Expert: D. Norkus - 7/18/2005

Question
Dottie, I am a college grad. with 1 1/2 years out in the working world which makes me 25.  I have studied and worked in the fields of small business and sales.  Recently, I have gotten the 'bug' for a career in commercial flying as a pilot.  I have researched forums on the matter extensively and one comes to my attention.  It said it is very rare for a person to become a pilot if it you haven't always had a deep passion for planes or if it always has been a dream of yours since you were a kid.  Now I love airports, flying, planes and travel but does that mean I would enjoy being a pilot.  I know what kind of lifestyle I can expect and it sounds fascinating.  Next question, I am not one for physics and finite math so I was wondering what kind of person (intellectualy) would you have to be to achieve a commercial pilot's license.  I am a very hands-on-oriented person and think of myself as a fast learner when it comes to skills.  As far as classroom study, is it like going to law school?  Do they emphasize more on textbook definitions or more on operational talent?  I guess I want to know if I would be in over my head going for a career in avaiation.  Thank you so much for your response, sorry about the book I wrote.  

Answer
Sorry, but I didn't get any notification of any pending questions from July 18th, only one for today, so I didn't know you had submitted one.

To address your questions:

"It said it is very rare for a person to become a pilot if it you haven't always had a deep passion for planes or if it always has been a dream of yours since you were a kid. Now I love airports, flying, planes and travel but does that mean I would enjoy being a pilot."

They say you need a 'passion' as when the nitty gritty part of the job takes hold it helps to remember why you are there in the first place. If you didn't love it deep down it would simply become just another job that requires extraordinary sacrifices. There are lots of people who dream about flying, but the reality of the job is not what they expect. Becoming a professional can sometimes take all the fun out of flyng for some people. However, the advice to 'take your hobby and make it your job' for a rewarding career are also words of wisdom.

"I know what kind of lifestyle I can expect and it sounds fascinating."

It sounds fascinating until you actually have to fly a 4 day trip with 9 hours ground time on overnights between flights and 6-8 flights per day. There will be several years at the regional level that you must get through minimum rest overnights between long days of flying. There are great days and then there are long days that really tire you out. You need to be OK with spending 10-14 nights per month in hotels and 8-12 hours per day on the job. Being a pilot has great rewards, but the sacrifices (esp financially in the beginnng) and determination you need to make it cannot be underestimated.

"I am not one for physics and finite math so I was wondering what kind of person (intellectualy) would you have to be to achieve a commercial pilot's license."

Don't worry about it. If you have a calculator on hand, that is all you will need. The closest you will ever come to using any upper level math is calculating time/distance problems in your head with rounded figures. And the regional jets of today do all the math for you when it comes to that. (You just enter the criteria into the Flight Management System and the plane will figure out the descent for you.)

"As far as classroom study, is it like going to law school? Do they emphasize more on textbook definitions or more on operational talent?"

Both, but imagine doing all your law school in 2 months. Memorization of limitations & proceedures is only part of the job as actual flying skill is the other half. They say it's like "drinking from a fire hose" and they aren't kidding. From start to finish new hire aircraft training, exams & simulator sessions take about 6 weeks! A student could pass the ground school phase of training and wash out of the simulator portion.

You say you have been reading online aviation forums, have you been to www.Jetcareers.com? That site pretty much sums up ALL you need to know as well as providing message boards for additonal info. There are pages specifically about traiing, schedules and pilot "day in the life" profiles you can read. Very informative.

While not as extensive, I have also created my own site about training & career FAQs-
www.geocities.com/av8trxx99/FAQ/html

Please check them out and let me know if you have further questions.

Dottie