Expert: D. Norkus - 3/1/2004

Question
I am a 37 year old male with no flight experience.  I have been trying to figure out which way is best to get all ratings.  Spend the large amount and go to a acc flight school and hope to get a job afterwards or go to a local FBO and spend less money for the same rating and try to find job then.  Trying to make a decision by Aug of this year.  Please help.  I am a truck driver o/o and can be contacted by cell 423-943-4829.  Will be happy to call u back. Thanks

Answer
Robert,

Your situation sounds the same as a poster to the message boards at www.studentpilot.com- a trucker who makes good money and is interested in starting a flying career. If you are not aware of their forums, some reading there might be of interest.

It seems you are set on finding yourself a career as a pilot without having ever flown. Please do get at least your Private Pilot before commiting such a large sum of money. This must be something that you seriously enjoy, not just something you 'have always dreamed of doing'. There is the 'dreamy' part of the job, then there is reality! (Often the regional working environment does take a lot of the fun out of it.) Eiher way you train, you are looking at an investment of $40-$60K. Not money you want to spend unwisely for sure. If you have any bills or family to care for, this will affect your lifestyle greatly. Even if you don't, living on a budget for a few years will take on a new meaning! New hire regional pilots only take home about $1000-1400/mo. The pay is very bad and doesn't get better until you have put in a few years of service. Don't expect to make more than $25K until you have 4-5 years of service. If you can reasonably expect to be able to live on that, with the help of any spouse/family you have, great.

By the time you get your qualifications you should be 38 or 39 if you did start by August. You will need another year or two of flying min wage jobs until you can qualify for the regionals (1,000 hours) if you go the local FBO route, but you will probably accumulate less debt that way. You can also do the academy route and pay $60K, as many second career people do, but only an interview is guaranteed- not a job. While very expensive, that route has worked for some people. Personally, that is too steep of a price with no guarantee. There are also some in the industry who resent such 'acadamy graduates' who have minimal experience once they are placed in F/O positions. (A whole other ball of wax...)

Basicallly, your personal situation will dictate how you chose to go. If you are unencumbered and have some savings you might find an accelerated program best for you. If you have other responsibilites then the less pricey FBO route will work. I had a comfortable job and paid as I went via the FBO route. I took my time and had no training debt. This makes living on $600 every two weeks easier to handle. However, I started over at and got hired at 32 not the almost 40 you will probably be. It was an easier choice in my case.    

I suggest some further research on accelerated programs by reading about schools at the message forums at www.jetcareers.com and www.flightinfo.com where you can get student experiences. That should help you make a more informed decision. You can search those sites by keyword as well for topic specifc threads. In addition, check out my piloting and careers page at:

www.geocities.com/av8trxx99/FAQ.html

There is so much to consider in your situation. A few hours worth of reading will make you a much wiser aspiring pilot! Let me know what you think after digesting all that information.

 
Good Luck
Dottie