Son wants to be a professional pilot

When it comes to hiring pilots, flying experience should trump educational background, if the employer is smart, IMO. Plenty of educated folks manage to make bad flying decisions after they get their ratings before they get enough experience. I've been taught ground school courses and sim sessions by medically disqualified pilots who didn't have any degree at all after high school and some were darn good. They would also be highly qualified to be aircraft dispatchers, salesmen and even entry-level aircraft mechanics. Not to mention flight service personnel, air traffic controllers and parts sellers. All these without leaving aviation while broadening their aviation background. That doesn't mean more education is undesirable, but I'd go for flying experience first.
 
dtuuri said:
When it comes to hiring pilots, flying experience should trump educational background, if the employer is smart, IMO.
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Experience does trump educational background in lots flying jobs. I would dare say most in fact. A 25 year old kid with a degree and no hours is not likely to get hired to go fly transport category aircraft. Experience is required for those jobs just as it is with almost all flying jobs that aren't flying banners or jumpers or students. But sit two pilots down who both have 2500 hours of turbine multi in their books but one has a degree and the other does not, well its pretty easy to predict how that hiring decision is going to go.
 
Juliet Hotel said:
Experience does trump educational background in lots flying jobs. I would dare say most in fact. A 25 year old kid with a degree and no hours is not likely to get hired to go fly transport category aircraft. Experience is required for those jobs just as it is with almost all flying jobs that aren't flying banners or jumpers or students. But sit two pilots down who both have 2500 hours of turbine multi in their books but one has a degree and the other does not, well its pretty easy to predict how that hiring decision is going to go.
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Yes. Get the degree! You CAN get hired without one but you better have a very impressive resume. There are very qualified check airman, Chief pilots, etc that still can’t get hired WITH a degree. Imagine if they didn’t have the degree.
 
Sinistar said:
Maybe other good advice is to be a electrician or plumber. It takes less time/money to get through the trade school. WE WILL ALWAYS NEED those jobs. And they are jobs a pilot can do part time when not flying. My CFII hangs sheetrock when he's not flying.
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That's the best advice so far.
 
jordane93 said:
Yes. Get the degree! You CAN get hired without one but you better have a very impressive resume. There are very qualified check airman, Chief pilots, etc that still can’t get hired WITH a degree. Imagine if they didn’t have the degree.
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but i thought there was a pilot shortage?!?!!!!
 
I got my commercial 30 years ago. Did not want to go airline. Went Corporate Route. Loved it. Went to some very cool places and met some very famous people. Flew some really fine aircraft. Down side! You are never home. Young and free, it’s a great way to build turbine time. Then when you settle down, go to the airlines. There are many different types of professional pilots.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Bellanca_Pilot said:
I got my commercial 30 years ago. Did not want to go airline.
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How dare you offend the A-word gods?!
aMOCWO0.gif

:D
 
Correct me if I am wrong but the difference here in our Aviation college which is part 141 is that you need 1000 hrs vs the 1500 hrs the FAA mandates to be considered for airline hiring.
Even though a four year degree will cost plenty it final cost will be offset somewhat for 500 hrs of less training required which it is also a considerable investment.
 
Fabio said:
Correct me if I am wrong but the difference here in our Aviation college which is part 141 is that you need 1000 hrs vs the 1500 hrs the FAA mandates to be considered for airline hiring.
Even though a four year degree will cost plenty it final cost will be offset somewhat for 500 hrs of less training required which it is also a considerable investment.
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I dont think anyone going airline as a initial goal pays for much of their time after 250 hours or so. That 500 hour delta is just time spent not money spent.
 
As a faculty instructor for a major metroplex college professional commercial pilot trading program I think I can sum up my advise fairly succinctly. Most kids these days come from high school with a lazy study ethic. Many enter a college program thinking that it will be just like the fifth year of high school, easy.

Most reputable collegiate 141 programs will be intense, inflexible, intolerant of laziness, merciless in their grading, and only concerned with their responsibility to the flying public and their reputation of producing a quality pilot product.

This is usually a culture shock to most younger kids in the program and many are simply not prepared for that shock and necessary change of lifestyle and work and study ethic. Many simply do not have the maturity to do what is necessary to absorb, learn and most importantly retain the vast amount of knowledge required to become a CFIi, MEI, ATP.

Any kid wanting to do this work needs to sell their TV, uninstall Facebook and Twitter, give up dating, and lock themselves in their rooms with their books when they get home from classes each day. Most say they think being and airline pilot would be cool but they usually have no idea how uncool the workload is necessary to achieve it.

But for those who can stay the very tough course the reward is great and “cool”!

So before investing a big chunk of $100,000 in training make sure he knows what he’s in for.

tex
 
Creekrat said:
So my 17 year old high school senior has decided he wants to become a professional pilot.
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So...... What does that mean? What 'exactly' does he want to do? Saying he wants to be a professional pilot is like saying he want's to be professional athlete. Does he even know half of the professional pilot possibilities out there? And if he does, what exactly is it about that 'one' that makes him think that's what he want's to do for a career? Is he being realistic? Does he know the downside of choosing that type of flying?

I'm not trying to burst his bubble or discourage him, flying for a living is great. I would just be asking these questions of anyone who told me they want to be a pilot.

Once you know the type of flying you want to do, then you know how to tailor your training. This by no means prevents him from changing his aviation path in the future, but it does help him to get the best training, in the fastest way possible, to achieve his goals.

Good luck kid, wishing you the best,
PJ
 
retpd2001 said:
I disagree, I am a retired pilot and my son is now a professional pilot. As soon as these young people get the time required for the airlines they are scooped up, degree or no degree.
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You are correct, there are many, many flying jobs out there that will take you without a degree, but there are just as many, and often some of the coolest jobs, that wont touch you without a degree.

PJ
 
OneCharlieTango said:
I can see that it might work for engineering. But I still think someone who’d never worked in engineering and hadn’t spoken to an engineer since graduation would have a hard time getting a job with his 10-year-old degree. Add to that the fact that an economy that’s laying off pilots is likely laying off engineers, and I’m not convinced an engineering degree is the best bet.

Honestly, I think the best bet for a furloughed pilot is sales. If he’s lucky, he can get into life insurance or stocks. If he’s REALLY lucky, he can sell to liquor stores. But if not, everything has to be sold somehow. Lots of sales jobs require a degree, but most don’t care what it’s in. Which, when you think about it, is pretty ridiculous.
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Many "engineering" jobs don't directly involve engineering, at least at a particular large midwest jet engine company.
I'm a former DoD coder, and there's approximately a zero chance I'd do any coding other than for pleasure.
 
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