Hello, my name is Ryan; I’m 26 and have a BA in Communications.
I am at the crossroads of switching careers and flying and piloting always seemed interesting. I’ve done a little research on the lifestyle of the career as well as what would be the necessary steps.
I wanted to first get to know a fellow pilot on here and get their story on what drove them and how one could decide if this is the right course for them.
Would getting a private license first, getting a taste for it be a good starting point?
I also was told of a 9-month program that would roughly cost $80,000. How would one pay that off if you don’t have that amount at the moment?
I think that getting a PPL first is a great idea if you are not 100% certain about being a pilot as a career. If anything, at least get to the solo part before you decide.
The vast majority of people finance their flight training. More information is available on ATP’s website.
Check out our profiles section as it details all of our paths to the airlines.
Thank you for the response.
I’m sure right now with everything going on, seeking a private license would be very difficult.
There is a small airport located near me that I can look into. Would many places allow training and experience at their location or do you need attend a program or institution first?
Do smaller airports allow training at their facility, or do I need to sign up for classes in a more populated location?
And how do payments usually work? I see some pretty hefty price tags for some of these programs. Are payments distributed monthly evenly or at the end of the program altogether?
There are flight schools at large and small airports. As for financing most people take out loans (which btw are at all time low rates) to manage the costs.
I recommend you visit our FAQ section as there’s tons of useful info.
Almost every small airport will have some sort of flight school on the field. Smaller airports are actually better for flight training than very busy ones as there is less time spent waiting for airport congestion to clear.
Aviation training is expense, no matter which flight school one goes to, but when you think about the return on investment, it makes a lot of sense and is very much in line with what other professional training costs.