Hello, I have been reading some posts on here that have led me to more questions. First off, I am 18 years old and want to pursue flying as a career. I have looked into ATP and considered it, as my end goal would be to fly at a major airline. However, I have discovered this past year that school is definitely not for me currently, which means currently I don’t think it would be a good idea to pursue a bachelors degree in anything to fulfill the requirement of majors. I also have seen that to hold an ATP certification, I must be 23, and that seems quite a ways away. I am very eager to get my training and career started. So I guess my question is what should I do? Should I join the air force or another military branch and attempt to fulfill some training requirements there? Should I pursue training now, be a CFI until I am 23, and then pursue a regional pilot position? Any advice or guidance is appreciated.
Hi Connor!
Let’s start with the age question first. You are correct, 23 is the minimum age required to hold an ATP certificate. However, there is such thing as a restricted ATP certificate. A restricted ATP certificate can be obtained as young as 21.
A restricted ATP certificate allows you to get hired at a regional airline as a First Officer. The only thing that it restricts you from doing is becoming a captain until you turn 23, which usually takes 2 years to do anyway.
Now, to answer your college question it’s really up to you to decide what makes the most sense for you. We have seen the most success from pilots that finish their four-year degree before flight training. But obviously there are other options like finishing your degree while at a regional. As long as you think that you have the discipline two finish your degree online at a regional that’s another option if you would prefer to start training now.
Tory
Conner,
Welcome to the forums. My suggestion would be to do exactly what you do not want to do and go to college. Aviation is Avery complex field, if you become a pilot, you will spend the rest of your life in classrooms, learning and growing your knowledge base. Getting a college degree will help you learn to be a better student and teach you how to succeed in the workforce. Also, it will help you check that box for the majors. I have to ask, why is college not for you?
Joining the military without any degree will mean that you are enlisted and enlisted members do not get to fly airplanes.
At 18 it might sounds okay to spend your career at the regionals, but trust me, that is not going to sound so great when you are 40 and all of your buddies are making three times what you do.
I would strongly encourage you to think about why you do not wish to go to college.
Chris
Hey Chris! I appreciate the reply. I’ve found that I really dislike college because of the length it takes to complete classes that I feel will not be useful to my future. Prerequisite classes that seem to serve no purpose, I do not understand. I hate the feeling that I’m going to school, just to get a degree, and then to find out that major airlines do not care what the degree is in, just as long as you have a degree. I would much rather spend that time getting an early start to my career. From what you are saying though, I should probably just suck it up and attempt to complete something like an accelerated bachelors degree.
Hey Tory! I appreciate the clarification between the ATP and R-ATP.
Connor,
When your 18 it’s really easy to say I don’t want to do college and look for a workaround. Problem is the military (except for the Army flying helicopters) won’t let you anywhere near the cockpit of an airplane without a 4yr degree. Many will say it’s fine, I’ll just fly for a Regional but after you see ALL your peers move on to the Majors, flying around the World and earning 5 times what you’re making you WILL have regrets.
Short if you want to be successful as an airline pilot you need to wrap your head around the idea of getting a degree.
Adam