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About Dottie Norkus
Expertise
I can address questions concerning: airline pilot employment & entry level airline careers in the Unites States, women pilots, flight training, pilot certification, non-university flight scholarships (mostly for women), aviation & airline safety topics, aviation accident investigation, air carrier accidents and airline operations. Please note, I CANNOT address flight training or career queries from outside the United States. If you are not in the USA, please direct your question to the message boards at www.PPRUNE.org as you can surely find an answer there. For those in India try http://www.indianpilots.com Also, I cannot address questions about aero engineering degree programs/careers or aviation management careers.

Experience
U.S. Regional airline pilot with 15 years previous experience in airline ground operations. I have previously flown as a commercial skydive pilot and ferry pilot.

Organizations
I am a charter member of Women In Aviation International as well as the International Organization of Women Pilots: the Ninety Nines. I keep a database of flight scholarships for women (mostly in the Southwestern USA) and mentor student pilots.

Education/Credentials
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University certificate in Aviation Safety/Accident investigation.
A.S. in Aerospace Science.

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Careers: Flying & Aviation - Aspiring Pilot needs guidance

Expert: Dottie Norkus - 10/26/2009

Question
First off all,

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME! I can't tell you how much I appreciate any and all input I can get to help with one of the biggest decisions for my future.

I am currently 21, male, and as you guess -an aspiring pilot. I am currently enrolled in a state college (first year) to get pre-reqs out of the way, and then onto university.

My first majour dilemma is that I can't decide between helicopter and aeroplane. Both really interest me, and while I know all the pros do you know where I can look to find out ALL the information on what the respective pilots like and dislike about their jobs?

One of my MAIN concerns is HOW to get to my dream job. I don't have the money for flight training, so I really only have two options:

a) Take out a loan (if possible) and
b) Join the service

Can you give me any insight on ways to pay besides this? (scholarships, grants?)

If I take out a loan and complete flight school, I am scared to DEATH of graduating with $40-$60k in debt and no airline will hire me.

Can you please give me some insight into the possible job market and anything pertaining to this?

The other option I may have is enlisting (ROTC perhaps) and becoming a pilot through the AirForce/Navy.

Unfortunately, I don't know what my odds are of becoming a pilot, I have NO idea what the job(s) is/are like, and the commitment term is 10 years.

Can you by any chance give me some advice on this?

I like the civilian route because I feel I can begin flying much sooner, and do what I like -flying people around, giving tours, etc

With that said, the Military is intriguing as well -(IF i can selected) serving my country, flying some of the most advanced planes/helis on the planet, flying experience like none other, good pay, no loans, paid rent, etc

If you've read this far, I think it is all too clear that I am a 21 yr old CONFUSED AS HELL college student. It is so frustrating and nerve-racking I can't begin to tell you.

Can you give me any advice, tips, or otherwise on any of this?

Again I really appreciate your time and any knowledge you share with me. I can't await the day I am in my dream job, happy, and enjoying life -however I get there.

ps I am from Austria and, if possible, would love to return to Europe (somewhere) to fly. Are there any good routes / possibilites for this?

Answer
Stephen

* My first major dilemma is that I can't decide between helicopter and aeroplane. Both really interest me, and while I know all the pros do you know where I can look to find out ALL the information on what the respective pilots like and dislike about their jobs?

You can get such info via these pilot message boards:

http://forums.flightinfo.com
http://forums.jetcareers.com/
http://www.pprune.org
http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/helicopterforum/index.php

These forums are a wealth of information and will take hours if not days to sift through. You will find more than you imagined for sure.

Your choice will depend heavily on the kind of lifestyle you want to have. Depending on the job, it can be a very drastic difference. Fixed wing airline you may be on the road and away from home a considerable amount of time. Corporate, maybe or maybe not. Flying rotorcraft you could be home every night as their flights are much, much shorter. There is also a consideration for training costs as helos are much more expensive than fixed wing. Of course, as you mentioned there are no job guarantees unless you are in the military but even then, there are those who make into military pilot training but do not make it out.

* One of my MAIN concerns is HOW to get to my dream job. I don't have the money for flight training, so I really only have two options: a) Take out a loan (if possible) and
b) Join the service...the Military is intriguing as well -(IF I am selected) serving my country, flying some of the most advanced planes/helis on the planet, flying experience like none other, good pay, no loans, paid rent, etc

You are correct. Those are the options if you lack other funding, unless you are willing to wait until later on your career and save up for training while working a job that could provide you a back up career. (You always ought to consider the options in case you cannot obtain an aviation medical or lose one down the road and cannot fly for hire as a pilot). Just like being a doctor or a lawyer, being a pilot requires a huge financial investment and one must be willing to sacrifice somehow to make that happen. If you do not have the funds to pay for training, or don't want to, than true- the military is an option. However you must remember that the military isn't there to solely there pay for your flight training. You will be a flying soldier and you must be willing to serve your country above being a pilot. You could very well get 'free' training and learn to fly helos but you could also be killed in the line of duty. You are correct in that the selection process is very hard, with a high wash out rate. There are also fewer military pilot positions available than in years past making the competition even stiffer for those slots available.

A place you might visit for more info on that would be- http://forums.military.com/

*If I take out a loan and complete flight school, I am scared to DEATH of graduating with $40-$60k in debt and no airline will hire me.

This exact situation has happened to too many young pilots in the last few years. There are a great number of pilots who attended Embry-Riddle, U. of North Dakota or other big name university of flight academy programs and have close to $100K in debt. They are not able to get a job right now but have student loans rivaling a mortgage. It was a case of bad timing. Always take what a school tells you with a grain of salt: students are their livelihood and they need to get you (and your loan money) in their doors to stay in business.

*Can you give me any insight on ways to pay besides this? (scholarships, grants?)
Scholarships are very limited. They are usually provided via specific schools/universities, ethnic groups, unions or region specific organizations to benefit a demographic of their choice. However, even if you were to get one, they do not often exceed a few thousand dollars. This is a literal drop in the bucket when flight training costs often exceed $60,000-80,000.

*Can you please give me some insight into the possible job market and anything pertaining to this?

I wish that were possible! You and several thousand furloughed pilots would desperately like to know the answer. Even if the industry recovers, all those pilots who were laid off must be recalled to work before any hiring beings. The industry is experiencing a historic downturn right now. Many say it is far worse than post 9/11 and hiring isn't going to happen until the economy starts to rebound. Many airlines are continuing to announce service cuts.

Adding to this equation is the recent passage of H.R. 3371, The Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009. This effectively makes it a requirement to have an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate to be hired by an airline in three years. That means you will need 1,500 hours minimum of flight experience compared to 700-1,000 that was common. It came about as a result of the Colgan crash in Buffalo last February, when a huge focus was placed on the flight crews experience level. While many schools are once again warning of a "pilot shortage" looming due to the ATP requirement becoming effective, it remains to be seen just how dire of a shortage there will be when the airlines resume hiring. Even during past periods of such "shortages", if there is no shortage of qualified aviators to fill the positions than there may be little room for those who simply meet the minimum requirements- even if they are three times what they were just a few months ago. Of course some say any historic downturn is followed by an equally big upturn. Your only choice, if you really are following your dreams, is to take that leap- but have a back up plan- and hope you land on your feet. The road may not be easy or smooth, but ask yourself this: If you don't do it, will you be 10-15 years older still wishing you had? It's a risk either way, but attempt to make it as manageable as you can while following your hearts true desire.

Check out this article by AA pilot and internet blogger Kent Wein for his take-

Plane Answers: Is there a pilot shortage coming?
http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/19/plane-answers-is-there-a-pilot-shortage-coming...

I knew what I wanted and didn't have the money either. My answer was to work another job for 12 years and I ended up becoming a midlife career changer. It worked out as I saved tens of thousands of dollars and started my new career with no real debt. However, taking the scenic route to my career also cost me in terms of seniority (tenure) and pay. It is at the end of ones career they make top dollar, and now those years for me will be less since I started later. Another thing to consider if you decide to wait.

Regarding flying in Austria/Europe, the PPRUNE link at top will be your insight into that as it is largely a European flying careers forum. To fly as an EU pilot you will need JAA pilot certification, so you'd have to convert any FAA pilot certificates.

Hope this can get you started on your search. If you need something more specific on a certain point, let me know.

Good Luck!

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