should I even start my Commercial?

, I would much rather be flying ANY airplane in the coming year or two, than sitting on the ground, working some desk job, and dreaming about flying.

precisely. i dont understand the mad rush to go fly airlines. theres so much cool stuff out there in the world of aviation.
 
so then quit crying and do it. industries change, business models shift.

people still need to move goods from a to b in a timely fashion and until we can teleport stuff, we'll need air transportation.

i cant understand why a few companies having a hard time would totally squash your passion. maybe you need to reexamine what you really want to do.

Wow...thank you for that...it was VERY helpful....I can see so much more clearly now. :sarcasm:

Maybe you should read the thread about the "airline industry headed for Catastrophe" and tell me that just a "few" companies are having a hard time. There was zero intention here to "cry" about anything. Just asking the opinion of the more postive people on here of where to go. I don't see anything wrong with taking a step back from aviation tunnel vision and re-evaluate where I'm at.
 
Wow...thank you for that...it was VERY helpful....I can see so much more clearly now. :sarcasm:

Maybe you should read the thread about the "airline industry headed for Catastrophe" and tell me that just a "few" companies are having a hard time. There was zero intention here to "cry" about anything. Just asking the opinion of the more postive people on here of where to go. I don't see anything wrong with taking a step back from aviation tunnel vision and re-evaluate where I'm at.


Listen, like everyone else has been stressing, this industry is CYCLICAL. Beyond that, you cannot think about the here and now, since you are no where near ready to be hired by anyone. You are not marketable and you are not even qualified, there is no reason why you should base your decision to continue training based off of the here and now. That being said, you need to think of us being at the 180 degree point on the heading indicator, being the worst portion of the cycle, as far as this industry is concerned. Imagine it takes 5 years to complete a full 180 degree turn. It will take you at least 4-6 years for you to become marketable for an airline, so by the time you are ready to become hired, the industry will have completed it's full 360 turn back to the 00 heading and we will be at the peak of cycle on the success and profit side. THAT is what you should be basing your decision on.

If you begin your training now you will be ready to be hired by the time the industry is back to normal and everything will be hunky-dory. Now, if you had asked this same question while we were experiencing a positive economic phase (which you would not have since you would have obviously been thinking that you would have been golden in this industry for that time being) then I would have then advised against it. If you began training while we were in the swing of things and the majors were expanding and hiring like mad, then by the time you would be ready to be hired by anyone, everything would have turned upside down and you would be SOL.

Just my .02, make what you want of it.
 
Just remeber that your not the only one having these feelings of doubt. I think you have to ask yourself what you really want and not let anything get in your way.
 
I don't see anything wrong with taking a step back from aviation tunnel vision and re-evaluate where I'm at.

I do this VERY often myself. I'm currently worried that investing money in an instrument rating this summer will hinder me (financially) later. As a 21 year old college student, I could greatly benefit from that same money in the future by putting it into an IRA now. (I'm an accouting major lol). As far as I'm concerned, spending the money on any rating/license has always been a big deal to me. As fun and amazing as aviation can be, I'm glad you see that there is actually a world outside of aviation.
 
"It will take you at least 4-6 years for you to become marketable for an airline, so by the time you are ready to become hired, the industry will have completed it's full 360 turn back to the 00 heading and we will be at the peak of cycle on the success and profit side. THAT is what you should be basing your decision on.

If you begin your training now you will be ready to be hired by the time the industry is back to normal and everything will be hunky-dory.
Just my .02, make what you want of it."[/quote]

4-6 years to finish my training and have some hours under me? I sure hope it doesn't take that long considering my Instrument took 3 months. 6 years from now I'll be 31 and probably married (hope I would be by then) instead of being 25 and single. At a certain point you can't live on less than 20k a year. Anyway I hear what your saying. Thanks for the input/.02 cents:D
 
"
4-6 years to finish my training and have some hours under me? I sure hope it doesn't take that long considering my Instrument took 3 months. 6 years from now I'll be 31 and probably married (hope I would be by then) instead of being 25 and single. At a certain point you can't live on less than 20k a year. Anyway I hear what your saying. Thanks for the input/.02 cents:D

The training is not what takes long, it's the timebuilding. I mean hell, look at me, I went from PPL to CSEL w/ IR in 11 months. Getting my CMEL w/ IR addon done in a few weeks and then I will be going for my CFI/II in July. The training is no biggy if you're dedicated. But to get hired at a major airline (which I am assuming is your end goal), you need at least 1000Turbine time, and that is just to be qualified. You won't get hired with the minimums unless you know someone that works for the company that you're applying for. So, that being said, to be MARKETABLE, I'd imagine anywhere from 1,500-2,000Turbine time. Not to forget about 3,000 Total time. So, it'll take you maybe two years to get the hours of total time to be hired by a regional carrier so that you can build that turbine time (samething for freight turbine). It'll take another two years or so for you to build that turbine time and then, what if the company that you're applying for requires PIC Turbine time? Then you have to WAIT another 3 years before you can upgrade to Captain at the regional level. So right there, at maybe the worst case scenario, you're looking at 7 years.
 
Plus, if you'll look out in the world today past the nay sayers and doom&gloomers you'll see that there is still hiring going on at all levels of aviation!
 
This is an industry where you have to really want it to make it and navigate through the highs and lows. I know that's hard to understand for those of us who grew up in the Internet age of instant gratification. Some things are within your control (i.e. the qualifications you bring to the table) while other things aren't (i.e. timing). It takes lots of preseverance, lots of time, lots of money, a bit of luck, and perhaps a helping hand or two along the way. But I'm glad you asked the question--it shows you are at least evaluating the reality of the situation, and now that you're through the IFR ticket (congrats), you're in a much better position to decide whether or not this is what you want to do for a living than many of the "wannabe" pilots around here. Bottom line--the good comes with the bad, and flying for a living is a lot different than flying as a hobby; what do you want for yourself?
 
Plus, if you'll look out in the world today past the nay sayers and doom&gloomers you'll see that there is still hiring going on at all levels of aviation!


Exactly. There will always, ALWAYS, be companies hiring pilots to fly their planes because there will always be a demand. The quantity and scale of that demand will fluxate naturally through the economic up's and down's, but you have to remember that there will still be that core that will never change. It is up to you to decide if you want to be part of the up's and down's, getting hired when needed and dumped when used, or to be part of the core; to know that no matter what you do, there will always be a job for you where you will be hired and needed. If you train and fly through any types of economic hardships and success, you will get hired by someone, I guarantee it. If you give up when times are hard but give it 250% when times are good, you will never be certain of getting that job because you weren't trying as hard as you could 100% of the time, only when you thought it was best. You do not know what the future has in store for you. In my opinion, why ruin your odds even more by not trying?
 
Dont take the thread too hard when you have those telling you to just shut up and do it. Stop the crying etc. The fact of the matter is to make it in this industry you have to be very confident. Go with your heart and make a good educated decision. You cannot second guess yourself because that will get you no where in this industry/career (well it will but that'd be either dead or fired). You must be confident and go in with the attitude you will get where you want to be etc. Thus the reason some may have been a little blunt but take it as that. Them being blunt because they want you to do it for the right reasons.
 
yeah dont get me wrong. i said what i said because i firmly believe that if you ACTUALLY want to do it, you will do it, and big F to the naysayers, industry, whatever.

i am pursuing what i want to do because its what I WANT TO DO, not because i see a brilliant financial opportunity. in fact, its been VERY difficult, and will probably get harder before it gets easier...

....but i wouldnt want to do anything else, and if thats how you feel, you should pursue it also.


otherwise, door is to your left ;-)
 
yeah dont get me wrong. i said what i said because i firmly believe that if you ACTUALLY want to do it, you will do it, and big F to the naysayers, industry, whatever.

i am pursuing what i want to do because its what I WANT TO DO, not because i see a brilliant financial opportunity. in fact, its been VERY difficult, and will probably get harder before it gets easier...

....but i wouldnt want to do anything else, and if thats how you feel, you should pursue it also.


otherwise, door is to your left ;-)
 
Everyone is right, if your already hesitating at this point you might want to reconsider flying professional. It takes alot of time, work and resolve to do it. It took me 6 years and alot of work to get here. The industry took a dive in 01, this is the same thing happening again(probably worse though). Are you going to let that deter you?

If it takes forever before your flying professionally, so be it... Anything worth doing takes work and time. Your call, no one is going to hand-hold anyone to the cockpit... thats the difference between someone who talks about being in the cockpit and someone who is actually there. One is a talker and the other gets the job done. good luck whatever your choice.
 
If you give up when times are hard but give it 250% when times are good, you will never be certain of getting that job because you weren't trying as hard as you could 100% of the time, only when you thought it was best. You do not know what the future has in store for you. In my opinion, why ruin your odds even more by not trying?

Nice change of heart from the guy who was going to fail the CPL!
:nana2:
 
I'll be 31 and probably married (hope I would be by then) instead of being 25 and single.

Give me your address.

I'm going to print this out and mail it to you a day or so before your 31st birthday. Tell me if it still reads the same way to you at 31 as it does at 25.
 
Give me your address.

I'm going to print this out and mail it to you a day or so before your 31st birthday. Tell me if it still reads the same way to you at 31 as it does at 25.


whats wrong with being 25 and single?!? ill be 26 and single next month!! does that mean im OOOOOLD?????
 
This is an industry where you have to really want it to make it and navigate through the highs and lows. I know that's hard to understand for those of us who grew up in the Internet age of instant gratification. Some things are within your control (i.e. the qualifications you bring to the table) while other things aren't (i.e. timing). It takes lots of preseverance, lots of time, lots of money, a bit of luck, and perhaps a helping hand or two along the way. But I'm glad you asked the question--it shows you are at least evaluating the reality of the situation, and now that you're through the IFR ticket (congrats), you're in a much better position to decide whether or not this is what you want to do for a living than many of the "wannabe" pilots around here. Bottom line--the good comes with the bad, and flying for a living is a lot different than flying as a hobby; what do you want for yourself?

Probably one of the best replies I've seen in a while.....
 
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