Questions to any Airline Pilot!

M

miles

New Member
Hey so i'm thinking about becoming a pilot. I'm doing a career profile for school and I need some answers for some simple questions, (Its for the interview part of the profile) I'm no longer in high-school and I don't have enough time to send an email to my old instructor. so anything would help! thanks!

1) Why did you choose this career?
2) What do you like the most about this career? The least?
3) What is the potential for advancement in this career?
4) What advice would you give someone just starting out in this career?

Thanks again!:)
 
miles said:
4) What advice would you give someone just starting out in this career?
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Absolutely under no circumstance shall you receive your college degree in Aviation! You read all the forums I presume so you know what goes on at these regional airline scams. Get your degree in something with teeth in the real world, you never know when you'll be out on the street because of strike, collapse, furlough, etc.. Or you just can't take it anymore and want out but you are stuck because you don't know how to do anything else.
 
Kingairer said:
Isn't there reduced total time now for ATP w an aviation degree? Or something like that?
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There is, and it could save you a few months of instructing or whatever your first job is. I think the hope of the aviation colleges was to use this as an advertising tool - and why they lobbied to get it. In the end, however, it really doesn't benefit the student much in my opinion.

There is a lot to be learned from the 1000 hour mark to the 1500 hour mark, if you are a working pilot.
 
Kingairer said:
It's been debated before but not a proponent of the "anything bus an aviation degree". What are you going to Do with a mass communications degree when you're 30 years old and a furloughed pilot?
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This.

I'm about to get one of the dreaded aviation degrees (but also getting an A&P to boot). It worked for me because only airplanes motivated me enough to go through four years of bs. Do what works for you for school, you don't get your 20s over again.
 
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miles said:
Hey so i'm thinking about becoming a pilot. I'm doing a career profile for school and I need some answers for some simple questions, (Its for the interview part of the profile) I'm no longer in high-school and I don't have enough time to send an email to my old instructor. so anything would help! thanks!

1) Why did you choose this career?
2) What do you like the most about this career? The least?
3) What is the potential for advancement in this career?
4) What advice would you give someone just starting out in this career?

Thanks again!:)
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1) Flying was (prior to 15+ years in the industry) more appealing than sitting in a cubical M-F/ 8-5 punching a keyboard.
2) Seeing and experiencing new places is definitely a plus for me, but that also means being away from my family for long periods of time. Keep in mind that the longer I fly the farther I have to go to find new places...
3) I have found the only limits are the ones I put on myself, and maybe a few hundred or thousands of hours in a particular aircraft. There will always be bigger/faster/different types of aircraft to pursue, some pilots see this as frustrating, others see it as an opportunity.
4) Do it because you enjoy the industry and flying, not for the money or prestige of being a "pilot", and if you are still set on being a pilot make money in another industry so that you can afford to fly on your own terms.
 
miles said:
Hey so i'm thinking about becoming a pilot. I'm doing a career profile for school and I need some answers for some simple questions, (Its for the interview part of the profile) I'm no longer in high-school and I don't have enough time to send an email to my old instructor. so anything would help! thanks!

1) Why did you choose this career?
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Absolutely hooked from the days of being a wee' one. Most of my toys growing up were planes and helicopters. I was fascinated with airplanes and always looked up at the planes as they landed (we lived close to a major airport). Growing up that love never changed. I knew what I wanted to do from as far back as I can remember.

2) What do you like the most about this career? The least?
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The least is an easy one: being away from family. This is especially tough with a baby. But I live in base and average about 7-10 nights away from home so it's not too bad. Being on the road is a given in this career. As for the most, there are many. I get to fly (first foremost), meet great people/crew, and get to see new places along the way. Every takeoff and landing - for me at least - is just as fun and exciting as from my student pilot days. It hasn't gotten old.

3) What is the potential for advancement in this career?
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As of NOW, the potential for advancement is excellent due to retirements and movement in the industry. Airlines have consolidated and figured how to deal with high oil prices much better than 10 years ago. Age 65 really slowed things down for 5 years, but the retirements are kicking in now and there will be plenty of hiring to come at both regionals and the majors. It's also important to keep in mind the industry is very cyclical and it swings for the good times and the bad times. Most of that timing is out of your control due to forces you can't control.

4) What advice would you give someone just starting out in this career?

Thanks again!:)
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1. Get a college degree in something other than aviation.
2. Get a good back up, see #1.
3. See #1 and #2.
4. Get a First Class medical so you know right off the bat if you are medically qualified to pursue flying as a career.
5. Save as much money as you can and try to take as little $ in loans as possible. Paying as you go would be preferable.
6. It's a long road now with the ATP and 1500 hr, but keep at it.
7. Choose a good flight school and instructor.
8. Take it one step at a time, be safe, and have fun along the journey.
 
Let me actually answer the questions.

miles said:
1) Why did you choose this career?
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Airplanes are cool. No really, they are. And flying them is, to me, pretty satisfying. A combination of science, seat of your pants, and so on. The airlines, specifically, offer you a boat-load of flying, especially at the regional level.

Oh, I'm third generation too. So yeah. It's kinda what we do.
2) What do you like the most about this career? The least?
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Most: Time off, travel, flexible schedules (mostly). It's a customer service business too, and I rather enjoy doing a better job.
Least: The race to the bottom.
3) What is the potential for advancement in this career?
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A normal level of retirements does not make for a pilot shortage, but I think we'll all be more or less where we want to be (for those who want to move out of the regional sector) within 10 years.
4) What advice would you give someone just starting out in this career?
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Get a degree that isn't flying-related.

Fly everything you can get your hands on.

If you think something is stupid or unsafe, you might just be right. Speak up.

Be careful about student loan debt.

Large numbers required in your logbook may seem insurmountable, but make sure you enjoy the ride.
 
Thanks so much to everybody!!! :) and after much deliberating i'm going to include @Cherokee_Cruiser 's response in my report. (if that's okay) and thanks for the advice!

And yeah i've alwaysed loved flying. I had the chance to take a 2 hour flight lesson at my local airport flight school. Flight gest it was called. I forgot the name of the aircraft but it was a little single engine prop plane. I told the instructor that id taken 3 years of aerospace class and had tons of sim time in a similar craft. She let me taxi and take off and i'll tell ya. Doing it in real life is something else. Sims do it no justice. being up in the air was just so freeing. All of my land based worries dissipated. I realized when you are in the air you cant worrie about anything else besides whats in the present, and to me that was just so liberating. It was amazing, of course when we came into land, the instructor took over. From what I saw her doing we were coming in a little fast with a cross wind but she executed perfectly. I loved it. I cant wait to get back in the pilots seat. :)

Thanks again to everyone. I'm really enjoying this forum :)
 
miles said:
Thanks so much to everybody!!! :) and after much deliberating i'm going to include @Cherokee_Cruiser 's response in my report. (if that's okay) and thanks for the advice!

And yeah i've alwaysed loved flying. I had the chance to take a 2 hour flight lesson at my local airport flight school. Flight gest it was called. I forgot the name of the aircraft but it was a little single engine prop plane. I told the instructor that id taken 3 years of aerospace class and had tons of sim time in a similar craft. She let me taxi and take off and i'll tell ya. Doing it in real life is something else. Sims do it no justice. being up in the air was just so freeing. All of my land based worries dissipated. I realized when you are in the air you cant worrie about anything else besides whats in the present, and to me that was just so liberating. It was amazing, of course when we came into land, the instructor took over. From what I saw her doing we were coming in a little fast with a cross wind but she executed perfectly. I loved it. I cant wait to get back in the pilots seat. :)

Thanks again to everyone. I'm really enjoying this forum :)
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No problem, and of course you can use my response. :) Glad you enjoyed the discovery flight, that will always be one of your memorable moments in this career.
 
Kingairer said:
It's been debated before but not a proponent of the "anything bus an aviation degree". What are you going to Do with a mass communications degree when you're 30 years old and a furloughed pilot?
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A lot.

That Is if you're practicing the craft instead of letting the knowledge evaporate from your mind.

Oh do tell me how lazy pilots are.

Because, you know, some of us have degrees we use that are outside of aviation for skills that exist outside of aviation. Crazy concept I know.

Carry on. But I am a strong supporter of studying a non-aviation field in undergraduate studies. Just don't be a lazy pilot and think your only skill set is flying planes around.
 
surreal1221 said:
A lot.

That Is if you're practicing the craft instead of letting the knowledge evaporate from your mind.

Oh do tell me how lazy pilots are.

Because, you know, some of us have degrees we use that are outside of aviation for skills that exist outside of aviation. Crazy concept I know.

Carry on. But I am a strong supporter of studying a non-aviation field in undergraduate studies. Just don't be a lazy pilot and think your only skill set is flying planes around.
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Imma lazy pilot. I think I'm just lazy, and I happen to be a pilot.
 
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