For the past year I have been preparing to go to ATP Flight School. I did 2 intro flights, fun, but a little intimidating. I asked the instructor to stall the plane so I could see what it felt like (they are perceived as scary). It is in fact a bit scary. Once we leveled out, totally fine. I also asked if we could go through a steep turn so
I could feel a little force. I have been securing Medical, Financing, etc. In that whole process all I thought about was being in the air. I follow a lot of YouTube instructors (watch their instruction videos daily). I just received loan approval and now all I have to do is, sign. Reality just hit me like a ton of bricks, this is real. I’m quitting my career and hopping in an airplane.
About me…
I’m 33 years old with career in sales/recruiting, a BA in Business. Married, no kids. My wife is extremely supportive. Once upon a time I did struggle with math/algebra (not so much anymore). I have no knowledge of aviation. I feel very unfulfilled in my career. I want something adventurous that has a good pay scale and that I can do until retirement. Sitting in an office is boring. With my wife working at Delta, I hop on a plane whenever I have a chance. I once took a two hour flight, had breakfast and flew home, just to get in the air.
In the past few days, I have cycled through so many thoughts and fears and doubts.
Am I smart enough to handle the knowledge required to do this?
Am I capable of flying a multi-million dollar machine and not kill anyone?
Will it be a worth while investment?
This is going to have an impact on my family, my finances, etc.
My question for you all is, has anyone here felt these last minute jitters, and if not is it rational?
I have to applaud and thank you for your post. The concerns you express are legitimate and show a tremendous amount of maturity. While I don’t want to make any sweeping indictments, we do get more than a fair share of AWESOME wannabes who know they’ll be AWESOME because they flew to grandma’s in the back of an AWESOME Airbus and have 1,000hrs logged on MSFS and are therfore ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE they’ll be AWESOME pilots! Maybe they will, but maybe they won’t? So with that, let’s answer your questions:
Obviously I don’t know your level of intelligence but you have a BA, communicate clearly and yes even your concern demonstrates a certain amount of intelligence. While flying does require some smarts, it is not rocket science. In my experience it’s much more about work ethic than intelligence. In most cases if you’re willing to bust your butt you’ll be fine, if not you won’t. Also many people falsely believe there’s a tremendous amount of math involved and that it’s advanced. It’s neither. If you have competent addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills you’ll be good to go. Here’s my quick and dirty pilot math test. If you can do this without smoke coming out of your ears you’re golden, if not it simply means you’ll have to work harder and get better. Ok so a circle (more exactly a compass) is 360°. Each degree represents a heading (aka direction). You will be called upon to know the reciprocal (opposite) heading to any given number for any number of reasons. So North is 0° and or 360° degrees. The reciprocal is South which is 180° in the opposite direction. Make sense? You need to be able to pick any number between 0-360 and fairly quickly be able to calculate the reciprocal. So if I just say 121, you need to add 180 and say 301. Easy enough. Where it gets tricky is once you pass 180 since you can’t go over 360 by adding and have to subtract. So the recip of 310 is 130. That’s about as tough a it gets.
Of course not! In fact to think you can is extremely arrogant. Know why? Cause you ain’t a pilot, yet. These are skills that absolutely can be learned, provided you have the desire and are willing to do the work. Only birds (and some fish) are born knowing how to fly. We mortals need a lot more help. Everyone of us started exactly where you are. We did our intro flight and thought the instructor was a wizard with magic powers and superior knowledge and intelligence. No, they just went through the learning process.
If you’re successful absolutely. Capts at Major airlines earn up to $400k and the average is about about $190k industry wide. The first few years will require some sacrifice but the potential is excellent. Particularly when you’re getting paid 6 figures to work 15days a month flying a really nice airplane to some really nice places. I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else nor would I be able to have the lifestyle I have had it not been for this career.
Of course it is. Training is expensive, you won’t be earning any money for 9mos and the 2yrs you’ll be building time will definitely be lean. You say your wife is very supportive. This will most definitely be the test. BUT again, if you’re successful, it will most definitely be worth it.
Words cannot describe how helpful this answer is. Thank you.
The example of degrees makes total sense. It’ll take me some time and repetition to be able to pop it off quickly. Memorizing numbers and correlations is kind of a strong suit of mine.
My wife has been picking up as many shifts as possible to save as much money as possible for us to do this. It seems like a good sign, but I understand it will still be a test. We are both independent people who definitely need space.
Daniel,
I also really appreciate your honesty and openness to this topic. You have done all the research you can and done everything right up until this point. You have realistic expectation going on intro flights and doing some limited maneuvers too. It is totally normal to have those “oh crap” jitters when getting close to starting. You’re at a pivotal point switching careers and anticipating day one of the rest of your aviation journey- that’s huge. Adam did such a great job dispelling your fears but I’ll add my two cents.
Will you be smart enough? It’s more about work ethic and discipline than it is raw intelligence. Create great study habits and make it your first priority and you will do great.
Fear of controlling a multi million dollar airplane safely? It sounds incredibly difficult and overwhelming now because you haven’t been trained for it yet. Right now soloing sounds outrageous but a month or so in to ATP, after plenty of hours of training, it wont be nearly so scary. You get my point here…
Will it be worth the investment? If you have the passion and show up to work every day loving what you do then it absolutely will. Luckily you have a spouse that supports you both in your goals and financially. Most don’t even have that. It’s also a short term financial crunch but you could have long term financial satisfaction over the longevity of your career to help you pay off the loans.
I appreciate your concerns. They are rational and refreshing as Adam colorfully explained.
You have already proven that you are teachable and have a good work ethic by earning your degree and being a successful salesman. That said it will still be challenging. Equip yourself with the right resources and with good study habits and you’ll be fine. See the FAQ section for helpful tips on how to be successful in the program.
I am even worse than Adam at math. So I only add or subtract 180 when the “Move 2” rule of thumb doesn’t work.
*Note: The “Move 2” rule of thumb will not work for 010, 100, 110, 190, 280 and 290 but that’s okay because adding or subtracting 180 to/from those numbers is easy enough.
Concept: Subtract 2, then add 2
Ex 1: Find reciprocal of 300
Can I subtract 2 from the first or second digit? Yes (the first digit). 3 - 2 = 1. The first digit is now 1.
Add 2 to the second digit. 0 + 2 = 2. The second digit is now 2.
Leave the last digit alone. We are left with 120.
Ex 2: Find reciprocal of 163
Can I subtract 2 from the first or second digit? Yes (the second digit). 6 - 2 = 4. The second digit is now 4.
Add 2 to the first digit. 1 + 2 = 3. The first digit is now 3.
Leave the last digit alone. We are left with 343.
Ex 3: Find reciprocal of 220
For 220 thru 279 and 300 thru 360, always subtract 2 from the first digit and add 2 to the second digit.
The “Move 2” rule and many others works for me. To each their own.
How would you know that? You don’t have the experience to know that yet. Just know that most students feel more and more confident after each checkride pass. Even now, before my annual recurrent training I get a little nervous. I don’t think that’s bad. The nerves motivate me to work hard, to over-prepare, and to focus. That said, I do feel a little less nervous each time. I suspect you will too. Trust the program and follow the guidance in the FAQ section.
It absolutely will. Better pay and a better schedule come with seniority. Realistic expectations and a supportive family make all the difference. Check out the schedules section to get an idea.
I think these are really good questions, so let’s ge too them.
Judged solely by the quality of your writing and the thoughts you expressed, yes, you are absolutely smart enough to handle the knowledge portion. Now I will be honest, there is a lot of knowledge, but it is not medical school and it is manageable. I was always horrible in math and I did fine. You will not use math nearly as much as you might expect. It will take hard work and a lot of studying, but you can do it.
The interesting thing is the flying an airliner and not killing anybody is really the same as flying a 172 and not killing yourself. I am always amazed when the occasional idiotic passenger makes some comment abut the pilots wanting to take a risk, or not being as safety conscious as they should be. I always tell them: “I want to go home tonight just as much as you do.” ATP will prepare you to fly yourself safely around. The airlines will take that foundation and expand on it to keep you safe in an airlines.
That is really up to you and what you want out of life and a career. I feel like I make a very nice income, I pretty much buy whatever I want (within reason) and I do not work nearly as hard as many other people I know. On top of that, I get to fly jets around to cool places, so to me t was actually a worthwhile investment.
Yes, it will have a huge impact on your family life, finances, etc. I feel like I see much more of my kids than most business people do. I am able to provide them with awesome experiences and a nice place to live. Now I have no idea what your schedule and income look like now, so everything is relative.
For the record, I have never liked stalls, steep turns, spins, etc. I always felt a bit queasy doing them and never came to enjoy doing them. I think aerobatic pilots are just nuts.
I, too had this repast minute jitters. Heck, I had them most of the way through the program. But at this point in my life, I cannot imagine doing anything else.
Again, to each their own. For whatever reason my brain likes it probably because it’s easier to visualize. The “move 2” rule was the preferred method when I was a CFI. Just saying.
Chris, Adam, Tory and Hannah. Once again I applaud the sincerity and realism you consistently bring to this forum. You pull no punches but still bit still bring your enthusiasm to all of us who take the time to digest your experiences. Thank you all - Ed
Daniel, it is a struggle, but if you really want it, it is totally achievable. I started the program at 59 and finished at 60. I found the knowledge was attainable with a dedicated effort. For me the flying portion took more time but was the most satisfying. I am still looking for a CFI position. I look forward to IMC conditions and get a very satisfied/happy feeling doing approaches in actual. I would choose ATP again in a heartbeat. For me it did not make financial sense but I feel it made me a safer pilot as quickly as possible. I look forward to flying any day I can. I hope ATP helps you achieve your dreams, I know it helped me - Ed
Awesome thread! I’m in the same situation, 30yr old, and married. I’ve got three kids though and currently pursuing a PhD in microbiology. I dread going in to work everyday.
I thought I could satisfy my desire to fly with a PPL, but it didn’t seem possible to fly recreationally, and make sure the kids have all the opportunities in life (sports teams, college, etc.), and still have enough money left over for family vacations. Airline pilot was a dream of mine in high school. Right after astronaut . It’s time to go for it.
Lucky to have no debt (that’s about to change in a big way) and a supportive family that will take us in while I do the 9 month program.
All of your responses have been very encouraging! Thank you guys!
I, too wanted to be an astronaut. I even went as far as going to Space Camp. While I will never make it to space, I do enjoy flying above and around the clouds.
I have the opportunity to be considered for one of the NASA analog missions, and I’m seriously considering it. It would delay starting flight training for a couple months, but would probably be worth it.
I know nothing about analog missions, but I would caution you that even a few months of lost seniority can have a huge impact on an airline career. Choose wisely.
I was just about to blast Chris, because while seniority is EVERYTHING, if you actually had the opportunity to go to space, I’d say seniority senshmarity! But then I Googled. While definitely a cool opportunity, not sure I’d delay my training? But definitely your call.
Hannah, your point on work ethic is good to hear. I have relied on that in my career now. I’m not the most talented sales person, but work ethic got me where I needed to be. Since I won’t be working it will be my only priority. I am a habit driven person. This response all helps. Thank you.
I’m gonna give this one the old college try. In concept it seems kind of like a mnemonic device that helps you. I’ve often relied on strategies like that to help me remember things and nail down concepts.
I am also hoping to rely on repetition to feel confident. The more I take off, land, stall, steep turn, use forward slip to land, etc. the more comfortable I’ll feel. Also, knowing that there are pilots who think aerobatics are nuts feels good too, Chris. It’s not really what I’m into. I want to fly big stable jet.
Again, all super colorful, blunt, realistic, and helpful responses. Thank you all.
Again, to each their own. For whatever reason my brain likes it probably because it’s easier to visualize. The “move 2” rule was the preferred method when I was a CFI. Just saying.
. It’s time to go for it.