Expert: David A. NewMyer - 12/17/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

I am a Sophomore in High School, and I've always wanted to be a pilot,I would like to fly a commercial airplane or any plane, but I don't know where to start. Are there any courses  that I could take in high school, or what subjects I'm supposed to concentrate on in school? What kind of degree am I supposed to have in collage? I would really know where to start, and I'd like to start soon.

Thank you

ANSWER: HI,

It is nice to hear from you.  I will try to assist.

What to take in high school to prepare you for a career in aviation:  The main thing is math and science but it is also important to know geography and to know how to communicate well (speech communication).  If you can go to your local airport and take an "Introductory Flight" in a flight training aircraft, that would be helpful, too.  Such a flight will cost $50 up to $100 for approximately 45 minutes to an hour of flight time....it will give you an idea of how the flight training process is and what it is like to fly in a small aircraft.  Check this website for the location of companies that provide such flights:  www.beapilot.com

In the US, there are well over 100 colleges and universities that offer some form of aviation training.  A full listing of such schools is offered by the University Aviation Association and is entitled THE COLLEGIATE AVIATION GUIDE.  It costs around $20 to $25 and can be ordered from www.uaa.aero or by calling them at 334-844-2434.  I would start by researching the listing of schools and then begin to narrow your list down to five or so based on location, etc.  Some of the things to look for are:

Location (where do you want to go to school)

Cost (including not only the flight cost but regular tuition, room, board and other costs)

Type of aircaft flown  (Cessna and Piper are common flight training aircraft but some schools are now flying Cirrus and other makes and models that are just as good)

Placement help (to get a job upon graduation)

I would create a simple spread sheet on each school so that you can collect the information on each school in a common format so that you can compare data later.  

I hope that this helps.  Please ask if you have more questions.

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,

Thank you very much for your answer, it was very helpful.

 I would also like to know what kind of opportunities are available in the aviation career. Is it a very competitive field of employment for commercial airlines? Will I need to take different kind of training to go into air force?

Thank you

Answer
Hi,

Aviation is a very diverse career field with over 2.1 million jobs in aviation in the USA alone....there are four major components of the civil aviation industry;  Airlines, Aviation Manufacturers, General Aviation and Government Aviation.  Of the 2.1 million jobs, approximately 250,000 are working pilots and about 400,000 are working mechanics.  The rest do something else (aviation engineering, aviation management, etc).

As far as the Air Force, it has its own pilot training.  If you go to school in the USA and are an American citizen, you can join the Reserve Officer Training Corps at any university that offers this option.  This allows you to train for the Air Force while still in college....and, they provide some financial subsidy for doing this.  You do not have to make a commitment to the Air Force via ROTC until your junior year.

I hope that this helps.

Best wishes,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale