Expert: David A. NewMyer - 5/15/2010

Question
I'm 23 years old and I want to start a career as a pilot.  I have always loved flying, but I didn't seriously consider it as a career until recently.  I want to transition from my current career path in Physics/Engineering to a career as pilot in order to do work that I love.  I have dual bachelors degrees in Physics and Brain/Cognitive Science from MIT and a Masters in Physics from Princeton, and I'm about to start a Ph.D. program in Electrical Engineering at Stanford.

I've been mainly considering an airline pilot career because of the higher pay and benefits, but I'm open to other pilot career options too.  I don't know much about the other pilot career options available though.  What positions are available, and what are the pay, benefits, and job market like in those career paths?  I really don't want to be deployed to combat, so I'm guessing that eliminates most military tracks.

My main question now is: What is the best way to prepare myself for a career as a pilot?  From what I've heard, the way to maximize my chances of being hired by airlines is to get my training at an aviation academy/university.  Is this true?  Which aviation academies are most highly regarded by airlines and other organizations looking to hire pilots?  I've looked a bit into the Oxford Aviation Academy and Delta Connection Academy so far.  

I'm a US citizen living in the US currently, but I'm willing to go to aviation academies outside the US and also work outside the US after my training is complete.

Also, what scholarships are available for financing pilot training?  I've found a few scholarships in the $1000 range, but that hardly takes a bite out of the $50k or more price tag that most aviation academy programs have.

How do I maximize my chance of being accepted into an aviation academy?  So far my only aviation experience consists of a 1 hour introductory flying lesson in a Cessna 172.  Will doing more flying or even getting a PPL increase my chances of being accepted?

Answer
Hi, Chintan:

Thank you for your question, I will try to assist!

You have quite an outstanding academic background!  Congratulations on your academic work to date.

As far as entering the airline industry as a pilot, you need three basic things:

1.  Certification:  You need to earn your PPL from the Federal Aviation Administration (as you indicated), then, your Commercial Certificate with Instrument and Multi Engine Ratings; then, a Flight Instructor (Airplane Rating at minimum) as one way to continue to build flight time...eventually building to your Air Transport Pilot or ATP Certificate at 1500 hours of total flight time.

2.  Flight experience, measured in flight time, as already implied above, is key to being hired.  However, it is not just about the total hours you build, it is about the quality of those flight hours that interests the airlines.  Three particular things that they look for are: A.  multi engine flight experience (experience flying twin engine aircraft)--this gets you beyond the training stage into a first level job where you will begin to fly turbine aircraft as a first officer or co-pilot.  To get that first level job, you will have to have around 1000 hours of total flight time and approximately 300 hours of multi engine time (unless Congress and/or the FAA change rules for regional airline first officers and make it a higher limit--which they are currently discussing);
B.  multi engine TURBINE or JET flight experience; and,
C.  Pilot in command or Captain time in a multi engine turbine or jet aircraft.....usually earned flying for a regional airline, a corporate flight department, a charter flight company or some other aircraft operator with turbine or jet equipment.

To get hired with a larger airline that pays well these days (Southwest or FEDEX or UPS or American, etc), you will have to have in excess of 3000 hours (and probably way more) of total time and at least 1000 to 1500 hours of Captain time in a turbine aircraft.  That experience will take you 5 to 10 years to earn AFTER you complete all of your ratings as noted in #1 above.

3.  The third thing that you need, you have:  A college education (BS degree or higher).  While some airline employers might want an aviation degree, the key thing is that a college education that includes flight training has been shown to be very helpful in the success of initial new hire pilots; however, an aviation degree is not required at this time.

As far as other professional flying jobs that might be as lucerative as an airline job, you might want to consider flying in the corporate or business aviation arena.  There are a number of such flight departments who pay their senior captains and their chief pilots and directors of aviation as well or better than top-paying airlines.  And, there are literally thousands of corporate turbine aircraft out there flown by thousands of flight departments.  However, their hiring standards are quite high and you can expect to be competitive for the really good corporate or business aviation flight jobs at above the airline standards mentioned earlier (you will need 4000 to 5000 total flight hours and in the area of 2000 or more Captain hours in turbine equipment to even be considered).

With regard to scholarships for aviation, there is an excellent listing available from the University Aviation Association entitled THE COLLEGIATE AVIATION SCHOLARSHIP LISTING.  You can order it via the UAA website at http://www.uaa.aero  using a major credit card.  It has over $1.0 million in aviation scholarships listed.  However, most of these scholarships are for use in collegiate or university aviation programs.....some are not, but, most are.

Finally, regarding where you might want to go to school to learn to fly.  First of all, I do recommend that you take your full Private Pilot Certificate training right where you are to make sure that flying is for you.  Then, once you have made that decision (whether it is for you or not), then, consider going to one of the major flight academies to train.  There are several out there with fairly good reputations.  I would consider two or  three of them carefully looking at price, at the average time it takes someone to compelte their program, at their placement history in the last two years (during these tough times, where are their graduates going?) and at financial aid and loans that they might have available to asssist you.

Some of the big names in this business are (in no particular order):  Flight Safety Academy, Southeastern Flight Academy, ATP, Delta Connection Academy and Gulfstream.  And, there are certainly others....go to your local bookstore and buy a copy of FLYING magazine and you will see the ads for these companies there.  Contact them individually and get answers to all of your questions (see above for a partial list of questions); then, create a spread sheet with the answers listed for each school to each question so that you can compare them.  Then once you havwe collected the information, visit the top 2 or 3 schools to see which one fills the majority of your needs best.  Remember that these academies are for profit academies, so, the choice is YOURS not theirs (it is not like applying to Princeton).  If they want you badly enough, they might be willing to give you a starting scholarship for the first course...negotiate a bit and let them know you are looking at two or three different academies in your search for the "best one."

I wish you the best in your consideration of a flying career.  If I can assist  you further, please send in another question via AllExperts.com

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.aviation.siu.edu