your able to dive in while in high school try flying 2-3 times a week, you'll have a much easier time retaining what was learned and will cost you less in the end as you won't be repeating lessons. You are learning a skill, the more you practice and the frequency at which you practice almost always directly relates how long (in flight hours) it will take you to complete your training.

As far as picking a flight school, start local. Take a discovery flight, take some lessons, get you first solo done or at least close to it before potentially moving onto a big flight school program. I say this because flying isn't for everyone, not everyone can do it. Getting to solo will cost a few grand. But if you sign up for a zero to hero program and get 10-15 hours into the program and can't hack it, there's a good chance you're still on the hook for the whole program. I went to a big name national flight school and this is exactly what happened to quite a few students there.

Flight schools will offer loans and payment programs. College programs will qualify you for more financing and scholarship options, Since you're a sophomore you have time now to start going after scholarships, And apply for as many as you can, every $ helps. Getting a degree while is not "required" it still is. If your ultimate goal is the legacy airlines having a BA will help you more than nothing at all, and depending on hiring demands, may or may not be required at the time. I didn't finish my degree till I had been flying for 11 years, once done and added to my applications things started happening for me.

Talk to your parents about your goals, it sounds like you know some people in aviation, reach out and talk to them too. This career is fantastic, and it also sucks too. It's far different than any office job you can find but is constantly evolving and demanding. Have a "plan" and realize the plan will constantly change. I've been at my airline for 9 years and due to back to back Bankruptcies I'll be starting over again soon. It wasn't part of the plan but now it is, and I'm excited to see what the future holds in this next step.

Best of luck, you found a great place to hang out and ask questions here at JC!
 
skypilot6 said:
You're asking fantastic questions so you're already off to a great start, and all the answers so far are sound and accurate.

Sign up for an AOPA Student membership, its free and will give you tons of good, up to date information about general aviation and flight training. Student Membership

Get a discovery flight in and a few lessons after scheduled as well. If you're wanting to get going with flight training you can start now! You're able to do your first Solo flight at 16 and get your PPL at 17. Its kinda a neat "I did this on my birthday" thing. I know a few people that did their solo flights on their 16th birthday in the morning and went and got their driver's permit in the afternoon.

If your able to dive in while in high school try flying 2-3 times a week, you'll have a much easier time retaining what was learned and will cost you less in the end as you won't be repeating lessons. You are learning a skill, the more you practice and the frequency at which you practice almost always directly relates how long (in flight hours) it will take you to complete your training.

As far as picking a flight school, start local. Take a discovery flight, take some lessons, get you first solo done or at least close to it before potentially moving onto a big flight school program. I say this because flying isn't for everyone, not everyone can do it. Getting to solo will cost a few grand. But if you sign up for a zero to hero program and get 10-15 hours into the program and can't hack it, there's a good chance you're still on the hook for the whole program. I went to a big name national flight school and this is exactly what happened to quite a few students there.

Flight schools will offer loans and payment programs. College programs will qualify you for more financing and scholarship options, Since you're a sophomore you have time now to start going after scholarships, And apply for as many as you can, every $ helps. Getting a degree while is not "required" it still is. If your ultimate goal is the legacy airlines having a BA will help you more than nothing at all, and depending on hiring demands, may or may not be required at the time. I didn't finish my degree till I had been flying for 11 years, once done and added to my applications things started happening for me.

Talk to your parents about your goals, it sounds like you know some people in aviation, reach out and talk to them too. This career is fantastic, and it also sucks too. It's far different than any office job you can find but is constantly evolving and demanding. Have a "plan" and realize the plan will constantly change. I've been at my airline for 9 years and due to back to back Bankruptcies I'll be starting over again soon. It wasn't part of the plan but now it is, and I'm excited to see what the future holds in this next step.

Best of luck, you found a great place to hang out and ask questions here at JC!
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Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to write all of this out. I just signed up for an AOPA Student membership, glad I found JC and I’m looking forward to learning more here.
 
Solid adivce already given here! I’m a SFO based pilot and live in Nor Cal. If you ever have any questions pop up along the way about local flight schools or training or eventually airline related feel free to DM me and I can pass on my number.
 
Welcome, you're already ahead of the pack if you're asking these questions. To piggy back what a lot are saying do these things first.

1. Intro flight
2. Medical

I've given about 50 intro flights and I'd say about 30% said....nahh not for me. As for the medical, find out now before you get too deep.

The point is, a lot hinges on these two things, then the real hard part begins, funding, location, motivation and luck.

I say motivation because there will come a time where you question everything you're doing.

Welcome to JC
 
You are unusually bright and you write very well. You've already plugged networking which is a key skill in any endeavour.but particularly aviation.

Aviation is a big field - lots of rabbit holes to go down even if you are just considering "pilot".

You're getting great advice here. I guess my advice on the very short term is this: line up a discovery flight or first lesson. Do that before the calendar says February. See if you enjoy it. Does it occupy your thoughts after you do it. Do you find yourself thinking about when you can do it again? Anyway - all off us can type at you all day and that is awesome - but my advice is to take a hundred bucks of your Christmas money and take a bite of the apple. Report back after your flight and we can strategize on ways to get you where you want to go.

Be careful though - there is a reason drug dealers give away the first hit of heroin - because once you try it you may end up hooked. Same principle applies with flying.

My name is WacoFan, and I'm aflyingaholic. Welcome to Pilots Anonymous.
 
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