Expert: D. Norkus - 6/28/2004

Question
Hi dottie i am fifteen years old and from chicago, i am intersested in becoming a pilot when i get older but nothing on the internet can answer my question directley what do i need to do first i was thinking aboiut joining the air force  but if i do how many years would i be going for.? and/or do i need lessons before i go or do they train me how did u do it. can u help me out cause i'm so confused about scholarships and trinaing and the certification.

thanx very much

Answer
Samantha

While I can't address the military route to becoming a pilot and a flying career, I know about the civilian route. Being so young, you will have plenty of time to decide between them. The civilian route will cost about $40K if done at a local school, while of course the military will cover your flightt raining. The downside for many is that you have to BE IN the military to get the ratings and the time commitment involved. It's been said don't join just to get free training unless you want to serve your country. (Look at the soldiers in Iraq.) That's good advice.

I created a website to help anwser your question about training, as I get it so often. In it you will find all you need to know about the civilian routes available, plus links for information at the bottom. You should check them all out as well. There are many message boards linked that are a great source of advice and information exchange for pilots.

Visit- www.geocities.com/av8trxx99/FAQ.html

After reading it over, let me know what you need more information on.

As far as scholarships, being a female, you should qualify for a few. There are only a handful that pay for an entire ratings though. Most are just one time grants to help cover some of the costs of training or a certain number of flight hours If you are interested in scholarships that cover more, you will have to investigate awards available to 4 year university students. My site has a link for the UAA, which can help with that. There are also links for my scholarships pages.

Dottie