Cubdriver

Vitek, here is another recent thread you might want to read: Pilot Salary Statistics. "Av8trix" made a nice discussion there.

BushwickBill

It is simply amazing to me that this thread is going on at the same time as this one:

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/mo...hool-debt.html

On the same forum!

Amazing.

To put things in perspective. I have been flying as a professional for over 5 years. I have over 2500 TT and the majority of that is multi engine and turbine time.

The only jobs out there are through networking. In fact I could loan you my resume and I would bet a lot of money that you couldn't find any jobs out there.

Keep in mind I got into this debt free as an amateur pilot and built a lot of time while I was in high school college and beyond.

Think of what you could do with the 48k. Start a business, pay for your kids college education or invest it in a Roth IRA and retire with some spare coin.

My mantra since I got my CFI ticket is that I don't pay for anything in aviation. If someone needs my help - they pay. NO way around it.

I may get my glider ticket for fun this summer but that will be the first time I have put any money into aviation in over 5 years.

vitek

Thanks everyone for your feedback and links. I got a lot of reading and thinking to do. One thing that just shocks me the most is how much pilots get paid at the beginning of their career and how they get paid in general (i.e. clock starts to tick only once you take that plane of the parking brake at the gate). Currently I work in IT and I get paid.... let's just say more then first officer at the major airline in the beginning. Which just point blank shocks me knowing how difficult it is to get there. Even though I am willing to give that up for flying. It's just going to be a tough 5 - 6 years or more in this economy. Obviously since I don't have college degree it's not helping any... To get that will cost money and flying school as well. One thing I hate the most is debt and I'll be deep in it if I decide to go that route. Maybe I should get my Private Pilot License first and then see if can make to CFI. During that time maybe start taking college classes.

- What is the age limit to become an airline pilot for regional or major?
- Also, can anyone recommend a good Flight School in Sacramento, CA?

Thanks everyone, I'm just happy that I found this forum. Talking to experienced pilots or people who know about this stuff helps. Now it all makes sense why that guy at ATP was so jumpy about getting me to sign up with them... he sure made it sound easy and promising.

-Vitek

Airbum

"I get paid.... let's just say more then first officer at the major airline in the beginning. Which just point blank shocks me knowing how difficult it is to get there. Even though I am willing to give that up for flying"

with that statement you are the mgt's dream employee.

dckozak

Vitek,
If your interest is a large jet/major airline and would consider anything less as a failure, than by all means get the degree first. If its going to take a lot of time (assuming you have no college credit) than if you can afford to go to school and fly at the same time, do so, but don't get started until your within 2 years or so of graduation. Best to get a degree in something unrelated to aviation, IT would be best, if that is what you've been doing up till now.
If you can see your self happy with a regional job or another non "big airline" flying job, you may fore go the degree but networking will be your major opportunity to find the good jobs. Look at the pay scales on this forum. When hourly rates are published, multiply by 1000 for the top end of what you could make in a year, maybe X 850 for a more conservative estimate.
Figure 5 years as a regional FO, than captain rates after that. While this looks widely optimistic over the past couple of years, I think going into the future it will be reasonable if not pessimistic. Good luck.

rickair7777

Good plan. Don't go into debt

Probably about age 63. But for practical purposes you would not WANT to take a major job unless you have time to climb the seniority ladder to a comfortable position and then enjoy it for a few years. How long that takes depends on the demographics of the pilot group at the airline in question, and how much that airline grows or shrinks. A realistic age would be 30-55, depending on the airline in question.

jonnyjetprop

Keep in mind that there's alot of bitterness on these forums and for good reason. This isn't one of the "dont become an airline pilot" posts.

The industry has been rocked to the core from 9/11, poor management, the world wide economic calapse, and the change in retirement age. There has been no movement for years and if you were stuck in a low paid regional FO slot or out on the street, it has been very painful. It reminded those, that this is a very cyclical industry. Timing is everything. Just like timing the stock market, there's no real way to redict if your timing was good or bad until it's too late.

As one of the 2% that got a job without a four year degree, go get a degree. My life would have far easier had I had one. Keep in mind that with 13,000 TT and 15 years flying wide body DC-10's and MD-11's, I can't meet the minimums at FedEx. I don't have a four year degree.

Far too many were sucked into the "pay per view" flight training programs. It might have worked out had life not happened. The main reason why those schools worked out was because the pilot treadmill was running at full steam. Waiting years to build time would have put you thousands of senority numbers behind. The downsize was the huge debt load placed on the shoulders of guys who didn't realize that they were going to be stuck in a very low pay job for many years. They were screwed. Since the airlines aren't hiring, there's no reason to go to a pilot puppy mill. Take your time and pay cash for your training. You can even go to college, get a job on the side and learn to fly. The good news is that very few are doing this now.

Air transportation isn't going away. Our nation is built on a safe, reliable air transportation. There's no high speed rail coming and you can't drive across the country for vacation. Boomers want to see Paris and their grandkids. Somebody will be flying them.

If you take a longer view of the history of airline pilots, you'd see that we weren't always the super highly paid professionals of the day. Sure, they made good money, just not great. The problem now is that the days of a pilot making $250-300K are gone. I don't think you'll see them come back. It's still a good job. Not as good as in the haydays, but still far from digging ditches on the side of the road. Some question wheather the sacrifices are worth it. The problem is that this is a mirky and can only be answered by the individual.

250 or point 65

I understand that flying is your dream. However, being a professional pilot may not be. There is A LOT to being a professional pilot besides flying. This job is not just go out to the airport whenever you please and fly to Rome and back and get paid $400,000. This is sitting reserve for 10 hrs at a time, with only 10 days off each month, in a hotel crashpad with 8 other guys while your wife is having your second baby and your first child is is playing in his Little League All-Star game.

There is a reason why the standard answer as crew's pass in the jet bridge to the question, "Hows it going?" is "Oh, sigh, just livin' the dream".

This is because EVERY airline pilot has realized that it is not like they imagined. I'm not saying its unbearable for all, but it is for many. I would stop first and talk to pilots of all backgrounds and ask them what life is like. THEN, if you still think that this is your "dream", start worrying about how to pay for it.

erictgill

I hate how people try to convince you that what you want to do may be the "wrong choice." If the Guy wants to be a Regional airline pilot then let him do it. Now days i dont think anyone has an image that a pilot flys across the world once a month and makes a ton of money. Hell if I want to become a Regional Airline Pilot and make crap salary and be away from my family 3/4th of month what is so wrong with that? Some people dont mind having 4 or 5 legs a day with 3 or 4 hrs between, obviously people do it and love it! its not like Regionals are having trouble keeping pilots flying for them look at the job market NO ONE IS HIRING RIGHT NOW!

250 or point 65

I don't think that anyone here said it was the wrong choice. We are merely stating the fact that just because flying is someone's dream doesn't mean they should do it professionally. It was also my dream to play professional baseball, but when it came down to it, I realized that the not guaranteed payoff was not worth the years of grinding it out. If you're young, yeah, being a professional pilot might be worth the years of ramen. If you have a family and are 35, you will probably never be able to reap the rewards of seniority. In this case, making your family eat ramen for years is probably not worth it.