Hello, my name is John and I am very interested in the pilot program and becoming a professional pilot. I am a 32 year old father/husband that has been working in sales for about 8 years. I have a college degree, but am ready for a real change.
Obviously, this is a big change and will take an adjustment. Does anyone have an experience with my position? Is this a realistic path?
Any information is helpful and thanks in advanced!
John,
Welcome to the forum, your scenario is not far and few between, many have taken the plunge and leap of faith similar to your shoes. You are not alone.
Your first step is to take an introductory flight, after that, then you can decide if flying is something you would be interested in. You didn’t mention any previous flight experience, hence the first step. After that, then a discussion and yes (I mean involve your significant other) with your partner because a program like ATP is advanced/compressed/accelerated and requires a full-time commitment, hours away from home.
Brady
Hey John,
I just started ATP yesterday and I was in the same boat as you are right now but 7 months ago.
I’m 33, 10 years of experience in HR for some really big tech companies, married, with a dog and no kids (almost the same as you) and what I did first was fully immerse myself in the aviation industry. The Highs, the Lows, connect and speak with as many pilot as you can. Go ahead and read up and take classes for your Private pilots exam. Basically understand what you would be getting yourself into. Is this something you and more importantly, your family can sacrifice? If you work from home now, that won’t happen when you get into the airlines. Take an admissions flight and see if you are afraid of being in a small airplane. And last but not least, Money. How much is training going to cost? How long until I get into a great airline job and make what I used to make in sales?
Basically do your research. This by no means is meant to scare you away but it’s just being realistic. I knew after a couple of months of “hard core research” that my dream of being a pilot (the same dream I had when I was 18) was A) still there and B) going to be a lot of work.
Again, I just started 2 days ago, so I’ll let the more seasoned professionals speak more in detail but best of luck.
John,
You’re actually the average new start for training both in age and circumstance and there’s no reason you couldn’t be successful.
You don’t however mention any flight experience. If that’s the case I strongly recommend an intro flight or lesson. While chances are you’ll love it, you may not and this whole conversation is moot.
Adam
John,
People change careers into this industry all the time, and you are right at they typical age for doing this. The biggest barrier is usually the cost of flight school, followed by the wages new pilots earn while they are instructing. I recommend doing some serious researching those wages (info available on this website and on ATP’s main page) and seeing if you will be able to afford flight school. If you can get past the finances, then changing careers is something that many before you have done.
Chris
John,
First things first, go fly! Take a discovery flight or a few to test the waters a bit. It’s great you’re interested but you need a real realistic picture of what it will take over the next few years. Also, have you financially planned for 7 months without an income as well as the following 12-18 months on a very limited budget? Plus, is your family ready for flying to take first priority for the next 7 months plus the 18 months to follow while instructing and building time?
Just some big things to think about…
Hannah
Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have called to set up a test flight and am eager to see how it goes.
I am in a lucky place that my wife has a great job and can take care of things while I focus on training. Everything I have read seems that going through the training and flying time is well worth it as long as the passion is there and I’m excited to get the test flight going.
John,
Please let us know how your Introductory Flight goes, if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I would schedule a few introductory flights if you can at a local school if you’re unsure after the first one.
Enjoy your flight!
Brady
Hello, thanks for all the feedback. I recently went on two discovery flights and am going on the introductory flight with ATP on Sunday. I have loved every second of flying so far and am even more excited to get started. I have a few questions to ask on my introductory flight, but I’m wondering if anyone has specific questions i should ask while I am there or any more insight on what to expect from the introductory flight.
John,
Keep your expectations low is the best advice I can offer. Too many people go in looking to impress the instructor with their flying skills. Guess what? You’re not a pilot (yet) and you have none. Want to impress your instructor? Listen to direction and follow their instructions and above all else, relax and enjoy!
Adam
John,
Chris made a posting a while ago in the FAQ section of the forum:
Doing some of the research yourself across ATP’s website, you can answer most, but it is a good start.
As Adam mentioned, be open-minded.
Brady