Figuring out if being a pilot is good career for me.

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Sustra1

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Hi, I'm trying to figure out if being a pilot could be a good career for me. I'm drawn to flying but I don't think working for the airlines would be right for me. It seems like too stressful of a lifestyle and very long hours. I'm interested in flying in Alaska.I could be ok making somewhere around $40k to $50k a year if I don't have to kill myself with working very long hours.

What are the steps that I should take to see if being a pilot would be a good Career for me? Would the best thing for me to do be to take some flight lessons to see if it's a good fit for me or are there other things I should start with to see if flying professionally would be a good fit for me?
 
I would guess flying in Alaska would be considerably more stressful with weirder more inconsistent hours than flying a bus for the airlines. The FAA has work/flight hour rules for ATP pilots.
 
Try to determine if you have a “compulsive” personality, or “antisocial”, in the context of personality characteristics, not just common language definitions.

Compulsives follow orders, they are VERY unsettled by not following policy and procedure, regardless of what their common sense tells them about it.

Antisocials are completely opposite, they buck authority JUST BECAUSE. Even if it makes sense to follow a certain rule, they don’t wanna...

Both are useful in aviation, like all things, it just depends.

That being said, if you are compulsive you’ll likely like airline flying. If anti social, I’d look more carefully at Alaska.

If you’re dead in the middle, it probably won’t make a big difference, likely adaptable to either. So apart from that, ALL COMPANIES have personalities, it becomes more of a how do you fit in THAT organization. The bigger the company, the less that applies.

Stress comes from being in the wrong place for your personality more than the stress inherent in the job. If you fit, there isn’t stress...

I’ve worked the entire spectrum.
 
Go find airline pilots to talk to abut what a day in their life is like. Do the same with cargo, charter, corporate, bush, and every other flavor of pro out there.

Gotta tell you though, most any career is going to require long hours at some point.
 
I’d start with taking an intro flight and make sure you can get a first class medical.
 
Yup, making a career of being a pilot is a total and engrossing decision. Not one that can be made before you've even taken your first lesson. Hell, you might not even like it.
 
Alaska? Hope you like hauling corpses…

Private charter is fun flying but lots of sitting around waiting to go.
 
I suspect that most people who think they know what "flying professionally in Alaska" is like, don't really.

@Zeldman has written many good summaries of what it is like... including from this recent thread:
https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/job-outlook-for-alaskan-pilot.133097/#post-3111747

I fly in Alaska, but for fun. Flying professionally up here would require stretching my tolerance for bad weather far out of my comfort zone. This can be true of professional flying anywhere, but especially so up here.

Make sure you can pass a medical. Browse the "Medical Topics" forum here to see what kinds of things in people's history often cause problems in the medical-certification process.
 
Learn to fly first, then ask yourself if you want to do it for a living.
The TV shows about flying in Alaska are probably not very realistic.
 
Domenick said:
I would guess flying in Alaska would be considerably more stressful with weirder more inconsistent hours than flying a bus for the airlines. The FAA has work/flight hour rules for ATP pilots.
Click to expand...

The FAA has work/flight hour rules for Pt 135 pilots as well.

As far as not wanting to work long hours, I’ve got some bad news for you….
 
Sustra1 said:
I could be ok making somewhere around $40k to $50k a year if I don't have to kill myself with working very long hours
Click to expand...


Let me suggest that you instead seek out a vocation where you would be willing to work very long hours. Something you can pour your heart and soul into. Something where even when you aren’t “working” you find yourself reading about it, taking additional classes, doing a related hobby, volunteering yourself, etc.

I think you’ll be happier, and ultimately more successful, with that approach.
 
Wagondriver said:
Learn to fly first, then ask yourself if you want to do it for a living.
The TV shows about flying in Alaska are probably not very realistic.
Click to expand...
I think that Ice Pilots NWT had some realistic elements. Like young pilots moving to the middle of nowhere to chase a flying job and ending up driving a ratty old van and carrying boxes when it’s 50 degrees below zero and dark 22 hours of the day.
 
iamtheari said:
I think that Ice Pilots NWT had some realistic elements. Like young pilots moving to the middle of nowhere to chase a flying job and ending up driving a ratty old van and carrying boxes when it’s 50 degrees below zero and dark 22 hours of the day.
Click to expand...

And working for a curmudgeon of a boss that thinks just because this is the middle of nowhere he can mis-treat folks however he wants to.
 
Or... it’s just possible, that the reality show isn’t very realistic...

Just sayin.
 
Tools said:
Or... it’s just possible, that the reality show isn’t very realistic...

Just sayin.
Click to expand...
This. Sometimes the grass is greener. Sometimes it isn’t. I know for me, this is the best job ever.
 
Half Fast said:
Let me suggest that you instead seek out a vocation where you would be willing to work very long hours. Something you can pour your heart and soul into. Something where even when you aren’t “working” you find yourself reading about it, taking additional classes, doing a related hobby, volunteering yourself, etc.

I think you’ll be happier, and ultimately more successful, with that approach.
Click to expand...
I’d think most vocations would be more physically demanding than that of being a professional pilot. If he doesn’t want to spend long duty hours as a pilot, I can’t imagine he’d want to spend long hours doing more laborious work.
 
Zeldman said:
And working for a curmudgeon of a boss that thinks just because this is the middle of nowhere he can mis-treat folks however he wants to.
Click to expand...
Ah, but some places pay an overtime equivalent…I work twice as much and make almost 33% more than I would otherwise. ;)
 
RyanB said:
I’d think most vocations would be more physically demanding than that of being a professional pilot. If he doesn’t want to spend long duty hours as a pilot, I can’t imagine he’d want to spend long hours doing more laborious work.
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Being a pilot in Alaska is both physically demanding and long days.

You don’t have to be a bodybuilder, but routinely I have moved 120+ pound stuff into and out of the plane. You’re a sky ramper. My biggest day I moved 18,000lbs of soda (and one box of insulin) by myself.
 
DavidWhite said:
My biggest day I moved 18,000lbs of soda
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Don't tell me, all Pepsi cans in triple mailers..:lol:

I did one day of just flying store supplies from Kotz to Buckland, approximately 14,000lbs. This was after a week of no one getting in because of weather. My first load was mainly diapers, baby formula, milk, coffee and cigarettes. I got a standing ovation when the coffee came off the plane..:lol:
 
DavidWhite said:
Being a pilot in Alaska is both physically demanding and long days.

You don’t have to be a bodybuilder, but routinely I have moved 120+ pound stuff into and out of the plane. You’re a sky ramper. My biggest day I moved 18,000lbs of soda (and one box of insulin) by myself.
Click to expand...
Wow! I stand corrected!
 
When I was in my 20's the company I was working for sold their Citation and merged flight departments with another company and family. I ended up FO on a Falcon 20, FO then Capt on KA200 and C310. Since I was the junior pilot I flew my ass off but it was a great time building. The first July after the merge I flew every day, several days I flew 2 airplanes and one day I flew all 3. I would not want to do that now, almost 60, but it was great for me then.

Once during that time I got home late and left early the next am, wife never woke up. Called my wife at work the next day and got a trainee that was screening her calls. The trainee asked if I had talked to my wife before, I answered that I slept with her last night but we did not talk. After some silence I explained I was her husband.

The company I fly for now is like semi retirement. We only fly the jet about 100 hour a year and the Twin Cessna 50 hours. We have had some long days, Dallas-Seattle-Dallas in a day. but it is rare.
 
Zeldman said:
Don't tell me, all Pepsi cans in triple mailers..:lol:

I did one day of just flying store supplies from Kotz to Buckland, approximately 14,000lbs. This was after a week of no one getting in because of weather. My first load was mainly diapers, baby formula, milk, coffee and cigarettes. I got a standing ovation when the coffee came off the plane..:lol:
Click to expand...

My 18k day was St Marys to Mountain Village, a 7 minute flight. I think I ended up flying a little over an hour to move all 18,000lbs, and got $70 (an hours pay) for my trouble.
 
DavidWhite said:
My 18k day was St Marys to Mountain Village, a 7 minute flight. I think I ended up flying a little over an hour to move all 18,000lbs, and got $70 (an hours pay) for my trouble.
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The village agent got paid more than you did. :lol::lol:

When I was at yute pilots were paid 30 bucks a flight hour.

We had to pay 400 bucks a month to stay in the crappy pilot housing, deducted from our checks. Get a couple weeks of weather and we might get a negative paycheck. The owner at the time (WJ) kept telling us how great of a deal that was....
 
Zeldman said:
The village agent got paid more than you did. :lol::lol:

When I was at yute pilots were paid 30 bucks a flight hour.

We had to pay 400 bucks a month to stay in the crappy pilot housing, deducted from our checks. Get a couple weeks of weather and we might get a negative paycheck. The owner at the time (WJ) kept telling us how great of a deal that was....
Click to expand...

Yute payed $40/hour when I worked there, but didn’t charge for pilot housing. Different owner though (TV)
 
When considering a career if they tell you they are looking for someone with a passion it means they ain't gonna pay you squat.
 
Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.

Take an introductory flight first. If you don’t like it, aviation is not your career. Next, as others have said, peruse medical topics. If you have any condition that requires a Special Issuance, you can still get a license but probably never hired to fly.

Assuming you make it this far, do a lot of informational interviews to see if there’s an aspect of aviation that specifically appeals to you.

If you find something you can be passionate about, the real work starts. Flight training, including aviation ground school.

You could always get your A&P or become a controller or (I think they are still around) a Flight Service Specialist.
 
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