Is anyone a pilot?

[crazyme5kids]

My 16 year old son wants to go to do a half day of regular high school and then a half day of tech. for flight school next year. If this is what he really wants I will agree to it, but can anyone tell me where he could go with his training after high school? Has anyone done something like this or know of anyone that has? What were the career options after high school or did you?they go onto other types of career training?

 

[MsDisney23]

I am a pliot license! It is for my broom... It is a two seater and kick starts on the right!! I will give your ds lesson for free.

Now all joking aside we have two friends who are now pliots with some very big airlines. They both went to flight school in Florida, One was named Ebeney Riddle, something like that. One was flying banner planes while still in high school. He is now a Captain for US Airways! The other is a girl, she is a pilot for Delta, and she also went to flight school in Florida. Good luck.

 

[katerkat]

The school in Florida is Embry Riddle - it's in Daytona.

My husband is a pilot, but in the Air Force. And honestly, it's the cheapest way to go. DH's friend who went to E-R and didn't go ROTC is making very little money as an instructor, because even after all his schooling, he doesn't have the qualifications necessary to go to the airlines. Plus, the airlines are not really hiring pilots right now, making it hard for the new guys to get in.

 

[crazyme5kids]

LOL MsDisney23! My son usually hides when he sees me on my broom. Guess he dosen't like the old fashioned one seater!

katerkat, he has talked about joining the military. I've thought Air Force, but my husband doesn't know if he'd be able to become a pilot with them because he wears glasses. Now the mom in me would not want to see him enlist during war time, but if it's what he wants I'll support him.

 

[janette]

One of my brothers is a pilot. He joined the Airforce, he also wore glasses and didn't qualify to be a pilot but worked as part of the flight crew. He took classes while he was in the AF to get his certifications needed to be a pilot in the private sector. He used Orthokeratology for vision correction and can now qualify as a pilot. To get flight time he enrolled in private flight schools and flys a small plane, he also learned maintenance in the AF and has bought and sold planes.

He works for a charter airline and is working to move up the ladder to Captain, it is hard to get on right now with the major airlines because they've been laying off more than hiring. There are smaller airlines that do hire but don't pay as well.

 

[DrCavin]

His best path is through the military. My neighbor has been a pilot for 10 years for US Air. He is looking for a different career, because his schedule is absolutly crazy. Used to work a day then off 2. Now he works 3 & is off 1 maybe 2 at most. I think he said they can work upto 16 hours a day.

 

[cynsaun]

My husband is a pilot for a commerical airline. He knew he wanted to be a pilot from the age of six, and went into the Air Force after college.

From what I have seen with the airlines, it would be easier for your son to achieve the flight hours he needs to fly for an airline (if that is what he wants to do) by joining the military after college.

Going through other means is possible, but airlines look for pilots with many flight hours. That is not easily achieved without the military experience.

Good luck to him!

 

[crazyme5kids]

My son has said for years (I think it started in 4th or 5th grade) that this is what he wanted to do. Since he was 14 he has said he wanted to do the flight training in 11th and 12th, then join the military followed by going to college. He has it all planned out.

 

[DawnCt1]

I agree with those who suggested the military but I would encourage your son to take as many math and science courses as possible and maintain his grades. The civilian school to go to is Embry-Riddle, very competitive.

 

[katerkat]

I think the military is now allowing people with vision corrective surgery to fly heavies. If he does get Lasik, he can't fly fighters or planes that pull (a decent amount of) Gs because it can mess with the eyes. This is all hearsay from a friend who's a navigator, trying to get a pilot slot after getting Lasik. But heavies are a good way to go if he wants to go to the airlines - my DH will have a chance to fly the KC-767 if the deal ever goes through, which is essentially the same plane as the passenger airline version. So by the time his 10 years are out, he'll have a ton of experience in the planes the airlines use.

 

[janette]

I think the military is now allowing people with vision corrective surgery to fly heavies. If he does get Lasik, he can't fly fighters or planes that pull (a decent amount of) Gs because it can mess with the eyes. This is all hearsay from a friend who's a navigator, trying to get a pilot slot after getting Lasik. But heavies are a good way to go if he wants to go to the airlines - my DH will have a chance to fly the KC-767 if the deal ever goes through, which is essentially the same plane as the passenger airline version. So by the time his 10 years are out, he'll have a ton of experience in the planes the airlines use.

That is true, I think civilian airlines will allow it but not military. The type of vision correction my brother did uses Gas permeable contacts and is not invasive. The reason he did it over Lasik is so he could qualify to fly in the military.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thanks for all the information. It's ironic that my son wants to be a pilot and has a mother that has anxiety attacks even thinking about flying. I told him he was going to kill me and asked why he could choose a safer career. He laughed at me and said "So you think your idea of me being a cop on the K-9 unit going into crack houses for drug busts is safer!?". I guess he has a point.

 

[HappyMommy2]

What type of pilot does your son want to be? I agree that if he wants to fly commercial in this day and age he will probably need to go through the military; he might be able to fly for a very small airline without military experience but he would be flying for an extremely low salary for years and years before possibly getting a shot at a major airline job. DH is a military pilot and does fly g-pulling jets so I am not sure about the glasses thing but I have heard that people who get vision correction can fly the big military prop or jet planes (cargo, tankers, etc.)--very cool IMO and a great route to the airlines. He might want to at least talk with a recruiter if this interests him.
On the other hand, there are lots of corporate jet flying jobs out there that may not require the hours and experience that commercial airlines do. Those pilots get to fly neat private jets but they are at the mercy of their employers' unpredictable schedules. Something to think about anyhow.
Best wishes to your DS!

 

[katerkat]

Thanks for all the information. It's ironic that my son wants to be a pilot and has a mother that has anxiety attacks even thinking about flying. I told him he was going to kill me and asked why he could choose a safer career. He laughed at me and said "So you think your idea of me being a cop on the K-9 unit going into crack houses for drug busts is safer!?". I guess he has a point.

Don't fly with him, then. (Commercially, I mean.) DH is always pointing out stuff on the planes that I *really* don't want to know about. I'm thinking about requesting separate seats when we fly on vacations.

The good thing, though, is that flying heavies for the military is rather safe (considering.) DH can't be stationed in a war zone, though he does fly above them. And a tanker hasn't been shot down in a long, long time. (Cargo is a bit more dangerous, since they actually land in war zones.)

 

[WDWHound]

I have a private pilots license, though I haven't taken a plane up for 10 years. I paid for my lessons all on my own dime, but there are better ways to do it.

Here are a couple of options you son could consider to cut the costs of learning to fly. Have him look for a flight club in his area and join it. These clubs tend to have one or more planes which the lease out to their embers at reduced rates.

Also, the Civil Air Patrol is an excellent option for young pilots. They will lower the cost of his flight time and he will have an oppourtunity to serve his community. I'm not sure is he will need to get his private pilots license first though. You local CAP whould be able to tell you what opportunities they could offer your son.

 

[brerrabbit]

One of my best friends is a pilot for AirTran Airlines. He took the very long route to get there. He had his own small company doing construction work, but had a passion for flying. He got a private liscense many years ago and then joined the Confederate Airforce. He helped maintain the planes and got to fly in shows. He eventually got some flying jobs doing charters and cargo hauling. He became qualified in multi engine planes through his contacts in the CAF. He was lucky enough because of his job and the amount of free time he had to fly his Kate replica Japanese Torpedo Bomber in the movie ""Pearl Harbor". He spent eight weeks in Hawaii filming and did some other work over the battleship "Texas" in Houston and at the carrier "Enterprise" in Corpus Christi. Finally, he applied to AirTran and was lucky enough to meet the Chief Pilot for AirTran who happened to have flown with his father who was a retired two star Airforce General. That got him in the door at AirTran. Right now its very hard to get into the airlaines because they only want pilots and co-pilots that have had so many hours in command of commercial passenger type flights. So if you worked in private aviation, for an individual company, were a pilot in the military, or a cargo pilot they won't even talk to you. This was verified by a friend in my Sunday school class who works in corporate aviation and wants to go commercial. He has tons of hours in numerous planes and because he has not hauled passengers for pay they would not even give him an interview. So unless the current situation changes the best way to get to the pilot seat for a commercial airline may be to get your liscense and work you way up through low paying regional airline jobs to get the experience to one day get the big job.