A high school senior asks you how to become a pilot. What is your advice?

[Henning]

With the economy, airlines, and pilot salaries much less "romantic" than in years past, what advice would you give?

I'd introduce him to some people to act as Loadmaster on flights from small dirt strips around Bogata to Miami or the Bahamas where he'll get plenty of stick time when he's not pushing the cargo out to waiting boats on the Cay Sal Bank. After a few trips, he'll be given his own plane and get $40,000 a trip per cargo run. After a few runs, he'll have enough to start investing in the cargo and eventually be able to pull in about $1MM per load. International cargo is the best paying job in flying.

 

[TMetzinger]

I'd introduce him to some people to act as Loadmaster on flights from small dirt strips around Bogata to Miami or the Bahamas where he'll get plenty of stick time when he's not pushing the cargo out to waiting boats on the Cay Sal Bank. After a few trips, he'll be given his own plane and get $40,000 a trip per cargo run. After a few runs, he'll have enough to start investing in the cargo and eventually be able to pull in about $1MM per load. International drug-running is the best paying job in flying.

There, fixed that for ya!

 

[RotorAndWing]

It's cargo, you're just hauling "agricultural products".

 

[steingar]

By the same token, what good is a biology degree? Say you get the degree, and go fly for a career. After 2 years of flight instructing, and a year in a 135 operator, you go fly 121 air carrier stuff. After 4 years of that, you get furloughed. So now, you've got a bio degree 7 years out of college, with no experience in the field.

A degree in most biological disciplines can result in a rewarding career path in and of itself. There are so many applications (labs, breweries, pharmaceutical companies, etc...) as to boggle the mind. I know people with nothing more than a degree in Biology have won lucrative jobs with a future and advancement potential. This post simply could not possibly be farther wrong.

In some ways I think it depends on the degree. Isn't biology one of those fields where you need an advanced degree to get anywhere? I fully understand what you are saying though. I have a degree in Landscape Architecture from a reputable university (I think the same one that Felix attended) however I never worked in the field. Do I think that I could have gotten a job doing it 10 years after I graduated? Probably not. At this point (much further along than 10 years) it's totally worthless except for the fact that it's a 4-year degree. Would I have majored in aviation if I had decided soon enough that I wanted to be a pilot? Probably. Would it have made a difference? I don't have any idea.

A friend of my wife's switched architecture jobs, wound up unemployed, and is now working in a landscape architecture firm. Not only had she never worked in the field (oooh, pun!) but didn't have a degree in it.

 

[el con]

Become a Doctor, buy a Bonanza, get a flight instructor,become a pilot.

 

[Ted]

Find a good instructor, learn to fly.

Get your 4-year degree, because that's going to be what most likely supports you. Engineering and flying on the side has worked pretty well for me.

 

[Everskyward]

A friend of my wife's switched architecture jobs, wound up unemployed, and is now working in a landscape architecture firm. Not only had she never worked in the field (oooh, pun!) but didn't have a degree in it.

I don't think the switch from architecture to landscape architecture is all that big. It's also one of those things where, although there is a certification involved and you can get ahead quicker with a degree, it's not totally necessary. I should have added that I learned way back then that I am not a designer at heart and I would never go back even if I could.

 

[steingar]

I don't think the switch from architecture to landscape architecture is all that big. It's also one of those things where, although there is a certification involved and you can get ahead quicker with a degree, it's not totally necessary. I should have added that I learned way back then that I am not a designer at heart and I would never go back even if I could.

She shovels clods of dirt and installs sod. Must be hard work, she's lost a bunch of weight and looks really good. Of course, she doesn't get paid if she doesn't work, and she doesn't work most of the winter.

 

[SkyHog]

I wouldn't even mention college. I see flying to be separate from formal education.

My response: "Let's go flying, and see how you like it. If you do, I can introduce you to a few instructors."

 

[Everskyward]

I wish i could have selected 'all of the above'. I think the post have shown there is no 'one' way.

Exactly. That's why I didn't answer the poll. I think the only important thing is a degree. That said I have know a number of professional pilots without degrees but most of them are older now. I don't think a degree will make you a better pilot but these days a lot of doors will be closed if you don't have one.

 

[Everskyward]

She shovels clods of dirt and installs sod. Must be hard work, she's lost a bunch of weight and looks really good. Of course, she doesn't get paid if she doesn't work, and she doesn't work most of the winter.

So she is a landscape laborer? I did that one summer between semesters. Actually you can make some good money if you are a successful landscape architect.

 

[steingar]

Actually a foreman, well foreperson, I think. Even when she was working as an architect she spent most of her time on site supervising.