Knowing what I know, I would never suggest that career to my daughter. If your son develops a natural love for aviation on his own to the point that he considers being a pilot as a career, then make sure he fully understands what he would be getting into. My Dad died of a brain tumor in his 70s, likely caused by flying.įlying can be a good career, but you have to love it. There are long days, backside of the clock flying, circadian rhythm disruptions and years of exposure to unhealthy levels of radiation. Also, the career is fundamentally unhealthy. Switching airlines means starting over at the bottom. One of my old neighbors was furloughed into a career change during a major economic downturn.īesides the precarious economics of an aviation career, there is the double-edged sword of the seniority system that marries you to an airline and dictates every aspect of your career, but especially your work schedule. The massive furloughs that resulted are a very real risk of a career in aviation and some pilots can’t survive economically when they happen. I am thankful every day for that.ĬOVID-19 continues to affect the aviation industry and it remains to be seen whether the industry will fully recover and how long that will take. As a result, I ended up with a far better career in a different industry. Luckily for me, my timing was bad and there were no jobs to be had at the end of my flight training. My Dad flew for United for 33 years and while he didn’t exactly discourage me from following in his footsteps, I started down that road with my eyes open. Never believe anyone claiming there is (or will be) a pilot shortage until the days of airlines paying for flight training return. it is a long, uncertain, expensive road to getting hired by a major airline and an even longer road towards financial stability if and when that happens. I would be careful about directing your son towards this career path. If you want more detail, please send me a PM.
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1) my son will actually have a BS degree plus a minor, and 2) based on some good legwork, he got some really good scholarships making it very close to a typical college. The college route, while substantially more expensive, did have some elements that helped us decide this route.
Someone please correct me if there’s better info. Unless things have changed recently, I think you’re looking at least 6-10 years to exit the AF and train as a commercial pilot. The Air Force is always an option and is the least expensive overall, but has the most time commitment depending on a few factors. My son is 21 and will graduate a US-based college next May with about 300 hours of flight time and his CFI.
I hope this all doesn’t come across as bragging, just want to give you as much info as possible. I’m not personally a commercial pilot, but I hope my experiences with my son can be helpful to you and your son.