Best Track to go into airliners

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nickbhard

Filing Flight Plan
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nickbhard
I started flight training a couple months ago out of KCRQ and I am really passionate about aviation and I am looking for guidance on the best way and cheapest way to become an airline pilot while still getting a college degree. Embry Riddle? Local Flight Schools? Thanks
 
More info would be helpful. Age? College degree? Dependent? Current job?
 
There are a lot of opinions on ERAU, but the one thing everyone agrees on is they are not cheap. There's nothing wrong with a local flight school, FBO, flying club, etc. The airlines generally don't care how you accumulated your training or flight time. Best if you can avoid significant debt either way; airline wages start very low.
 
Step 1. Get a degree. Get it in something you love or at least like and find interesting that has a possibility of being valued going forward for the next 40 years.

Step 2. After you get the degree go get your PPl. If you like that continue to step 3, otherwise go make money from step 1.

Step 3. Go get your CMEI

Step 4. Decide how you want to build time. CFI, banner tow, jump plane, corporate gear slinger, ect

Step 5. When you meet minimums to regionals apply to them all.

Step 6. When you meet minimums to majors / nationals apply to them all.

Step 7. Have fun.
 
nickbhard said:
I started flight training a couple months ago out of KCRQ and I am really passionate about aviation and I am looking for guidance on the best way and cheapest way to become an airline pilot while still getting a college degree. Embry Riddle? Local Flight Schools? Thanks
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No. No. And, no.
 
I'm 16 so I live at home and have a job but obviously don't make much as a 16 year old
 
You're in a good position. Get your private training done now. Do your checkride when you turn 17. Get a job doing anything at the airport to help fund your flying and make connections. Start on your instrument training. Finish high school. Attend a community college for two years while getting your instrument, commercial and CFI as cheaply as possible....flying club, airport connections. Fly a lot. Instruct. Tow banners. Fly skydivers.

Finish college at four year with a degree in something you wouldn't mind doing if fate keeps you from flying. Fly a lot.

Fly some more. Get 1,500 hours doing whatever and apply at a regional.
 
At the moment I too am thinking about heading to the airlines. Currently in my freshmen year of college pursuing a non aviation degree. The college is respected and close to home so I'm commuting.
I completed my ppl during my senior year. Took a year off from school (and flying, only about 30 hours) for a good reason. Just joined a partnership and am almost done with my instrument rating.
Assuming I keep my flying times consistent I should be close to commercial minimums by the beginning of this summer. At which point I think I'll get my cfi/CFII.
Who knows if my plan will work but I'd like to be close to ATP mins within a year after graduating. Figure it's easier to take the poor pay the younger/more single I am.

But in all honesty no one really knows what the aviation industry will be doing in the next 4 years (6 for you). So don't put all your eggs in the aviation career basket.

Again, just my CURRENT plan SUBJECT TO CHANGE. One size does NOT fit all. YMMV, and someone in the industry might/should be able to provide better guidence.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
It seems fashionable to bash ERAU but I haven't seen a lot of concrete reasoning behind it. Care to elaborate?
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Some personal experience. He would be much better off learning at a small, local school.
 
OP, somewhere along the way, visit with David White, one of our prodigies that started at your age, and now 6-ish years later is flying as a commercial pilot in Alaska. I don't know if he ever stated flying for the majors was what he wanted, but he definitely learned how to network his way into a flying career and increasing incomes.

And someone to talk to about the college route into the airlines is Andrew Finne (ArFlyer). He recently finished his degree and got picked up by a regional carrier.
 
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fiveoboy01 said:
It seems fashionable to bash ERAU but I haven't seen a lot of concrete reasoning behind it. Care to elaborate?
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Cost. There is no reason to spend what a doctor pays in college to fly airlines for a living.



Well maybe not quite a doctors expenses, but near 200k is not even in the realm of reason to fly airplanes.
 
ERAU grads have not done a good job of promoting the school. I've flown with a ton of them too. Obviously not every single one is an obnoxious frosted hair, back pack wearin, tool walking through the terminal in uniform while listening to their iPod, but enough are. Also, flying skills are sub par and their above par book knowledge doesn't make up for it. Of course, the unwarranted Chuck Yeager swagger and 'tude' is a little over the top too...

Again, not every single one...but enough to give the school a bad reputation.

 
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Captain said:
ERAU grads have not done a good job of promoting the school. I've flown with a ton of them too. Obviously not every single one is an obnoxious frosted hair, back pack wearin, tool walking through the terminal in uniform while listening to their iPod, but enough are. Also, flying skills are sub par and their above par book knowledge doesn't make up for it. Of course, the unwarranted Chuck Yeager swagger and 'tude' is a little over the top too...

Again, not every single one...but enough to give the school a bad reputation.

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fiveoboy01 said:
It seems fashionable to bash ERAU but I haven't seen a lot of concrete reasoning behind it. Care to elaborate?
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Mostly because it's really just a flight school that managed to get college accreditation. It's not much of a college. A colleague transferred from USC to ERAU to pursue aviation. After a semester he realized it was pretty pathetic academically and transferred back to USC, resuming his flight training part 61.

And it is very, very expensive.
 
LDJones said:
You're in a good position. Get your private training done now. Do your checkride when you turn 17. Get a job doing anything at the airport to help fund your flying and make connections. Start on your instrument training. Finish high school. Attend a community college for two years while getting your instrument, commercial and CFI as cheaply as possible....flying club, airport connections. Fly a lot. Instruct. Tow banners. Fly skydivers.

Finish college at four year with a degree in something you wouldn't mind doing if fate keeps you from flying. Fly a lot.

Fly some more. Get 1,500 hours doing whatever and apply at a regional.
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:yeahthat: +1
 
And for the love of God, don't get into debt to do it. Pay your own way and don't leech off your parents! If they'll let you live in their basement that's good tho!
 
JCranford said:
And for the love of God, don't get into debt to do it. Pay your own way and don't leech off your parents! If they'll let you live in their basement that's good tho!
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Mostly agree. Don't go into debt, leech of your parents to avoid debt, if your parents can afford it.
 
jordane93 said:
Have you thought about the military? Airlines love military guys.
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I'm waaay past the age for that, but for younger folks' benefit, I have to ask: If you enlist in the military, is there any prior guarantee that you'll be sent to flight school? I'm guessing that having your private certificate and scoring well on ASVAB would help, but who's to say that they won't get you to sign on the line and then have you driving a forklift or punching a keyboard instead of flying?
 
fiveoboy01 said:
It seems fashionable to bash ERAU but I haven't seen a lot of concrete reasoning behind it. Care to elaborate?
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Probably because it's expensive and I'm not sure you get any better an education for that expense.

But I disagree with the people who say ERAU graduates can't fly, etc. That depends on the individual. One of the best, and most knowledgable pilots I know is an ERAU grad. I have worked with a number of them (albeit long-time-ago ERAU grads) and, as a group, they are no different than anyone else.
 
The five airline pilots I've known were all military trained, from a U2 pilot to a P2V pilot in the North Atlantic. Another was an agronomy major at penn state who flew phantoms for the navy in Vietnam. Etc. Currently , one is getting ready to go civilian , a major who flys air refuelers as an instructor. All but one, the P2V pilot had a college degree. ( he had only the 2 years required for Navy cadets at that time) the air refueler pilot is an Air Force academy grad. The U2 pilot grad. From univ. Maryland with degree in aeronautical engineering. Retired as a lt. Col. If you were sitting on the other side of the desk, who would you hire? The ones I mention here or the two who flew Colgan into the ground? I read that the Colgan pic failed several check rides. True?
 
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From what I see, it' s military. I'm working on a contract for an airline in Dallas. Walking through the flight training building here, looking at the picture collages, it looks like 90+% of the pilots have a military background. It's interesting military, military, military, military and then someone building an airplane in their garage.
 
There are a handful of ways to get there. You're 16, perfect age to get the ball rolling. You'll eventually need, ratings, quality flight time, and likely a 4 year degree of some sort. Throw in a wheelbarrow full of motivation and it should work.

While you are at it, keep that driving record reasonably clean.
 
LDJones said:
You're in a good position. Get your private training done now. Do your checkride when you turn 17. Get a job doing anything at the airport to help fund your flying and make connections. Start on your instrument training. Finish high school. Attend a community college for two years while getting your instrument, commercial and CFI as cheaply as possible....flying club, airport connections. Fly a lot. Instruct. Tow banners. Fly skydivers.

Finish college at four year with a degree in something you wouldn't mind doing if fate keeps you from flying. Fly a lot.

Fly some more. Get 1,500 hours doing whatever and apply at a regional.
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This is way premature, but 1500 hours is not the panacea you assume it to be. It is just the threshold you must cross on the way to the ATP. "Local flight school" does not hack it when you get that far. Read 61.156 and 61.159.

Bob Gardner
 
bobmrg said:
This is way premature, but 1500 hours is not the panacea you assume it to be. It is just the threshold you must cross on the way to the ATP. "Local flight school" does not hack it when you get that far. Read 61.156 and 61.159.

Bob Gardner
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Where is Jonesy assuming that 1500 hrs is a panacea???

That was Congress who did that.

He is just pointing out that nowadays, you need 1500 hours to get hired.

Not sure what you are trying to imply with the 'local flight school not hacking it' comment. Please elaborate.
 
A CFII I know well and did a bit of training with just got hired at a regional and most of his time building was in a 152/citabria and instructing at flight schools. I know of several others who have done the same. Not sure I understand that comment either.
 
1500 hours is not that hard to get if you're a CFI. I wish everyone would quit crying about it like it's an impossible thing to achieve or attaching a price to those hours as if you're going to actually be stupid enough to pay for every minute of it. Get over it !
 
I think the main complaint stems from a knee-jerk reaction from the government and a mandated change that wasn't necessary.

Do you really think another 1,250 hours in the right seat of a C152 with a student would have prevented Colgan 3407? I doubt it.
 
Art VanDelay said:
1500 hours is not that hard to get if you're a CFI. I wish everyone would quit crying about it like it's an impossible thing to achieve or attaching a price to those hours as if you're going to actually be stupid enough to pay for every minute of it. Get over it !
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True stuff. I started as a CFI in April with 280 hours and now have over 1000 hours already. My school isn't a Part 141 school
 
Fearless Tower said:
Where is Jonesy assuming that 1500 hrs is a panacea???

That was Congress who did that.

He is just pointing out that nowadays, you need 1500 hours to get hired.

Not sure what you are trying to imply with the 'local flight school not hacking it' comment. Please elaborate.
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I acknowledge that Congress caved in to the relatives of those lost on the Colgan flight and that the FAA is pretty much powerless until the increased costs of 121 employment come home to roost.

61.153 requires that an applicant for an ATPME or an ATP concurrently with a type rating graduate from an airline transport pilot certification course from an authorized training provider (121, 135, 141, 142, not often found at the local FBO).

Read the requirements for acceptable sim time. I have no specific knowledge, but my guess is that the local FBO does not have a sim capable of replicating a turbine-powered airplane with a MTOW of 40K pounds or better.

Back in the day, I was Part 61 all the way to the ATP...that is no longer possible.

Bob
 
Art VanDelay said:
1500 hours is not that hard to get if you're a CFI. I wish everyone would quit crying about it like it's an impossible thing to achieve or attaching a price to those hours as if you're going to actually be stupid enough to pay for every minute of it. Get over it !
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My point is that 1500 hours just gets you in the door. Parts 61.153 to 61.160 describe what is needed beyond that.

Bob
 
bobmrg said:
This is way premature, but 1500 hours is not the panacea you assume it to be. It is just the threshold you must cross on the way to the ATP. "Local flight school" does not hack it when you get that far. Read 61.156 and 61.159.

Bob Gardner
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It certainly does with my airline. Anyone with those qualifications will be provided the 61.156 training.
 
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As long as we are talking about "don't"s, don't fall in love. Family expenses (and kids') raise the strain on your budget very high, approaching or over the breaking point. Sadly!

-Skip
 
Skip Miller said:
As long as we are talking about "don't"s, don't fall in love. Family expenses (and kids') raise the strain on your budget very high, approaching or over the breaking point. Sadly!

-Skip
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Or at least fall in love with a rich girl...
 
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