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Becoming A Pilot

#21
I am a low-time private pilot but currently inactive. Rental rates just got too high :crying:. Still, I am an airplane nut and would love to get back in the air.

You said you enjoy flying, but did not qualify what you meant, so I assume you mean traveling in commercial airliners.

I would think to be a pro pilot and enjoy the "big iron", you must first LOVE with a passion flying little airplanes. You will spend many, many hours at the controls of a small plane first no matter what path you eventually take as a pro pilot. It would be good to see what this is like by taking a Discovery Flight. You might be prone to airsickness, the smell of gas and oil might make you ill. Also note, little airplanes typically do not have air conditioning! In California maybe this is not such a big deal, but in sticky Houston taxiing around in Summer is a sweatbath. It's not so bad once airborne. All of these things did not deter me and the rush of flying outweighed the negatives. You might feel differently.

10 years ago, a Discovery Flight cost me about $25, but is probably around $50 now. California most probably is higher, but just Google around and you'll find out. A flight instructor will take you up for a half-hour or so and let you fly around for a bit. He/she will land of course, lol, but you will get a small taste of what flying a little plane is like. Best of luck to you. Be warned it is seriously fun/addicting;) and seriously expensive.:hmm:
 
#22
WorkinOnIt said:
I am a low-time private pilot but currently inactive. Rental rates just got too high :crying:. Still, I am an airplane nut and would love to get back in the air.

You said you enjoy flying, but did not qualify what you meant, so I assume you mean traveling in commercial airliners.

I would think to be a pro pilot and enjoy the "big iron", you must first LOVE with a passion flying little airplanes. You will spend many, many hours at the controls of a small plane first no matter what path you eventually take as a pro pilot. It would be good to see what this is like by taking a Discovery Flight. You might be prone to airsickness, the smell of gas and oil might make you ill. Also note, little airplanes typically do not have air conditioning! In California maybe this is not such a big deal, but in sticky Houston taxiing around in Summer is a sweatbath. It's not so bad once airborne. All of these things did not deter me and the rush of flying outweighed the negatives. You might feel differently.

10 years ago, a Discovery Flight cost me about $25, but is probably around $50 now. California most probably is higher, but just Google around and you'll find out. A flight instructor will take you up for a half-hour or so and let you fly around for a bit. He/she will land of course, lol, but you will get a small taste of what flying a little plane is like. Best of luck to you. Be warned it is seriously fun/addicting;) and seriously expensive.:hmm:
Click to expand...

Actually, there is a different path, the military. You can set yourself up fairly well for a commercial aviation career if you go at it the right way - don't get suckered into the "sexy" part of military aviation, jets, bombers, etc...go into transport aviation. You can get thousands of hours of multi-engine stick time, and do it at no out of pocket expense. The military will always need guys to fly the buses and semis of the skies too.

...plus...

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

;)
 
#23
The USMC will give you a guaranteed flight contract. All you have to do is go to college, pass the physical, pass the flight test, and be willing to sacrifice one summer vacation between your junior and senior year of college for Officer Candidates School. PM me if you want more info.
 
#24
Johnny Crab said:
If you can arrange to get paid to do something you enjoy then you will never "work" a day in your life.
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+999999

I think the working environment for commercial pilots and flight crew has gotten a lot more stressful and salaries have declined in the past few years. Will it continue, will it bottom out, will it recover? I don't think anyone knows.

But learn all you can and get a good education at a school like Embry, read the pprune, and keep your dreams going.
 
#25
CityEscape said:
Today, I was looking thru an old Time magazine, and it had an article on the happiest jobs in America. Near the top were Pilots, and it also included that the average salary was $141,000. I'm 16 and I am not really sure what I want to do with my life, but this looks pretty good. I've always loved flying, but I never really considered becoming a pilot until after reading the article. Is anyone else here a pilot, or can anyone give me some pro's and con's for the job?
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First off, you said old TIME magazine. How old we talking, the 70s?

And they enjoyed the job more because they got to fly around banging chicks in all these major cities. All the Pilots were drunk swingers, and it was a good time to be a-swingin'.
 
#26
Read [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].

He talks a lot about flying conditions, salaries, and career potential, along with a lot of other stuff. Like many pilots he was unemployed for a while, and has spent a lot of his time making very little money.
 
#27
It's definitely not the way it used to be. I'm close to my rotorcraft commercial with an instrument rating. Flying a chopper is more fun than I've ever had, I highly recommend it. Regarding eventual employment, we'll see...

Aviation is a rich man's game, no matter what they call it.
 
#29
coyoteboy said:
It's definitely not the way it used to be. I'm close to my rotorcraft commercial with an instrument rating. Flying a chopper is more fun than I've ever had, I highly recommend it. Regarding eventual employment, we'll see...

Aviation is a rich man's game, no matter what they call it.
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I am a fix wing pilot but I have 2 hours in a R22. They are SOOO much fun. :hyper:
 
#32
One of my best friends in the world is taking pro pilot courses right now. All I know is that he absolutely loves it, and the schoolwork is pretty tough. The first step is to get your pilot's license, which he started working on at your age (I'm 19, so I don't have much on you lol). If you're seriously considering it, start doing that. Even if you decide to do something else, you'll still have the experience of flying a plane under your belt. I think his flight lessons were around $100 each time he went in the air, but I'm sure if you talked to your parents about it and made sure they knew you're considering this as a career and not a hobby that they would help you out.
 
#33
duo8675309 said:
One of my best friends in the world is taking pro pilot courses right now. All I know is that he absolutely loves it, and the schoolwork is pretty tough. The first step is to get your pilot's license, which he started working on at your age (I'm 19, so I don't have much on you lol). If you're seriously considering it, start doing that. Even if you decide to do something else, you'll still have the experience of flying a plane under your belt. I think his flight lessons were around $100 each time he went in the air, but I'm sure if you talked to your parents about it and made sure they knew you're considering this as a career and not a hobby that they would help you out.
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Keep in mind that if you choose the military aviation path, this is not a good idea. They actually would rather you not know how to fly prior to them training you - easier to teach you their way than to UNteach you first then teach you their way. ;)
 
#34
Gard said:
Keep in mind that if you choose the military aviation path, this is not a good idea. They actually would rather you not know how to fly prior to them training you - easier to teach you their way than to UNteach you first then teach you their way. ;)
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Definitely listen to these guys over me. I haven't even seen him fly yet! His ultimate goal is to fly for FedEx, and I haven't heard him mention much about the military. From what I've heard though, the military is definitely a solid option.
 

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