what's it like being a commercial pilot?What would you like to ask?

Becoming a pilot is not like getting a new haircut. It's not something you try out for a while to see if you like it. It is a lifelong passion. A goal that must be achieved with many many years of study, hard work, and buckets of money! Or, if you don't have the money, many years of military service to your country. That's IF you make it into the military. Then IF you make it through OCS or ROTC. Then IF you make to flight training. Then IF you graduate. That's a lot of IFs.

Flying is a serious occupation. It kills people on a regular basis. I mean kills 'em dead. Splat. Crushed like grape. Burnt to a crisp. Blown into a million pieces. That is part of the thrill. You get to control a vehicle that flies through the air and defies gravity and Mother Nature.

I've been flying for over 20 years and I knew at age 10 that's what I wanted to do. And I wanted both airplanes and helicopters. Now, as an adult, I make my living doing exactly that - flying airplanes and helicopters. Every day is fun. Every day is exciting. My worst day now is still better than my best day working in a office, sitting in a cubicle, staring at a computer screen. I could never go back to that kind of job. Flying is freedom and tremendous responsibility. I hold people's lives in my hands daily. They trust me with their most precious possession, themselves! I take it very seriously, and I get great satisfaction from delivering them safely. Whether it be in a helicopter for a quick trip to an oil platform, or across the country at 45,000 ft. My goal is transportation and yes, sometime we joke about "driving the bus", but my bus does 550 mph!! It took me a long time to get where I am today, flying multi-million dollar aircraft to glamorous places, but it was worth every minute.

If you go the civilian route, it will take 10 - 15 years from graduation from college (you'll need that to get a decent job) to being hired by a major airline. You'll get your license, then you'll flight instruct to build up your time (making very little money). Then maybe you'll progress to cargo or charter or air ambulance (making very little money). You might be able to get to the commuter airlines (making very little money). If you're lucky you'll get a good corporate flying job and you'll make some decent money then, but you probably won't be flying heavy jets. If your goal is to fly heavy jets, you'll need to get on with a major airline. The last decade has not been good for aviation. DH has been furloughed twice (5 years the first time, 2 years into the second time now).

As far as your "life,"

There's bad news and there's good news.

The bad news is:

-You will miss nearly all holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, weekend tailgates and Super Bowl parties, cook outs and block parties and parades, road trips, etc, etc. This will happen even if you choose to remain single. You will not be able to participate in any organized sports or any kind of civic leadership, b/c you won't have a regular schedule.

-If you do find someone dumb enough to marry you, you will arrive at the hospital just before your child is born, after your wife has been in labor all day and you will most assuredly miss your childrens' first words, steps, milestones. sporting events, campouts, dance recitals, etc.

-There will be stress associated with monthly bidding, contract negotiations and bidding for vacations, which b/c you're so junior, you'll be awarded at the WORST possible time of the year, say, October.

-The first time you get furloughed, you'll still be young enough to find a really great coporate flying job, but you will leave it behind to go back to your beloved airline career, b/c you just don't like the corporate scene.

-The second time you get furloughed, you're too old to find a good job, and the corporate place you left won't even talk to you, and no one will hire you b/c you're a two-time furloughee.

-There will be a lot of stress b/c there's no money coming in and no one's hiring furloughed pilots, except maybe some crappy commuter carrier, where you'll start out making around $20 K per year, until you make captain, then you'll make about $50K.

-Your wife, who has been a stay at home Mom, will have to go back to work on your days off so you can make ends meet.

-Your days off will be filled with chores because you're gone so much, there is so much to do when you are home.

-You and your spouse will slowly begin to live separate lives b/c you just never see each other.

The good news is:

-Your family will be allowed to pass-fly, which may be cancelled while you're on furlough, which is essentially useless, b/c the planes are always full and the only prayer you have of getting on is during "low travel" times, like the before-mentioned October. So this is actually not a positive, it's kind of a neutral.

-While you're on furlough, the union will probably make sure you get a furlough fund to pay for health insurance for a minimum of 18 months (at the COBRA rate). If you can find cheaper insurance, like what your wife can get at her job, the fund can last up to 3 or more years.

-Your kids, at least while they're young, will be thrilled to see you when you're home. I think that will gradually turn to resentment over years and years, however, and will become part of the bad news.

That pretty much cover it for ya???

In order to get to the Big Jets, you would have to start with Small Cesna's and work your way up with hours, and certifications. Being a Pilot for an Airline Company is similar to being a OTC Truck driver. You have to stay within time-frames, you are transporting items or people, and the hours are always changing. Most of the Flying its self with commercial flying is about the take-off and landing. First you would have to get your Private license which usually requires 10 flight hours with a certified instructor. Then, you would have to get your instrument rating. which is learning how to fly only with instruments. Then, you have to get the commercial cert. and depending on what class of plane you wish to fly you have to get those as well. This is all not cheap. Look at easily spending 100k on school, flight hours, plane rental, and paying for an instructor. Most people once they get most of their certs, become flight instructors to obtain more flight hours. Most commercial pilots need 3-5k flight hours just to be considered to pilot commercial.

Hope this helps,

Why not fly big jets as a hobby...?

Just do touch and goes with a 757 just for fun, on sundays -

I did not know that 737 were "big jets"...

When I used to be with PanAm, we called them "light twins" -

FaSSinating... (or fascinating...?) -

Edit -

Anonymous does NOT help at all -

"10 hours for private pilot" - wow... is fuel getting that expensive...?

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