Pilot for Hire: What's the best way to go about becoming a Pilot?

Question

I'm seriously considering becoming a pilot. I understand everyone has to start out with the basic private license and work their way up through the licenses. First reason I want to be a pilot is to be able to fly. It's kind of been a dream of mine. I look up in the sky at planes flying by and think, "that could be me flying". Second, is I think it'd be a great career. I don't necessarily wanna fly for airlines but possibly even just corporate planes. Something like being the pilot for the company jet or a wealthy family. I've searched around online and found lot's of conflicting info. I went on www.airlinepilotforums.com and I couldn't seem to find anything helpful there.

First off: Is it necessary to get a 4 year degree or any degree for that matter to be able to successfully get work flying for these places. I heard mixed info on the forum, some saying yes, some no. I would like to just get my licenses. I'm not much for going to college if I can help it. I prefer not to have to go.

Second: What's the best way to go about getting my licenses?

Some have said it's better and cheaper to goto a local FBO. Or at least for certain levels of training.

I've looked at National Pilot Academy where they guarantee people job placement yet I've found bad reports of them being the worst place you could go to. Somebody said their friend who went there flies once a month with his job he got. I've heard different things from different people. A few said it was good but who knows for sure. Job placement would be important too but of course it would have to at least pay for the training.

I'm in NYC right now. I don't mind having to go anywhere in the country to train. Money isn't too much of an issue. More important is the best training and reputation. It seems many of the schools instructors are the students going through the school just finishing up on their hours. That's my understanding anyway. If I'm paying the high price I want an instructor that wants to teach, is good at it(I'd like to stay alive), and has been teaching for at least a little while.

ATP is another school I'm not sure of. They say most airlines hire ATP graduates on their ad but who knows. They say they include jet training. It seems to be a lot better than some of these other places.

The NPA's site news section hadn't had anything put in it for a good few years. I thought that seemed a bit sketchy.

I've just been reading more of the ATPflightschool's website and I think I might strongly consider it. If anybody has any warnings please let me know. Once again I want to become a pilot without having to go to college for a 4 year or even a 2 year degree.

If anybody knows more specifically what different places such as airlines, corporations,...etc look for as far as qualifications please feel free to let me know.

I'm looking to be able to fly learjets as well. Does anybody know the specifics about type ratings. Say there's a job opening for a plane I haven't flown before. Do I get the type rating for it and then I'm A OKAY?

Thanks in Advance for any and all help and advice offered.

Josh

Answer 1

May be this site can help you

http://www.sgpak.com

Answer 2

Hm....okay, do a search for this answer as it's asked many times a week. But I'll give you a personal answer as I am always eager to help out those interested in aviation. First of all, I would suggest going to a part 135 FBO and get your certificates there. It's more personable and cheaper than going to a big, overpriced flight academy (ATP, DCA, etc..). Plus you won't have a young instructor just trying to get hours at a big academy, the mom and pop training is ideal IMO. Flying for corporate or charter takes many hours, around 2,000 are the mins IIRC. So when you get your multi-comm go get a job, maybe regionals or maybe something else, that won't pay much but atleast you will be getting paid to fly. Even CFI is a better way to go. Most, but not all, carriers will type-rate you in a twin turbine when you have enough hours built in a twin turbo...saving you some money. When it's all said and done look to spend around 75-100grand depending where you train for all of the necessary certs. Also consider keeping yourself in good health as you will have to eventually pass a First Class medical to be PIC. Like I mentioned above, keep in mind you'll spend considerably less going the FBO route, and you'll have the same airmen cert that you would get from ERAU, or the likes, for less money to be in debt with. If I left anything out I apologize, I've had a very long day and I'm typing fast. Good luck!

Answer 3

1) College degree: If you don't have one you will not be as competetive in the aviation job market as all the pilots who do, unless you plan on making a career as a bush pilot, ag pilot, flight instructor, or something similar. While the major airlines do not require a college degree, not having one cuts your chances of getting hired by 75% if you have no college, and 50% if you have only 2 years of college.  Even the regional airlines prefer applicants to have at least 2 years of college. Without a degree you pretty much have to compensate by having 2 to 3 times more flight time than someone who does have a degree. What a degree shows an employer is that you at least have some brains, you are somewhat trainable, and you are more likely to finish something you start. They usually do not care what your degree is in, by the way, so an aviation degree isn't a requirement.

2) Corporate Flying: In general, these jobs are harder to get without a substantial amount of flight experience in turbine powered equipment. Where do you get that experience? Flying for an airline, mostly. There are other ways into corporate flying, but most corporate pilots are hired out of the major or regional airlines.  Refer to the last paragraph regarding getting hired by an airline. There are lots of small companies that do not fly jets or turbo-prop equipment, and these are the ones more likely to hire someone without airline experience or a degree.  

3) Flight Training: Since the easiest job to get out of flight school is instructing, you are going to find that the majority of flight schools have insructors who don't have much experience and are working their first job. And they learned to fly from someone similar to themselves, ad-infinitum. Since most pilots don't want to be a flight instructor except as a way of building time and moving on as quickly as possible, GOOD instructors are few and far between and "in-breeding" is a big problem in the flight training industry, particular at the big aviation universities and other "pilot mills" that advertise nationally and pump a lot of students through their programs. Do yourself a favor and seek out a smaller school who has highly experienced instructors on their staff, such as corporate or airline pilots who instruct part time or are retired from commercial flying.  

4) Flying should be fun. Most of the programs you have mentioned are highly stressful, high-volume outfits who don't give quality attention to the individual student, and by all accounts they aren't fun places to fly. Take the path less traveled if you can, but that usually takes some effort to find.

5) Half of the battle is who you know, which is equally as important as what you know, how much experience you have, where you trained, etc. More jobs come through personal recommendations than any other means.

Answer 4

Looks like you have already gotten some good advise.  My advise would be to look at aviation websites, and just start flying.  You will learn more by doing it and reading magazines and talking with other pilots than you ever will on a website like this one.  

I'm still surprised at how many people ask this question, since it gets answered several times a day here.  Good luck.

Answer 5

First of all, well done doing some research and thinking through your decision to follow a certain career path. If you keep that up you'll do very well indeed. Now let me see if I can answer some of your questions.

A four-year degree is typically not required by most airlines or flight departments, but it will move you higher in the pool of candidates. If there are two candidates for a first officer position with equal experience levels, the decision will be heavily weighted towards the candidate with a degree. It's not impossible to get a position without a degree, but it will most likely be more difficult.

Where you get your training is entirely up to you. I have gone both the small FBO route as well as through a large academy, and I learned a great deal in both places. The small FBO will most likely be cheaper, and provide a more intimate learning structure, whereas a large academy generally provides a more professional learning environment where you are more likely to learn how to work in conjunction with another pilot in the same cockpit. During my FBO training, it was left up to me to handle everything in the aircraft, which is a good thing, but was maddeningly frustrating at times. At the flight academy I learned not to think twice about asking the instructor to handle the radio while I was busy trying to maintain an ILS approach in gusty winds.

Most flight academies have been known in the past to cycle through instructors fairly quickly, and that is still often the case. However, they are also now beginning to increase pay rates and benefits in order to try to entice instructors to stay on for longer periods of time. There are also always going to be instructors who love teaching others how to fly, and you'll find them at flight academies as well as at FBO's.

I have not gone to either NPA or ATP, so I cannot speak for the quality of their programs. I went to Westwind School of Aeronautics, and received some great training while I was there, though I wish the weather would have allowed for some more actual IFR experience.

To get an idea of what hiring requirements will be when you have finished your training and are beginning to look for a job, take a look at PilotJobs. They focus primarily on regional airlines, but you can expect corporate flight departments to have similar requirements.

As far as type ratings are concerned, they will eventually become necessary when your career progresses. Type ratings can be fairly expensive, so try to find jobs that will cover the cost for you. You may need to get the first one or two yourself, then as you build experience employers will be more willing to pay for new type ratings for you.

Staying in good health is a requisite for being a pilot. While a First Class medical is not required until you actually become a captain, it's best to try to get one right off the bat. By applying for a First Class medical, you will be under stricter requirements to pass, but you will know right away if there are any health problems that may be an issue later on in your career, and you can make changes to your career plan sooner rather than later.

However, if there is any kind of health issue that you worry may prevent you from passing a medical exam, talk with the FAA's medical division or a local AME first (you can search for AME's on the FAA's website). They will be able to help you determine whether or not a medical issue or medication is disqualifying. If you still think you may fail the medical exam, do not apply for one. You can fly as a Light Sport Pilot using your state-issued Driver's License as long as you have never been denied an FAA medical of any class. There are some strict limitations on what Light Sport Pilots can and can't do, but at least you can still fly.

One final word of advice, aviation in general, and the airline industry in particular, is a highly dynamic work environment. If you do end up getting a four-year degree, get one in a field other than aviation. That way if the aviation career doesn't work out, or hits a snag, you will have something to fall back on.