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re: What do you major if you want to be a commercial pilot
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:19 am to Cactus Tiger
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:19 am to Cactus Tiger
quote:
I hear its like 100k today but not sure.
Damn, it would take an act of God for me to not go military if that's what it cost to become a pilot. I am sure those Air slots in the AF/Navy/USMC are pretty insane to get these days as well.
1
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:20 am to Cactus Tiger
quote:
You need a 4yr degree. It really doesn't matter what major.
If you go the private route you will incur some debt and have to start out flight instructing for little pay. Then move on to a corporate gig or regional airline for more low pay. Eventually you hope to end up at a major airline where it all pays off.
If you go the military route you will get your training and a livable wage but also a commitment.
I did the private route and some of my friends did the military. Back when I did it I only spent about 20k for training. I hear its like 100k today but not sure. I made poverty wages for a few years but made it to a major about 6 years before any of my military friends.
Timing is everything in this business. Its really a crapshoot.
pretty good synopsis
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:20 am to GeauxxxTigers23
quote:
Airlines couldn't care less what you majored in.
So when does the flight training come in..?
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:21 am to GrammarKnotsi
quote:
So when does the flight training come in..?
When you go to the airport and pay out the arse for flying lessons
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:22 am to Macintosh504
Aviation.
Tech has a really good program
Tech has a really good program
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:22 am to GeauxxxTigers23
quote:
When you go to the airport and pay out the arse for flying lessons
Should have majored in "flying"..
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:23 am to GrammarKnotsi
quote:
Should have majored in "flying"..
You pay for the flight time either way. Id recommend getting a degree you could use down the road as a fall back for the next time the industry craps out and the airlines furlough everyone.
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:26 am to GeauxxxTigers23
quote:
You pay for the flight time either way
Didn't realize that..
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:27 am to GrammarKnotsi
quote:
Didn't realize that..
Yeah. At LaTech you'll pay tuition and still pay per hour for flight training.
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:29 am to Dam Guide
quote:
Embry-Riddle if you want to go to school and not Air Force/Navy.
I spoke with an Embry-Riddle student.....it's outrageous expensive. They pay tuition PLUS all the flight fees and things like that.
A lot of debt is accrued and even then when you start out as a pilot you only make peanuts.
Seems like the military is the way to go.
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:34 am to GeauxxxTigers23
quote:
Yeah. At LaTech you'll pay tuition and still pay per hour for flight training.
if I were going to go the civilian route, or had a kid that wanted to go the civilian route, I'd buy a C-152 or 172, which can be had pretty cheap, and just hire fight instructors, these aviation schools have just made the risk/reward factor for that kind of debt not worth it
ETA: and get the four degree at the same time of course
This post was edited on 2/27/15 at 10:39 am
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:34 am to 777Tiger
quote:
quote: be like going from being a race car driver to driving a bus. He had no desire to ever do that.
what an idiot, more than likely interviewed, got turned down and stayed in, you can do both, and the bus driver's pay will eventually at least triple the race car driver's
This. Lots of guys leave active duty to fly jets in the guard/reserves while getting lucrative first seat jobs with major airlines.
ETA: Plus, if true, then this guy is really short sited. If he's been flying vipers for 20 years, he is quickly approaching the point in his career where he will have more command related duties and won't be able to keep current in the jet anyway.
This post was edited on 2/27/15 at 10:42 am
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:41 am to Macintosh504
quote:
Do you even have to go to college?
You don't even need a license in some parts of the world. Just some mordida money.
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:43 am to 777Tiger
quote:
current commitment is wing plus 8, or 10 years before even being eligible to interview, may as well stay in, guard unit is the most cost effective way right now
This, I know a couple of guys that went guard route. This was after their cfi/cfii though. Go try for a tanker or cargo, something big. I hear some of the guard units all fly for the same major. So if you get in with them, they help get you into their company.
This post was edited on 2/27/15 at 10:45 am
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:49 am to LeonPhelps
quote:
A friend's brother flew F-16's in the Air Force for 20 years. I asked him if would ever be a airline pilot. He said that would be like going from being a race car driver to driving a bus. He had no desire to ever do that.
Buddy was the same, flew fighter jets for 10-15 years. Said he has flown other planes since and he said it was so boring, just approaching on landing took way longer and stuff like that. He had no desire to be an airline pilot though, this was just flying for fun.
On the other hand I know another fighter pilot who flys for United. So different strokes for different folks.
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:50 am to Junky
quote:
Go try for a tanker or cargo, something big. I hear some of the guard units all fly for the same major.
go for fighters
, really doesn't matter, but the networking is awesome because, as you pointed out, almost everyone in the unit will also be working for an airline, the Coonass used to have so many guys from my airline that they put the company logo on the tails for a while, used to fly the girl from pilot recruitment down for the weekend, give her a ride, in more ways than one, and send her home with a stack of completed applications and resumes 
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:50 am to Macintosh504
A friend of mine is a commercial pilot and he majored in Avionics I believe. He went to La Tech specifically for that program
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:53 am to barry
quote:
he said it was so boring, just approaching on landing took way longer and stuff like that. He had no desire to be an airline pilot though, this was just flying for fun.
I've run across just about every kind of pilot there is over the years, and the ones that make short-sighted comments like that are the ones that usually get left in the dust career wise ($) by almost everyone elsePosted on 2/27/15 at 10:55 am to 777Tiger
quote:
I've run across just about every kind of pilot there is over the years, and the ones that make short-sighted comments like that are the ones that usually get left in the dust career wise ($) by almost everyone else
Well, he was never a professional civillian pilot.
Posted on 2/27/15 at 10:56 am to DeathValley85
I graduated from Tech with a degree In aviation. I wish I wouldn't have but It was the only way I could have financial aid help out with flight training costs. I worked at a regional (expressjet) for about 2 years and everyone has a different background. Most people have 4 year degrees but I flew with ex military, people with MBAs, even a guy that had his Phd that worked for NASA before entering aviation and then several people that had either never attended college or hadn't completed.
The thing about aviation nowadays is you can get a job at a crappy regional (like expressjet) with basically no formal education besides flight training, but if you want to get a job with the majors you won't even get looked at without a degree (for the most part). The majors still love to hire military pilots but that pool is dwindling (even More so in the future) so they are hiring mostly civilian pilots.
TL:DR version right now you need any 4 year degree for a good job, in the future probably not
The thing about aviation nowadays is you can get a job at a crappy regional (like expressjet) with basically no formal education besides flight training, but if you want to get a job with the majors you won't even get looked at without a degree (for the most part). The majors still love to hire military pilots but that pool is dwindling (even More so in the future) so they are hiring mostly civilian pilots.
TL:DR version right now you need any 4 year degree for a good job, in the future probably not
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