Moving to Los Angeles to become a pilot. (Lancaster: apartment, rent)

[blm650]

This is a serious post. I have this extremely strong desire to move to LA, though I don't want to fail and end up homeless. What are some jobs that will allow me the time to take flying lessons? There's server and bussing jobs. Uber/Lyft, retail. Something not too demanding. My desire to move here is almost burning, but I'm scared of not having a job lined up, as LA is very competive and expensive. Should I try lining up a job here from NJ?

[Dunbar42]

How are you going to pay for the flying lessons and afford to live in LA with those sorts of jobs?

[theraven24]

One doesn't have to move to Los Angeles to become a pilot. This "burning desire" you speak of... Where is it coming from? Have you ever visited Los Angeles for a long period of time?

You will not survive in L.A. with those jobs you mentioned. You need to stay in New Jersey and save your money, and YES, have a job lined up.

[PDF]

You need a career. Those jobs you speak of will barely allow you to get by. Forget flying lessons or moving to LA.

[NickofDiamonds]

Why not join the Air Force and let them help you become a pilot ?

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Wow, so you want to learn to fly. Why? What are you trying to accomplish? What type of rating do you want to get?

I like to fly myself. We are looking into getting another airplane soon. We ended up selling off our last airplane. That is the choice that we made to continue living here in sunny California.

Lets look at the cost involved. From start to finish figure on about $10,000 or so as a rough estimate.

https://www.quora.com/Pilot-School/W...o-learn-to-fly
Claims about $100 an hour but the story is a few years old. Also realize that fuel cost is higher in California than anywhere else in the lower 48 states.

https://www.quora.com/Where-is-the-b...o-learn-to-fly
(You may want to move to Florida instead of California)

Five Ways to Learn to Fly | Flying Magazine

http://www.sunstateaviation.com/private-pilot-training/

You can find some good older airplanes to fly around in. It all depends on what you want in an aircraft and what you want to do with it. I have seen older Cessna 152 for under $20,000. Realize that owning an airplane is not cheap. Depending on the airplane you can spend as low as $100 an hour and up to operate the plane. You will have fixed cost and you will have replacement costs, costs to keep the aircraft airworthy. Those fixed cost mean that the cost to fly per hour goes up if you fly less time.


Flying is expensive, but does it have to be?

On top of all that living in the LA metro area is not cheap, especially if you are just getting to the party. I grew up in Ventura County, a very costly place to live. This is what I know. It is where I have spent my life to date. I love it here. We have three area GA airports. The Pacific is just to the west of us. I see the ocean and the Channel Islands every day. We spend a lot of time on the water. This is our life.

To maintain the simplest lifestyles in the area with a large family my wife and I make six figures. It can take $80,000 to get the same life someone might enjoy in other parts of the USA for much cheaper. Figure on spending $1,200 easy for a small apartment. Figure on paying over $3 a gallon for gas. If you live inland where it is cheaper figure on needing AC. Many places on the coast do not have AC because the temperature averages into the 70's all year. Our electric and heating cost in our 4 bedroom home is less than $100 a month.

If I was planning on learning to fly I would look to maybe Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, Texas as suitable places to learn. I would look for a 8 to 10 member flying club attached to an FBO where you can buy into a small trainer. I would rent a room or the cheapest place I could find. Make sure that I was debt free, then spend my free time at the FBO learning all I could. If you want to live in California then in the LA area I would look Barnes Aviation in the Lancaster area. Cheaper to live and possible aviation employers.

[BuildingsR'Us]

I like how everyone's discouraging him to make this move. Like don't worry, he won't make a difference in traffic! (your commute).

[theraven24]

Originally Posted by BuildingsR'Us

I like how everyone's discouraging him to make this move. Like don't worry, he won't make a difference in traffic! (your commute).

[Taiko]

Originally Posted by NickofDiamonds

Why not join the Air Force and let them help you become a pilot ?

We are generations past a time when US military pilots could be expected to be lost and there was any problem recruiting them. There will be no Richard Gere's Mayo characters actually crying that he has no where else to go needed. With predictions that the last fighter pilot has already been born for someone to make the decision to try to be a military pilot will begin at 17 years of age and will have a cut rate like those wanting medical school.

[Dunbar42]

Training to become a professional pilot costs probably $30-40k (if not more these days.) I'm a licensed pilot myself and know how expensive it is to learn to fly. So that's why I asked the OP how they plan to pay for that, plus afford to live in LA.

I believe the military wants a 10 year commitment for pilots. The clock doesn't start until after you complete basic training.