Would a pilot mind answering a few of my questions?

1. Was a career in the aviation field a long time dream of yours? It was a childhood dream, since age 7 or 8. I didn't first learn to fly until my mid 20's. Since then, I have not looked back! 2. How often did you feel that your goals weren't going to be achieved? There have certainly been times of frustration and doubt. For example, it took a long time and hard work for me to get an instrument rating, and my instructor at the time didn't exactly make me feel encouraged. But I had my goals firmly set and plowed on to achieve them. Things got easier after the instrument rating. There will be times in your training when you become discouraged and are filled with doubt, guaranteed. But keep your nose to the grindstone, work hard, and you will reach your goals. 3. How long did you train before your first solo? 11.4 hours. 4. When was your first solo? What a/c? When I was 26, a decade ago, in a Cessna 152-II. I felt ready at the time, and it went flawlessly. The only weird part was that there was nobody in the right seat in my peripheral vison. That took some getting used to! 5. What is the most gratifying thing about being a pilot? The multi-sensory experience of managing workloads, making decisions, and operating "the machine". The view isn't half bad, either. ;) Some people view professional pilots as "glorified bus drivers." They just don't get it. 6. Can you describe your education/career path in detail? I have a graduate degree (MS) in an unrelated field (engineering) and didn't start towards an aviation career until after that. I did all my flight training at a local "ma n pop" flight school, gradually over many years, through the various certificates and ratings. 7. Finally, what advice would you give to an aspiring pilot? If your dream is to be a pilot, do whatever it takes to get there. Nothing can replace the feeling of pursuing your passion. Don't let anyone else tell you that you can't pursue your passion -- because you can. Live out your dreams the way YOU want to, not the way somebody else expects you to. Go to a reputable flight program (sounds like you have a good path already planned -- good on you!) and work with an instructor that you are compatible with. Don't be afraid to switch instructors if you feel that it's not working for you. Immerse yourself in everything aviation related. Go to presentations, conferences, local airport meetings, read the aviation websites and chat rooms, read the aviation magazines, read all the books you can get your hands on, experience as much as you can and soak in as much as your brain has room for. There's no such thing as a pilot who learned too much. And most importantly, don't lose sight of why you learned to fly in the first place -- it's the greatest thing on earth. Good luck to you my friend, it sounds like you are well on your way on the right track. Thumbs down? Lol, ok.

Hi Nathan, that sounds like a great opportunity. 1. No. I was around airplanes my whole life but didn't get interested in doing it for a living until I was in my twenties. 2. Since I only wanted to fly and didn't really care in what capacity, no. For various reasons I pretty much knew I'd never make it to a major airline and I haven't. 3. I had 7.2 hours logged before my first solo. 4. That was 1982 in a Cessna 150. 5. Initially, I think it was the pride of achieving something that only a small percentage of the population gets to do. Now, looking back at a career that's 2/3 over with, it has been the people I've been associated with that has been most gratifying, followed by the nature of some of the unique flying jobs i've had , the places i've been and things things I've seen that many pilots never get to experience. 6. You'll have to email me for the complete story. It's a long one. Includes living in my car for a few years and working odd jobs to afford an associate degree at ERAU and get pilot ratings at a mom & pop FBO (a 6 year ordeal total), then 24 years flying including flight instructing, traffic surveillance, fish spotting, charter flying, regional airlines, aerial firefighting, alaska bush flying, back to firefighting, night bank-check flying, and corporate flying, in that order, punctuated with 3 long bouts of unemployment. During the first one I went back to shool for a BS degree then worked on a fishing boat in Alaska fur awhile. I'm presently on the 3rd major layoff of my career due to fluctuations in the economy. Aviation can be a pretty brutal occupation sometimes. (note the long answers here...that's because we're not out working...) 7. Advice: a) get any degree other than one that has "professional pilot" or "aeronautical science", "aeronautical studies", or anything similar in the title. They're useless degrees for gainful employment if you're ever out of work as a pilot. There are a lot of reasons that can happen. Have a "back up" skill. Get a degree in someting that is both highly marketable and one that you would enjoy as an alternative to flying. It can be aviation related, like engineering, or meteorology for example, but doesn't have to be in the field of aeronautics. The airlines aren't choosy about that.. b) while a school like Embry-Riddle can't hurt, it won't give you a significant edge over someone who has gone to a cheaper school and learned to fly at any other flight school. That's a fact, despite what their students and their literature says. I know, I got both my degrees from them. In my eyes, the current $200,000+ price tag for 4 years room and board, tuition and flight training is a huge waste of money that could be more intelligently spent elsewhere. Bottom line, most employers don't give a hoot where you went to college or learned to fly. It's flying experience and personality that counts, especially at the top companies. Almost any college degree will suffice. c) Keep your nose clean. Any blemish on your personal, professional and flying record can ruin an airline career. Getting arrested, getting a DUI or drug chage against you, quitting a job for no good reason, getting fired, having a bad driving record, having bad credit from a failure to pay bills on time, having a flying violation or accident, and a few others can ruin your chances of being a major airline pilot. d) If you want to go to the Air Force academy, you'll need to work extremely hard to get there. There are plenty of good guides on how to do that. It requires a congressional appontment, so you need to start working toward that goal NOW. It would probably be a much better route career-wise and financially if you can get there, even if you can't qualify for flight training. I turned down a shot at the naval academy when I was 18 (I scored really high on various national tests) but because I couldn't fly due to wearing glasses, I turned it down. If I could go back 35 years in time I'd think real hard about kicking myself in the butt for that decision. I've enjoyed my life and career, but it was a rash and stupid decision to turn down a free education at a prestigious institution.

1. Was a career in the aviation field a long time dream of yours? Career, no, but I always wanted to fly since I was about 5. I was going to be a veterinarian. 2. How often did you feel that your goals weren't going to be achieved? Lots of times, every interview, when I was furloughed. 3. How long did you train before your first solo? About a month and a half, I got my license in a little under four months. 4. When was your first solo? What a/c? April 1978 in a Cessna 172. 5. What is the most gratifying thing about being a pilot? Being there. It's the most specific place where you are in command of your own destiny. 6. Can you describe your education/career path in detail? Private ticket, college (degree unrelated going for the DVM), worked on a ramp to get the Commercial, Instrument, Multi, CFI. Started flying for a living. Before I got too old, decided on the military, USAF -- UPT, got a F16 out of flight school, then was a T38 IP, airline which grew to a major, keep flying warbirds as a hobby and would much rather be doing that full time now. 7. Finally, what advice would you give to an aspiring pilot? Stay with the dream, but always have a backup plan. There are lots of jobs in aviation, some good, some not so good and not even half of them are with an airline.

1) its the only career ive stuck by since i can remember....i dont remember when i started liking flying, but its all ive wanted to do. 2)im going through this now. my eyesight isnt as good in one eye, but overall i can see fine, and with correction its fine but there are some stupid rules. currently im barred from starting commercial training, even though ive got a Private licence already. its not gonna stop me though. ill find a way or do whatever it takes to continue. if you want something that bad, youll get it. 3) i went solo at 17, hour wise, i didnt take very long. 4) as i said, 17 was my solo, and it was on a C152. i tried the PA28, but the C152 is such a forgiving aircraft, i switched back 5)realising your living your dream 6)by the way im from UK...but i finished my highschool, and went to college (so what you guys would regard as being a senior i guess) and took completetly unrealated subjects to aviation (history, politics and geography). i did my PPL at stapleford flight centre, and got a night rating there too, combined with my PPL. my next steps are to get around the issue i have at the moment, go to Oxford aviation academy to do my ATPL theory, then i hope to go back to stapleford to do a CPL, Multi engine rating, and instrument ratiing before going back to oxford to do a jet operation course and multi crew co-operation. slightly different in america i believe, but almost the same format. 7)never give up, and always put 100% effort into what you do.

There have been some great answers so far, and I really don't think I necessarly need to share my thoughts, but it sounds like you are serious and every bit of information helps make an educated decision. The first thing is Embry-Riddle is a great school, but is extremely expensive and generally speaking does not give a very good return on your investment. Some people come out of there and get right into a job they want because of the reputation the school has and its contacts, but that can be true anywhere. I'm sure you have heard the phrase "it's not what you know, it's who you know" before, and it's very true in this industry. Any place you learn to fly will have someone who knows someone that can get you a job if you are in the right place at the right time. Don't buy into the hype of the big schools. If you do want a big school that is great, look into Purdue or University of North Dakota. Those are two great schools with good flight programs, and they will cost less than Embry. That is really the reason I wanted to reply, save you some money... Anyways: 1: Yes and no. Growing up I wanted to do a lot of different things. I still do! I don't see myself as a one track type of person, I enjoy a lot of things outside of aviation and I think I'd be happy working in any of those other fields I enjoy. I did reach a point where I thought I wanted to fly for a living about 10 years ago and in one way or another have been after that goal the whole time either reading books or actually flying, or anything in between. 2: Honestly, very often. I had a very bumpy road to get to where I am now, and I an no where near the end of the road. Training, I had plenty of problems. Instructors leaving, flight schools closing, running out of money, ending up with unethical instructors and flying at unethical schools. Some people sign up for ground school, start flying and 50 hours later have their private without any real problems at all. I'm glad I was never that person. Despite all the wasted time and money, I'm glad things happened the way they did for me. It made me a better pilot, more aware of the training industry, and more than anything taught me how to help other people avoid my same mistakes. 3: I was signed off to solo at 9 hours. I learned to fly in Colorado during the spring, and the weather is either beautiful or awful with little in between. Due to the weather I think I actually solo'd around 20 hours. 4: It was in spring 2006 in a 172SP. N5345G, I hated that airplane but the dispatch people always put me in it and I slowly began to like it 5: Gratifying? The sense of accomplishment is what keeps me going. There are plenty opportunities to accomplish something. My next big goal is an ATP, but along the way there are plenty of little ones. Get every student of mine through their check ride on their first try. Fly some new-to-me airplane. Shoot a perfect approach, land right on the numbers. You can set any goal and go out and work towards it. Some are harder, and those are the ones that are more rewarding. 6: To start from the beginning... I was introduced to flying in 2000 when a neighbor took me to Oshkosh for Airventure (If you ever get the chance to go, drop everything and go) in an old Grumman Traveler. I started flying in 2005, got my private at 80 hours (see #2) and then moved to Phoenix with the goal of finishing up the rest of my ratings there. That didn't work out (see #2) so I came back to Colorado, got a BS in aviation technology while finishing up my ratings. I did it all while working 40+ hours a week to pay for it all. That is pretty much my story. I do some flight instruction and work for a charter company (not as a pilot). From here I plan to stick with instructing until I either have my own school or something comes up that I can't say no to. 7. Above all, be smart. Research everything, your school you want to train at, your instructor (get a professional instructor or retired pilot, not a time builder). Go into every lesson completely prepared, try to know more than your instructor. That means reading every night. Ask your instructor on a book they suggest for your level (I suggest Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook, or the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook if you want to save a few bucks.) and study it inside and out. Then read some more. Every hour you spend teaching yourself things is an hour you aren't paying your instructor to teach you. Learning to fly in very expensive. Unless you are one of the fortunate ones who are not concerned with money (or you go the military route like you have already said you would consider) you need to be smart with your money. If you aren't feeling up to flying one day, don't fly. If you are having a hard time grasping some thing, ask to fly with a different instructor to see if you just need a new point of view. There is a lot of garbage out there, especially on the internet (plenty of it right h

1. Ever since my father took me up in a J Cub in 1956. 2. There was a few times but I kept the dream alive by looking up every time I heard a plane go over, no matter how high, low or what kind it was. 3. Five months and twenty hours of PIC with my instructor. 4. 1964 and it was in a C150 5. Becoming an officer in the Air Force and flying an F4D in Vietnam 6. Degree in Aeronautical Engineering prior to entering the Air Force which help in understanding aircraft better then I did when I got my PPL 7. Don't ever give up your dream of being what you want to be as we all have dreams and those who presue that dream at all cost will be sucessful and obtain it!

1. One of the earliest other than being a Fireman. 2. Very Often, Still do. 3.About a month but I haven't checked my log book and it was a long, long time ago. 4.1976 a CT-134 Beech Musketeer (prop) a CT-114 Tutor (jet) 5.The uniform... and our flight attendants. 6.High School, College, Military fighter Pilot, Civilian transition, Flt. Safety Int. Corporate Pilot... 7. If you love it, do it. Don't let anyone rain on your parade.

1. Yes. Straight up. 2. All the time, if feel now that it only pushed me to try harder. 3. It was, from looking at my logbook, 9.3 hours. That was flying one hour a week. 4. 2008, in a pa28 :D 5. The view (is my interview answer). I like being better than everyone else, too. I'm joking. It's like asking why do people ride motorbikes? Because they enjoy it :) 6. Studied Air Transport at university whilst doing my PPL, took a year off from uni to start ATPL theory, CPL, ME and hours build. Went back to university to finish my degree and went on to complete IR and MCC. 7 Dont give up, times are tough. Aim to finish your training for 2014, I'd imagine there's jobs for you then!

No,career in the aviation field was not a long time dream of mine. Never coz it dint matter i worked for flying a plane not the money or job. few months when the first time i flew plane very well i started with pravara aviation at ozar then i moved on to u s a .............there i took admition again wasting my 8 months in pravara was a difficult time but when i came to u.s.a i had a little bit of knowledge so it got better ............. Enjoy your journey till you reach flying the plane on your own risk i mean responsibility and do not worry about who is sitting behind or beside jut look forward and have fun and try flying diffrent planes