Airlines and college

aeroman2

aeroman2

New Member
I need some help from you guys, I am not that good at school, ( im in the 10 grade), but I am really good at flying, and I understand all that I have learned so far flying. So my question is this, do airlines look down on you for not going to college, and just instructing and earning hours, and posible on the side charter. Im just lost at the moment as to what I should do. Any advise would help.-Aeroman02
 
Do you they look DOWN on you for not having a degree, no, but they look UP at the guys that have one which puts them getting priority. Your career will be limited without a degree, but there are several regional airline pilots flyin without one. From what Ive seen though, looks like if you have the degree you can get the job alot sooner than the guys without one, either 4 years in college or way more than the published mins of flight time. No proof to back this up, but just the way it seems to me.
 
First, go to college. You WILL severely limit your career without a degree.

If you're not good at school, an airline systems class is going to whip your butt.

On a scale from 1 to 10, learning to fly a Cessna is about a 2, learning to fly an airline (mastering systems, memorizing limitations, understanding Ops Specs, having a airline-quality systems knowledge, etc) is about an 11.

You can fly an approach +/- 2 knots, but if you can't explain what systems you have during flight in 'standby power' and how that's going to affect your approach minima, you're going to get shown the door.

If you're good at flying but bad at school, look into competitive aerobatics. Airline pilots are always involved in a 'continuing education' of sorts once every 6 to 12 months for 'recurrent' training.
 
(Here is where someone makes a wise-acre comment about being a perfect ag-pilot candidate....)

Not me, though.
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I think it's more than just having a college degree which is what Doug was saying.... I'm a Senior at a good university and I can atest that college if you show up to school and do the work is really not that hard. The problem you may have is if you are having a hard time understanding things in school regardless how much education you have, working for an airline might not happen. If I were you I wouldn't just give up on college, apply to where ever you can and keep going until you get in somewhere and show up do the work and graduate because life becime a whole lot easier with that little piece of paper saying you went above and beyond. The way I see it flying for an airline if like getting a masters degree, it may just not be for you but that college degree will set you up in life with huge oppertunites in many places other than aviation or hell maybe even in aviaiton and you shouldn't just give up on going.
 
We might be in the same boat. It wasn't that I was bad at school, it was just that it was boring for me. Go to a college with an aviation program. Trust me, when you're learning about that stuff that interests you and stuff you know you'll use in the future school becomes a lot "easier."
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I'd also recommend continuing to college.. find something else that your interested in, make that interest your "backup career". The airlines like to see a college degree because it shows that you have what it takes to learn, relearn and apply your knowledge... it doesn't matter what degree you get, just that you get one....

so if there's another interest of yours that would be worthy of taking college classes for and getting a degree, go with it! that college degree will be your backup if anything ever happens to your aviation career and believe me, things can happen...

I do think college is an important step to furthering your career opportunities.

Just like my EIT certification is a hinderance to me right now because i can't seem to pass it and life keeps throwing me curve balls - but - at some point, if i want to continue moving up the ladder in engineering - i HAVE to get it or i'll forever be where i am today. granted, i enjoy what i'm doing right now - but someday, i may want to change and if/when that happens, i'm going to have to do what has to be done to move on up and it always includes continued education or some type of 8 hr exam.
 
I've already expressed my opinion about a zillion times, but in your eyes, how much of your job actually physically involves flying, Bog?
 
[ QUOTE ]
None of us are really "good" pilots. More like we're all lucky.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh yea....thats right the autopilot does all the work!

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-Matthew
 
Anyone who wholeheartedly relies on an autopilot in critical phases of flight has never used one!
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We had to do a practice autoland into LAX last week and I was freaked enough I didn't feel like having dinner that evening.
 
The 757/767 does awesome autolands. It floats a bit but the touchdowns are consistantly smoother than I could ever do. It blows my mind every time I do one.

Only done it once for halfway real. Was my leg going into Taipei and it was raining so friggen hard that I couldn't see clicking off the autopilot. I would have if I had to, and would have gone around if I had to after that, but I just let that darn 767 land itself and it did a heck of a job.

Pulling off the runway, the Capt said "nice job". I'm still not sure if he was talking about my decision to let it land itself or if he actually thinks I landed the thing....
 
The mad dog doesn't. Well is does a passable job, but the sensations are way different, plus, as non-flying pilot, you're monitoring so many things it makes your head spin.

it's like:

1500 (but no less than 1200?)... "Auto go around, auto land auto land..."

1000... "1000 feet"

500... "500 feet"

150 (but no less than 100') "Align!"

"Approaching minimums!"

"Minimums!"

50... "RETARD...FLARE"

(bam!)

"Spoilers up, two in reverse!"

"Steer left/right"

(airspeed countdowns)

From the time the captain hits the ''AUT LND" button above 1500 on the ILS, the next time you look out is when you're trying to figure out where you are on the SMGGS chart!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I've already expressed my opinion about a zillion times, but in your eyes, how much of your job actually physically involves flying, Bog?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well ... not as much as most think. Are we including the time I spend racing around some airport and, in places such as ORD, riding the brakes behind an AA Maddog?
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If the weather is good it's all about hit the autopilot and do a puzzle. I check the screens every few minutes hoping to find something new to writeup, but ... rarely happens. Normally it's sit and watch. The real stuff is the first and last 10 or so minutes. Driving the autopilot around a +TS is like surfing the web for current radar summaries.
 
thanks for all the replys, i should add its not school in general, somethings in math i get and somethings i dont, but in the rest of the classes im doing good. Thnaks again for the replies and keep them comming.-Aeroman
 
[ QUOTE ]
Thnaks again for the replies and keep them comming.-Aeroman

[/ QUOTE ]

That's really about it!
 
I meant I appreciate all the replies, and if there is anything anyone would like to add those comments are greatly appreciated
 
In a nutshell:

<ul type="square"> [*]Stay in school
[*]Most pilots think they fly extraordinarily well.
[*]If high school is hard, ground school at an airline is going to whip your butt.
[*]Only having a high school diploma will greatly hamper your career progression.
[/list]

I'm not really sure what else anyone can add to it.
 
MD11 does letter perfect autolands, no float, smooth every time, it is so good it's actually irritating. Smooth, dead center right on the touchdown target. Of course, that's assuming everything is working right, but all of the real ones I have done have been good. The MD10 is not as good, but passable.

Still, it requires a lot of monitoring, because the one time you don't, it might bite you, and, of course, conditions have to be right, wind within limits, etc.

We don't allow the F/O to do autolands at all, as they are not trained in handling problems it might encounter. Training issue, which makes it a legality issue if something were to happen is all. I'm sure that in reality they'd do fine.

As for the thread topic, I would echo what the rest said on the topic. Not an option if you want to have a good chance at success.
 
When you say you're not good in school, are you on academic probation, or just struggling to get by?

Some people don't do well in general education but excel when they specialize in something (like aviation, computer science, law, engineering, etc).
 
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