Expert: D. Norkus - 9/16/2006

Question
You said get my hours up im earning dual does that count toward my total flight times because like airlines reqiure 1500 to 4000 hours so every hour i get now does that go to that? thank you bye
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Followup To

Question -
hi again does it matter what grades i get in high school like c s and above or A+s and what is a flying club and what is the requirments for those and where do they teach u how to fly like lear jets and turbine planes thank you bye
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Followup To

Question -
hi i am 15 years old and turn 16 in dec.I started takeing flying lessons and my goal is to travel the world in a boeing 777 or 747 and be a captain i know most the requirments but what can i do now to improve my chances and what do airlines look for?and 4 year collages does it matter what collage you go to.Does it matter where u get your traning up to an atp.like the ppl i mean same thing every where right and so on but do they care? and any mroe info you have please i would apreshiate it thank you have a nice day bye

Answer -
"what can i do now to improve my chances and what do airlines look for?"

What can you do now, at 16? Nothing really. Just start logging flight time. However, on that note it is important to keep some thing in mind:

If you are going the career route, and have limited funds or are using loans, it would be wise to save up money and then try to complete your training for each certificate or rating in the most condensed amount of time. Do not put money into the same lesson over and over again because you have had too much time between flights. Just get it done in a short time frame. The longer you drag training out, the more money it will cost you. This means you are spending dollars needlessly that can better be spent on future ratings or certificates that will bring you closer to your career goal.

"...4 year collages does it matter what collage you go to. Does it matter where u get your traning up to an atp.like the ppl i mean same thing every where right and so on but do they care?"

No, airlines do not care where you got your certificates or where you go to college (nor what your degree is either). Flying via a local flying club and a degree in history will get you to the same end as going to a university like Embry-Riddle for flight training and your education except the latter will probably be more expensive.

I suggest reading these links for some career info as they will help you immensely:

http://www.jetcareers.com

and my own site-
http://www.geocities.com/av8trxx99/FAQ.html

I have linked some very good sites of interest on the bottom of my page as well for additional career info. After reading them over, let me know if you have additional questions.

Hope this helps-
Dottie


Answer -
"does it matter what grades i get in high school like c s and above or A+s"?

To get into a good university, yes, high school grades often do matter. However, airline recruiting looks at your college transcripts, not high school grades. So, even if you weren't the best student in H.S. you can do just fine if you apply yourself in college. (During one airline interview, I was asked about a bad grade I had gotten in college.)

"what is a flying club and what is the requirments for those and where do they teach u how to fly like lear jets and turbine planes"?

A flying club is an organization that rents aircraft out to its members- often at better prices than can be had elsewhere (like a flight school with staff & an office to pay for) as many are non-profit and for the membership only with no overhead. They are independant organizations that may or may not exist in your area. You would have to check out your local airports and see. Here is an example of a club (where I trained)- http://www.plusone.org

Clubs do not have jets or turbine aircraft. Where can you get that type of training? That is usually paid for by your employer when, as an already very qualified pilot, you are being placed in that kind of equipment. Places such as Flight Safety also offer jet/turbine courses to people who are willing to pay for it on their own, but it will probably run you about $8,000-10,000 for aircraft "type rating". (Aircraft specific training required by the FAA to fly as captain when the plane weighs more than 12,500lbs.) The most common example of a pilot paying for jet/turbine training would be buying a Boeing 737 type rating. Southwest Airlines requires that to be hired, so many pilots are going out and getting the type to be competitive for a job there. One of the more popular training centers for that is Higher Power Aviation- http://www.jetcrew.com/

Answer
"You said get my hours up im earning dual does that count toward my total flight times because like airlines reqiure 1500 to 4000 hours so every hour i get now does that go to that?"

Yes, it does count towards your total flight time. However, airlines look for quality flight time more than total once an applicant meets their minimum requirements. Saving and spending money on hours down the road that are multi-engine, complex/high performance aircraft or night IFR is a much better way to go than at this point just blowing it on flying day VFR lessons over and over with a CFI to try a build time while you are a student. Hours aquired later on will be much more important in your overall logbook/resume.