Expert: D. Norkus - 12/12/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hey, im almost 16, soloing in 5 days on my bday, and i want more than anything to be an airline pilot.  Do you know what would be the best way to go about going through all the steps (Money is somewhat of an issue), thanks

ANSWER: Dave

There are civilian 3 ways you can go to reach your goal:
An aviation university
An airline affiliated academy
A local flight school or flying club

The most expensive route would be an aviation university (at $60,000-100,000). If you have some certificates and ratings when you are ready for college, the latter two options will work and be more affordable. Additionally, if you attend a 2 year college with an aviation program, you can get credits for your FAA certificates and ratings as electives, even if you get your associates degree in another subject.

An aviation affiliated academy could also be an option- even if you train via a school or club up through your commercial certificate at age 18 while still in high school. Grads get offered regional airline interviews at reduced flight time requirements because of their airline oriented flight training. The cost is mid-range- $40,000-60,000 for ALL ratings but can be cheaper if you have experience already. For example, the Mesa Pilot Development program accepts pilots who already have their commercial pilot certificate into a special program that offers "PACE" program graduates an interview with Mesa Airlines at a reduced cost compared to those who use MRD for all their flight training. (A friend of mine did it for about $16,000 a few years ago.) The same is true of Air Transport Professionals or ATP flight school and their pro pilot programs. I know 2 grads that went from zero flight time to airline first officer in 14 months for a cost of $40,000 in student loans. There are several other academies you could use as well. Such programs are really a fast entry into the career and for good (or bad) they are changing the way the regional airlines recruit pilots, especially with the shortage of higher time aviators available to the regionals these days.

Going via a local flying club may be one of the cheaper ways to go but may not be the fastest as you will need more flight experience to get hired. (On average 500 hours instead of 200-300 with an academy guaranteed interview.) You will probably get your training for the least cost this route ($20,000 or so) but afterwards you will need to get some time building jobs to get to the 500 hour mark where you can be hired. (There are two airlines, Piedmont & PSA) currently hiring with an incredibly low flight time requirement of 250TT and NO academy affiliation!)


Regarding the money issue:
The least expensive way to do your flight training is in the MOST CONDENSED AMOUNT OF TIME.

Seeing as you are still 15 and about to solo in 5 days and can't get your PPL for another year, I'd venture to say you will spend quite a bit on your Private as you will complete it over the course of 1.5 to 2 years if you take the checkride on your 17th B-day.

Starting so early with limited funding for training is a mistake for the career minded, IMO. I advise those on a budget to get the PPL in the minimum of 40 hours over a few weeks right when you turn 17. Stretching out lessons over many, many months or even years only serves to make flight training for each certificate more expensive. For many, this vcan double or triple the cost of the Private! Doing your training in the shortest amount of time saves money. Sure you get to log flight hours, but I think that the money you save is money better spent later on flying something more valuable, like multi & high performance flight time to make you more competitive for a job, instead of repeated flight lessons stretched out over long periods of time. I know a gal who spent a whooping $17,000 over a year + on her PPL ($130/hr for aircraft plus $40/hr for CFI) getting jerked around at American Flyers (that office is now closed). A total waste! That figure could have easily gotten her through her PPL, inst, Comm, ME & maybe CFI certs. If money is an issue for you, I suggest developing a financial plan if you intend to keep training while in high school. That may involve putting training on hold, joining the Civil Air Patrol or Aviation Explorer Scouts, or finding a cheaper option for flight training in your area.

Here is an article on the subject:
http://www.flightlevel350.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=11588&st=0&p=121646&#ent

As far as which option will suit you, that depends on your ability to pay for or get financing for your flight training and what one suits your needs (professionally, financially, and even from a family or living situation perspective).

I suggest a visit to these links to help determine which route will suit your needs best:

http://www.pilotcareer.info
http://www.jetcareers.com
http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com

Hope this can help,

Dottie





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey, thanks for that, it was very helpful.  I do have one more question though.  I am soloing with only 14 hours under my belt and it has been rather spread out.  Would you recommend that i go ahead and get my PPL, then slow down and raise some money?

Answer
Dave,

I think it would be a great thing for you to get to your solo. However, if you really are tight on the funds it might be better to wait until you are almost 17 train in earnest. Think of it this way: assuming you solo at 15 hours, that leaves 25 hours left until you can take the PPL checkride. It also leaves a whole year for your skills to deteriorate or another year of paying for repeated lessons depending on how you look at it. I figure at $80/hr for aircraft rental, that will cost you $2,000 for the plane alone and no extra flight instruction. I don't know what kind of pilot you are, so maybe flying 2 hours a month for the next year will keep you from getting too rusty or even if you quit for a while you may pick it up again pretty easily. If you can afford 2 or more hours a month, then great. If not, perhaps you should talk with your CFI and parents about a financial flight training plan that will best meet your goal (17th birthday checkride I assume?) and save you some cash. Often, if you buy a block of time like 10 or 20 hours, you get a reduced rate as well. Use this link to help with that-
http://www.firstflight.com/features/costCalculator.htm
Since you can't get certificated until 17, it would be wise to study hard and work to save up money so you can knock your PPL out in a matter of weeks as a B-day present to yourself.

During the times you aren't paying for a lesson or can't fly, I suggest flying along with other pilots whenever possible to help keep up to speed. Also, while it's not a great tool for VFR practice, MS Flight Sim can be a cheap way to practice procedures and 'flows' for takeoff and landing to help keep you sharp. It's much better than nothing.

Blue skies!