Blackhawk
Well-Known Member
Beauty and wisdom are wasted on the young.
No Jobs For The Young Pilots
- Thread starter Cessna310
- Start date
Autothrust Blue
”…trusting ze process…”
For the LOVE of GOD, this.
A300Capt
Freight Dawg
Relax...you're young and well on your way to obtaining your goals with the time and ratings you have. I used to say the same thing about getting into a turboprop back when you needed 1500/500 just to get the commuters to even look at your resume, let alone being hired.
Not to belittle your situation or sound condescending but seriously, my flight bag is currently older than you. I've learned two important things in life. First, you'll spend the first half wishing you were older and the second half wishing you were younger! Second, enjoy the journey and don't spend so much time worrying about the end game or you'll never truly be satisfied. I wish I spend more time enjoying the ride along the way.
Advice: Get your 4 yr degree!! I can't emphasize that enough..trust me. It's competative out there and every little thing helps. Continue with your CFI. I learned more by teaching early on then at any other time of my career. End of rant...YMMV.
A Life Aloft
Well-Known Member
Best advice yet and I totally agree. It's a good thing to listen to and perhaps even heed what the old guys around here have to say from time to time. Excellent post.
You have to enjoy what you have now. It can be gone or changed in a heartbeat. You have accomplished much already. I know it's difficult to have patience when you are younger, but a few years is just that......a few years, not an eternity. Meanwhile, just keep moving forward and learning during this journey and striving towards your goal. There will be much more important and immediate issues to stress about in life, than this one. Trust me. Along the way you have to have some fun and other experiences to make yourself a well rounded person. Travel when you can, even short, cheap trips. See things. Go places. Meet people and make friends. Have all the experiences that you can, because you don't want to find yourself having more regrets than those that will naturally come your way. You are only young once. Revel in that. There is more, much more to life, than just work and a career. And it takes time and experience to grow and mature and become the man you want to be. There just are not that many shortcuts or ones that are worthwhile to begin with, in the long run.
You have to enjoy what you have now. It can be gone or changed in a heartbeat. You have accomplished much already. I know it's difficult to have patience when you are younger, but a few years is just that......a few years, not an eternity. Meanwhile, just keep moving forward and learning during this journey and striving towards your goal. There will be much more important and immediate issues to stress about in life, than this one. Trust me. Along the way you have to have some fun and other experiences to make yourself a well rounded person. Travel when you can, even short, cheap trips. See things. Go places. Meet people and make friends. Have all the experiences that you can, because you don't want to find yourself having more regrets than those that will naturally come your way. You are only young once. Revel in that. There is more, much more to life, than just work and a career. And it takes time and experience to grow and mature and become the man you want to be. There just are not that many shortcuts or ones that are worthwhile to begin with, in the long run.
bronco21016
I know H.T.M.L. (How To Meet Ladies)
Also, don't let a woman tie you down. Makes moving for jobs a billion times less stressful.
jrh
Well-Known Member
Right. Because jobs matter way more than people.
I'd give the direct opposite advice, to make sure your jobs fit in with the important people in your life. Maybe that's just my personality--I gain much more happiness from friends and family than I do from any job. Nobody lies on their death bed wishing they had fewer relationships so they could've worked more. If you truly, seriously find the right girl for you, don't throw her away over a dumb stepping stone job.
Anyhow, back to the bigger picture...
I'm surprised nobody has said to find some cool little flying club near your college and fly as many different types of planes to as many places as possible. Take your time and enjoy teaching. Go to pancake breakfasts and make friends with guys who like to cruise around in little experimental planes on Saturday morning. Fly for FUN.
Teach at a pilot mill for foreign students? Ick. I mean...if you truly enjoy it, that's cool, but if all you're after is flight time and cash, you ought to step back and figure out what really matters. I learned more, and had more fun, flight instructing at random small town airports for flying clubs and FBOs than I could ever describe.
Now that I'm doing the airline thing, although it's fun in its own way, I feel like the lessons I learned during my time teaching and ferrying planes has made me the aviator I am. I suppose I've learned some lessons from flying the line, but it's mostly just showing up and doing a job. There isn't much adventure in it. I feel bad for the pilots I meet who have only flown a half dozen aircraft for a couple of employers to this point in their ten year careers. So....blah.
I'm the kinda guy who considers people like Barry Schiff, Ernest Gann, Richard Collins, etc. as role models. They didn't work their first few years at a big pilot mill sort of place--they went out and had adventures. I want to look back on my career and say, "Yeah, that was a heck of a lot of fun. I did everything I wanted to do, and then some."
If you're only 18, you have darn near EVERYTHING on your side. Live it up. Try to acquire as many awesome stories as possible, before you have to "grow up" and fly for the airlines.
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
A300Capt said everything I would say in a much nicer way. You're lucky he got to you first! 
PS. I'd especially like to affirm the "wishing you were older/younger" part. It changes in the blink of an eye. Think I'm about 2 years in to "wishing I were younger" and it still feels freaking weird.
PS. I'd especially like to affirm the "wishing you were older/younger" part. It changes in the blink of an eye. Think I'm about 2 years in to "wishing I were younger" and it still feels freaking weird.
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
Right. Because jobs matter way more than people.
I'd give the direct opposite advice, to make sure your jobs fit in with the important people in your life. Maybe that's just my personality--I gain much more happiness from friends and family than I do from any job. Nobody lies on their death bed wishing they had fewer relationships so they could've worked more. If you truly, seriously find the right girl for you, don't throw her away over a dumb stepping stone job.
Absolutely. I've got two failed relationships behind me that were directly caused by my push for bigger and better jobs. Not proud of that at all.
nocturnalaviator
AI Jedi
5 years too long for you? Plenty of time to learn, gain your experience and maturity in aviation and life buddy! What's this big rush???
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
As jrh said, you won't catch too many old guys at the bar regaling the crowd with tales of shooting the ILS in to O'Hare in VFR conditions for the 98th time that month. Not that there's anything wrong with that (in fact I've reached the age where it sounds pretty good). But at your age you should be dreaming of flying DC-6s full of guns to Biafran rebels or Arctic Explorers into a river bank or Russian Hookers in to Siberian mining town or...well you get the idea.
Operating Aviation Appliances will ALWAYS be there when you're finally old and boring like me. Well, us.
Operating Aviation Appliances will ALWAYS be there when you're finally old and boring like me. Well, us.
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
I may not be old, but I fly an old man's jet. I miss the days of circling to mins with a load of ice in big-bore pistons.
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
I may not be old, but I fly an old man's jet. I miss the days of circling to mins with a load of ice in big-bore pistons.
I hear you, grandpa. I may wear hilariously incongrous nomex, but I'm basically just driving the ambulance. I think our "risk assessment" matrix more or less prohibits circling approaches if there's any chance we might have to go missed. We really only do anything interesting for "practice" (practice for WHAT, I ask you? A check ride?)
Of course if I were still blasting around in a mostly-functional rice rocket, I'd probably be bitching about that, too. But that's cause I'm OLD. Like YOU.
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
I feel bad.
You shouldn't feel bad, you should feel DIRTY. But in a good way.
typhoonpilot
Well-Known Member
I'd find a college/university where you could teach part time while you go to school. Do a 5 year college plan if you want and enjoy the time.
That's basically what I did. Two years at a city college while I finished up my ratings through CFII and worked on the ramp. Then three years at SJSU while flight instructing on weekends, summers, school holidays, and any other spare time I had. Last semester there I only had courses on Tuesday and Thursday ( umm 0800 to 2200 mind you ) and taught the rest of the time. Finished school with 2000 total time and an ATP letter at age 22. Did a heck of a lot of good flying in single and multi-engine pistons all around the western USA. Had a job at a regional one month after graduation. Worked out perfect and I don't regret missing anything during those years.
Oh, and get an aviation degree
Typhoonpilot
That's basically what I did. Two years at a city college while I finished up my ratings through CFII and worked on the ramp. Then three years at SJSU while flight instructing on weekends, summers, school holidays, and any other spare time I had. Last semester there I only had courses on Tuesday and Thursday ( umm 0800 to 2200 mind you ) and taught the rest of the time. Finished school with 2000 total time and an ATP letter at age 22. Did a heck of a lot of good flying in single and multi-engine pistons all around the western USA. Had a job at a regional one month after graduation. Worked out perfect and I don't regret missing anything during those years.
Oh, and get an aviation degree
Typhoonpilot
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
Roger Roger
Bottom of the list
Ha. I'm in the opposite boat. I have passengers in the Cherokee ask me how old I am and how long I've been flying because I look so young, in spite of the Alaska Pilot Beard (tm). I can't wait to see what happens when I shave it this summer...You know, I got called "sir" by a pretty cute college girl today. I feel bad.
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
This.
Take this from a current regional F/O who was very focused and in a hurry to get where I am now. Take your time (but don't waste it) and enjoy the ride. If you devote every waking moment to getting into this industry, you will get here and be underwhelmed. If you take the time to enjoy life and become a well rounded individual this industry will be a lot more fun because it can be "just a job."