Getting into the industry

[romanerin2011]

Hey everyone,

I'm sure many people have posted a thread like this but every situation is different so here goes. I took private lessons around 7 years ago and quit because it was way too expensive. So now I'm 28 years old, married with a little one on the way. I'm a dozer operator at a coal mine and absolutely love my job.

Having said all that I've been dying to get back in the saddle and finish what I started. My dream is to get a part time job at our local regional airport working for a commuter airline. I live in Shreveport, la if that makes any difference. I used to think being an airline pilot was too big for me and I know most will laugh when I say 28 is old but I'm starting to see how fast my life is going by and I want to at least try. Biggest hurdle I see is the ungodly cost of lessons. Does anyone have any first hand experience on what I should do to get there?

 

[Constellation]

I'm having a hard time finding suitable flight schools in Shreveport through Google (have been to Shreveport a few times myself). Do you know what training options you have nearby? I have a few pilot friends in Shreveport, I'll shoot them a message and see what they recommend. If it's your dream, then certainly go for it. However, flight training certainly hasn't come down in cost since you last trained and of course you now have the added responsibility of taking care of a family.

Plan on spending around ~$40-50K for your Commercial training (all depends on the school, aircraft, etc.) , then you have multiple paths to build your ATP minimums (CFI, surveying, freight, etc.). If the pilot shortage rumors are true, you'll hopefully have lots of opportunities once you've logged the hours.

Good luck!

 

[romanerin2011]

Yea I planned on paying cash as I go for ppl and apparently after that my GI Bill will pay I think $10000 per semester I believe, has to be a part 141 school and sky high flight school is the closest I believe. About the most I could afford right now I think is 1 lesson a month so not sure of that would be enough.

 

[milleR]

Yea I planned on paying cash as I go for ppl and apparently after that my GI Bill will pay I think $10000 per semester I believe, has to be a part 141 school and sky high flight school is the closest I believe. About the most I could afford right now I think is 1 lesson a month so not sure of that would be enough.

The problem with 1 lesson per month is you'll spend a significant part of each succeeding lesson relearning what's atrophied over the preceding four weeks. From a financial standpoint you would probably be better served saving up your money so you can focus and take at least one lesson per week.

 

[Cptnchia]

My dream is to get a part time job at our local regional airport working for a commuter airline.

Not to throw cold water on your dreams, but unless you're talking about working the ramp, this isn't a reality for pilots. Very few airlines have home basing, and none that I can think of have part time pilots. They want to own your soul.

I encourage you to pursue your goals, but understand that the reality of the life is far different that perception. If you have a job you already love, with a family on the way, I say good for you! Keep plugging away at the flying, but do not put yourself in a financial hole to do it.

Finally, 28 is not too old! I didn't start flying seriously until I was 30, and am currently a mid seniority captain at Delta 20 years later. It's possible, but there are compromises and trade offs that some may have found unacceptable. I didn't.

 

[romanerin2011]

Well what exactly is home basing? And the whole part time at a commuter is something I was jyst throwing out there. Right now the way my shift works, I work 15 days a month. What options would I have flying commercially without quitting my job, starting out? Not against quitting my job but im not looking to. I do have my roth retirement account I could use but not sure how wise thatd be.

 

[TrustMeI'maPilot]

Commercially, your options would probably be CFI or drop zone flying if you want to fly part time. A long shot would possibly be some contracting for corporate, but you would need to build experience and a network for that.

 

[romanerin2011]

Ive been looking up several flight schools and found one that sounds great but wanted to see what yall think. Its called Sky High Flight School in Shreveport. Guy I talked to said they offer block packages. $2000 for 10hrs of flight and 5 hrs of ground school. I do feel a little uneasy about this school because I've called 5 different times just to see if they all tell me the same thing. First time they said a discovery flight cost $179, well it changed each time I called. Today it was $140. I also asked about the GI Bill numerous times. A few of them said yes, others didnt know and the guy I talked to today said no they dont accept GI Bill. Has anyone ever heard of this school before? Is it legit?

 

[romanerin2011]

I looked up the VA certified schools and they are not on it. Closest one to me is 1.5hrs away so that kinda sucks but guess I'll do it if I have to. I also wanted to ask, I've seen a lot of airplanes for sale from 13k-28k, would it be cheaper to buy a plane and use it for flight lessons? And I'm also assuming my 20 hrs of ppl I had 7 years ago is null and void? I don't even have proof of that anyway, is there a way you can look that stuff up? The flight school I was at closed down due to the owner getting killed in a plane crash.

 

[romanerin2011]

Well I decided to do it. Don't wanna have any should've could've would've years down the road so I applied for Letourneau University. I'm going to be using my military benefits so most everything should be covered. I'm going for the Aviation Management with pro pilot concentration. Anyone have any thoughts on Letourneau?

 

[romanerin2011]

After doing some more research on how to best utilize my GI Bill, I'm not sure Letourneau will be best for me. A lot of the classes that don't go toward any rating are going to eat up a lot of my yearly allowance. Only other way to use my GI Bill to pay for my ratings is to get PPL where I live and then commute 3 hours to Dallas, TX to an FBO that does accept it. I mean is that a ridiculous idea? I dont really have a desire to get a college degree so I'm not sure which way to go.