Flight Training - December 2013 - 6

RIGHT SEAT

By Ian J. Twombly
VISIT OUR WEBSITE!
http://flighttraining.aopa.org

PLAN A

Publisher | Mark Baker

STICK TO IT, BUT DON'T FORGET
PLANS B THROUGH Z

Y

in and yang. Up and down. Ebb and flow. It would be easy to
be philosophical about the cyclic nature of airline hiring if it
weren't so real and didn't involve mortgages, credit card bills,
and car payments.

If you were reading this column
just two years ago, the message would
be subdued. The industry was going
through a down cycle, with predictions
that in a few years things would start
to look up. The major airlines weren't
hiring, which meant the regional airlines
weren't hiring, which meant new flight
instructors couldn't find jobs. Today,
the picture couldn't be more different.
Hiring is at a pace not seen since the
mid-2000s. There are stories of students
being hired while still in school, and
instructors only lasting a few weeks
before getting the call up to the airlines

a living is fine too. Then take your goal
and make a plan. If it's the airlines, get
the job as soon as you possibly can. If you
don't have a degree, research one of the
two- or four-year schools in our Annual
College Aviation Directory (beginning
on page 32). If you already have a degree,
consider an academy that can get you in
the door fast, such as ATP Flight School.
A more general goal is fine if you're
a freshman at the University of North
Dakota. It's not if you're an instructor
at Embry-Riddle. Even if you think you
may want to fly for the airlines, take
college or your training environment as

THERE ARE STORIES OF STUDENTS BEING HIRED
WHILE STILL IN SCHOOL, AND INSTRUCTORS
ONLY LASTING A FEW WEEKS BEFORE GETTING
THE CALL UP TO THE AIRLINES.
(see "Behind the Curtain," beginning on
page 26). If you have basic qualifications,
decent social skills, and a relatively clean
criminal and driving record, you have a
good chance of getting a flying job.
I realize that despite those facts the
job still seems elusive. The progression from Cessna to Canadair Regional
Jet, although well defined, appears as
daunting as going from Little League to
the Yankees. Don't be discouraged. Your
chances are much better of flying than
hitting home runs, and in today's hiring
landscape, practically guaranteed with
some hard work and a hefty investment.
Forgive the cliché, but the first step in
the progression is to make a goal. Write
it down and be as specific as possible. If
your goal is to fly for the airlines, spell it
out. Depending on where you are in your
process, simply saying you want to fly for

6/

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

an opportunity to experience as many
different types of professional aviation
as possible. You may be surprised to find
you prefer the worlds of corporate or
charter flying.
Most important, make back-up plans.
There are thousands of former airline
and corporate pilots who work in the
aviation industry doing everything from
selling single-engine pistons to flying
in airshows. It's for this very important
reason that you don't want to skip college and a back-up degree, as tempting as
it may be to get in the cockpit as fast as
possible. Flying for a living may be a cool
lifestyle, but it does ebb and flow from
time to time.
Email Editor Ian J. Twombly at ian.twombly@aopa.
org; Twitter: ijtwombly; and visit Flight Training on
Facebook.

Senior VP, Media/Editor in Chief | Thomas B. Haines
Editor | Ian J. Twombly
Editor at Large | Thomas A. Horne
Managing Editor | Julie Summers Walker
Technical Editors | Mike Collins, Jill W. Tallman
Senior Editors | Dave Hirschman, Alton K. Marsh
Media Production Specialist | Sylvia Horne
Administrative Assistant | Miriam E. Stoner
Contributors | Pete Bedell, Greg Brown, LeRoy Cook,
Budd Davisson, Rod Machado, Walter Miller, Dan
Namowitz, Wayne Phillips, Bob Schmelzer,
Jack Williams, Kathy Yodice

Design Director | Michael E. Kline
Art Directors | Elizabeth Z. Jones, Jill C. Benton
Senior Photographer | Mike Fizer
Photographer | Chris Rose

eMedia Managing Editor | Alyssa J. Miller
eMedia Editor | Sarah Deener
eMedia Associate Editors | Jim Moore, Benet Wilson

VP Advertising | Carol L. Dodds
Advertising Director | Brenda D. Ridgley
Online Advertising Manager | Michael Wilcox
Advertising Marketing Manager | Eryn Willard
Advertising Coordinator | Donna Stoner
Advertising Representative |
The Orison B. Curpier Co., Inc.
East, Central, International | 607-547-2591
South Central, West | 214-789-6094

Editorial and Advertising Offices
421 Aviation Way, Frederick, MD 21701
301-695-2350 / FAX 301-695-2180
email: flighttraining@aopa.org
Copyright © 2013, Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association. All rights reserved. No part of this monthly
magazine may be reproduced or translated, stored in a
database or retrieval system, or transmitted in any form
by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
other means, except as expressly permitted by the publisher; requests should be directed to the editor.
This publication is presented with the understanding
that the information it contains comes from many sources
for which there can be no warranty or responsibility by
the publisher as to accuracy, originality, or completeness.
It is presented with the understanding that the publisher
is not engaged in rendering product endorsements or
providing instruction as a substitute for appropriate
training by qualified sources.
Flight Training will consider unsolicited submissions.
All manuscripts and contributions should be sent to
flighttraining@aopa.org. Reasonable care will be taken
in handling manuscripts, but the magazine assumes no
responsibility for material submitted.


http://flighttraining.aopa.org http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Flight Training - December 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - December 2013

Flight Training - December 2013
Contents
Member Benefits
Centerline
Right Seat
Letters
When Basic Training Came Second
Success Story News
How it Works
After the Checkride
News
Training Products
ASI News
News
Tech Tip
News
Final Exam
Accident Report
Flying Carpet
Behind the Curtain
COLLEGE AVIATION DIRECTORY
ARE YOU OUTSIDE IN OR INSIDE OUT?
AVIATION SPEAK
TECHNIQUE
Weather
Flight Lesson
Finding Your Nest
Career Advisor
Tech Talk
Teaching Technology
Open-Door Policy
The Best Job I've Ever Had
Advertiser Index
Debrief
Flight Training - December 2013 - Flight Training - December 2013
Flight Training - December 2013 - Cover2
Flight Training - December 2013 - 1
Flight Training - December 2013 - Contents
Flight Training - December 2013 - Member Benefits
Flight Training - December 2013 - 4
Flight Training - December 2013 - Centerline
Flight Training - December 2013 - Right Seat
Flight Training - December 2013 - 7
Flight Training - December 2013 - Letters
Flight Training - December 2013 - 9
Flight Training - December 2013 - When Basic Training Came Second
Flight Training - December 2013 - 11
Flight Training - December 2013 - Success Story News
Flight Training - December 2013 - How it Works
Flight Training - December 2013 - After the Checkride
Flight Training - December 2013 - News
Flight Training - December 2013 - Training Products
Flight Training - December 2013 - ASI News
Flight Training - December 2013 - News
Flight Training - December 2013 - Tech Tip
Flight Training - December 2013 - News
Flight Training - December 2013 - 21
Flight Training - December 2013 - Final Exam
Flight Training - December 2013 - Accident Report
Flight Training - December 2013 - Flying Carpet
Flight Training - December 2013 - 25
Flight Training - December 2013 - Behind the Curtain
Flight Training - December 2013 - 27
Flight Training - December 2013 - 28
Flight Training - December 2013 - 29
Flight Training - December 2013 - 30
Flight Training - December 2013 - 31
Flight Training - December 2013 - COLLEGE AVIATION DIRECTORY
Flight Training - December 2013 - 33
Flight Training - December 2013 - 34
Flight Training - December 2013 - 35
Flight Training - December 2013 - 36
Flight Training - December 2013 - 37
Flight Training - December 2013 - ARE YOU OUTSIDE IN OR INSIDE OUT?
Flight Training - December 2013 - 39
Flight Training - December 2013 - 40
Flight Training - December 2013 - 41
Flight Training - December 2013 - AVIATION SPEAK
Flight Training - December 2013 - 43
Flight Training - December 2013 - 44
Flight Training - December 2013 - 45
Flight Training - December 2013 - TECHNIQUE
Flight Training - December 2013 - 47
Flight Training - December 2013 - Weather
Flight Training - December 2013 - 49
Flight Training - December 2013 - Flight Lesson
Flight Training - December 2013 - Finding Your Nest
Flight Training - December 2013 - Career Advisor
Flight Training - December 2013 - 53
Flight Training - December 2013 - Tech Talk
Flight Training - December 2013 - Teaching Technology
Flight Training - December 2013 - Open-Door Policy
Flight Training - December 2013 - The Best Job I've Ever Had
Flight Training - December 2013 - 58
Flight Training - December 2013 - Advertiser Index
Flight Training - December 2013 - 60
Flight Training - December 2013 - 61
Flight Training - December 2013 - 62
Flight Training - December 2013 - 63
Flight Training - December 2013 - 64
Flight Training - December 2013 - 65
Flight Training - December 2013 - 66
Flight Training - December 2013 - 67
Flight Training - December 2013 - 68
Flight Training - December 2013 - 69
Flight Training - December 2013 - 70
Flight Training - December 2013 - 71
Flight Training - December 2013 - Debrief
Flight Training - December 2013 - Cover3
Flight Training - December 2013 - Cover4
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