Pilot's Opinion

How good is my plan?

  • Awesome Plan

    Votes: 2 8.0%

  • Okay Plan

    Votes: 1 4.0%

  • Needs some work

    Votes: 13 52.0%

  • Bad Plan

    Votes: 9 36.0%
  • Total voters
    25
Ryan Fitzgerald

Ryan Fitzgerald

New Member
I'm currently 14 years old and I have around 40 hours of flight time in a C172. I've been flying since I was 12 and have had my life planned out since I was 9. Haha. I would like to have an airline pilot's decision regarding my "plan" of becoming an airline captain.

I will continue flying until I get my private. I can't solo until I'm 16, and can't get my PPL until 17. After I get my PPL, my gift will be a down payment for a Cirrus SR20. So I'm going to continue gaining hours in that, but I'm also going to stay away from getting certificates. (As requested from the college I want to go to). Next, I'll enroll into Liberty University's School of Aeronautics, in Lynchburg, VA, to get my Bachelors in Science of Aeronautics - With my concentration on Corporate/Commercial Aviation. While I'm attending LU for 4 years, I will be going to the Air Force ROTC Program based out of the University of Virginia. When I get out of college I will have my CPL and hopefully my CFI. I want to go into the Air Force for how ever many years it is... I've heard from one person it was 7, and another 4 years. Hopefully flying Cargo jets (C5, C17) or the B52, or even the KC135.. Ya know,... heavier jets. Then I'll come out with putting in applications for Delta, United, American, etc.

My main question is.. How good is this plan? - How far will it get me?

Now, I realize I won't come out flying the 777/747s, but just like any other pilot, my goal is to HOPEFULLY one day fly the 777/747s. By using this plan, will I get accepted pretty quick in a major airline? Will I come out flying the 737 or higher? Will I start out as a Captain or F/O?

I have also considered corporate.. The only reason why I did, however, was for their scheduling. (Only working like 9hrs a month and getting payed $95,000 a year!). Airline's pay are a tad higher. I could score a 737 job flying for about $100,000 a year as a Jr. Captain with a major airline. How cool is it to get payed that much, for something that you love doing?! Anyways, the next question is, how is airline scheduling? I understand your schedule comes out a month before, and in order to make changes you need have more seniority, but how much CAN you change your schedule as a Jr Pilot? And, on AVERAGE how many days out of a month are you gone? ... around 20?

I know this post has a bunch of questions, and is fairly long.. But please answer back. I'm looking to get as much answers as I can. I love to look at different opinions from different pilots. That's why this plan has been changed so many times! But I'm trying to figure out what I need to do to get my dream to come true.

Thanks!
- Ryan
 
I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about this right now. Seriously, you're 14; theres no telling whats going to happen by the time you're 18. Also, if you somehow are going to have the resources for a down payment on a cirrus, then you're not going to have to worry about a whole lot regardless of what your plan is.
 
It's great that you're planning early on. Like cmill said, though, events both international and personal will happen over the coming years that will alter your desires. Your plan sounds great now; be ready to change it.
 
I see a few issues with your plan. You're getting the down payment for a Cirrus. Where's the rest of the money coming from? Also, the college is advising you to avoid getting certificates before going to them, because they want you to pay THEM for it. With 3 years to go before you can take your first checkride, it would not be unreasonable to think that you could take your private, instrument, and commercial checkrides before you even go to college, and for much cheaper than the school will likely do it.

Why are you pursuing an aviation degree? A lot of people do those because they get their pilot certificates as a part of it--you have the time and resources to have the majority of that done while still in high school. Then you can go to college and get a 'real' degree in business, finance, or engineering. The airlines won't care what your degree is in, but the Air Force might.
 
I'd certainly consider a school other than Liberty University and a degree other than aviation. Get a regular business degree, if nothing else. What happens if you lose your medical some day? You're going to have a generally useless degree in aviation from a university that many people consider to be nothing but a joke. I don't intend to be mean here, but I think it needs to be said.
 
Oh my god.. I wish I was you. A cirrus? Forreal? Just get the stuff done before college. I soloed, on my 16th birthday. Private and instrument both on 17th and commercial on 18th. I should have my CFI here within a few weeks and I'm not in college yet.

I was like you though, quit worrying and live in the present. Your plan WON'T turn out the way you expect.
 
Whoa there young fella...

What's the old sayin'.....wanna make God laugh? Make plans.

First off, you've got great enthusiasm and desire and that's a good thing. It's great to have dreams and make plans. So many young folks just drift through life without a clue or desire and think they'll get a trophy for just showing up.

You lost me about a gift being a down payment on a Cirrus after your PPL. There's much more to airplane ownership than just the down payment (loan payments, hangar fees, maintainence costs, insurance, taxes, fuel prices etc..). Unless you're a trust fund baby or your parents are über rich, airplane ownership can be a very expensive endeavor.

About college aviation programs.....they are much more expensive than getting your ratings at the local FBO! Do yourself a favor. Get a degree in something other than aviation. Get a degree in something you'd enjoy doing if your aviation dreams don't pan out. Many things can derail your aviation career which may be no fault of your own and totally out of your control (medical, furloughs, economic downturn). In short, don't put all your eggs in one basket.

The military.....well, it's all about the needs of the military and they seem to change about as frequently as the wind changes. The military may ask you what you want to do and then theyll tell you what you ARE going to do. Remember...THE NEEDS OF THE MILITARY. You may find yourself flying a computer sending signals to a UAV. While this is an important job and a skilled position within the military, it doesn't translate very well right now to the civilian side of aviation.

Your knowledge about how much corporate/airline pilots work and how much they make we're probably derived from some glossy pamphlet or website. I can tell you that for every Pilot out there making $100K/ yr, there's probably a 100 making 25K. Nothing is guaranteed. Just because you connected all the career dots and checked all the boxes doesn't mean there's a cushy $100K Capt's seat seat waiting for you with your name on it. You would not believe how much luck and timing play into it. As I said before, there are things out of your control.

Not trying to bust your bubble and having a plan is far better than not having a plan at all. It's great to see a young person with a forward thinking attitude and taking steps to solidify their goals.I hope it works out for you and you realize your dream. Just don't be too disappointed if it doesn't quite work out as planned. Sometimes the best thing that happens to us is that we don't get what we ask for.....
 
When I was 14, my plan was to go to the Air Force Academy, graduate with an engineering degree, go fly fighter jets, become a test pilot, fly for the Air Force Thunderbirds, marry a Victoria's Secret model, get out of Active Duty and then fly F-16s in the Colorado Air National Guard on the weekends while flying for United Airlines on the weekdays.

Fast forward 15 years and none of that happened except for marrying a Victoria's Secret model. I still became an officer in the US Air Force, and I fly planes, but didn't become a military pilot. It is good to have a plan, but life has its unique plan that you could never have planned for.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
 
Ajax BU said:
I believe the pilot commitment in the USAF is 10 years
Click to expand...

The Air Force has a strong preference for engineering, math and science degrees. They paid for mine..

If AFROTC is what you want to do, I would look at getting a scholarship that route over the next 2 years. Having that will get you into pretty much any university you want
 
How much is a down payment on a Cirrus? I think you could probably get a used C-172 that is IFR equipped, lol
 
jknight8907 said:
I see a few issues with your plan. You're getting the down payment for a Cirrus. Where's the rest of the money coming from? Also, the college is advising you to avoid getting certificates before going to them, because they want you to pay THEM for it. With 3 years to go before you can take your first checkride, it would not be unreasonable to think that you could take your private, instrument, and commercial checkrides before you even go to college, and for much cheaper than the school will likely do it.

Why are you pursuing an aviation degree? A lot of people do those because they get their pilot certificates as a part of it--you have the time and resources to have the majority of that done while still in high school. Then you can go to college and get a 'real' degree in business, finance, or engineering. The airlines won't care what your degree is in, but the Air Force might.
Click to expand...

The person that I talked to was a student there, and came in with their PPL. He told me that he was glad he didn't get his instrument at a Part 61 school. He wasn't saying I couldn't. - Just saying it would probably be helpful.. (Plus they have 2 172 sims, and other desktop simulators that would help in my instrument rating. Something that my part 61 school doesn't have.)

And about not going to college for an aviation degree. Makes perfect sense. Thanks.
 
Ryan Fitzgerald said:
The person that I talked to was a student there, and came in with their PPL. He told me that he was glad he didn't get his instrument at a Part 61 school. He wasn't saying I couldn't. - Just saying it would probably be helpful.. (Plus they have 2 172 sims, and other desktop simulators that would help in my instrument rating. Something that my part 61 school doesn't have.)

And about not going to college for an aviation degree. Makes perfect sense. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Your part 61 school doesnt have 172 sims because they're pointless. Paying for a 172 sim is like paying 500 bucks for a sex doll. You can get the real thing for about the same price, and have a lot more fun.
 
A300Capt said:
Whoa there young fella...

What's the old sayin'.....wanna make God laugh? Make plans.

First off, you've got great enthusiasm and desire and that's a good thing. It's great to have dreams and make plans. So many young folks just drift through life without a clue or desire and think they'll get a trophy for just showing up.

You lost me about a gift being a down payment on a Cirrus after your PPL. There's much more to airplane ownership than just the down payment (loan payments, hangar fees, maintainence costs, insurance, taxes, fuel prices etc..). Unless you're a trust fund baby or your parents are über rich, airplane ownership can be a very expensive endeavor.

About college aviation programs.....they are much more expensive than getting your ratings at the local FBO! Do yourself a favor. Get a degree in something other than aviation. Get a degree in something you'd enjoy doing if your aviation dreams don't pan out. Many things can derail your aviation career which may be no fault of your own and totally out of your control (medical, furloughs, economic downturn). In short, don't put all your eggs in one basket.

The military.....well, it's all about the needs of the military and they seem to change about as frequently as the wind changes. The military may ask you what you want to do and then theyll tell you what you ARE going to do. Remember...THE NEEDS OF THE MILITARY. You may find yourself flying a computer sending signals to a UAV. While this is an important job and a skilled position within the military, it doesn't translate very well right now to the civilian side of aviation.

Your knowledge about how much corporate/airline pilots work and how much they make we're probably derived from some glossy pamphlet or website. I can tell you that for every Pilot out there making $100K/ yr, there's probably a 100 making 25K. Nothing is guaranteed. Just because you connected all the career dots and checked all the boxes doesn't mean there's a cushy $100K Capt's seat seat waiting for you with your name on it. You would not believe how much luck and timing play into it. As I said before, there are things out of your control.

Not trying to bust your bubble and having a plan is far better than not having a plan at all. It's great to see a young person with a forward thinking attitude and taking steps to solidify their goals.I hope it works out for you and you realize your dream. Just don't be too disappointed if it doesn't quite work out as planned. Sometimes the best thing that happens to us is that we don't get what we ask for.....
Click to expand...

Okay. Haha. Yeah, I didn't put a lot of detail in that. My parents are going to pay for the down payment, insurance, taxes, etc. and I'll pay for fuel, maintenance, etc. until I turn 18. When I turn 18, I will be taking over my families business of a racetrack that we own. (Sounds kinda crazy, but I practically run it now! Haha. At 14!)

It seems on here the #1 thing that people are putting is that I shouldn't get an Aviation degree. It makes a lot of sense.. And I originally was going to go to UVA for an Engineering/Technology degree. So I might have to switch back to that plan.

And I never plan on going into regional (guessing that's what you mean about pilots making 25K a year)... Just not my thing. Don't really wanna fly for 8 hours, and then have a 16 hour duty day.. While I'm renting out a closet at some crash pad in New York. Haha.

Thanks!
 
Bradg33 said:
I'd certainly consider a school other than Liberty University and a degree other than aviation. Get a regular business degree, if nothing else. What happens if you lose your medical some day? You're going to have a generally useless degree in aviation from a university that many people consider to be nothing but a joke. I don't intend to be mean here, but I think it needs to be said.
Click to expand...

Liberty University is the largest Christian Aviation school in the US... I never heard of it to be a joke...
 
When I was 14 I could barely put a down payment on lunch in my middle school cafeteria, let alone a Cirrus. Go make some girls cry, toilet paper some houses, enjoy your youth. I commend your maturity and motivation, but slow down and grow some pubic hair first. Good luck bud
 
Ryan Fitzgerald said:
Okay. Haha. Yeah, I didn't put a lot of detail in that. My parents are going to pay for the down payment, insurance, taxes, etc. and I'll pay for fuel, maintenance, etc. until I turn 18. When I turn 18, I will be taking over my families business of a racetrack that we own. (Sounds kinda crazy, but I practically run it now! Haha. At 14!)

It seems on here the #1 thing that people are putting is that I shouldn't get an Aviation degree. It makes a lot of sense.. And I originally was going to go to UVA for an Engineering/Technology degree. So I might have to switch back to that plan.

And I never plan on going into regional (guessing that's what you mean about pilots making 25K a year)... Just not my thing. Don't really wanna fly for 8 hours, and then have a 16 hour duty day.. While I'm renting out a closet at some crash pad in New York. Haha.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Where will the money to pay for the monthly payment (as was said, the down payment is just the start...you still have to pay the loan), 11 GPH of $7 avgas, and a few thousand a year for maintenance? Honestly the Cirrus is a pretty small part of your question, but it's an intriguing situation.

As for taking over the racetrack....are you going to run a business at 18, or are you going to go to a 4-year college and join the Air Force? These things are likely not compatible at the same time.
 
Ryan Fitzgerald said:
Liberty University is the largest Christian Aviation school in the US... I never heard of it to be a joke...
Click to expand...

As a general university, lots of people think Liberty is a joke (especially outside deeply religious circles). It may have a decent aviation program, but many people are going to look at you with a skeptical eye when you say you went to Liberty. I saw your other post above about also considering UVA for engineering. Do that. Do that 1000 times before you go to a school like Liberty, especially for an aviation degree. UVA is one of the most highly respected schools in the nation; Liberty is seen as a quack school that shuns science. Your resume, regardless of what job you ultimately pursue, will look 1000 time better with UVA on it over Liberty.
 
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