i am interested in becoming a commerical airline pilot i am in high school still but am looking for a good college to go to i have been looking but had no such luck any good ideas are needed and needed asap
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- #2
I am currently enrolled in Fox Valley Tech School of Aviation in Oshkosh Wisconsin, so far so good. 
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- #3
Private Pilot said:I am currently enrolled in Fox Valley Tech School of Aviation in Oshkosh Wisconsin, so far so good.
[post="188115"][/post]
I hope you guys know the landscape for commercial airline careers is not the same as it used to be.
If you're dreaming about a jet job making 100K+ a year, you're in for a big surprise. The big airlines are going more and more to RJ's that pay dirt.
They are currently laying off from most legacy carriers and the new LCC's are paying only a fraction of the "old" carriers.
Better get used to instructing or flying a baron for a living....at least for the next ten years.
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Guys - don't let a disgruntled airline pilot fool you. With the RIGHT attitude, there are PLENTY of opportunities out the -- especially in the corporate sector.
Keep your options open, don't put all your eggs in one basket....that's all.
I recommend starting out in the corporate sector. Get 1 or 2 good corporate jet type ratings and you will always work. If you choose to go airline when it turns around -- you can always flow back to corporate with your ratings should it sour again. Its harder to go corporate if you have only flown for the airlines.
Lastly - NETWORK. Keep addresses and phone numbers of every pro-pilot you meet. They will be your key to future jobs.
Good Luck
Keep your options open, don't put all your eggs in one basket....that's all.
I recommend starting out in the corporate sector. Get 1 or 2 good corporate jet type ratings and you will always work. If you choose to go airline when it turns around -- you can always flow back to corporate with your ratings should it sour again. Its harder to go corporate if you have only flown for the airlines.
Lastly - NETWORK. Keep addresses and phone numbers of every pro-pilot you meet. They will be your key to future jobs.
Good Luck
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- #5
Airline jobs are gone!!
Period.
Unless of course you want to work 20+ days a month for
35K a year.
It's your choice.
Period.
Unless of course you want to work 20+ days a month for
35K a year.
It's your choice.
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- #6
Tell that to guys gettin hired at JetBlue, Fedex, UPS...they are not gone...Period.
Here's my two best suggestions for you. As I'm sure many in the forum will agree. First of all you should really check out the United States Military. I'm partial to the Air Force; but that's a personal choice. However, if you're bound to stay in the civilian world you should really check out Embry Riddle University. They have campuses in Arizona and in Florida. They're a fantastic school; and I doubt you'll find anyone who'll have a bad thing to say about them. Good luck. 
Your right there will be lots of jobs in the next 5 years or so....were all geting old!Gulstream Capt said:
Which type rating would be best to have now?
GK
u might want to look at delta connection academy. i am a student there. they have the best sctructured course for becoming an airline pilot. i just got my private in i month and a half. i am now working on my instrument rating. you start with 0 time all the way up to mei . then you will be hired as an instructor at the school until you buld enough time to go to the regionals. the whole course will take you about 2 and a half yrs depending on your performance and barring any weather. the school guarantees you a job interview with any delta connection carrier. they have a 98% hire rate. the other percent usually do not get hired because of bad attitudes.
the school is owned by delta airlines. its located at the sanford airport (ksfb) in sanford fl. the training environment is excellent as you are training at an airport that handles heavy jet traffic as well as general aviation traffic. you have any thing from a 747 to a cessna 152 operating at the airport. also panam and southeast airlines operate out of ksfb. you have intl traffic from the uk coming in on the weekends from airlines like brittania (767-200/300) thomas cook (a330-200) monarch (a330-200) air atlanta icelandic (747-200) first choice airways(a330-200/767-300). the number for the school is 1-800-u-can-fly. and the website is deltaconnectionacademy.com. check it out. you can get loans through a variety of lenders . and the loans are very easy to get.
the school is owned by delta airlines. its located at the sanford airport (ksfb) in sanford fl. the training environment is excellent as you are training at an airport that handles heavy jet traffic as well as general aviation traffic. you have any thing from a 747 to a cessna 152 operating at the airport. also panam and southeast airlines operate out of ksfb. you have intl traffic from the uk coming in on the weekends from airlines like brittania (767-200/300) thomas cook (a330-200) monarch (a330-200) air atlanta icelandic (747-200) first choice airways(a330-200/767-300). the number for the school is 1-800-u-can-fly. and the website is deltaconnectionacademy.com. check it out. you can get loans through a variety of lenders . and the loans are very easy to get.
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- #13
my cousin raves about SIU(southern illinois university) in Carbondale . they have a great aviation program.
altho he is an airline pilot with 25+ years( 3 different carriers,2 furloughs) he says the industry is cyclical and young people now may reach the higher paying seats.
my 2 cents worth: be an orthodontist. the are in the top 10 overpaid professions in the latest report on that category. 335,000 average per yr. and buy your own airplane.
altho he is an airline pilot with 25+ years( 3 different carriers,2 furloughs) he says the industry is cyclical and young people now may reach the higher paying seats.
my 2 cents worth: be an orthodontist. the are in the top 10 overpaid professions in the latest report on that category. 335,000 average per yr. and buy your own airplane.
av8trxx
Member
shaun said:
You don't have to go to an aviation college to become an airline pilot. In fact, many would tell you to get a degree in something OTHER than aviation so you have something to fall back on if you are one of the unfortunate ones who got hired and then were furloughed during some point in your career. Many pilots do end up getting an aviation degree as that is what they are interested in though. While many do chose to go to a big name school like ERAU (and incur big time debt as well) you can go to a more affordable school and accomplish the same goal. If you want to see a listing of aviation universities to help you find a school, visit the University Aviation Association.
I recently spoke with a new First Officer who went to ERAU Daytona and they said if they had to do it over again they would not attend ERAU. While they do have a great reputation, you don't graduate with enough flight time to get hired, so you have to work your way up like everyone else who went to a non-aviation school after you graduate. So you basically spend many times over what you would spend at a FBO for your training for the name. I did go to ERAU too, but chose the Extended Campus. I still got to take the curriculum I was interested but did my ratings on the side at a club so they were much more affordable.
In addition, you might get a non-aviation degree and do your training on the side. This is a less expensive route than the big name universities or the academy route. How you are going to finance your education will play a big factor. Are your parents willing to foot an $80K education bill???? If you will be under massive student loans with minimal help, you should consider going the most affordable route. Especially when you consider that as a new hire regional airlimne pilot you will be lucky to make more than $20K to start! Your first few years in this business you can expect to live paycheck to paycheck unless your parents are willing to help or you have a few roomates.
While it is a cool job, there are many things about "living the dream" that are not the same as living the reality of the job. If you do not even have your Private yet, I would highly suggest you get that (and your Instrument rating too) before commiting such major amounts of money to something that you may not actually like as well you think you will. It is not all the glamour most people think it is. Check out my page about Learning to fly and pilot career FAQs for more information.
A note about the big academy programs- Most are around $70-80K. That is a big investment for an INTERVIEW, not a job offer. My friend just paid a sum to Flight Safety for a 'guaranteed interview' and has been jerked around- no job yet after her 15 minute interview. Meanwhile they have cashed her check. Keep in mind, once you interview, they have fullfilled their obligation. So you may find yourself $80K in debt with no job offer! While academies may work for some, they do not work for others. The do have a hard sell and after a visit to one you will probably leave thinking the are the best thing since sliced bread. If you check into that route, keep off the rosy glasses! I don't think it's just a 'bad attitude' that keeps people from getting a job out of the program...
Here is DCA’s own written word in the magazine ads and website :
"Even in today’s job market, 97% of our graduates are hired as First Officers!*"
The asterisk * small print at the bottom of ads reads:
“* 728 out of 754 students who completed the entire program through August 2003â€. Wow, that is fantastic, don’t you know? DCA has been in business since 1987, which is 16 years. If you divide 728 by that 16 years you only get 45.5 students per year, or 3 students per month on average, that graduate. This means less than 6% of their students make it as First Officers."
It was posted on this DCA thread on FightInfo.com:
http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26460 ://http://forums.flightinfo.com/showth...threadid=26460 ://http://forums.flightinfo.com/showth...threadid=26460 ://http://forums.flightinfo.com/showth...threadid=26460 ://http://forums.flightinfo.com/showth...threadid=26460
You should also visit Jetcareers.com for more info on airline careers.
av8trxx
Member
longez said:
BTW, do you know how many applications they received for those positions? I was told 31,000 by a guy who is in their pool!
