IS it best to start flight training early (age 16) if I wan to become a commerical pilot?

Question

I defiantly cannot see myself in an office, I have been thinking about this for ages and now know I want to be a C pilot. from the very beginning.

Do you think gaining my PPL is a good idea now??

Answer 1

if you can afford it, definitely.

16 was my age when I officially started going for my PPL.

If you can't afford it yet, keep learning ( about aviation and your backup profession) and get a job and a payment plan with your flight school. I think you should start before 24, because after that, so many things are going to be assaulting you, you won't have as a strong resolve to get your PPL. (or the time)

For me, I got my PPL early, and then I started flying for the RCAC (cadets, bringing them up, teaching them some facts, get them interested). So I'm current and getting my hours. Best thing? they pay for the gas.

Answer 2

Getting a PPL that young won't hurt you, but it won't help your career either.  If you have the money and spare time, then go for it, however, there's nothing wrong with waiting until/after college.  I know many successful airline pilots who didn't take their first flying lesson until their mid twenties.  I didn't take my first lesson until 23.  In fact, I knew of very few airline pilots who started flying before college.  What I'm saying is that waiting certainly won't hurt your career chances at all, but go for it now if you have the resources.

When a company interviews you, they won't care when you started your flight training.  They will care about your recent experience.  So, you don't want to get in a situation where you're trying for some sort of flying job, but don't have a lot of recent hours.  I say this because you wouldn't want to, for example, get your commercial and flight instructor certificates right at 18, go to college for 4 years (and not fly much), then try to get a job.  That's why I sometimes recommend people worry about getting good grades in high school and college, then worrying about knocking out all your ratings (which can be done rather quickly if you do it full time).

BTW, have a backup career.  Many major airlines in the US are furloughing pilots today.  Many of those pilots will wind up working in an office...for the rest of their lives possibly...something they never saw themselves doing either.