My Future Career...Your Suggestions

loudbagel

loudbagel

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Hummingbird Saltalamacchia
I am now a junior in high school, and now I have really started looking at options for an aviation career. It truly is all that I want to do, every time i get to go flying in a friends Eclipse it shocks me that people get paid (Regional pilots not much unfortunatley) to fly.

Lucky for me Im not too picky, I can deal with being away from my home, I can deal with Long hours , I can work with for a while the low pay...Im willing to sacrifice to move up in the chain!

My Stats:
17 años
Junior in HS
3.2 GPA
30 ACT
PPL-ASEL

I have lots of "right seat spectator" time in small to medium bizjets so I know roughly what im getting myself into....

I live in Northeast Ohio, Ive heard that Kent State aviation is a good program, have I heard Right?

Ive heard that Ohio State's Program is overpriced for what you get, have I heard right?

I really like Embry Riddle (But do not like the pricetag) should I like Embry Riddle?

So what are your thoughts on becoming a professional aviator? Please keep it civil guys!:mad2:

Thanks!
 
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Purdue has a pretty good aviation program I've heard
 
David and I are both Juniors in highschool actively pursueing aviation. From my research I've gathered that Purdue (where I intend to go), Embry Riddle and University of North Dakota are the most well known. I believe UND is the best bang for your buck but others may chime in.

17 years old
Junior in Highschool
3.6 unweighted GPA
4.4 weighted GPA
A week or two from my PPL checkride
 
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loudbagel said:
So what are your thoughts on becoming a professional aviator?
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As a parent, I'd rather have my son go into Engineering and then we'd see. If he wants to buy an Eclipse from his stock option windfall, why not! I heard seniority at airlines is not what it used to be. On second thought I cannot even buy a used Baron, so who am I to say...
 
tooweaktofollowdreams.jpg
 
As an engineer who came up the hard way: follow your heart. It'll be really difficult at times. Your choices in life will change over time. Avoid debt and keep your options open.

OTOH, if you want to make good money, avoid aviation. The net-present-value of that Capitan's job is much lower than an MBA's or an engineer's.
 
loudbagel said:
I am now a junior in high school, and now I have really started looking at options for an aviation career. It truly is all that I want to do, every time i get to go flying in a friends Eclipse it shocks me that people get paid (Regional pilots not much unfortunatley) to fly.

Lucky for me Im not too picky, I can deal with being away from my home, I can deal with Long hours , I can work with for a while the low pay...Im willing to sacrifice to move up in the chain!

My Stats:
17 años
Junior in HS
3.2 GPA
30 ACT
PPL-ASEL

I have lots of "right seat spectator" time in small to medium bizjets so I know roughly what im getting myself into....
Click to expand...
Be careful what you're willing to sacrifice to "move up the chain." Too many people sacrificing too much can lead to a distinct and rapid decline in the quality of the job. I know jets are fun and shiny, but in the end it is a career and one well worth protecting.

loudbagel said:
I live in Northeast Ohio, Ive heard that Kent State aviation is a good program, have I heard Right?
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No clue.

loudbagel said:
Ive heard that Ohio State's Program is overpriced for what you get, have I heard right?
Click to expand...
No clue, but I've heard of them, at least.

loudbagel said:
I really like Embry Riddle (But do not like the pricetag) should I like Embry Riddle?
Click to expand...
No. No, you should definitely not.

loudbagel said:
So what are your thoughts on becoming a professional aviator? Please keep it civil guys!:mad2:

Thanks!
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It's worked for me so far. I spent a few years dragging my wife around the country while eating nothing but Hamburger Helper, but it has worked out pretty well.

DavidWhite said:
Purdue has a pretty good aviation program I've heard
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Everskyward said:
We have a POA member (HPNPilot1200) who goes there. He can fill you in on Purdue.
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Agree. I've heard a lot about Purdue (from Jason's FB and from several guys I've flown with) and it all seems to be fairly positive.

Kansas State also has a flight program which, I believe, is fairly decent.

The other option you might consider is get a degree in something (anything) other than aviation, do your flying at the local FBO (probably going to be cheaper), and then get a job. An aviation degree is great if you want to manage an airport. Doesn't really help with anything else. Certainly not required to be a "professional" pilot. AND, having a degree in something else gives you a potential fall-back just in case...

My degree is in journalism, by the way.
 
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Going to an aviation university (or doing an aviation program at a university) will give you the opportunity for internships and networking, which are worth more than their weight in gold IMO. I know of a lot of guys working at various majors/fortune500 companies/fractionals that are there because of who they knew from internships.

School is expensive (and private schools like ERAU are extremely expensive). But, a lot of the large aviation programs do have their sh*t together and fly very well maintained aircraft. People will inevitably mention the quality of instructors and overall instruction at the larger universities. The quality of ANY training you get will be the result of the individual instructor. I had great instructors throughout my training, but I know a few others who had instructors that weren't that motivated and they lagged a little.

The internships, mentioned above, are an excellent way to network with people who can move your resume up to the top of the pile when the time comes to apply to that major, corporate flight dept, etc that you want to work for. When my company started hiring in '05, I knew several guys in the first couple of classes that had interned at the company. They were qualified just like everyone else, but they were able to get in because they knew people on the inside to move them up in the pile.

Working in aviation can be tough. You mention being willing to work for very little and put in your time. If you look at the worst case, you could be stuck as an FO at a regional which pays very little for a very long time. Almost everyone who flies for a living loves to fly, but Bank of America wants money to cover the mortgage. You can't tell them "well, I don't have the money this month, but I got to see a beautiful sunrise of Lake Michigan." Something to think about as you get older and priorities change in your life. In the end it will be about money and days off.

Sorry for the erratic flow of the post; occupied with a child at the moment. I can say that aviation has been very fortunate for me. I have missed losing my job or being furloughed when my company tanked. Managed to get on with a major and fly widebodies at around 30. Make an ok living now, but don't see myself ever engaging in the "which bonanza or light twin should I buy" threads unless I get a second source of income.
 
Teller1900 said:
The other option you might consider is get a degree in something (anything) other than aviation, do your flying at the local FBO (probably going to be cheaper), and then get a job. An aviation degree is great if you want to manage an airport. Doesn't really help with anything else. Certainly not required to be a "professional" pilot. AND, having a degree in something else gives you a potential fall-back just in case...
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+1, I intend to major in atmospheric science and ATC
 
Clark1961 said:
As an engineer who came up the hard way: follow your heart. It'll be really difficult at times. Your choices in life will change over time. Avoid debt and keep your options open.

OTOH, if you want to make good money, avoid aviation. The net-present-value of that Capitan's job is much lower than an MBA's or an engineer's.
Click to expand...


A FedEx widebody Capt with 15 years seniority makes $18,722/month on guarantee. His First Officer on his second year with the company makes $10,730/month on the same guarantee.

At UPS a widebody Captain with 15 years seniority makes $21,222/month on guarantee. His First Officer on his second year with the company makes $12,069/month on guarantee.
 
Rex Kramer said:
Working in aviation can be tough. You mention being willing to work for very little and put in your time. If you look at the worst case, you could be stuck as an FO at a regional which pays very little for a very long time. Almost everyone who flies for a living loves to fly, but Bank of America wants money to cover the mortgage. You can't tell them "well, I don't have the money this month, but I got to see a beautiful sunrise of Lake Michigan." Something to think about as you get older and priorities change in your life. In the end it will be about money and days off.
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:yeahthat:!!
Mtns2Skies said:
+1, I intend to major in atmospheric science and ATC
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Excellent, excellent idea. Better still, use the CTI and just become a controller. You'll be home a hell of a lot more, be (much) better paid, AND get to wear jeans to work! Fly on the weekends.
 
Teller1900 said:
My degree is in journalism, by the way.
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Mine is in Landscape Architecture, and I don't even have a great looking yard...

The only thing I can say is that you need to follow your own path but keep your mind open. When I was in college I could never have imagined how it ended up. I don't know if that's good or bad but there you have it.
 
Rotor&Wing said:
A FedEx widebody Capt with 15 years seniority makes $18,722/month on guarantee. His First Officer on his second year with the company makes $10,730/month on the same guarantee.

At UPS a widebody Captain with 15 years seniority makes $21,222/month on guarantee. His First Officer on his second year with the company makes $12,069/month on guarantee.
Click to expand...

Yes, but if he starts now, it's going to take a lot more than 15 years (at much much lower pay) to get to 15 year pay at either of those companies!

Plus he'd have to move to MEM. Or face on-going labor strife/furloughs at UPS. Not sure which is worse. [/sarcasm (sort of)]
 
Rotor&Wing said:
A FedEx widebody Capt with 15 years seniority makes $18,722/month on guarantee. His First Officer on his second year with the company makes $10,730/month on the same guarantee.

At UPS a widebody Captain with 15 years seniority makes $21,222/month on guarantee. His First Officer on his second year with the company makes $12,069/month on guarantee.
Click to expand...

[sneeze] ahh, pardon me.

So? Let's just say that folks in other industries make more with less debt up front and much higher starting salaries. For instance, $70K/yr out the door for the average petroleum engineer.

As an aside, money 20 years from now has no value (it's that net-present-value thing).
 
Teller1900 said:
Excellent, excellent idea. Better still, use the CTI and just become a controller. You'll be home a hell of a lot more, be (much) better paid, AND get to wear jeans to work! Fly on the weekends.
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Thats exactly my plan
 
loudbagel said:
Ive heard that Ohio State's Program is overpriced for what you get, have I heard right?
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I've never heard of an aviation program that was any kind of value, since what you get is good for naught but flying some sort of airliner. However, the aerospace engineering program is well worth the money, as you get a degree that will get you in the front door of either an aerospace company, or an airline if you invest in the appropriate training. And engineering degree is worth the money for the same reasons. There are numerous training opportunities in and around Columbus, and it is the home base of the largest fractional jet program in the world.

Limiting oneself to the path of airline pilot sounds like a truly horrible idea no matter where one goes. Not that the career path is bad, but structuring one's education with no other route of egress sounds incredibly unwise. One can develop some sort of medical condition, or even get tired of flying. I've seen now a number of pilots who did the latter, indeed a number have passed through my classroom on the way to other careers, hugely expensive training wasted.

All that said, Ohio State is admittedly expensive for a public institution. One does get a diverse training environment for the money. I am faculty at OSU (though not in the engineering program), and would be happy to discuss this further if such is desired.
 
steingar said:
All that said, Ohio State is admittedly expensive for a public institution. One does get a diverse training environment for the money. I am faculty at OSU (though not in the engineering program), and would be happy to discuss this further if such is desired.
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Now why would a perfesser at Oklahoma State want to tawk 'bout Ohio State??? :D
 
I would never want to talk you out of doing what you want to do. I was there I wanted it so bad that I did it. Problem for me was that it wasn't all I thought it was going to be when I got there, so I made the decision to leave the airlines. I had alot of fun but living out of a suitcase for no money was just not for me anymore. You can stay and wait it out and hopefully you get better positins but its def not guaranteed. If you want it bad enough you will figure out how to get it done. Good luck
 
Rotor&Wing said:
A FedEx widebody Capt with 15 years seniority makes $18,722/month on guarantee. His First Officer on his second year with the company makes $10,730/month on the same guarantee.

At UPS a widebody Captain with 15 years seniority makes $21,222/month on guarantee. His First Officer on his second year with the company makes $12,069/month on guarantee.
Click to expand...


Not everyone who slips on a baseball glove gets to play for the Yankees.

There just aren't that many jobs out there for the number of (HIGHLY QUALIFIED) applicants. I hope to hell this pilot shortage BS is for real this time, but as has been shown in the past, there's always something that happens to prevent it. Last time it was the economy to some degree and the age 65 retirement change to a greater degree. Things should be moving soon, but it's all cautious optimism.
 
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Please listen to me and do EXACTLY what I tell you and you will have a REALLY AWESOME life. I wish someone would have told me this when I was your age -
1. Join the Ohio Air National Guard as an enlisted airmen (either the 178th in Springfield or the 180th in Toledo)- tell the recruiter that you want to be the guy that tucks the pilot into the plane out on the flight line. I know, I know, what you're saying "Hey, I'm Officer material !" and yes you are but by doing it this way you get several things to happen :
A.) You're gonna go to AF basic training this summer in San Antonio - You will be whipped into AWESOME shape. Girls in your High School that didn't give you the time of day are going to be noticing you when you come back to school in the fall and wanting to get to know you.

B.) You will now qualify for a boat-load of tuition assistance programs from the OH Guard. Up to and including a full ride. That money your parents saved for your college - tell them you want it for a car or a flight rating !

C.) Being Air-Guard Enlisted is like being in the CAP - yeah you're not an officer (yet) but you'll be laying the ground work with every sortie they go out on. The more face time the better.

D.) no need to get your degree in aviation if you don't want to - get it in underwater basket weaving - it doesn't matter - just get a four year degree, ANY four year degree.

E.) With your degree in hand let it be known back at the unit that you want to be considered for AF flight school. This is where all the face time you will have put in with the pilots will pay off for you - instead of saying "Airman who ?" when your name comes before the board they will remember you as the conscientious kid that tucks them in and have no problem giving your recommendation a huge thumbs up.

F.) Since you CAME from a FIGHTER unit guess what your going to get trained in ?

G.) Now, you're a young 2nd Lieutenant back at your unit just out of flight school - volunteer for every kind of active duty flying school/exercise that comes your way. Before you know it you will have enough tactical JET fighter time to get just about ANY civilian flying job you can think of - Airline, Fedex, Netjets, corporate - you name it

So there you have it - Fly fighters on the weekend and civilian jets during the week - if there's ever a problem with your civilian flying job - no worries, just duck back in for a little active duty time until things get sorted out. Have a full Guard (military) retirement and what ever else you've put aside from your civil gigs -

I doubt you'll be able to see or appreciate this TRUE wisdom but if I had a time machine it's EXACTLY what I would do.
 
Rex Kramer said:
Not everyone who slips on a baseball glove gets to play for the Yankees.

There just aren't that many jobs out there for the number of (HIGHLY QUALIFIED) applicants. I hope to hell this pilot shortage BS is for real this time, but as has been shown in the past, there's always something that happens to prevent it. Last time it was the economy to some degree and the age 65 retirement change to a greater degree. Things should be moving soon, but it's all cautious optimism.
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Ever hear of setting goals in your life? And doing whatever to accomplish them???

If these young gentlemen were to take the "advice" of several posters here they would simply give up and accept the status quo. :nonod:

I know several people working for both of the carriers I mentioned. They've had productive careers and they set their goals early on, just as my friends that are Doctors,Lawyers, Engineers, etc. It's a matter of focus and knowing what you want, and more importantly knowing how to get there.

I've had a very successful career in aviation. Along the way I've had my share of naysayers telling me I should do this or that. Thankfully I ignored them and followed my dreams.

tooweaktofollowdreams.jpg
 
Art VanDelay said:
Please listen to me and do EXACTLY what I tell you and you will have a REALLY AWESOME life. I wish someone would have told me this when I was your age -
1. Join the Ohio Air National Guard as an enlisted airmen (either the 178th in Springfield or the 180th in Toledo)- tell the recruiter that you want to be the guy that tucks the pilot into the plane out on the flight line. I know, I know, what you're saying "Hey, I'm Officer material !" and yes you are but by doing it this way you get several things to happen :
A.) You're gonna go to AF basic training this summer in San Antonio - You will be whipped into AWESOME shape. Girls in your High School that didn't give you the time of day are going to be noticing you when you come back to school in the fall and wanting to get to know you.

B.) You will now qualify for a boat-load of tuition assistance programs from the OH Guard. Up to and including a full ride. That money your parents saved for your college - tell them you want it for a car or a flight rating !

C.) Being Air-Guard Enlisted is like being in the CAP - yeah you're not an officer (yet) but you'll be laying the ground work with every sortie they go out on. The more face time the better.

D.) no need to get your degree in aviation if you don't want to - get it in underwater basket weaving - it doesn't matter - just get a four year degree, ANY four year degree.

E.) With your degree in hand let it be known back at the unit that you want to be considered for AF flight school. This is where all the face time you will have put in with the pilots will pay off for you - instead of saying "Airman who ?" when your name comes before the board they will remember you as the conscientious kid that tucks them in and have no problem giving your recommendation a huge thumbs up.

F.) Since you CAME from a FIGHTER unit guess what your going to get trained in ?

G.) Now, you're a young 2nd Lieutenant back at your unit just out of flight school - volunteer for every kind of active duty flying school/exercise that comes your way. Before you know it you will have enough tactical JET fighter time to get just about ANY civilian flying job you can think of - Airline, Fedex, Netjets, corporate - you name it

So there you have it - Fly fighters on the weekend and civilian jets during the week - if there's ever a problem with your civilian flying job - no worries, just duck back in for a little active duty time until things get sorted out. Have a full Guard (military) retirement and what ever else you've put aside from your civil gigs -

I doubt you'll be able to see or appreciate this TRUE wisdom but if I had a time machine it's EXACTLY what I would do.
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Excellent advise. I would stay in the guard and get my twenty no matter how it works out (enlisted, officer, doesn't matter), the medical benefits for retirees is worth its weight in gold. You don't care about that now, but one day you might think it was the smartest thing you ever did. Besides a little extra retirement income is a good buffer especially if you end up working at an airline.

I wouldn't just get any four year degree, you're investing a lot of time and money, get a degree that can lead to a civilian job you like (engineer, accountant, whatever), just don't p*ss that time away. You might need this if the active duty thing doesn't work out.

Point is always keep your options open, make everything you do productive to your future, persurverance will take you wherever you want to go.
 
Rotor&Wing said:
Ever hear of setting goals in your life? And doing whatever to accomplish them???

If these young gentlemen were to take the "advice" of several posters here they would simply give up and accept the status quo. :nonod:

I know several people working for both of the carriers I mentioned. They've had productive careers and they set their goals early on, just as my friends that are Doctors,Lawyers, Engineers, etc. It's a matter of focus and knowing what you want, and more importantly knowing how to get there.

I've had a very successful career in aviation. Along the way I've had my share of naysayers telling me I should do this or that. Thankfully I ignored them and followed my dreams.

tooweaktofollowdreams.jpg
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As someone who was sitting in the right seat of a widebody at a major airline by age 30, even with the 9/11 industry slowdown/backtrack, I'm fairly familiar with setting goals and accomplishing them. I am just pointing out the reality of the situation vs seeing an advertisement in a magazine showing starry eyed 18yr olds staring up at a passing 747 describing how easy the journey is and everyone can do it.

There's nothing wrong with knowing all the facts of the careers along with risks and rewards.
 
In high school i was planning on flying for a living, I found a vocational program that allowed me to spend two years of hight school earning an airframe mechanics license and figgured it would be a fun way to finish school.

I also took an intro ride and found out how much fun flying is, too much fun infect to ruin it by having to do it.

Now Im running a part 145 repair station and flying weekends. I pity the schmucks who have to go to work every day and still make more than a regional pilot while playing with airplanes.

Oh and I'm home for 99.99% of nights, however some travel to some pacific islands looks to be in my future.
 
I don't like the 'timing and luck' aspect of the airline career. Which is why Im not impressed with the incessant and disconnected dismissal of the realities of the majority by those who have had the good fortune of favorable timing in the pursuit of an airline job. I think going to a 141 school and racking high 5 digit debt for essentially a commercial instrument ticket and a false sense of preferential regional hiring is foolish. I went to Purdue...as an engineering grad student. Got the same tickets as the fools in the aviation department at the same airport..doing it part 61. Nuff said. No debt.

The merits of flying behind auto-pilot/auto-throttle stale rather quickly, which is why pilots begin to question the wisdom of their vocational choices as domicile insecurity and furloughs begin hitting their lives and pocketbooks in their 30s and 40s. At that point, watching the sunrise at FL350 is no longer so "neat-o".

Follow your dreams, but don't do it without abandon. Be pragmatic. Also re-assess what real motivators are making you perceive your current vocational aspirations as desirable. In most instances, as in the case of airline work, these motivators are NOT based in the real world idiosyncrasies of the profession but rather optimism-biased versions of the world everybody else lives in.

Airline work is fickle. One person's experience will vary greatly against another in this profession. NONE of it is due to your personal effort or worth, much to the bemoaning of the timing-favored. It is strictly due to timing luck and a seniority number. Nothing in life is guaranteed but I personally have little taste for a vocational track where SO MUCH is out of your control and the very description of your duties is to be a carbon copy of your co-worker, which in turn diminishes your personal bargaining position in attaining and sustaining the kind of lifetime income that is necessary to support the family you may or may not want. The same goes for the commuting inherent to the majority of pilots and the domicile instability that causes these hoards of workers to pursue such lifestyle 'non-choices'.

If these instabilities are still palatable to you, then press. Here's a caveat. At 17 you have no concept of what will be palatable to you at 35. So you're hamstrung by your own lack of foresight. I was able to recognize this in my early 20s. What I didn't have was a viable solution (my current stint in the military is not looking like it's going to get me to the finish line, welcome to the 1990s again) so at best all I could figure was the airline work environment wasn't what I personally deemed viable to retire and lean my life and future family on. To each their own.

I would find a vocational avenue that's midly tolerable and that has the best spread of compensation/time off and then figure out a way to afford your hobbies. If I could do it all over again, I would have still entered military service (the Guard/Reserve is a great way to fly jets occasionally particularly if you don't need it to survive) but would have pursued dental school. Im too old for that kind of time commitment now, so civil service is probably where I'll muddle through the next 20-25 years in. If I had the GUARANTEE I could be based in a domicile of my liking for the extent of my career and retained the ability to command a lateral income at another airline upon furlough (like 90% of the non-airline workforce out there!), I would without a doubt press ahead with the airline job. Knowing there's a snowball's chance in hell of that ever happening, I'm better off on the sidelines. I got way too many furloughed/voluntary MLOA folks hiding from their airlines at work as daily reminders of how crappy that career is. If it were so great they wouldn't be sitting here next to me soaking up the orders and mandays at the squadron, rinse and repeat every half a decade. And that's for folks that had the outright LUXURY of bypassing the regionals/part-135 gigs. For the civilian only folks, good God have mercy on those souls.

Good luck to you!
 
zaitcev said:
As a parent, I'd rather have my son go into Engineering and then we'd see. If he wants to buy an Eclipse from his stock option windfall, why not! I heard seniority at airlines is not what it used to be. On second thought I cannot even buy a used Baron, so who am I to say...
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There are alot more options in aviation than the airlines. I for one aspire to fly Air Ambulance in something like a King Air or Lear. There's also 135 freight, 91K fractionals, charter, fire fighting etc.
 
GCA319 said:
There are alot more options in aviation than the airlines. I for one aspire to fly Air Ambulance in something like a King Air or Lear. There's also 135 freight, 91K fractionals, charter, fire fighting etc.
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Every airline pilot I have ever met chewed my ear off on how terrible of a career it is and how evil management just wants to see him dead to collect his life insurance.

The happy pilots work for net-jets, the military, medevac or spray crops/fly fire.
 
weilke said:
Every airline pilot I have ever met chewed my ear off on how terrible of a career it is and how evil management just wants to see him dead to collect his life insurance.
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Maybe you hang around the wrong people?

weilke said:
The happy pilots work for net-jets, the military, medevac or spray crops/fly fire.
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Funny, the majority of airline pilots I know are very happy and content.

The guys flying EMS also enjoy the work they do, with the exception of the d!ckhead Doctors they have to put up with.
 
Rotor&Wing said:
The guys flying EMS also enjoy the work they do, with the exception of the d!ckhead Doctors they have to put up with.
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When would they deal with docs, they have nurses or paramedics.

Sometimes you just seem to make stuff up.
 
weilke said:
When would they deal with docs, they have nurses or paramedics.
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Depends upon the program. Usually it's the flight nurses and paramedics, but in some programs the Director is a Doctor. And some of these Directors feel they know more about flight operations than the pilot.

weilke said:
Sometimes you just seem to make stuff up.
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Et tu Weilke?

See your post below for what seems to be made up BS.

weilke said:
Every airline pilot I have ever met chewed my ear off on how terrible of a career it is and how evil management just wants to see him dead to collect his life insurance.
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> Please listen to me and do EXACTLY what I tell you and you will have a REALLY
> AWESOME life ... Springfield

The Ohio ANG at Springfield now flies chairs. They lost their F16's and are unlikely
to get any airframes. They are getting some mega-fast fibre connections to WPAFB.

Another option; USCG. Quite a few of the USCG aviators that I've spoken
with are transfers from Army, AF, USN & USMC. More mission-flying, less
training-flying. USCG Reserve has no pilot seats.

Regarless; get the 4-year degree. Anywhere. You can learn to fly at Ohio
State, regardless of whether you are an Av major. Frankly; at college,
focus on your major. A buddy did his PPL in 29-days over summer break.

As technology progresses, I imagine that the bloom will begin to fade for
UPS & Fedex pilots ... as freighters will someday be remotely piloted.
 
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I spoke with an airline pilot a few days ago. He is moonlighting as an A&P and will be performing the annual on my airplane with another A&P. He absolutely hates working for the airline.
 
Art VanDelay said:
Please listen to me and do EXACTLY what I tell you and you will have a REALLY AWESOME life. I wish someone would have told me this when I was your age -
1. Join the Ohio Air National Guard as an enlisted airmen ...
Click to expand...

This is one way to get excellent training, definite money for college and possibly a chance at flying for the guard. I'm in the ANG and we do try to give our enlisted a good shake at the pilot boards. However, we still take the best applicant.

By all means, the ANG is a great way to see what the military is about, get some money and maybe see some cool places. There is definitely a chance at flying as well, it can (and has) been done.

If you have any specific questions, ask me (or your local recruiter).
 
Gary F said:
I spoke with an airline pilot a few days ago. He is moonlighting as an A&P and will be performing the annual on my airplane with another A&P. He absolutely hates working for the airline.
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What airline?

Is he trying to get to a better airline?

Age/spot in life?
 
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