17 & Looking for Advice

Airline Pilot Questions & Answers
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Hello All,

I am a current senior in high school and I am very interested in becoming a commercial pilot. Over the past two years, I have gotten more and more curious about the world of aviation and whether it would be a suitable career path for me. I am an outgoing and spontaneous person. I have a GPA of 4.3 and have applied to around 10 colleges for aviation so far and I am waiting to hear back in the next coming weeks. I have a good balance of social life and school and pride myself on my ability to keep my grades up and have fun. My dream college is FIT. I am a bit intimidated by the challenge of learning to fly but at the same time, I really would like to pursue it. I understand I will need to fully commit myself once I am in but that feeling can be a little scary with the amount of money that is involved even after merit scholarships. I sometimes feel like it might be too hard for me, any advice?

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Delaney,

While flying obviously requires some level of intelligence (and coordination), in my experience it’s more about putting in the work and effort. Pilots are required to absorb and retain alot of info but there’s nothing that’s too challenging to understand, again it’s more about dedicating yourself to learn it.

On a different note it always surprises me when perspective pilots talk about their interest with zero experience (if you have any you didn’t mention it?). While pursuing most careers having an interest is enough. That doesn’t really work for flying as there’s a physical component. While there a good chance you’ll enjoy being at the controls, you very well may not and there’s zero point chasing a career (and investing serious money and time) until you know. With that in mind I would take an intro flight or lesson and see what flight training is really like. Better to find out sooner than later if flying is really for you.

Adam

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Adam,

Thank you for taking the time to provide insight. In terms of flight experience, most colleges I have talked to specifically said that I do not need previous flight experience and that they prefer I come into their program as a freshman with zero experience. At the age of seventeen, I feel that most career paths I could decide to pursue are pathways I will have little to no experience at this age. I have also considered taking this upcoming summer to get my PPL before I start college by dedicating all of my time to my studies but was unsure if it was going to be worth it or not because after lots of calculating, we concluded that it would eventually even out in cost (no matter if I do it through the college or not). I have done my research and really can envision myself in this career, I just want to prepare myself for the biggest struggles I will face. What would you say was the most difficult obstacle for you as you worked your way into your profession?

Delaney

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Building time as an instructor when I had to get in airplanes with people who always “dreamed of being a pilot” but had zero experience and subsequently were terrified, got airsick, freaked out, started crying, etc etc etc.

Adam

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Delaney,

Welcome! As a high school senior, you should certainly be looking into college as your next step. It sounds like you are doing well in high school, and you should strive to continue to do so in college. In terms of shifting towards a career in aviation, as Adam mentioned, you should look into taking a couple of intro flights or lessons to see if it is something you would really be interested in pursuing. While lots of people like to travel on commercial flights, flying a small piston plane is completely different. You won’t know until you’ve experienced it yourself. If you decide that a flying career could be for you, a college degree is recommended, as most airlines prefer one. Personally, I am not a fan of aviation college degrees. They can be expensive, lengthy, and leave you with no backup if flying doesn’t work out. However, they certainly can work for some people and some of my classmates in my airline new hire class were from aviation college programs. Have you considered going to college for something outside of aviation, and pursuing some flight training on the side until you graduate? Then giving it your all afterwards? To give you context, flying was something I had always dreamed of, but I never pursued it initially because of the risk/cost involved. I took a couple of intro flights when I was a junior in college and I was hooked. I went to college for something I was passionate about and when I finished I decided it was the right time to take a chance on aviation. I’m glad I did it because now I have a fallback career if something goes wrong, and I am competitive for the major airlines with a four year degree.

Now you mention some hesitation into whether flying might be too hard for you. Flying is not incredibly difficult, but it does require a certain work ethic, aptitude, and drive to make it a career. Unlike high school/college, nothing is handed to you, you have to work yourself to absorb as much as you can. Read, understand, and then apply. I would say this is the biggest roadblock for new pilots. Being able to manage your studying and understanding how to study. I didn’t learn how to study until I went to college, and I did pretty good in high school (another reason why college might benefit before flight training). The students that I saw were successful in flight training were the ones who were driven, hard working, willing to learn from mistakes, and critical thinkers.

The cost involved can be a huge roadblock for most, but if you prepare yourself well leading into training, are fully committed, and not willing to give up or slow down, you’ll give yourself the best chance at success. Be sure that you are getting into this career because you love to fly and learn, the rest of the benefits will follow (Don’t chase the career for money, lifestyle, etc…). As Adam mentioned, the most difficult obstacle will be passing checkrides and time building, typically as an instructor. It can be a grind, but if you are willing to do the work, it’s worth it. Is it difficult? Yes. Is it doable? Absolutely

Continue to do your research and ask questions. Be sure this is the career for you. If you decide to take the step, don’t look back and be prepared to work hard (and have fun!). Spend some time on this forum, or others, and you’ll find people have asked similar questions.

Roscoe

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But until you have some flight experience, how do you know that will not be you? I would strongly recommend against committing to any flight program, whether at a college or not, until I had a few hours flying small airplanes under my belt.

Chris

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Hi Delaney,

My advice to a young person intent on pursuing aviation is this: first of all, get into the air! At 17, you can still take a free Young Eagles flight from your local EAA chapter. I did that and loved it.

Second piece of advice: get a 4-year degree while you’re still in “school mode,” and do it as cheaply as possible. I went to a prestigious private school, and that’s why I’m still not a pilot. Student loans made it impossible to continue the journey. I joined the Navy with the idea that I’d get rid of the school debt and get my flight time flying Navy planes. I got assigned to submarines. Student loans were gone, but I was 10 years behind AGAIN. I started training in 2019, and a pandemic hit and the local flight school shut down. I moved recently. Life has gotten in the way a lot. But the simple truth is, if I had gone to a public, in-state school, I could have paid for college while I was there and been able to get loans and pay for flight school when I was 21. Unless you can pay cash, DO NOT go to an expensive school if you want to be a pilot.

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Delany,

One thing that sparked me in your OP, was the comment “I am a bit intimidated by the challenge of learning to fly,” but why? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to learn to fly; however, it does take time, maturity, acceptance of criticism, skill building, and the list goes on to fly.

I disagree with what these aviation colleges say about not necessarily needing an introductory flight. What I see here is: “Come to our college program, spend thousands of dollars and guess if you’ll enjoy doing it or not.” You really need to take an introductory flight before committing to the field, if not a few lessons. That’s a red flag of what these college programs are telling individuals (if this is the case for every single applicant).

I think first and foremost, grades are not a challenge to you, if it comes naturally (I don’t know what a 4.3 GPA represents in A, B, C world). Mixing in flight training and studies is where a lot of individuals make it or break it. We don’t recommend college programs off the stat due to the extended time it takes, longevity of costs to get the same certificates that individuals such as those attending ATP acquire. If you have a solid GPA, scholarships and attending an accredited school would be the route I would look at. At least acquire some type of collegiate degree, then pursue an accelerated program like ATP, or similar, if you don’t desire to attend ATP.

The problem I see as well, your statement of obtaining your PPL during the summer between graduation and college… WHILE that may sound awesome and perfectly planned, I can almost bet there will be something that pops up that delays that “perfect plan” and cause a backlog in your timeline. The last thing you want is to end up even paying more money for something that you could have just waited, matured and completed in a program focused on that.

Brady

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Jake,

Thanks for taking the time to get back to me! I have quite a few offers from colleges in-state at the moment and with the scholarship money I am receiving from some schools and the money I have saved up I can graduate without any loans. The thing is those colleges I have been accepted to so far are for my backup major of marketing. I had also been given the offer of attending a community college with a new and affordable flight program that would give me my first 4 ratings, finishing as a CFI, and then transferring to one of their 3 partner schools to get a major in professional flight. I could also go to any college with an aviation program and work as a flight instructor at the college while majoring in something else if I wanted to. There are just so many options and I have talked with numerous college recruiters all claiming they have the best path when in reality I am just trying to do this as affordably and efficiently as possible. I have heard questionable things about colleges in the midwest for example Western Michigan, SIU, and Lewis, and how weather delays are a big problem. There are just so many pros and cons and I’ve spent so much time researching it’s a little overwhelming!

Delaney

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Roscoe,

You gave me lots of good insight here, thank you! I have flown in small aircraft a couple of times now with my neighbor who is now with the commercial airlines. I just felt excited more than anything, not frightened. I am also super passionate about marketing in the business world and have been accepted to a few colleges accompanied by merit scholarships. From what I understand, having the degree is the important part, not the field of study it is (please correct me if I am wrong). I have also considered taking a gap year before college to enroll in a local flight school and solely focus on that without the pressure of keeping up with other coursework. I have a drive to make the things I desire happen, I understand I will have to work for everything, and absolutely nothing will be handed to me. The thing is, applying for FAFSA loans is the benefit of attending college which I don’t believe I can do at an ATP flight school. Thank you for your words of encouragement and insight! I will be sure to keep everything in mind, all advice helps.

Delaney

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Brady,

I was thinking something similar about attempting my PPL over the summer. I do not think that will be the plan but the reason I had mentioned it was simply because if I obtained it before going into a community college with a new aviation program, it would shave off two semesters. That would allow me to become a CFI earlier, take my associates, and transfer to another college to focus on the secondary degree I also am interested in (marketing). I can definitely see where the balancing studies and flight training can be a deal breaker. Thank you for all of your insight!

Delaney

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I have a degree in Marketing, with a slight Accounting and Finance background :smiley:

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After being suggested by me and others (and protesting that it’s not necessary) you now come up with this? Thinking you’re being less than truthful.

Adam

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Delaney,

Honestly if you look around the forum, we don’t recommend aviation colleges. They tend to be costly and not very efficient in terms of flight training. You graduate with either a comm multi and find low time jobs or opt for the CFI rating and still need to pay for your Comm Multi before completing your hours.

You say you have a good amount of scholarship money, but is that for the aviation colleges or the state schools for marketing? The best case scenario is to get your degree on a budget and then start an accelerated program after graduating. Breaking of any flight training isn’t recommended because you lose a ton of proficiency once you stop flying consistently.

Hannah

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Hannah,

The scholarship money I have received so far is from the colleges I applied to for marketing. I can see where not flying consistently would be an issue. Do you think that aviation colleges don’t provide students with consistent flight time?

Delaney

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My apologies, I thought I had mentioned it in my post. I took a discovery flight with my neighbor when he was still flight instructing almost two years ago and he let me take some control in the air. I also flew with him on a different three-hour trip around Lake Michigan in a small aircraft for 4 people. You could feel every bit of motion but I can’t recall the slightest bit of fear. I wasn’t sure if I should consider it experience or not so that is why I believe I left it out.

Delaney

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Delaney,

At ATP, you fly a minimum of 3 times a week. You’ll be hard pressed to find that at any college aviation programs. They are focused on more time in the classroom than in the airplane.

Spend some time this summer touring a few aviation programs and compare them to what you could get at an accelerated program. Compare total cost, hours, ratings you would accomplish and the timeline. You’ll figure out the right path.

Hannah

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