PPL and Beyond

MikeyC427

Filing Flight Plan
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Sep 26, 2018
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MikeyC427
Hello all,

I'm a 26 year old Army veteran who wants to be a commercial pilot. I in Knoxville, TN and unfortunately many of the flight schools near by aren't highly reviewed. I want to learn to fly, get my ratings and then make a career of it. I currently use FSX a lot and I really enjoy it, even the long boring trips!
Any tips?
Is the degree mandatory now a days? It would be very expensive to get a degree and a lot of hours.
What's the best way to build hours? I'm an avid skydiver so I'm sure I can find a dropzone who'll let me give the pilot a break.
I'm a contractor in Afghanistan so I can spend the money needed to make this work but I don't want to waste money. I've looked into ATP school and some people have some real negative things to say about them.

Anything helps.
 
Think medical first. Any YES answers to the "Have you ever in your life..." stop and ask questions. Alcohol, drugs, ADD, PTSD, depression, vision, heart, apnea, asthma...the list goes on...Any issues...stop and ask questions first.
 
Agree with the above poster and I'm in a similar boat 40 just got a PPL and want to make a career of it. So get your 1st class medical to make sure there are no issues, then make spreadsheet with known costs and make sure you can do it without debt if possible. Then Go.

For the degree question, if you want to go to the majors then yes it will be a requirement or it is now. If you are happy flying for smaller operators or the regionals then you can get by without one, but it will limit your choices.

Personally I looked at schools like ATP and the new LIFT Academy but I find their training expensive for all of your ratings. Also the whole Mc pilot program does not really appeal to me.

Lastly I got my PPL in North Carolina and did my check ride out of Knoxville downtown so there are some good instructors to be found in the area.
 
Building on what Sinistar said, we want to make sure you become knowledgeable about other things the FAA is going to ask.

Below is one of my copy/paste items about the FAA application for a medical certificate.



To gain confidence, and more importantly, knowledge, of what is involved with obtaining your first medical certificate, start by reviewing the instruction manual for MedXpress, the FAA's online form for applying for a medical. You can find that here: https://medxpress.faa.gov/medxpress/Content/Docs/MedXPressUsersGuide.pdf

Scroll down to page 24 of 36. This is where they ask about any medications you are currently taking (Question 17). If there are none, move to the next section. But if there are some, you will be asked to list the names, dosage, and frequency. Most medications are permitted. Some are not and will be a show stopper. Others may be an indicator of a medical item that the FAA will want to know more about. In many cases, the FAA will need a letter from your treating doctor that mention the medications, why they were prescribed, and how well they are helping you. During the examination, the Aviation Medical Examiner will ask questions about the medications and the doctors letter, fill in some blanks, and make notations on his side of the application form.

Now scroll down to page 26 of 36. This is the medical history section (Question 18). An important phrase here is "Have you ever in your life..." Review these items and see if any should be answered yes. If one or more is answered yes, then definitely do not go to an AME to obtain a medical certificate until you thoroughly know what the FAA is going to want to know about the item you checked as yes.

Some of these are minor and the documentation required is also minor. Others are big, BIG things, and while they might not be show stoppers, you will have to obtain more things that are the right things and in the right format and order in order to satisfy the FAA.

Again, do not go to an AME for a live exam until you know what information and documentation the FAA wants for any of the item(s) you marked "yes"​

How do you find out what the FAA wants? The best way is to have a consultation visit with an AME. This visit does not get reported to the FAA. All it is is a information gather visit with the medical examiner to find out what you need to obtain. If you are unable to find an AME in your area to do this, then reach out to Dr. Bruce Chien in Bolingbrook, IL, www.aeromedicaldoc.com Dr. Bruce is a member here and can answer your questions online. But direct emails are often more efficient and allow him to discuss things in a way he cannot on a public form.


Another important area of Question 18 is Question 18v. Alcohol and drug related motor vehicle actions. Question 18v asks about a history of “arrests or convictions involving driving while intoxicated by, while impaired by, or while under the influence of alcohol or a drug.” This would include arrests or convictions for offenses that were reduced to a lower offense, such as careless driving. This also includes offenses that were expunged by the courts after a certain time period. Pilots who have been ticketed for operating under the influence while driving a golf cart or a boat have also been required to report these offenses. Remember, your signature on the Form authorizes the FAA to search the National Drivers Register.

Do not try to lie or fib or skirt the issue here.... if you are found out... it is major bad voodoo.

If you do have an alcohol offense in your past, it is not a showstopper. But there will be some added steps to demonstrate to the FAA that you are worthy of the certificate in spite of alcohol being a part of your past life.

Moving on, look at page 28 of 36 and Question 19, which asks questions about medical professionals. If all of your past doctor visits have been routine things with no major medical issues. Then the FAA will say all is good, thanks for telling us about the visits. But if there were visits for particular medical things, then additional explanations about the reason for the visit, and the doctor's findings will be needed.
_______________________________________

I hope this helps. Do continue to ask questions as you think of them.
 
Checkout Thrust Flight in Addison TX. If I were to do it over I would just go there. Do it in 10-14 day stretches between deployments. Best to immerse yourself if you want to do this quickly. I've dealt with alot of different flight schools in the last year, and finding a place that's motivated to get you done and has the capacity is rare.
 
Checkout Thrust Flight in Addison TX. If I were to do it over I would just go there. Do it in 10-14 day stretches between deployments. Best to immerse yourself if you want to do this quickly. I've dealt with alot of different flight schools in the last year, and finding a place that's motivated to get you done and has the capacity is rare.
Have you had training from there?
 
Have you had training from there?

Personally no, but I know a few who have and they have had a good experience. I almost went there for my last 5 hours to finish up and do my checkride and they were very helpful, professional and quick.
 
Bad reviews from schools could just be bitter students. Ppl will ***** about bad stuff and be silent about good stuff all day. Think restaurant reviews. I’d be worth a trip to check out the schools themselves, talk to a student or a few or an instructor or two. See what the planes look like.
 
@MikeyC427 - don't let the medical stuff scare...well let it scare you a bit...just realize its the first potential hurdle and tripping over it can literally set you back $$$$ and time. But for most people its about $170, 30 minutes, a form or two and you're done.

Regarding college: My wife flew for the airlines. She also has a college degree. The degree is what has given her the home life, etc. She could get back into flying and work up the ladder now if she wanted but with kids, not her preference anymore. Now, without the degree...I wouldn't have married her ;) Okay, kidding. But when aviation is no longer available to you (medical, alcohol, etc) you need something to fall back on.

You are young. You should have the new GI bill. As long as you are comfortable going to college, use the GI bill towards a quality education. That should land you a good job. Then in your early 30's, if you don't have college debt, start knocking out your advanced stuff (Commerical, Multi-Engine, etc).

In the meantime if you can afford to get your Private Pilot License and maybe your Instrument Rating do that so you can enjoy flying now. Maybe you could use your GI bill towards some of this as well.

You aviation careers look so darn good right now. I wonder if I am the only thinking its just too good to be true for that much longer. Just one more major disruption to these highly optimized airlines (think 9/11) and the ramifications can last years. My wife bailed awhile after 9/11. It took many of her friends years to move up. But she jumped right back to her office job which paid 3x more!
 
If he is still teaching, John Bowen is one of the best flight instructors out there. He has several planes and a hanger out at the airport and is a top notch Naval Aviator.

If I were you, I’d swing by the FBO and see if they can get you in touch with him. Really great guy.


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I guess an airport would help- Dowtown Island Airport


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I've done a few hours with Thrust Flight in Addison TX. in a DA 40 when I was shopping around for instrument training in May. Seemed like a professional organization and they had good quality and well maintained aircraft. At the moment they are on my short list for my instrument training.
 
I've done a few hours with Thrust Flight in Addison TX. in a DA 40 when I was shopping around for instrument training in May. Seemed like a professional organization and they had good quality and well maintained aircraft. At the moment they are on my short list for my instrument training.
If you want a really good independent instructor in the N. Dallas area, let me know. I recently did some training with him and enjoyed his style and thoroughness.
 
@AggieMike88 actually I would like that name as I will be based initially in FT Worth and want to start my instrument in Dec/Jan, so feel free to message me.
 
@AggieMike88 actually I would like that name as I will be based initially in FT Worth and want to start my instrument in Dec/Jan, so feel free to message me.
Send an email to mike dot farlow88 at gmail and I'll share the info about Paul and some others who habituate the west side...

And I have plans on finishing my CFI and Double I by end of first quarter... happy to be a safety pilot for ya too
 
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