Airline Job Education/Finance

[nsktrombone84]

I understand that there are several threads that cover both the financing of pilot training and the minimum education requirements for most (if not all) major airlines. I have read several of these and have learned a lot of valuable information from them, so thank you to everyone who has offered their insight and expertise.

I am 23 years old and hold 2 Bachelor's degrees in Music Composition and Music Performance. Though I currently work full-time as a professional trombonist in town, I feel I am ready to pursue my other passion, aviation, more aggressively. My hope is that over the course of the next several years, music will become a secondary and personal endeavor while piloting will take its place as my primary career choice. In such, I will begin my private pilot training next week...a humble beginning to what I now know to be an exhausting and perilous journey to a professional career.

With that aside, I have set a few preliminary long-term goals for myself and was hoping that some of the more seasoned pilots on this board might confirm or critique their intent.

- Seeing as that I already have bachelor's degrees but don't live in a city with an aviation college program (the closest thing UNLV has is a master's in mech. engineering), I figured I would pursue a master's degree online from Embry-Riddle or any other credible school offering an online master's degree in an aviation-related field of study. I know a bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement, but I'm hoping that a master's degree in an aviation-related field might set me one hair ahead of some of the competition when the time comes. Is this a reasonable assumption to make or would it be more advisable to stick with what I already have?

- Relating to above, I intend to use the pursuit of a master's degree as a means to fund my greater pilot training. I have heard that it is possible to piggyback your flight training costs into your tuition ticket so long as your degree relates to piloting. My hope is that by doing this, I will have some more favorable forms of financing available to me via FAFSA, grants, scholarship, and/or government loans. I should mention that I am aware of the enormous debt that would come with this and, as a musician, I am no stranger to modest living conditions in exchange for life enjoyment. With that in mind, is this a logical plan for pursuing this as a career?

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have any better recommendations for an aspiring pilot in this position, please feel free to post them.

 

[Polar742]

At my last carrier, I hired a guy that used to play percussion in an orchestra. So you're not alone in your desire to switch from the music field.

I was an instructor at my previous airline, which was a regional. I flew with and trained people from all kinds of training backgrounds. The following is purely what I exprienced.

Everyone, regardless of background, was able to succeed in airline training. That being said, individuals who attended programs that focused on a professional track seemed to have a better toolbox of skills to start from. It's very important to have somewhere that will not only focus on teaching you what you need to learn to pass, but the underlying fundamentals to start you in aviation. There are all kinds of [passionate] opinions as to which school is the best. The wealth of knowledge on here will help you find a school that is best for you.

Your attitude also goes a long way. If you're not at the best school, but have a mentor or two a desire to learn as much as you can goes a long way. This is as true in aviation as it is in life.

At the end of the day, everyone, through school, experience or both, will have the skill set to succeed. There isn't one path that fits, but due to requirements you'll need to have, you can choose the one that fits best.

Best of luck.

 

[nsktrombone84]

At my last carrier, I hired a guy that used to play percussion in an orchestra. So you're not alone in your desire to switch from the music field.

That's comforting to know. One of my good trombone buddies in town, Ron Myers, did corporate aviation for 30+ years and still had time to play, write, and gig here and there. I really think as long as I had music happening to some degree in my life, I'll be happy.

I was an instructor at my previous airline, which was a regional. I flew with and trained people from all kinds of training backgrounds. The following is purely what I exprienced.

Everyone, regardless of background, was able to succeed in airline training. That being said, individuals who attended programs that focused on a professional track seemed to have a better toolbox of skills to start from. It's very important to have somewhere that will not only focus on teaching you what you need to learn to pass, but the underlying fundamentals to start you in aviation. There are all kinds of [passionate] opinions as to which school is the best. The wealth of knowledge on here will help you find a school that is best for you.

Your attitude also goes a long way. If you're not at the best school, but have a mentor or two a desire to learn as much as you can goes a long way. This is as true in aviation as it is in life.

At the end of the day, everyone, through school, experience or both, will have the skill set to succeed. There isn't one path that fits, but due to requirements you'll need to have, you can choose the one that fits best.

Best of luck.

Well I'm starting out my PPL at a local mom-and-pop flight school called "West Air Aviation." They've come with high recommendation by many people in town, and the flight instructor who took me on my test flight seemed like a cool and knowledgeable guy. They offer all of the ratings up to MEI. With regards to my previous post, I would use an online master's degree at a school like Embry Riddle (or something similar) to hopefully fund my flight training at West Air, if they allow that type of thing.

As far as my dedication, I love to learn. I love to experience new things and learn the minutiae of the things in which I'm well-versed. As flying has always been a strong interest, I can only imagine that it will blossom into a dedicated passion once I'm immersed in it. I'm aware of the financial and familial pitfalls I can expect (thanks to the wealth of knowledge on these boards) and am ready to go, through thick and thin.