San Diego

Hey new to the forum. I live in the San Diego area, out in East county. I have an ultimate goal of wanting to become an airline pilot. Here is a little background about me and maybe you guys would be able to throw some suggestions my way. I am 24 years old, I have a 4 year degree, I have a pretty decent paying job and I would hope to be able to use it as a means to an ends as far as aviation is concerned, I am single, I have no kids, I have a car payment under 300 a month, and a couple thousand in credit card debt that I am starting to work on paying off.

I know that there are a lot of FBOs down here. I am really close to Gillespie Field, within 15 minutes away. So I guess I have a few questions. First, based on your guys' experiences what would be the best way to get started that will not put me in debt like a law student? Second, mu job hours are M-F 9-5. If I wanted to get lets say my PPL how long would you expect that to take? And third, does anyone know or have suggestions as to reputable flight schools in the area that would be good to check out?

Thank you in advance for your help!

jaron

a m-f 9-5 work week. you will be looking at 6months to a year to get your ppl. but that is they way to do it. but just start flying we need more pilot's.

San Diego

thanks for the info. I was thinking somewhere along the lines of the six month period.

B73H

I don't know if you have a demanding job but if not, you could fly from sunrise till before work you can get a lot done in the morning. You could fly all weekend. If you do this it will certainly take a shorter time than 6 months. You can theoratically receive your ppl in about 20 days. If you fly and study non-stop.

Unfortuanately if you want to become an airline pilot you have started a little late in the game especially since you have no flight exprience. If you don't want to waste airline seniority, I would seriously think about flying full-time. I would try to go to pro flight school such as ATP. Nice to know that you do have a degree. I'm working on mine. Good luck. Just keep in mind that every month or year wasted means airline seniority wasted.

Laxrox43

Hey San Diego,

B73H is right. If you are trying to change careers, a school such as ALL ATPs is the way to go. (and I would personally recommend them to you) I did my Multi-Engine Commercial add-on through them, and they run a top notch operation. They have a program that will take you from start to finish. They have a financing program to help pay for it - loans and such. (yes...I know...more loans!!! AHHHH!!!) Anyways, check out http://www.atpflightschool.com and that should help you out for starters.

Now, if you are just looking to pick up a new hobbie, by all means, get your PPL. After that, I suggest even your instrument. I find that people are much more confident and compedent in the airplane if they have at least their Private Pilot, Instrument Airplane. PLUS, it will make you a better stick, give you a better understanding of situational awareness, and various other things you will learn while you are getting your PPL.

Alrighty bud, hopefully this and all the other guys/gals input are helping. Let me know if you have any other Q's. I am a CFI, and I may be able to help you out. If not, one of my fraturnity bros lives in Camarillo, and I could ask him for input if need be. Take care.

D

waflyboy

Hey San Diego,

My comments are somewhat on par with what others have already said: flight time and senority is key.

My suggestion would be to consider getting your private pilot's license at a school near your current home. Aim to get it done as soon as you can... 3-6 months, depending on how much time you can commit. After you finish your private, consider going to a school that specializes in professional flight training and work on the rest of your ratings full-time.

I followed a similar course of action, and finished my instrument rating, time building, commercial, and CFI ratings (all single and multi-engine) in about 6 months.

Next, I'll drop the names of some schools you might already have on your radar: Ari-Ben (Fort Pierce, FL), ATP (many locations), Mazzei (Fresno, CA), and Skymates (Arlington, TX). I visited each of these schools before I made my choice, and I would suggest anybody do the same before spending $30K+ on flight training.

Finally, I'll plug the school I work for. I chose to train at Skymates, and now I work there as a flight instructor. I would strongly recommend that anybody considering professional flight training take a close look at them.

I'll be happy to answer any other questions.

NewGuy

You said you trained with Skymates and then got hired as an instructor. I am going to be doing the same thing here in a few months and was wondering what I can expect to make as an instructor with a flight school? Ive heard it can be as low as $10 per flight hour x maybe 80 hrs per month?? Not much.

waflyboy

Right now we're in the slow season... I'll probably fly 40-50 hours this month. Based on other instructors experience at this school, I am hoping to fly 80-100 hours/month come spring and summer.

Pay varies a bit, but seems to range from $8-16/hr. Some schools will pay you for ground instruction, some will not. If you offer your services as a freelance instructor, you might be able to make $30/hr, but the burden of insurance cost, liability, and advertising for your services lies squarely on your shoulders.

The two questions I asked myself at every school I visited were 1) Would I like to train here, and 2) would I like to work here? When you can answer with an enthusiastic yes to both, you've probably found the right place. You might not get hired right away at the school you trained at, but chances are they'll prefer a graduate of their own program when they're ready to hire another instructor.

NewGuy

Great! Thanks for the info. I was wondering how different the number of flying hours were between the on and off seasons. I need to do some visiting to these schools before making a decision.