A little help needed for a clueless newbie...

spikethebest

Well-Known Member
Hello.

i just got my private pilot's license. i have a BA degree in biology. i want to fly professionally. is this convention in Las Vegas even worth it to me?

i have read so many forums and websites about entering into this industry, and i feel its so hard. but im 23 years old with 110 flying hours, with a BA, and im going to invest 40,000 to get my licenses.... anything else i need to do? please help me.

I have registered for American Flyers in Santa Monica to start their instrument/commerical program. I have been accepted into California State University of Northridge Recreation and Tourism Management Master's of Science graduate program. So I thought about being a tourist pilot. Any ideas on that?

Any help, advice, ideas, criticisim, comments, questions, concerns, experiences, insite, etc... would be greatly appreciated.
 
NetworkJC, albeit I haven't been able to attend one yet. . .is no convention.

So I hear, it's a down right great time.

Go if you can.
 
Go to LAS. Network, pick Dough's brain. For the flying stuff, disregard everything else! If you want to be a professional pilot, (one who puts that as their job on a 1040,) then you owe it to yourself before spending any more hard earned money.

By the way, I haven't used my degree for anything since the day I graduated, and I have a BS in Biology.
 
Thanks Cptnchia for replying. I will try to make it to the convention. Where and how can I find "Dough"?

I have just used my degree to get my corporate america job right out of college to pay for my flight school.
 
He's the Black Dude.

*runs*

I love you Doug, don't hurt me. ;)

spikethebest,

What I meant to say was that NetworkJC (the convention as you call it, in Las Vegas) is a great opportunity for ANYONE in the profession, be it newbie or experience buck to meet new people and learn new things.

You owe it to yourself to not only attend, but to also spend some quality time here on the forums, and on the website (www.jetcareers.com) reading the prospective articles from people who were once in your shoes but are now flying "professionally."
 
Hello.

i just got my private pilot's license. i have a BA degree in biology. i want to fly professionally. is this convention in Las Vegas even worth it to me?

i have read so many forums and websites about entering into this industry, and i feel its so hard. but im 23 years old with 110 flying hours, with a BA, and im going to invest 40,000 to get my licenses.... anything else i need to do? please help me.

I have registered for American Flyers in Santa Monica to start their instrument/commerical program. I have been accepted into California State University of Northridge Recreation and Tourism Management Master's of Science graduate program. So I thought about being a tourist pilot. Any ideas on that?

Any help, advice, ideas, criticisim, comments, questions, concerns, experiences, insite, etc... would be greatly appreciated.

You don’t need a masters degree to be a pilot, and it won’t help you become a pilot flying tourists around. You might want to reconsider spending money on that specific masters degree or earning one altogether, unless you want a desk job and the masters will help you get it. If you want to be a professional pilot, earn your ratings and pay your dues; build time. Since the industry is in bad shape and furloughs are just beginning, it’s impossible to predict the future of when an upswing would occur; however, this would be a good time to being your quest as the industry operates in cycles. This is not the usual cycle, though. Since this is a down cycle and by the time you earn enough hours to be competitive, the industry could begin an upswing. It could be 3, 5 or even more years before an upswing begins. Essentially, it’s all about timing for you.
 
Hey Spike,

You should DEFINITELY come to Network JC in Las Vegas. It's a TON of fun, and you meet a lot of people who can help you get a long way in this career. I can honestly say that my fiance has been directly helped by several people from Vegas. He had resumes walked in to most of the regional airlines, and a freight company all because of going and hanging out with a bunch of people.

This isn't a convention in the typical convention sense. It's not a job fair with booths set up. It's a bunch of people hanging around in a room drinking and chatting. If you have the time, look through some of the NJC archieves for pictures and stories. Many people come together as strangers from the internet and end up great friends who would bend over backwards for eachother.

So even though you aren't ready to apply to the regionals yet, it's never too early to start networking. That way when you are ready, all you have to do is call up a few friends. Remember - it's all about who you know :)

Hope to see you there!!
 
I have just used my degree to get my corporate america job right out of college to pay for my flight school.

Smart man.

Rule number one -- do not take on debt to get your training done. You will have to pay back those loans with interest, and the starting pay at an airline simply does not provide you with enough income to do this unless you live in the basement at your parent's place.

Plus, with the industry so vulnerable to hiring and firing orgies, the last thing you want is to get furloughed and have a loan to have to pay off.
 
American Flyers, while a good school, is probably the most expensive in the country. I would shop around and wait a little while. The job market is dismal right now, so you can take your time and pay as you go. Don't get into debt and don't quit your good paying job.
 
DONT go to American Flyers, I just hope you still haven't signed the dotted line yet. I can't believe that place, especially in Santa Monica, is still in business. CSUN is a great school but not worth the masters, especially for entry level flying. I would use that school time you would have had to go into flying full time. Don't go to a high price school like AF. No one is hiring and won't be for a long time. You have plenty of time to focus on your ratings and by next year hopefully things will have changed. Go to VNY find a cheap operator like Hollywood Aviators and find a starving instructor looking for a student, I'm sure right now they're not too hard to find.
 
He's the Black Dude.

*runs*

I love you Doug, don't hurt me. ;)


If someone comes up to me at NJC and ask me if I'm Doug, my response is going to be " uh....yes, why yes I am" and then I'm going to go into a long tangent about how I like flying the 76 overseas and stuff.:D


Network JC is a good time. We're a pretty diversified bunch as far as the industry is concerned. You can get many different prospectives on the industry from a lot of pretty experienced aviation professionals in all the different phases and aspects of their careers in a laid back atmosphere. There are some pretty cool tours that take place also.
 
***THREAD HIJACK****

Going off where this thread is going, being a young guy with little experience, what would a guy like myself gain from going to NJC?

I wish I personally could go to at least network, but unfortunately I'm in Hawaii and it's not as easy as if I were stateside.

Just wondering how a young lad like myself could benefit by going. I know that there is nothing like meeting people "in the know", but what else could a young potential pilot gain from going to NJC? (I would love to go by the way)

Just wondering :) I will be stateside next year and you can best believe the first rookie round is on me :) (every round thereafter I believe is on Doug) :rawk:


****Hijack Complete****

Love you guys, don't kill me
 
***THREAD HIJACK****

Going off where this thread is going, being a young guy with little experience, what would a guy like myself gain from going to NJC?

I wish I personally could go to at least network, but unfortunately I'm in Hawaii and it's not as easy as if I were stateside.

Just wondering how a young lad like myself could benefit by going. I know that there is nothing like meeting people "in the know", but what else could a young potential pilot gain from going to NJC? (I would love to go by the way)

Just wondering :) I will be stateside next year and you can best believe the first rookie round is on me :) (every round thereafter I believe is on Doug) :rawk:


****Hijack Complete****

Love you guys, don't kill me

The greatest thing about NJC is the friendship that you gain! You get to put a face to the avatar and internet persona. There are many many people on here that I would twist up pretzel style to help. I can honestly say that I talk to someone from this website either by phone or in person everyday. It could be about aviation, helping them get through tough decisions, helping them move furniture, being a noble wingman in the bars and etc....:)

Thats true networking.
 
DONT go to American Flyers, I just hope you still haven't signed the dotted line yet. I can't believe that place, especially in Santa Monica, is still in business. CSUN is a great school but not worth the masters, especially for entry level flying. I would use that school time you would have had to go into flying full time. Don't go to a high price school like AF. No one is hiring and won't be for a long time. You have plenty of time to focus on your ratings and by next year hopefully things will have changed. Go to VNY find a cheap operator like Hollywood Aviators and find a starving instructor looking for a student, I'm sure right now they're not too hard to find.

well a little to late. they approved me for a loan to help pay. but I'm making payments already so hopefully there wont be much interest.

i started my first IFR training on sept 20th. I put 7 hours in the SIM, bought books, and did a lot of ground. The instructor I had wasnt the greatest (kept on interchanging left and right turns, couldnt add or subtract in his head, wasnt sure 100% on most topics, lost my binder at one point, was easily distracted), so I'm hoping for a different one the next time.

since american flyers is a part 141 school, can I also train concurrently at hollywood aviators or somewhere else?

you seem to be pretty familiar with this area, where did you go?

thanks for your help and advice!
 
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