Any pilots here?

[rockryno]

I just got a 911sc in December and joined up! I figured this kind of board with higher end cars is bound to attract some aviation professionals as well. Lets talk flying!

Im a senior at MSU Denver in the Aviation Technology major (meterology minor). I flight train out of Centennial Airport (KAPA) at Executive Flights Inc, under ex Continental Captain Larry Camden. I currently have a private certificate with extensive instrument and commercial training. At 170 hours, I'm just a few hours away from my instrument checkride. Most training done in a Cessna 172s and a 182.

I would like to become a commercial airline pilot and eventually fly for FedEx (my current employer). However, America is making that career choice very difficult. This new 1500 hour rule will basically kill my hopes of ever flying frofessionally. Im barely too old to fly military, and in pretty deep with student loans for my first 170 hours.

So, are there any paid pilots here? Let us know what you do, and how you got there.

[Embraer]

become a controller. and fly for fun! I flew commercially. did the corporate route, then the regional airline route. the age 65 rule soured things for me. i left in 2010 and havent looked back since. i'm now at LA Center and love the job. more satisfying than flying (for hire), insane salary and retirement package.

[romad]

Lots of pilot here...my degree is in flight Technology WMU, Western Michigan U. I got out of
flying taking a temporary engineering job between flying jobs...the money was better and 20 years later..well I never flew again. I'm assuming you are younger early 20's? and single? If you are don't give it up...get your flight instructor and grind it out for a few years at a FBO with 135 ops....then flying any and everything you can get rides in......The next few years there is going to be a huge pilot storage......50% of the current batch are over 45-50 and the military is not turning them out any more.........

There are two kinds of people in this world those that fly and those that wish they could. The rough early years will be your most memorable, crash pads , old equipment, weather, and stews are the thing legends are built around.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Yeah one or two...

CFI/CFII/MEI/former 135 cargo rat (past life). I still enjoy a good trip around the patch on occasion but it's getting too expensive to do on my own dime, sadly.

There are those who fly for a living and those who work for a living.

Lots of guys on here with a lot more experience than me too. A few military/former military, airline, etc.

[rockryno]

A few so far I have a controller buddy who just got a job at Seattle center, said its not as fun as he had imagined!

With this pilot shortage coming up, Im hoping guys like me with some flight experience will become valuable to airlines in the near future. Maybe they can come up with a training program in return for a contract of service with a particula airline.

I hate to admit it, but I dont really enjoy flying little, slow Cessnas around. I flew the 777, A320, and 757 sims at United's training center and fell in love. The faster I can get out of the little stuff the better.

[Josh D]

Originally Posted by rockryno

I just got a 911sc in December and joined up! I figured this kind of board with higher end cars

This made me giggle a little! A 911 SC was a high end car 30 years ago!

I went to school to be an aircraft mechanic and hold an A&P. Sadly, I never persued a career in aviation and still regret it. I make a decent living, but have little job satisfaction.

Enjoy your SC, I sure do mine! Great little cars!

[Neilk]

Originally Posted by rockryno

I would like to become a commercial airline pilot and eventually fly for FedEx (my current employer). However, America is making that career choice very difficult. This new 1500 hour rule will basically kill my hopes of ever flying frofessionally. Im barely too old to fly military, and in pretty deep with student loans for my first 170 hours.

So, are there any paid pilots here? Let us know what you do, and how you got there.

Go to Botswana and fly for a charter outfit.

We were there traveling in 2009 and got a pilot that looked to be barely 21. He told us that he was building hours and having fun in anticipation of one day working for Lufthansa.

[rouxroux]

Originally Posted by rockryno

I would like to become a commercial airline pilot and eventually fly for FedEx (my current employer).

Oh my, is Normy doing the pre-hire casting couch interviews? (sorry, bad post, bad post)

[BE911SC]

It'll all be drones in ten years. Cheaper. I tell anyone who wants to be a pilot to make a $hit-pile of money somewhere and then fly for fun. The "big hiring wave" that's been coming for a decade will be put off yet again by abolishment of the 65 rule. We went 60 to 65 and they all stayed. We'll go to 'holding a Class I medical means you fly until you die' pretty soon. Cheaper. We'll be carrying the old farts off the airplane dead a few years after the 65 rule goes away.

Spoken as a 15,000-hour former military now airline pilot.

A great job that the suits (and even some of our own guys) do everything possible to ruin.

Make your dough elsewhere and play with Porsches.

[KNS]

Originally Posted by BE911SC

It'll all be drones in ten years. Cheaper. I tell anyone who wants to be a pilot to make a $hit-pile of money somewhere and then fly for fun. The "big hiring wave" that's been coming for a decade will be put off yet again by abolishment of the 65 rule. We went 60 to 65 and they all stayed. We'll go to holding a Class I medical means you fly pretty soon. Cheaper. We'll be carrying the old farts off the airplane dead a few years after the 65 rule goes away.

Spoken as a 15,000-hour former military now airline pilot.

A great job that the suits (and even some of our own guys) do everything possible to ruin.

Make your dough and play with Porsches.

I've been a commercial pilot for almost 25 years now and if people ask me I tell them the same thing. Get a well paying job, make good money and fly on the side. My line of work is so heavily regulated that it just isn't fun any more. Yes, it beats a desk job but if I had to do it all over again, I think I'd choose something else.

[romad]

One: airline pilots are still one of the highest paid professions
Two : for the rest of us Flying and Porsche's and or racing are exclusive. Generally you chose one or the other.
Three: Not many of these airline pilots (and I know many)*****ing about the current state of the profession would ever quit.
Four: Its going to be a couple of more generations that would board a aircraft with out a pilot.
Five: Regardless of now ****ty they think its getting, it is still the best job in the world ( for those of us with that inkling) and they know it. I'll change places with you in a heart beat.

[Baz]

Not a pilot but FWIW was at the Spruce Creek Fly-In today to meet a new landscaping client (husband and wife who both fly) and it was pretty cool seeing hangars built into many of the homes there. You see a variety of aircraft - but what was cool was about an hour into my visit....two WW I biplanes flew overhead - one was in German livery the other in British. My client said one of the residents has a tri-plane replica like The Red Baron's and he and the other WW I vintage guys re-enact dogfights.

Anyway - was on my way to the Joke Thread and saw this thread and thought I'd mention my little anecdote.

[BE911SC]

Originally Posted by romad

One: airline pilots are still one of the highest paid professions
Two : for the rest of us Flying and Porsche's and or racing are exclusive. Generally you chose one or the other.
Three: Not many of these airline pilots (and I know many)*****ing about the current state of the profession would ever quit.
Four: Its going to be a couple of more generations that would board a aircraft with out a pilot.
Five: Regardless of now ****ty they think its getting, it is still the best job in the world ( for those of us with that inkling) and they know it. I'll change places with you in a heart beat.

Yeah, I was a tad pessimistic in my first post. It is a great job and the stews are one of the bright points of the day. The camaraderie of a crew is one of my favorite things. 33% pay cut in 2005 was a shock but luckily my wife and I save money and don't live extravagantly. The pay cut came in large part from stupid, arrogant union leadership--part of the way pilots make life harder on themselves than it need be. Oh, and airline pilots don't up and quit because yes, it is a often good job once you get away from all the bulls*it (get up in the air), but also because we have too much invested in the job and narrow skillsets to walk away and do something else. (If I could walk into Goldman-Sachs and start stealing money and getting away with it I would!) Lastly, I tell grumpy captains that there are thousands of guys who would slit our throats in a dark alley to get into our seats and that usually shuts-up old grumpy-ass. Most airline captains are grumpy because they think of themselves as CEOs but know they are actually labor.

So if the OP wants to pursue a career in the airlines then go for it. Aside from the stuff we can all complain about it's a great job. Just don't get the idea that it's like it was 15 years or 30 years ago. Those days are gone. My advice? Save your money. Marry one woman and stay with her. Don't make the "million dollar mistake" and leave your wife for a stew you slept with on a layover. One of those women is going to get all your money so make sure it's worth it.

As for the freight haulers, I hear they are working hard on automating the flight deck. Cargo will fly without pilots up front, people probably won't. Keep that in mind when you apply to FedEx and UPS.

Over and out.

[darrenhall]

Flying is a tough career path my friend. I went to college at UND , studied AV . Finished college with 250 hrs , Multi , INST COM lIC and over $100k in debt. I went back home and got a job flying a 1956 C182 straight tail for a sky diving drop zone. I was paid $4 a load or $1 per skydiver. I did that for 3 years. I then started flying back country charters and scenic flghts in to Glacier National Park in a C206 and C185 in NW Montana. Then I got married and needed to make some money and quit flying. 6 years later an old friend hooked me up with a flying job with OmniFlight Helicopters. It is a Air Ambulance gig. I flew Pilatus PC12's and Super KingAir 200's . Then the hosiptal I was contracted with Omni didnt re-up and I was out of a job again. Now, Ive decided that I will only fly for fun , No more flying for pay. Anyway, most of us that are pilots started flying because we love aviation not because we wanted to make money doing it. Trust me as soon as you start getting paid to fly it is nolonger fun. I promise.

By the way I am also just over the age limit for Military , I wish I would have gone that route. I am 32 now

Cheers,

Darren

[LeeH]

My wife is a captain on a CRJ. After working in a management consulting firm she was bitten by the flying bug. We spent many thousands of dollars on training and then she worked as a flight instructor to build time.

She's coming up on 15 years at the same company. I don't know if the flying is as exciting for her now as it was then, but by the time you have that much time in, the pay and schedules become good enough that it makes doing anything else seem crazy.

[rockryno]

wow, definitely some mixed opinions here! I would love to fly, and I know I would be good at it, if given the opportunity. The government is making it very difficult for that opportunity to become available though. I already have $45k invested in it so far and I would hate to turn my back on it.

Any european pilots here? Ive heard about a multi pilots license in Europe that can get someone in the right seat of commercial with relatively low hours.

[cobra935o]

Not a pliot, but was a mechanic before I became a Flight Engineer, have over 5000 hours on AC-130H, AC-130U, EC-130E, EC-130H, MC-130P, and MC-130H. Loved flying, it was all the other stuff that came along with it that was a pain in the butt sometimes. I never had any desire to become a pilot though, was always content to be an FE.

Love cars even more, and thats why I am on this board, lots of good advice, if I cant figure out something I am sure to find an answer here.

[avi8torny]

Figured I would apply to a Regional Airline after retiring from a government flying job. Republic called me to schedule an interview in January at which time I found out they are paying FO's $23/hour based on a 75hr/mo schedule to start. That would be tough to live on especially since their upgrade time is 6-8 years. How does one do that?

[recycled sixtie]

Yes the instructor idea mentioned above is good. Before you fly the big aircraft you generally have to start small. Air Canada I believe likes to hire those with as many flying hours as possible and science /computer/glass experience. Now when the shortage of pilots occurs commercial operators will hire those with lower hours. Education helps - computer technology, engineering etc. I really believe that if you want something badly enough then you will get it.

I do not know your marital status but if you are single then it is much easier to take the lower wages associated with the entry level jobs. You can relocate more easily.
Good luck. The hiring cycle has its ups and downs. Looks good I think for the next while but the increase in age 65 to retire has flattened hiring a bit but long term it looks good.

[Embraer]

Originally Posted by avi8torny

Figured I would apply to a Regional Airline after retiring from a government flying job. Republic called me to schedule an interview in January at which time I found out they are paying FO's $23/hour based on a 75hr/mo schedule to start. That would be tough to live on especially since their upgrade time is 6-8 years. How does one do that?

I left RAH as the department head of flight training a few years ago. I used to help interview the FO candidates, along with HR and the DO/Chief Pilot. The upgrade times have gone down the toilet. When I was there, it was less then a 1 year upgrade.

Ideally, if one wanted to fly and have a sweet career.....this is how you would do it:

1. Apply to the National Guard at a wing that flys something that you want to fly. Fighters, Tankers, whatever.

2. Go to a four year school and major in engineering, a physical science, or business. Get tuition assistance from the Guard.

2. Get your flying ratings on the side, through Guard flight club.

3. Graduate from university (after an excellent academic performance with a resume full of sports, team, and leadership experience).

4. Apply as a pilot candidate for your Guard Wing.

5. Go through flight training for the Air Force.

6. Once you finish getting signed off on your AC, apply to a regional airline.

7. Get hired by regional, and then immediately go on military leave. Your seniority will accrue, and you won't be stuck making FO wages. Fly or just be a guard bum until your upgrade comes up.

8. Upgrade, and start earning PIC time in multi-engine turbine. Focus on the airline, but continue to build your military experience.

9. Apply to FedEx or UPS. They love military guys with civilian experience.

10. Save lots of money for divorce, furlough, etc.