TLDR: Be me: Just turned 26 Taken 2 discovery flights found passion for flying. Took over controls of plane really want to pursue career in aviation as a commercial pilot or corporate pilot. >Large expense barrier which is why many people do not get involved in aviation Flight school I am looking at in Florida after at all costs considered (flight time, examiner fees, materials, books, renting room) ~$100,000 > Poor family I am on my own on the costs >School works exclusively with Sallie Mae for financing. 100K loan fixed interest rates typically 4-10%. 10 or 15 year payback plans depending on credit. Have not filled out application yet but given the plans could be paying off the loan until I am 41 years old. I have NEVER been in debt before let alone 100K so this is a life changing decision for me. Currently have 20K in savings. >Not uncommon for pilots to be clearing 6 figures 5+ years into career not to mention other unique opportunities >Aviation/travel industry is in the shitter right now (COVID) but by the time I am done with training and building to 1500hours (required time to become a commercial pilot at major airlines) which will take about 2 years demand for pilots & travel will be back again
Other factors: >Single no kids >Have reliable vehicle paid off
What do? Should I pursue this? I don't want to be moving in with my parents in my 30's because I can't afford my loan payments but I also do not want to be sitting at my desk at a sales job thinking about how I would rather be flying for the rest of my life.
I do have plans to have a family but not for a while. Is this a good path to secure a decent future for myself and family
Should I bite the bullet and take the loan? They say that life rewards those who take risks.
Becoming a pilot for a major airline has a lot of competition. Pursue your dreams, but just be aware that there are a lot of other jobs in aviation. Flight attendant, air traffic controller, aircraft maintenance, meteorologist, etc...
Austin Harris
I too thought this would be a good idea. Went to Florida to get my private cert. Flight school arranged an apartment share with very low level commercial pilots. I'd say seeing the grim reality of their lives put me off more than anything. (One was starting out as a CFI with no students, the other flying blood and piss samples around for minimum wage at all hours)
I got signed off for solo after 15hrs (which is average) flew for 10 more hours, didn't feel I was getting better and realized a check ride would be another 20hrs away.. and increasingly it was a chore. Like driving a car, but with more paperwork... So I gave up. On occasion I still do discovery flights to see if I can still land. It's very much like riding a bike. First you can't, then something clicks and you can.
Also, even if you make it and end up flying for the airlines, they can treat you like shit because it's a job people really want... and you'll die young of cancer thanks to all that radiation at 30,000ft.
Juan Fisher
Just get xbox game pass for $5 and you can get the same experience from microsoft flight simulator.
I don't want to keep you from chasing your dreams, but you probably picked the shittiest time point to become a pilot. Air traffic will suffer for at least one or two more years
Thomas Martinez
How is it the shittiest time to learn the trade though?
It's not like he is going to get paid (well) this year or even next, regardless of the market.
Jason Powell
I'm wary of most careers where there is an ownership class that employs a lot of passionate people.
If you're really digging it, go for it I suppose. I just like stuff where I can become the owner
Jonathan Morales
If you are smart and can remember alot you should do it. I always wanted to become a pilot but IFR license is no joke.
Gabriel Scott
DO NOT go in to debt with the state of the industry right now (especially $100k wtf man). You will literally cripple yourself for decades. There are going to be thousands of pilots out of work Oct. 1st, and who knows how long it will take to recover. Get a stable job and train at a local mom and pop school, you could train up to your instructor rating for ~$40k depending on the area you live in. I was in the middle of my PPL when I lost my job to COVID, so the pilot aspirations are on hold right now.
Bentley Fisher
There was a pilot thread yesterday too where the OP said flight training would cost $100k. Are you him? Because I will tell you what I told him. Integrated course costs $100k. Modular costs around half that.
I don't for a second believe you actually think it would make any sense to go down the integrated route right now. You will not be getting a pilot job within the next 3 years, 2 years minimum, so why pay $100k for an intense course that will mean you have your frozen ATPL within 1.5 years?
I am currently 4 exams away from finishing my ATPLs and I am slowing everything right down.
Jeremiah Perry
If you're autistic enough ATC is a great option, you can make bank and school is only 2 years
Isaiah Brown
This is probably the route i'll end up going getting my private at a local airport then transferring to get the rest of my ratings. I'll have to calculate the costs but should equate to a good amount of savings while working to pay off the costs. The main appeal of the flight school is that you get it all done faster but with the amount of captains being demoted to co-captain and co-captains being furloughed right now getting it done quicker kind of loses its benefit at the moment.
Christian Rivera
I purchased a 2015 iMac like 6 months ago then Microsoft dropped the sim last month. I'm literally considering selling my iMac just to buy a different CPU to be able to play it.
Lincoln Butler
I'm not did you go the Modular route? I took a look and saw mostly European programs. Got any program recommendations within the US?
Brody Wilson
I did my PPL with American Aviation Academy in California. Doing my ATPLs with Bristol Ground School here in the UK, but I know students who stayed with AAA and did their ATPLs with BGS while staying with AAA but that was for EASA.
Jordan Reyes
It's going to be released on xbox too so you can get just get a series s for $300 if you want to spend less money. A pc that can run it well will cost you like $1200 minimum.
Justin Jackson
>If you're autistic enough ATC is a great option, you can make bank and school is only 2 years I considered this when I felt like my software engineering career wasn't going to take off. Thankfully, it did and I am pulling over 150k remotely now.
I did a short evaluation of the career.
Pros: training is paid, even if you fail it. Could be a neat little vacation. Pay gets decent quickly, don't have to think about your job after a shift.
Cons: have to go through a gov't application process, can't smoke weed, have to go live where they tell you, it's a $/time job PERIOD even if the $ is acceptably good, zero entrepreneurship opportunities, not a scalable job, always have to be on site, shift work.
Grayson Murphy
>can't afford my loan payments
Don't airline pilots make bank?
Dominic Anderson
Don't do it user. I have a friend who is a pilot. His body is fucked from flying so frequently. His body clock is fucked completely too. He literally has to schedule meetings with his wife. Gets depressed thinking about kids because he knows he won't be able to spend time with them. Airline puts him on routines where he has to fly around on weekends. Can't even meet his friends for drinks because what 32 year old has time for drinks on a Tuesday evening?
All of human life is designed around the five days a week 9 to 5. If you have a regular career, you get to spend time with your family after work. You get to hang out with friends on weekends because they all have weekends off.
Pilots get none of that. And my friend says that flying a gigantic plane is not even fun.
Just learn to code. You'll make six figures in 3 years and will get to lead a normal life
Hunter Gutierrez
For your information this is not a profitable course of action. Make money somewhere else and fly for fun.
Blake Ramirez
What program did you go through for ATC certs? Yes they do, but the first 5 years not so much while you repay your loan. Getting to the major airlines where everyone is trying to go is also quite competitive lots of pilots do not make it to the majors and end up flying regionals most of their career still decent pay.
Henry Lee
weren't you the dude who posted pepe in pilot jacket and hat couple of weeks ago ?
also moving out from parents to pay the rent jew is so USA, in Europe we live in big family houses compounding money and wealth.
every guy i know who moved out in his 20's is broke or have 20 more years of wage slavery to pay for his bullshit 40 square meters in some fuckin 20 stories apartment in city full of dust.
Michael King
Nothing smart about owning planes either. They almost all lose money.
Aiden Hall
Get a $125k loan. Use the $25k to either but the link or uni dip. Forget about it for two years and when you're settling comfy the gains will pay off your loan.
Jackson Myers
I'm a sailor and although I've earned bank through my 10 years sailing, I wish I had a normal job too. It's so strange being at home for weeks at a time and having no one to see because they're all working. I spend most of my time travelling/camping because there's nothing to do in my house, it's all paid off and clean.
Haven't managed to find a woman that want to have kids with someone who's away 6 months of the year yet, but that's mostly my doing, as Zig Forums has made me hate all women. Lots of sailors have lovely wives and happy families, so it's not all doom and gloom
Jack Lopez
Honestly underlooked part of being a pilot I heard it is a fucking hard career to have and still be a family man. Pilots and flight attendants have high divorce rates.
Justin Sullivan
Get in touch with the CIA. There's a very good chance they'll pay for your flight training down in Florida. Just grow a beard and carry a copy of the Quran at the interview.
Ian Collins
Is a CS degree required to get a job in coding or can you snag a job with some boot camp type cert?
Caleb Allen
>100k for flight school dude what it costs like 20k for fixed wing CPL probably less lol. if you're doing rotorcraft ~60-70k. if they're quoting you 100k for fixed wing you should be kind of suspicious. shop around my man.
I cant say. But I freelance as a marketer but I've literally had multiple recruiters reach out to me for product roles because of my successful NoCode projects
