Whats the fastest way...?

future pilot

future pilot

Well-Known Member
To landing a job as a commercial airline pilot?

I am 16 almost a junior in high school. (three days left of school)
What i was thinking of doing is going to WMU getting a four year degree and my flight training there. After getting out, Hopefuly landing a CFI job if possible. Then work my way up for a two or three years. After acheiving the requirements for the regionals, apply at the reagionals. After that just work my way up.
Is there a faster easier or cheaper way to go about this? Or is there anything different that i might want to do? thanks guys!
 
You outlined a common and widely accepted path.

You might want to consider doing an internship during college with an airline. Do one at a major airline if you can only do one, do a regional AND major airline internships if you can afford it, since they aren't paid. Those will generally guarantee you an interview and (almost) guarantee you a job if you are intelligent and don't screw up your internship.

Also if I had to make a wild guess at what the industry will look like 5 years from now when you graduate college, I'd be surprised if you needed to instruct more than a year or so if you're working 60-80 hours a month.
 
Clocks said:
You outlined a common and widely accepted path.

You might want to consider doing an internship during college with an airline. Do one at a major airline if you can only do one, do a regional AND major airline internships if you can afford it, since they aren't paid. Those will generally guarantee you an interview and (almost) guarantee you a job if you are intelligent and don't screw up your internship.

Also if I had to make a wild guess at what the industry will look like 5 years from now when you graduate college, I'd be surprised if you needed to instruct more than a year or so if you're working 60-80 hours a month.
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Thats one thing. This may seem like a stupid question. What exactley do you do in an airline internship?
 
future pilot said:
Thats one thing. This may seem like a stupid question. What exactley do you do in an airline internship?
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The exact details of the job will vary...but essentially its office work. Helping the chief pilots, or filing papers in the safety office, etc. But you learn a lot about the operation, get to meet a lot of pilots and other employees, sit in on meetings with your boss, and have flight benefits so you can go places for free when you're not working. I got to jumpseat in the cockpit on a few repositioning flights when there were no passengers, which is great since you normally can't sit in the cockpit as an intern (you used to, but the FAA changed their interpretation of the rules in late 2006). Also you'll probably get to go through parts or all of a new hire class/fly in the sim, which is cool and gets you a preview of what you'll have to do when you get hired.

And like I said, when you meet the minimum hours you'll know who to forward your resume to and get straight in to an interview and class date (assuming the airline is hiring when you're ready of course :p)
 
Clocks said:
The exact details of the job will vary...but essentially its office work. Helping the chief pilots, or filing papers in the safety office, etc. But you learn a lot about the operation, get to meet a lot of pilots and other employees, sit in on meetings with your boss, and have flight benefits so you can go places for free when you're not working.

And like I said, when you meet the minimum hours you'll know who to forward your resume to and get straight in to an interview and class date (assuming the airline is hiring when you're ready of course :p)
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Sounds like a great idea. thanks!
 
Fastest/cheapest way is community college for 2yrs, bang out the gen. ed. while you flight train pt 61 and flight instruct. Get a flying job somewhere, finish up your education at a reputable college with online courses.

Not saying it's the 'best' way, but it's definitely the fastest and cheapest. I saved a TON of cash doing that, same degree as everybody else has. I think your big problem is, will the economy support hiring again anytime soon.
 
E_Dawg said:
Fastest/cheapest way is community college for 2yrs, bang out the gen. ed. while you flight train pt 61 and flight instruct. Get a flying job somewhere, finish up your education at a reputable college with online courses.

Not saying it's the 'best' way, but it's definitely the fastest and cheapest. I saved a TON of cash doing that, same degree as everybody else has. I think your big problem is, will the economy support hiring again anytime soon.
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:yeahthat:


Definitely the fastest way. A good friend and I were in Junior College together. He just did two years then started flying full time. I went on for 3 more to finish a "four" year degree. He was hired by American in late 88 or early 89. Took me until late in 89 to get hired by a major and those 9 months were the difference between getting furloughed and not getting furloughed at many carriers.

Mind you I got all my ratings through CFI while in JC and instructed during the last 3 years of college so I went to work for a regional within a month of getting that degree. That is a good option as well. Go to a JC while getting your ratings then flight instruct for the remainder of you college career. It's easy to pick up students when you are attending a school with an aviation program. I graduated with 2000 total time and 168 multi-engine, which was enough to get hired by a commuter in those days.

I was hired by a major at age 24. Couldn't get much faster than that. Back then 4 year degrees were required by most of the majors so it was a must to get to be eligible for all the airlines. Today that isn't as true, but it's still something that puts you higher on the list.

The other thing to remember though is to enjoy what you are doing while you are doing it. Also to be good at it. I enjoyed my time as an instructor as well as my time at a commuter. What I didn't have time for is to enjoy my time in college. I was working full time and studying the entire five years. So that's a choice you'll have to make if you really want to get there fast.


Typhoonpilot
 
Do yourself a favor...don't get an aviation related degree. Get something in business, finance, accounting, underwater basket weaving, etc.

If you started training now, you're in school for at least 2 more years so that's perfect. You can start instructing your senior year when you turn 18 and get you commercial & CFI. Start working the line if you can to network into jobs you can take once you get the commercial.

After high school, get a good degree from somewhere in anything but aviation. Gain hours and fill the experience bucket. If there are any single pilot cargo operators left in 3 years, go there for a bit. Fly charter at the home 'drome. Then move on when you're ready.

Good luck.

-mini
 
future pilot said:
Thats one thing. This may seem like a stupid question. What exactley do you do in an airline internship?
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Track down pilots for pee tests when they're trying to commute home, stuff manual revisions in mailboxes, go through flight manifests and cargo load sheets to check for errors, things like that. I like our having our interns around because I don't get jepp revisions in my v-file on time after they go back to school for the fall.
 
future pilot said:
To landing a job as a commercial airline pilot?

I am 16 almost a junior in high school. (three days left of school)
What i was thinking of doing is going to WMU getting a four year degree and my flight training there. After getting out, Hopefuly landing a CFI job if possible. Then work my way up for a two or three years. After acheiving the requirements for the regionals, apply at the reagionals. After that just work my way up.
Is there a faster easier or cheaper way to go about this? Or is there anything different that i might want to do? thanks guys!
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Slow down a bit.

Becoming a commercial airline pilot is only one of many career choices in aviation, it might not even be for you depending on a variety of instances.

I'd suggest this:

If you like to fly, start training and start flying around and enjoying aviation. See what you do and do not like about it. Driving a car can be lots of fun when you can throw that puppy into 'sport mode', smoke your tires and do some drifting around the cul de sac, but only being able to drive to Target, straight back home and then to Home Depot, then straight back home for 30 years may or may not be appealing.

If my only experience with aviation was what I'm doing right now I'd probably be pretty unsatisfied. I probably get a takeoff and landing once or twice per month, spend hours staring at a black sky and an inordinate amount of time wondering just what in the hell Shanwick's trying to tell me in that Irish brogue. For me, now, it's all about the layover. If I was flying for hours and hours like I do in the 767, but ended up in Lubbock or Fresno, I would be catatonic.

But when I think back to my early days flying around the pattern in Tulare, dodging crop dusters, meeting great people in college, flight instructing, job hunting, working my tail off at Skyway flying 1900's around the midwest, then my many adventures in Boeings and MD's, I have a different appreciation for my job knowing where I came from.

Lots of people dove right into aviation and loved it. Many dove right in and dove right out when the first fleck of gloss rubbed off too.

Me? I'd suggest taking your time and enjoying the ride. It'll give you a much different perspective and appreciation for the profession. Or, on the other hand, it might also leave you options if it's not a good match for you as well.

But meet lots of pilots. Spend less time on flight sim and more time at the airport digging around the Piper Cubs and exploring old hangars, perhaps wash an airplane or two every weekend and get into the cockpit whenever you can for a hop around the pattern.

Look into a good non-aviation degree from a lower-priced state college.

Keep debt low by finding a good CFI, reasonable airplane rental prices and remember that it's not about where you train, it's all about your network of friends, pilots and other people who take an interest in your success.

I've been an Embry Riddle alumni sitting on my butt unemployed and wondering when the job offers were going to start rolling in because of my pedigree. They never came. Trust me, I've been there and if no one gives a poop that I spent 5 years in PRC at ERAU, they're not going to care if you went to "Joe Schmoe's Feed Shoppe and Flight School" or that flashy flight academy with the sweet ads in Flight Training magazine and flat-panel all-glass instrumentation and FADEC engine controls.

Keep your costs reasonable, debt is a dream killer.

Keep asking questions!

I just woke up so none of this may make any literary sense! ;)
 
minitour said:
Do yourself a favor...don't get an aviation related degree. Get something in business, finance, accounting, underwater basket weaving, etc.
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I disagree with this sentiment. If you are going to commit to something in life, commit 100%. You'll hear the above a lot, but it just doesn't make sense. While you don't need a degree in aviation to be succsessful, you can gain a lot from it. Not just theory, but contacts with people who are in aviation as well.


Typhoonpilot
 
Doug, I gotta say that's the best advise I've seen on JC. Especially the part about hang'in around the local airports and finding out what aviation is all about.

My 2 cents, be an active part of your local aviation community, volunteer to help out at airport events, etc. In my experience, that's the best way to meet aviation people who can make a difference in your career, and maybe your outlook on life as well.
 
typhoonpilot said:
I disagree with this sentiment. If you are going to commit to something in life, commit 100%. You'll hear the above a lot, but it just doesn't make sense. While you don't need a degree in aviation to be succsessful, you can gain a lot from it. Not just theory, but contacts with people who are in aviation as well.


Typhoonpilot
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Yeah, putting all of your eggs into one basket (especially this basket) won't come back to bite you at all. If you're going to do it...double major.

-mini
 
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