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I fly a but for me it is just fun. Years ago my flight instructor taught to get his hours up. He eventually moved to the bahamas to fly communter planes. What a life. That is kind of how you go about it. There are some great schools also that you can find online.
Are you a private pilot yet? You will want to get your pilot license first. Usually takes about 40 hours of instruction. Then you will need to advance your ratings. Instrument rating, multi engine rating.
Most of the big jet pilots started out that way or were pilots in the Navy or Air Force. Also most people end up flying commuter planes before moving to jets.
To fly for hire, you'll at least need a commercial rating. That means also having your private, instrument, and multi-engine rating (if you want to fly multi-engine aircraft). For all those, you'll have somewhere in the realm of a couple hundred hours. This can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Try searching on some job sites for flying jobs, and looking at their requirements to get an idea of what you may want to do. Flying corporate business jets in an option, or in some areas there is a big demand for private flights in small planes (think vacation or rural areas). Working reporting traffic, inspecting pipelines, and firefighting are some other things that pop into my mind.
But, if you want to fly corporate I hear it depends a lot of who you know. Also, most of those companies or organizations will want you to have as many hours as a commuter airline (800+) or even more. To build hours like that you either need to have a lot of money, or become a flight instructor (they have ratings for that too) where you get paid a small amount of money, but get to log hours when teaching students in the aircraft.
Let me know if you have additional question--I know a lot of pilots!
Suggestion: At least get your flight physical to make sure you would be eligible to fly, and log a few hours, before you even consider flying for a career. You may discover quickly it's not for you (many people take a long time to get over getting sick in small planes), or you like it so much you want to speed up your training. Research local flight schools, as quality varies greatly. If you can ask some local flight students you'd be better off than just walking into an FBO (fixed base operator) and taking everything they say as the truth. Many will state it will cost X dollars to get your private, but many people take longer than what the school may state, and thus it takes more hours.
If you get serious about training, you'll want to fly multiple days a week to maintain progress. Ideally, you'd want to fly almost every day.
I got my license very young, but one thing I saw. Buy the plane, then hire an instructor to teach you to fly it. Most people do it backwards, hire an instructor and a plane for $50+ per hour, get license, and then buy a plane. You'll save the $50+ hr. rent if you own the plane. But, getting back to your job. Find what flight job you want, then work toward it (multi-engine, helicopter...). Don't just get a license and then hope to find a job. Find what you want to do, then get the appropriate license for that. Enjoy! Flying is fun. Additionally, keep your record and body squeeky clean. Commercial pilots are the cream of the crop. One strike and it your application goes to the bottom of the pile.
Last edited by ESFP; 02-20-2008 at 08:27 PM..
Reason: addition
Once you complete training, what type of job can you get to build hours towards a career?
Is it possible to -not- fly big jet airliners, but rather smaller planes? Like corporate size, smaller jets?
Mainly, dedication. It is an extremely demanding career in terms of personal sacrifices you must make if you want to be successful at it. If you don't get trained via the military, it will cost you many tens of thousands of dollars in todays training environment to get all of your certifications. Most people go this route (the civilian route). You'll start with your private pilot license, then move on to your instrument rating, then your commercial cert, then usually multi engine ratings. From there, most people will become flight instructors to build time, teaching others to fly. You will be in huge amounts of debt (if your daddy isn't rich!) and making pennies as a flight instructor. After building your time doing that for a year to several years, you are qualified for charter pilots, cargo pilot, some corporate and some regional airline pilot positions.
Chances are you will have to move, a lot. You will get paid peanuts for years and years. You will be gone from home a lot (90 hours a week is the norm). Being a professional pilot is a very unsecure position. Your job is very sensitive to economic forces. So if there are mergers, recessions, fuel costs get high, terrorist attacks, etc, you may lose your job without any warning. It's a highly responsible position, and due to that you are subject to constant scrutinization from all angles: Your employer in the form of "Proficiency Checks" in the simulator every 6 months. Mess up, you may lose your job (and your career). Every 6 months you need an aeromedical exam. They are quite strict. Fail one and you are out of a career. The FAA will randomly line check you, ie go along on a flight and observe you from the jumpseat in the cockpit. Mess up, not only may you be fired, you may be fined and get your certs revoked. The passengers will constantly be making comments to you, without any idea of how the system works.
Eventually, you can make ok money. The days of rich airline pilots working 1 trip a month are forever gone. This is a very, very demanding field that destroys many peoples marraiges and finances. Whenever you change a company, you don't build upon your last wage based on experience, like many other professions. You start all over, at the bottom of the pay scale, at the bottom of the seniority list. Did I mention that even at major airlines, ie Continental, United, etc, you won't make more than 25k you first year? And it takes years at the regional airlines to even qualify for that position. At the regional, you'll make 20k or so your first year, 30K or so after that until you make captain. Then you can make 60K if you bust your butt. Keep in mind, you will be gone a minimum of 4 to 6 days a week to make this.
I could go on and on and on about the ins and out's of this field... You asked about corporate. There are some good options on that side of it. A few. NetJets is one. They let you live anywhere, provide free healthcare, and actually pay quite well. But they only take the best of the best from already experienced pilots who have endured the trenches of the airlines or crappy corporate flight depts for years.
In summary, after having been flying professionally for more that a decade, I would not do it again. It's not worth it. It's very hard on my marriage. All my peers who work 'normal' jobs make more than me and are home every night. They have more stability. They don't have to move nearly as much as I have. Flying is fun, but after just a few months, it becomes like any other job, and becomes very routine and monotonous. I don't mean to sound like a downer about your dreams, but you need to know what you may be getting into. I highly suggest you post on Flightinfo.com Hangar - Powered by vBulletin or Airline Pilot Central Forums if you want more information. They can be informative and there will be many who can help you out not matter what you chose. Good luck!
If i were to put myself through a commerical pilot school, what can i except after graduating? I read it's best to look for a spot as a flight trainer. Will I be able to land that position right after finishing training or will I be out of luck struggling to find work?
If i were to put myself through a commerical pilot school, what can i except after graduating? I read it's best to look for a spot as a flight trainer. Will I be able to land that position right after finishing training or will I be out of luck struggling to find work?
My ex father in law became a pilot in the military and then flew for TWA. My ex husband went to FIT and then worked his way up, small commuters, bigger planes, cargo, then finally a major airline. He was always able to have his airline or company pay for his type ratings.
You will most likely not have any trouble finding a position with a small commuter upon completion of your training. Make friends with lots of folks in the business. A lot of it is like any other position; who you know, your attitude, where you received your training, perseverance and luck. All the best.
If i were to put myself through a commerical pilot school, what can i except after graduating? I read it's best to look for a spot as a flight trainer. Will I be able to land that position right after finishing training or will I be out of luck struggling to find work?
You should be able to find an instructing position quickly after training. There is a shortage of them right now (not many people entering the field anymore). However...this may not last. Lots of guys have lost their jobs recently and many are going back to instructing. Also, I don't know your personal finances, but if you are doing it yourself, you will have a difficult time paying your training off. Very difficult! Most instructors make less than 15K/year with no benefits. There are a few schools who pay better than this, but they are exceptions to the rule.
I'm sure you already are, but if not, pay attention to what is going on in the airline industry right now. Lots and lots of people either being furloughed or losing their jobs altogether. In my post above I said one bad thing is how ultra-sensitive the industry is to economic downturns. Since I've posted that, several thousand airline pilots in the U.S. have lost their job. I myself will be out of one by the end of the year, along with 700 of my pilot coworkers. This will be my second furlough in 7 years, and I will once again have to start over, making less than 20K, after which it will take years to slowly climb the seniority ladder once more. There are no lateral moves in this industry, so a job loss is much more devastating than in most industries. Really think long and hard about investing the tons of money it will take to do this job. It may literally take you lifetime to see any return on that investment. With oil prices rocketing like they are, and with many 'experts' predicting $200/barrel oil within a couple years, I cannot in good conscience recommend this field. Many of us are planning on leaving this field for good.
I don't mean to be a downer, but I wish I knew then what I knew now - that is when I decided to fly for a career. It can be fun, yes, but fun doesn't pay the bills, and instability is the name of the game. Airlines are paying, adjusted for inflation, ever dropping wages to pilots, and are cutting benefits all the while working us longer and keeping us away from home longer. Flying for fun is, well, fun. Flying for a career for the most part is not. There are a exceptions to this, ie the folks who make it to UPS/FEDEX. Those are among the best positions, but keep in mind it is extremely difficult to get hired by them. The industry used to be good, but times have changed and it has devastated a once good career option, and it's just another corporate drone type job. If you can, please talk to pilots currently in the industry and pick their brains. I don't mean instructors, I mean airline pilots who are past the starry-eyed phase. Next time you fly, if you see a pilot, ask to talk to him/her. I'm always more than happy to talk to young folks wanting some info.
If i were to put myself through a commerical pilot school, what can i except after graduating? I read it's best to look for a spot as a flight trainer. Will I be able to land that position right after finishing training or will I be out of luck struggling to find work?
Man dude, do what 90% of the commercial pilots do and join the airforce. Let them teach you to fly, do your few years, then sell your skills. Or do 20 years and collect your retirement, and then become a pilot, still relatively young.
But yeah, with the airline industry being what it is, being a pilot now is like driving a bus.
How crucial is a bachelors degree when getting hired?
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