Looking for a Mentor/Counselor for future pilot

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Johncferrari

Filing Flight Plan
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Jun 9, 2024
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John Ferrari
My son is in his early 20s and is finishing a tour in the navy as a service member. He has wanted to be a pilot since he was young. I find the career path for becoming a pilot confusing with both military and civilian options.
I’d like to prepare for him a plan that can get him to his goal going from most likely/best options first to backup options. I’d like him to finish the education work and be positioned for an in demand career that pays him well.
I generally think it’s better to leave advice to people who’ve been there and done that and can provide solid impartial advice and mentorship to ensure he meets his goal. I don’t mind paying for good advice or aviation school. Please email me or message here if interested in helping him meet his goals.
Jf1jf213@gmail.com
 
First, there is nothing like somebody else paying for you to learn to fly. He should checkout the military options before he leaves the Navy. Even if he decides to fly civilian professionally, having a flying gig as a reservist sure helps to even out the ups and downs of a getting a good line number at the Bigs and an awful lot of airline pilots are also reservists or in the Air Guard. Military training is his fastest route to getting into the Bigs because he can rack up lots of hours and get “heavy” experience, c-117, c-5, p-8, c-130s, several 707 thru 747-based specialty platforms, not to mention a large fleet of Gulf Steams, Lears, and Falcons.

Second, it is best to address the biggest stumbling block quickly: a first class medical. Too many aspirants get to the end of their professional training only to find they have a condition that prevents them from rising to the very top. An inordinate number of flight schools will intentionally let a pilot advance through the licenses to ATP suspecting he couldn’t pass the first class physical.
 
Thank you for this note. I appreciate all advice of course. But I am not looking to learn and then share with him. I am trying to find someone who wants to take on the role of being his career counselor/mentor (paid) to ensure he makes good decisions and reaches his goal. There are lots of things that I know how to do and therefore can also teach but this burden I dont want to carry and would love to find the right fit for him. THX!
 
There are many paths to an aviation career. I was a military pilot but think that in today's military it is much more difficult to get a job flying airplanes.

The civilian route has several options: a Part 141 school, which is formal classroom and structured training, and Part 61 which is individual training at an individual pace. Many of the 141 programs have waiting lists because the pilot demand has been strong recently. Part 61 can be at a flight training facility or with an independent instructor.

It is a long, long trip to the job that pays well. Insurance companies and airlines have requirements for total flying hours and type of experience. Many labor for a few years as flight instructors to build hours. Some employers will want multi-engine experience and turbine experience, which is not easy to get.
 
If he just wants to be around aviation have him consider getting his A&P and/or gusing his GI bill to go to college for an engineering degree. The company I work for us in the aviation business and is always looking for A&Ps and give a lot of preference to service members for engineering positions. We do a few recruitment events a year that are just for former service members.


Gilbert Buettner said:
There are many paths to an aviation career. I was a military pilot but think that in today's military it is much more difficult to get a job flying airplanes.

The civilian route has several options: a Part 141 school, which is formal classroom and structured training, and Part 61 which is individual training at an individual pace. Many of the 141 programs have waiting lists because the pilot demand has been strong recently. Part 61 can be at a flight training facility or with an independent instructor.

It is a long, long trip to the job that pays well. Insurance companies and airlines have requirements for total flying hours and type of experience. Many labor for a few years as flight instructors to build hours. Some employers will want multi-engine experience and turbine experience, which is not easy to get.
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Are you sure you should do this for him? As a (soon to be) former service member at the age of 20, he sounds like he's responsible already. Have you considered allowing him to forge his own path so that he has ownership in how to move forward? At a certain point, our children transition from dependent to wanting advice only when they ask for it.
 
My nephew is soon-to-be former Navy and is headed into flight training. I’ll probably be his flying mentor even though we’ll be a thousand miles apart. If your son knows anyone that’s a pilot, he’s free to talk with them about flying. One thing that pilots love to do is talk about flying. He’ll find someone to help him out.

Any former military members out there that can help with this question? I think it’s common to get some level of disability when you get out - are there any traps that can affect your FAA medical?
 
Matthew said:
…I think it’s common to get some level of disability when you get out - are there any traps that can affect your FAA medical?
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I don’t know how common it is but yes, there are some claims/diagnoses that will trigger an SI or are disqualifying.

PTSD is the big one, but all the normal stuff is covered in the claims process.
 
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