Being a pilot is not everything isnt it ??

Question

I wanna be a pilot.....All people say that if you wanna be a pilot : you should be able to do another job cos being a pilot is not everyting : cos suppose one day you got sick or ur vision got weak or something then how will you fly ?? Is this right ??

Answer 1

Well, there's waivers for almost everything as far as getting past the flight surgeon.

If you are flying commercially, with jobs as competitive as they are yes, it's probably a good idea to have another skill to keep the donuts coming in.

Militarily, you'll do other stuff than just fly throughout your career.  If in the unlikely event you are permanently "DNIF'd" ("Duty Not Including Flying"), you will move to permanent staff jobs:  operations, administration, etc.

Answer 2

In life in general it doesn't hurt to have a back up plan.  c**p happens if you work in a cubicle, in a shop, or in a plane that can mess up your master plan.  h**l, people make career changes all the time, the key is to be as prepared as you can for it.  Go after your dreams but remember life sometimes throws you a curve ball.

Answer 3

depends on what type of pilot you are. the military has programs that you can enter from high school to become a helicopter pilot. if you want to fly jets you need a college degree.

Answer 4

That's exactly right.  No pilot can count on a life-long aviation career, and you need a backup plan.

The main reason is not that you might get sick, but that the industry has such an uncertain future.

Answer 5

That depends on what kind of pilot you are. If your an airline pilot... your good to go

Answer 6

The things you mentioned are of course possibilities, but it probably has more to do with the volatility of the business. Airlines are bought and sold, go out of business, furlough pilots during slack times; not a bad idea to have another line of work to fall back on.

I have a friend who flies for an airline and whose degree is in education. During a couple of furlough periods and long breaks, he's worked as a substitute teacher.