Flight Training - April 2015 - 51

CAREER ADVISOR

Starting out

Advice for the wannabe pilot

» Q: I am currently in my junior year in
high school and am looking to become
a pilot. What is the best road to take?
Should I go to a local flight school or a
well-known school? How do I get to a flying career and what are the best options?
-Y.M. Won
» A: My gosh! Your questions consume

only about 50 words, but the answer
deserves a multi-chapter book. Although
we have been down this path before, it
may be worth taking another trip.
The road to becoming a pilot is long
and expensive. However, that depends on
the type of pilot that you want to become.
It is presumed that you would like to
become a professional pilot of some sort,
such as a corporate or airline pilot.
The first suggestion is that you
connect with a nearby flight training
organization that specializes in developing professional pilots. This could

THE ROAD TO
BECOMING
A PILOT IS LONG
AND EXPENSIVE.
HOWEVER,
THAT DEPENDS ON
THE TYPE OF PILOT
YOU WANT TO BECOME.
be a local flight school with a sizeable
enrollment, fleet size, and facilities-or a
nearby aviation college or flight academy. Arrange a chat with an admissions
counselor. Bring your parents. Get the
facts. Then, conduct an Internet search
to discover articles and stories on how
successful pilots have launched their
careers. Go into the Flight Training
magazine archives (http://flight
training.aopa.org/magazine) and dig into
the many features that we have written
on the subject.
The route to the flight deck will be
necessarily dictated by finances. If

money is no object and you, mom, and
dad can withstand a cost of $125,000
to $175,000 or more, then opt for a
mega-school such as Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University, Florida Institute
of Technology, or University of North
Dakota. There are other two- and fouryear aviation college programs that
are more affordable-in the $50,000 to
$100,000 range-such as Aims Community College in Colorado; Hesston
College in Kansas; Miami-Dade College
in Florida; Baker College in Muskegon,
Michigan; and a host of others. Then,
there are some very fine academies out
there such as ATP and Sporty's Academy.
If time and finances permit, immerse
yourself in training rather than flying
a few hours here and there at a local
airport; but then, if that is the only way
to afford the dream, so be it.
Keep in mind that the airlines in
particular now require an airline transport pilot certificate, which normally
requires 1,500 hours of flight time. If you
choose to get your training at a four-year
aviation college with an FAA-approved
program, you could get that ATP with
1,000 hours. If you attend a two-year
FAA-approved school, the ATP can be
earned with 1,250 hours. So, choosing a
training enterprise that meets the FAA
criteria for reduced time can mean a lot.
By all means, plan on getting a college
degree of some sort.
Whether you spend $200,000 for the
training that leads to your FAA pilot
certificates or $50,000, they are the
same FAA certificates. What differentiates many of the schools are campus
life, resources, industry reputation,
faculty, and business connections. Only
you and your parents can decide which
is best for you.
Another option is military aviation, but
that is another article.
Send your career questions to careers@aopa.org
and we'll publish the best ones here.

APRIL 2015 FLIGHT TRAINING

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Flight Training - April 2015

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