WOW! What a post. I frequently read these usenet groups (along with
several other great forums out there) but this post pretty much summed
it up.

nooneimportant wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
I Want to Become An Airline pilot. but i cant figure out what the
requirements are. Do i need a college degree? do i have to come from
the military? how much is the pay? I am completely ignorant when it
comes to this. i cant seem to find a site.



I would shoot for a college degree first... preferably in a field you would
enjoy working in. Why do i suggest this? A LOT of people spend a lot of
money learning to fly, only to get burned out and realize its not what they
really want to do... Also there are a LOT of people who for some reason or
other are unable to work in the airlines because they lose their medical at
a fairly young age. The degree is not mandatory for a lot of aviation
related jobs, most regionals are happy if you have a heartbeat and the
required number of hours of flight time, but when it comes time to move on
to the majors having that degree can give you the edge over the guy next to
you in the selection pool. That college degree also teaches you how to
discipline yourself towards a longer term goal, not merely an "It would be
neat to fly planes" phase. I would also recommend getting really good at
living on the cheap (a skill learned in college!). As an instructor you
will almost have to have a seconday job to pay the rent unless you get lucky
and work at a larger school with plenty of students to go around. When you
finally move on to the regional carriers the money situation doesn't get
much better (in fact i know of some instructors who end up with a pay cut by
going to a regional), most regionals pay less than 25k a year for a first
year first officer. Captains can eventually work into the low 70s if they
are with a good carrier. If all goes well and you get a good regional
carrier you should be able to upgrade to captian within 5 years... spend a
few more years as captain building Pilot in Command Turbine Time and you
will eventually be competitive to get on with a major carrier...And possibly
another paycut if you were at the top of the food chain in your regional. I
think we are seeing the end of the 250k+ a year airline pilot, so don't go
into the field with dollar signs in your eyes. And don't go in looking at a
"Wow i only work 2 weeks a month" idea either. MOST pilots i know flying
regional carriers are lucky to get more than 2 days off in a row, and spend
more time in airports or on airplanes then they do at home, especially those
that "commute" to their base. Regional pilots do a lot of work that is not
paid at the full rate, if at all. A buddy of mine flies for a regional out
of new mexico, volunteered to spend a month in New York state to fill in for
a personell shortage for some bonus pay. On a cold morning he would have to
report up to an hour and a half before "pushback" to get the airplane out of
the hanger... to the gate... then go inside to dispatch and get the flight
release, weahter briefing etc... go back out ot the plane... preflight...
hope its warm enough inside the passengers dont' complain, while he's out
slipping on an icy ramp... and he is NOT being paid until shortly before
pushback. Be willing to accept this for a few years otherwise you will
likely never ride front seat in a heavy jet.

As far as training... find a way to get it done as quickly as possible... if
it means getting in debt up to your eyeballs... so be it, if you are serious
about going into aviation you want to get there as fast as you can so you
can have a high seniority number next time some asshole decides to fly an
airplane in to a building, thereby reducing your chances of furlough or
layoff. The best way to get time unless you have loads of cash is to
instruct, which means you need to get your Private Pilot certificate,
Instrument rating, a commercial rating, preferably multi engine if you ever
want to teach in one, your Certified flight instructor rating, the
CFI-Instrument, and Multi-Engine Instructor tickets are also almost
essential if you want to be a marketable instructor. At least when you get
ot that point you may not be making lots of money, but your flight time is
being paid for by another student isntead of you. I am literally 2 days
from my CFI ticket, and look forward to having it out of the way.

I don't mean to sound harsh and bum you out. But you really need to know
what you are getting into. I don't regret a day of my flying career, I love
every single flight, and learn from every single flight, I'm not flying for
the money, I'm not flying for the prestiege. I'm flying because it is my
life's passion, it is my joy, it is my best friend. I would fly every day
till the day I died making little more then enough to put food on the table
and keep a roof over my head, simply because flying is as much a part of me
as my left arm.