Newbie to aviation- best track to corporate pilot?

[aggie168]

I would disagree. There’s no reason you can’t do both. Yes, I’m gone several days in a row but we can also get blocks of days off. When my kids were young I was able to get 6 weeks in a row off during their summer break several years in a row. You just need to get your priorities straight.

Yeah see, I am getting mixed responses. Some people manage to get extended and smaller blocks of time off and are able to have dedicated family time. Others are constantly on the go and would never involve children with their pilot lifestyle. I think to some extent, it will just be a gamble based on what exact job you land ultimately.

 

[kayoh190]

I think to some extent it will just be a gamble based on what exact job you land ultimately.

Gamble is definitely the right word, in that you're really not going to know what kind of jobs will be available to you until after you've put in the time/money to get qualified. The industry is on an upswing and that's creating opportunities everywhere, but if you come out the other end of your training and the economy is in the middle of a correction, your choices will be a lot more limited. That said, nothing ventured nothing gained! When I moved out to the east coast four years ago I thought about buying a house, but held back because I was worried that a correction was just around the corner. Well here we are, and I'm still p!ssing money away in rent while the house I would have bought is worth several hundred thousand dollars more than it was in early 2015. My chicken little attitude ended up costing me dearly.

As an aside, I'm married to a surgical resident. I'm watching her slog through 5 years of 85+ hour weeks while being compensated equivalent to minimum wage. This is after med school and the hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt she buried herself under to become an MD. And that of course was after the MCAT. She 'loves to cut' and her time in the OR makes it all worth it to her, but from the outside looking in it's a process I wouldn't wish on anyone that isn't absolutely committed to it. If you're already having trouble getting motivated for the MCAT, I completely agree that you should find something else to do.

 

[aggie168]

As an aside, I'm married to a surgical resident. I'm watching her slog through 5 years of 85+ hour weeks while being compensated equivalent to minimum wage. This is after med school and the hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt she buried herself under to become an MD. And that of course was after the MCAT. She 'loves to cut' and her time in the OR makes it all worth it to her, but from the outside looking in it's a process I wouldn't wish on anyone that isn't absolutely committed to it. If you're already having trouble getting motivated for the MCAT, I completely agree that you should find something else to do.

Yes! There are some careers out there, that one can pursue just to make ends meet or as a back up. But medical, is not one of those. At least, not for me. With how competitive it is nowadays, you need to be 100% dedicated to it. The MCAT and medical school admission is only the first hurdle. Then theres the aspect of getting through medical school itself, taking the USMLE (boards), getting a residency, and then surviving residency! Thinking about it makes me want to cry lol. But then there's my best friend, who will do anything to become a surgeon! Exactly like your wife. She wakes up at 6 am every day to start studying and hits the books till 8 pm without getting distracted. I tried that... and failed epically.

 

[aggie168]

I would not write off an airline too quickly. If you started today and fast tracked your way, you could be senior at a regional seven years from now. You wouldn’t really have to move to a major and start over from there. They get you reasonable pay reasonable schedule and flight benefits.

I've had a few others give me the same advice too! I'll definitely keep an open mind to airlines if I go down this path. Thanks!

 

[AggieMike88]

Muslims in the aviation industry

Around the big flight schools in Dallas Fort Worth, you are way more likely to hear Mandarin than Farsi or Arabic as far as a foreign language goes.

 

[Juliet Hotel]

I genuinely like the flying aspect of the job. I honestly don't know the first thing about 99.9% of famous actors/hollywood or sports people. If I ever got to the point of flying famous people, I'd likely not even know who the heck they are prior to meeting them and then would be googling later to see why they're famous!

Personally I would not want to fly famous people. I worked the ramp in Atlantic City for a while and we saw a fairly steady stream of celebrities coming and going. The ones who were genuinely nice were few and far between and quite a few were downright mean.

The appeal of corporate is that it seems potentially more family friendly for when I have kids and a family down the line.

Really depends on the company I think. Some corporate flight departments are bigger and better staffed than others. In a small department where its you and one or two other pilots, if they want to go, you're going and your plans will have to wait.

Unfortunately, I majored in something that will not provide me many job opportunities in Dallas. But, I have experience as a receptionist and would likely do that as I enjoyed it even though it does not pertain to my degree (animal science).

Coincidentally I'm married to an animal science major who has worked in her degree since college. Having seen a bit of both I can tell you that working in veterinary pharma is as lucrative or more so (sometimes significantly more so) and far more stable than working in professional aviation. But it ain't flying. So if flying is absolutely the only thing you really want to do, you should do that.

That being said, if you think flying is absolutely the only thing you really want to do, you should do everything you can to make sure that's really the case before you go too committed.

You say that you're in Dallas. Find an FBO and get a job there. If possible, I would work all the airport jobs you can. Not all at the same time obviously, but do everything you can to get as much exposure to the environment and day to day reality of professional flying as you can. Work the counter and/or the ramp at a big glitzy biz jet FBO. Work the counter and/or the ramp at a mom and pop flight school or FBO if you can find one.

And consider getting a private pilot cert or at least begin lessons toward one as soon as possible. Upper level professional flying is one of those fields where the barriers to entry can be significant. Which means you can find yourself in a position where you're so far along in your career that you cannot easily afford to abandon it and start over doing something else. You don't want to get to that point and then find out that professional flying isn't what you thought it'd be and you just don't like it all that much. And when I worked the ramp, I met quite a few individuals that were in that boat. I've sat at the bar after my shift with guys who were flying 737's and hating life and saying things like "I was premed. If I'd stayed with it, I'd be spending every weekend at a lake house with my family now like all my college buddies. Instead, I'm still single and spend most of my time in ratty crash pads living out of suitcase."

 

[AggieMike88]

Found on Instagram

 

[aggie168]

Personally I would not want to fly famous people. I worked the ramp in Atlantic City for a while and we saw a fairly steady stream of celebrities coming and going. The ones who were genuinely nice were few and far between and quite a few were downright mean.

Good to know!

That being said, if you think flying is absolutely the only thing you really want to do, you should do everything you can to make sure that's really the case before you go too committed.

Having been in one of America's largest University for 3 years now, I have not found anything I would enjoy pursuing. Not law, not medical, not dental, not business, not IT, not teaching, not research, not tourism, etc.

And when I worked the ramp, I met quite a few individuals that were in that boat. I've sat at the bar after my shift with guys who were flying 737's and hating life and saying things like "I was premed. If I'd stayed with it, I'd be spending every weekend at a lake house with my family now like all my college buddies. Instead, I'm still single and spend most of my time in ratty crash pads living out of suitcase."

I've had doctors tell me not to pursue medical lol. I have 5 cousins and 2 cousin-in-laws in the medical profession. 4 hate it, 3 love it. There is always going to be people unhappy in their profession. And trust me, I am not going to go into this blindly. I 100% appreciate the reality checks I am getting here for sure. I'll definitely look into getting as much exposure as possible before committing! Thank you for the insight!

 

[Juliet Hotel]

There are those that say do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life. But my perspective is different. As someone who got into aviation as a hobby and nothing more and then transitioned to professional aviation, I'm more partial to the following mantra. When you turn your hobby into a career, you end up needing a new hobby. Hobbies you do for free. Jobs you do for money and there's a reason they have to pay you to do it. That doesn't change just because you turned your hobby into a job. And because you turned your hobby into a job, you can sometimes find that all the things you loved about doing it, you now hate.

Now obviously your case is different and perhaps that's good. Flying is not a hobby for you so you don't have that aspect of it to lose. But still I encourage you to keep doing what you're already doing and try to expose yourself to as much of the lifestyle as possible. Because the lifestyle isn't particularly easy. There are lots of jobs that you don't have to love in order to do them and still be happy. I don't think pro flying is one of them.

 

[Sinistar]

I genuinely like the flying aspect of the job. I honestly don't know the first thing about 99.9% of famous actors/hollywood or sports people. If I ever got to the point of flying famous people, I'd likely not even know who the heck they are prior to meeting them and then would be googling later to see why they're famous! The appeal of corporate is that it seems potentially more family friendly for when I have kids and a family down the line. But I am still in the early stages of research and appreciate your insight. Lots to think about before solidifying a choice.
I wish I had the advice you would give your kids a few years back, it is solid advice. If i go down this road, I'd work while attending flight school. Unfortunately, I majored in something that will not provide me many job opportunities in Dallas. But, I have experience as a receptionist and would likely do that as I enjoyed it even though it does not pertain to my degree (animal science). Being a first generation college student was certainly a learning curve and I was the guinea pig of the family:/But nevertheless, no regrets and let's see what I do going forward. Issue with medical is that I have a decent GPA, but studying for the MCAT is so difficult due to the lack of motivation for the career. Its a hard enough exam for those who dream of being a doctor much less for someone who could care less and has grown to hate the sciences...

FYI, I do not have any student debt from undergrad and my parents would be willing to loan me the money for flight school so I would pay them back for 0 interest over time. Although, they're still not 100% on board yet so working on that! They're stuck on the fear of me facing post 9/11 stigma of Muslims in the aviation industry as I am a female who wears a headscarf. But I do think that stigma is not as strong as it was in the early 2000's and wouldn't be detrimental to my potential aviation career.

Thanks for sharing. More information will help others her give more specific advice.

I read your response to my wife. Her first response (having flown for the airlines before and after 9/11) wasn't so much about you wearing a headscarf as she recollected how often someone would chew her out for not wearing her cap/hat. So maybe someone her can comment on any of your religious apparel requirements vs the industry uniform standards.

I think you need to understand that your animal science degree (Marine Biology?) is worth more than being a receptionist. You know chemistry and math and biology which should all be worth better paying jobs than being a receptionist. If you need a starting job, sure be a receptionist. Be the receptionist that is always applying for research/mfg/lab jobs or likewise. Your goal is to make as much money as possible while having the most predictable schedule possible to work up your flight hours. Think about it this way for a minute or two:

Scenario 1: You get a receptionist job and basically settle for it. You try flying and maybe find out its not for you. Now all you have on your resume is animal science degree and post college resume of a receptionist. Probably not the best choice.

Scenario 2: You get a job at a big company working in a lab where they want 4yr degrees. Your salary is higher. You are using that degree. Over weekends and weeknights you get your PPL. Now you know you love flying Eventually you move all the way up to being that turbine jet type rated corporate pilot!!!! Life is good. Then you want a family or there is recession. You go back to that 4yr degree lab job until you can fly again. I really believe you need to be thinking like that when considering a aviation career. Many say it will be feast for years and years. My wife believes something will come along and throw a wrench in it as its just been seemingly too good for quite a while now. She also kidded with me the other night. Everyone she knows that is still flying has a second job they do.

 

[aggie168]

Thanks for sharing. More information will help others her give more specific advice.

I read your response to my wife. Her first response (having flown for the airlines before and after 9/11) wasn't so much about you wearing a headscarf as she recollected how often someone would chew her out for not wearing her cap/hat. So maybe someone her can comment on any of your religious apparel requirements vs the industry uniform standards.

I think you need to understand that your animal science degree (Marine Biology?) is worth more than being a receptionist. You know chemistry and math and biology which should all be worth better paying jobs than being a receptionist. If you need a starting job, sure be a receptionist. Be the receptionist that is always applying for research/mfg/lab jobs or likewise. Your goal is to make as much money as possible while having the most predictable schedule possible to work up your flight hours. Think about it this way for a minute or two:

Scenario 1: You get a receptionist job and basically settle for it. You try flying and maybe find out its not for you. Now all you have on your resume is animal science degree and post college resume of a receptionist. Probably not the best choice.

Scenario 2: You get a job at a big company working in a lab where they want 4yr degrees. Your salary is higher. You are using that degree. Over weekends and weeknights you get your PPL. Now you know you love flying Eventually you move all the way up to being that turbine jet type rated corporate pilot!!!! Life is good. Then you want a family or there is recession. You go back to that 4yr degree lab job until you can fly again. I really believe you need to be thinking like that when considering a aviation career. Many say it will be feast for years and years. My wife believes something will come along and throw a wrench in it as its just been seemingly too good for quite a while now. She also kidded with me the other night. Everyone she knows that is still flying has a second job they do.

I looked up jobs in Dallas that take new animal science grads and actually found quite a few! I wasn't expecting that but, good surprise. I'll definitely opt for a job using my degree over a receptionist! Thank you for all your help!