Flight Training - April 2014 - 51

CAREER ADVISOR

Professional flying and
a 'below par' student
Will poor grades keep him from the airlines?
» By Wayne Phillips

» Q: I'm 18 and a recent high
school graduate. My grades were
below par at best. What are the
odds that I would get accepted
into a good flight school and get a
shot at the career that I've always
dreamed about?
-Ken from Santa Rosa

» A: Obtaining those coveted

FAA pilot certificates does take a
certain aptitude for learning. Regulations, meteorology, weight and
balance calculations, performance
data, and systems understanding do require some smarts. You
don't need to be an Einstein to
fly aircraft, but there is a solid
need for a good amount of brain

viewed for a pilot job at TWA. I
was nowhere near prepared for a
battery of math, physics, English,
and mental aptitude tests that
made the SAT and ACT look easy.
Several major airlines still make
aspiring pilots endure the maze
of tests.
It's not too late to change
course and show your stuff. Go
for those aces in future classes
that you might take. If you go to
college, strive for the best grades
possible. That may take work and
extraordinary effort.
But remember that flying jobs
at some major airlines can be
somewhat dependent on college
performance. Bill Traub, a former

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YOU DON'T NEED TO BE AN EINSTEIN TO FLY AIRCRAFT,
BUT THERE IS A SOLID NEED FOR A GOOD AMOUNT
OF BRAIN POWER. THUS, ANYONE CONTEMPLATING
THE AVIATION CAREER PATH NEEDS TO CONDUCT
SOME SELF-EVALUATION.
power. Thus, anyone contemplating the aviation career path needs
to conduct some self-evaluation.
"Do I have what it takes?" Were
the poor grades caused by lack of
ability or lack of personal commitment and application?
Many of the academies and
aviation colleges will give you a
fair shot. Of course, colleges have
admission standards that are more
academic in nature, such as SATs
and ACTs. Flight academies typically do not have such rigorous
qualification hurdles.
Another consideration: the wide
range of aptitude tests that certain
airlines administer to recruits.
As a junior in college, I inter-

- Choose elective modules
that interest you
- Receive credit for
completed AOPA Air
Safety Institute courses

vice president of flight operations at United, has said that good
college grades are essential. He
believes that good grades and
challenging subjects, no matter
what they are, reveal much about
a person's work ethic and commitment. Traub has stated, "Bad
grades are a show-stopper for us."
It doesn't take a genius to fly
and chase that dream of professional flight. But, above-average
smarts will take you a longer way
toward reaching your goals.

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Wayne Phillips is an airline transport pilot
with Boeing 737 and Falcon 20 type ratings.
Send your career questions to careers@
aopa.org and we'll publish the best ones here.

APRIL 2014 FLIGHT TRAINING

A DIVISION OF THE
AOPA FOUNDATION
/ 51


http://www.eFIRC.com

Flight Training - April 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - April 2014

Flight Training - April 2014
Contents
Member Benefits
Right Seat
Letters
Guardians of the Sea
Success Stories
How it Works
After the Checkride
AOPA News
ASI News
Training Products
AOPA Action
Industry News
Tech Tip Final Exam
Flight Lesson
Accident Report
Around the Patch
Flying Carpet
The Four Forces
Seeing Is Believing
Treat Her Right
Technique
Weather
Career Pilot
Instructor Report
Accident Analysis
Career Advisor
Instrument Training Tip
Advertiser Index
Debrief
Flight Training - April 2014 - Flight Training - April 2014
Flight Training - April 2014 - Cover2
Flight Training - April 2014 - Contents
Flight Training - April 2014 - 2
Flight Training - April 2014 - 3
Flight Training - April 2014 - Member Benefits
Flight Training - April 2014 - 5
Flight Training - April 2014 - Right Seat
Flight Training - April 2014 - 7
Flight Training - April 2014 - Letters
Flight Training - April 2014 - 9
Flight Training - April 2014 - Guardians of the Sea
Flight Training - April 2014 - 11
Flight Training - April 2014 - Success Stories
Flight Training - April 2014 - How it Works
Flight Training - April 2014 - After the Checkride
Flight Training - April 2014 - AOPA News
Flight Training - April 2014 - ASI News
Flight Training - April 2014 - Training Products
Flight Training - April 2014 - AOPA Action
Flight Training - April 2014 - Industry News
Flight Training - April 2014 - Tech Tip Final Exam
Flight Training - April 2014 - Flight Lesson
Flight Training - April 2014 - Accident Report
Flight Training - April 2014 - 23
Flight Training - April 2014 - Around the Patch
Flight Training - April 2014 - 25
Flight Training - April 2014 - Flying Carpet
Flight Training - April 2014 - 27
Flight Training - April 2014 - The Four Forces
Flight Training - April 2014 - 29
Flight Training - April 2014 - 30
Flight Training - April 2014 - 31
Flight Training - April 2014 - 32
Flight Training - April 2014 - 33
Flight Training - April 2014 - Seeing Is Believing
Flight Training - April 2014 - 35
Flight Training - April 2014 - 36
Flight Training - April 2014 - 37
Flight Training - April 2014 - Treat Her Right
Flight Training - April 2014 - 39
Flight Training - April 2014 - 40
Flight Training - April 2014 - 41
Flight Training - April 2014 - Technique
Flight Training - April 2014 - 43
Flight Training - April 2014 - Weather
Flight Training - April 2014 - 45
Flight Training - April 2014 - 46
Flight Training - April 2014 - Career Pilot
Flight Training - April 2014 - 48
Flight Training - April 2014 - Instructor Report
Flight Training - April 2014 - Accident Analysis
Flight Training - April 2014 - Career Advisor
Flight Training - April 2014 - Instrument Training Tip
Flight Training - April 2014 - Advertiser Index
Flight Training - April 2014 - 54
Flight Training - April 2014 - 55
Flight Training - April 2014 - Debrief
Flight Training - April 2014 - Cover3
Flight Training - April 2014 - Cover4
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