HELP! I don't know what to do

mskldrmn

Well-Known Member
Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be a professional pilot and nothing else.

Now I'm 20 and don't know how to get there. After graduating high school I went to MNSU Mankto, MN and enrolled in their professional pilot degree program and stayed with it for my freshman year but the cost of school/living/flight training was overwhelming. All of my finances were through student loans.

I made the decision to work as much as I can for now to catch up on bills while I think about what way to take to become an airline pilot (even if it's a ways down the road).

I want to take the path of least resistance, both in terms of money and stress, but don't personally know any professional pilots to help guide me.

Of course with my luck, I get through everything but cross countries and my solo time on my PPL before I ran out of money.

A buddy of mine at the factory (ugh) told me that his brother went to Texas and did an accelerated program, then was flying for Mesaba. All before the age of 22! Is this really that common of a situation to base any part of my decision on?

Any help or advice would be a blessing to me at this point. I'm open for anything, flight instruct, banner towing or whatever so all ideas are welcome. Whichever way you think would work best for me
 
If I were you, I'd continue with college in a degree other than aviation and work where I could pay for flight training as I went along. That way you'd finish all of your certificates and ratings with little to know debt. You could flight instruct part time and hold down a full time job when that time came. You don't want a whole lot of debt on first year regional airline pay....whenever they start hiring again.

Good Luck!
 
Whatever you do, don't owe more money on a flying career than I owed on my house.

Despite the sales pitch, most airline interviewers don't care if you went to Embry-Riddle or Podunk U. while flying out of a local Part 61 FBO. It's the quality of your time that counts. Fly freight for a year and you'll be at the top of my list for new hire.

My humble recommendation is to obtain your Comm/CFI as quickly as possible then plan to work freight (preferred) or flight instruct for at least a year. The new flight time requirements are probably going to shut down all the bridge programs which means most pilots are going to need to work in the trenches before becoming eligible for the airlines or fractionals.
 
I'm sure you'll get twenty replies within the next few hours, but here are my two cents...

Get a college degree of some sorts because you won't get far, pilot or not, anywhere in life without a degree in something.

It sounds like you have two options for paying for flight training. You can work and save up, then pay for it on your own, or you can take out loans.

If you decide to save up, you'll delay your aviation career by however long it takes to save the money. Training will cost more because of inflation, and satisfaction with your life may suffer if you're working in a factory rather than a cockpit. However, at the end, you'll be debt free which is very nice.

If you decide to take out loans, you'll lose money in interest over time, and you need to have some kind of plan for repaying the loans on a pilot's entry level pay which is typically pretty low. However, you'll be a pilot while repaying those loans, which in my opinion, is much better than working in a factory while saving for training.

As for accelerated training, at this point, don't bother. The job market for pilots stinks at the moment. There's no point in rushing through training only to find yourself unemployed.

Hope this helps.
 
I would certainly agree with the three posts above, and I'd add something else. Ignore the stories you hear of people who are hired somewhere at what seems to be a young age. You don't want to incur HUGE debt which you will have to deal with for YEARS on the off chance that you can shave 18 months off the process. Guess what? Even if you did go zero time to a flying job in 6 months, you'd be looking at the guys hired a year ahead of you and wish you had started earlier. It's just the way it works! Go at your own pace to avoid crippling amounts of debt, and enjoy the process.
 
Dont go fast track, no point, there are no jobs.

Go to a local college, get a degree in something other than aviation that interests you.

Work, pay down debt and when able pay for flying as you train at a local FBO.
 
I want to take the path of least resistance, both in terms of money and stress........


This is not always the best option. Get all your options on the table and then go with what works best with your particular situation. Easiest is not always best. Good advice given so far but be careful and do not allow yourself to be drawn into the trap of thinking you should slack off training because nobody is hiring - the exact opposite is true. This is the perfect time to be training because you are not losing any seniority as nobody is getting hired ahead of you. Train hard so that when hiring does pick up, you will be right there ready to go as your training will be complete. The ones who delay training waiting for brighter days will simply be left behind once the floodgates open, which they will. Good luck.
 
I am 20 years old just like you. I am currently going to the University of Texas at San Antonio and earning my BA in business management. I have a part-time job and I pay for my training as I go. My advice is to get a degree and ENJOY training. Dont rush and Burn out. The Journey is just as much fun as the end result. Hell the end result may never happen. You are twenty which means you and I both have time. Keep your head up and never self-eliminate. Biuld time which ever way you can. freight, CFIing towing. Get that instrument time, multi time and PIC time.

-matt
 
Advice I live by is if anything says "FASTEST" or "GET THERE FIRST", avoid it. Get where first? The unemployment line?
 
I want to take the path of least resistance, both in terms of money and stress, but don't personally know any professional pilots to help guide me.

There's a couple of us around that can help. It's the reason I started the website.

A buddy of mine at the factory (ugh) told me that his brother went to Texas and did an accelerated program, then was flying for Mesaba. All before the age of 22! Is this really that common of a situation to base any part of my decision on?

Highly uncommon. That happened for a brief period of time, many people expected that to be the norm which it was not.

Any help or advice would be a blessing to me at this point. I'm open for anything, flight instruct, banner towing or whatever so all ideas are welcome. Whichever way you think would work best for me

Not quite sure if you already have it, but if you do not have your four year degree, do it -- preferably in a non-Aviation program. You never know where your career is going to lead you and by not having a degree, you will absolutely limit your options.

Trust me, you don't want to be the furloughed guy with all of the required experience when there's an opening for an exciting opportunity, but lack the degree that the company requires.

I've always done pretty well during downturns when aviation wasn't necessarily "fashionable". I trained in a downturn so when the economy came back, I was in a position to capitalize and become employed at a regional. Then, at the time, I went to a good but not altogether "fashionable place to be at the time" airline and at the front part of a hiring wave so by the time the internet said, "OMGZ! Southernjets is the place to be now!" I was adding seniority numbers behind me. That helped me not get furloughed during 9/11.

Personally, I'd look at the Air National Guard. The stability, pedigree and amazing flying opportunities of being a military officer, but then you have the flexibilities of a civilian and can fly corporate or for the airlines at the same time.

Start spreading your roots a little and try to meet more pilots where you live and try to leech as much wisdom as you possibly can. The good stuff AND the bad stuff. Ask lots of questions!

Train during the downturns, flourish during the recoveries. Almost like being a surfer. If you sit on the beach waiting for the perfect wave, it finally comes, it's just going to hit you in the face on the paddle out and you're going to miss it entirely.
 
This is not always the best option. Get all your options on the table and then go with what works best with your particular situation. Easiest is not always best. Good advice given so far but be careful and do not allow yourself to be drawn into the trap of thinking you should slack off training because nobody is hiring - the exact opposite is true. This is the perfect time to be training because you are not losing any seniority as nobody is getting hired ahead of you. Train hard so that when hiring does pick up, you will be right there ready to go as your training will be complete. The ones who delay training waiting for brighter days will simply be left behind once the floodgates open, which they will. Good luck.

Dammit, Calcapt, you're always far more elegant at saying the same thing than I am. GRRRR!!! :)

(Luv ya man!)
 
As others have suggested, you definitely want to get your degree in something outside of aviation. This will give you something to fall back onto if something unfortunate happens in your aviation career (furlough, medical issues, etc).

If I were you I'd get a non-aviation degree. Get your ratings at local part 61 flight school and become a freight dog and/or a CFI while building your hours until the regionals start hiring again. I believe HR departments are going to begin putting more emphasis on the number hours you have and the quality of those hours.

Lastly, one of the most important things you want to begin doing right now is networking. The industry is quite small and you'd be surprised how a good word from a fellow pilot or manager can go in the hiring process or just what doors may be opened for you just by who you know or just even met a couple of times.

All of my jobs but one, were obtained through good old fashioned networking. Heck, I was furloughed and working for a local electronics store and after working there for a few weeks and impressing the manager he recommended me to his uncle who was a DO for an airline. I was working for that airline a few months later.

Never burn a bridge and always pay it forward.

Good Luck
 
Dammit, Calcapt, you're always far more elegant at saying the same thing than I am. GRRRR!!! :)

(Luv ya man!)

He steals my quotes all the time. If there is blame to be had, blame me.

And, yes, mskldrmn, go to college, get a degree, debt is the devil to avoid, train now and be ready to interview when the economy turns up and pilot demand increases. Easiest is not always what will make you stand out from the crowd. We learn more from every mistake than from any success. The most difficult road is not always embraced while it is traveled, but always is appreciated when taken. Good luck in all you do.
 
I'm not exactly sure from your post if you're still in school or just stopped flight training or both, but stay in school. That is the most important thing. Do not pick flight training over schooling right now because you could only afford one of them. It's hard to believe but flying will always be there, being able to go to school will get harder the older you get. I just finished my BS online and it was very tough and I'm not even that busy!
 
If I were you, I'd continue with college in a degree other than aviation and work where I could pay for flight training as I went along.

KLB took the words out of my mouth. I had the similar strategy. My dream has always been to be a professional pilot (my plan A) but I decided to study hard to obtain my bachelors & masters degrees (my plan B) which allows me to work since graduating in the field of aviation on the engineering side. My hard work at my plan B allowed me to obtain several scholarships along the way to pay for my education and my flight training for Plan A and to have the job I have today which allows me to continue paying for my flight training (currently working on CFI). It took me 5 years to go from PPL (age 22) to CPL (age 26), nevertheless, I am debt free and am currently developing my other skills that can earn me part time income when I do take the plunge into Plan A. The key as someone else stated is to develop a plan that works for your circumstance and stick with it. Success happens when everyone else gives up and you have stuck to it...the race is not to the swift - Ecclesiastes 9:11
 
Don't forget to push the

staples-easy-button.jpg
 
Dammit, Calcapt, you're always far more elegant at saying the same thing than I am. GRRRR!!! :)


You may have forgotten Doug but Kristie gave me Snoop Dogg's Guide to eloquent writing last year for Christmas. I rob, steal, thug and plagiarize at any opportunity. Actually, it's a pretty good read.


He steals my quotes all the time.

Snoop says once they are stolen, they be mine - it's in chapter 4.
And by the way Toria, you are a Pink Pirate Pickle. :pirate:
 
Just one more thing mskldrmn, go to college, get a degree, debt is the devil to avoid, train now and be ready to interview when the economy turns up and pilot demand increases. Easiest is not always what will make you stand out from the crowd. We learn more from every mistake than from any success. The most difficult road is not always embraced while it is traveled, but always is appreciated when taken. Good luck in all you do.
 
As others have suggested, you definitely want to get your degree in something outside of aviation.


This could be problematic. If you become well qualified to do something else, there stands a very good possibility of you getting hired into a really good well paying job and you will have no reason to join our underpaid and overworked dysfunctional family. Seriously, go to Riddle or Spartan and be miserable like the rest of us.
 
I finally have a day off from the factory! :beer:

Thank you everyone for giving such wonderful advice so fast! As many people are saying, college has seemed like the most logical choice.

Another option that I though I would hear is to join the military for it's education benefits. But after my multiple attempts at reaching some local recruiters (I'd think they would return calls or emails but I guess not..) I have one big open-ended question. Does any of the G.I. Bill help to cover the cost of flight training? Or any other military benefit for that matter?
 
I finally have a day off from the factory! :beer:

Thank you everyone for giving such wonderful advice so fast! As many people are saying, college has seemed like the most logical choice.

Another option that I though I would hear is to join the military for it's education benefits. But after my multiple attempts at reaching some local recruiters (I'd think they would return calls or emails but I guess not..) I have one big open-ended question. Does any of the G.I. Bill help to cover the cost of flight training? Or any other military benefit for that matter?

I don't have the specifics since I wasn't in the military but I do believe the GI Bill covers flight training.
 
Another option that I though I would hear is to join the military for it's education benefits. But after my multiple attempts at reaching some local recruiters (I'd think they would return calls or emails but I guess not..) I have one big open-ended question. Does any of the G.I. Bill help to cover the cost of flight training? Or any other military benefit for that matter?

The old GI Bill did cover flight training costs at an approved 141 school after you already had your private certificate.

I don't believe the new GI Bill covers any flight training costs, but there could be some last minute changes - this is the GI Bill that would apply to you as it sounds like you currently aren't in the military.

Some military bases offer aero clubs where you could learn to fly on your own time and dime.
 
North Star Aviation where you will do your training is currently only a pt. 61 school, I believe they are working on 141 cert. I have heard from several people that are in the National Guard or have made a commitment to the Air Force that the money is quite good, while they are finishing school. The financial aid office is very helpful at MSU if you do need to take out a loan etc. And of course finish your degree.
 
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