Hey guys! I’m currently a sophmore in high school (haha young right?) and I’m wondering if I can do anything to boost my chances of becoming a pilot. Is there any classes, or training courses you guys could recommend to me/current steps to take? Would it also be beneficial to obtain a private pilot license sometime during senior year since I have a lot of time then?
This might also sound a bit dumb, but is it incredibly difficult to earn a pilots license? I know that it’ll require plenty of time and commitment, and I’m very willing to put those hours in for it, but is there a sort of generalized “hours per day” I would be putting into the training? Sorry for bothering you guys with so many question, and thank you so much!
Not a bother at all. That’s why we’re here. Honestly the best thing you can do at this point is work hard and do well in school. The Majors prefer a 4yr degree and will also look at your grades. After you graduate you simply need to do well and be a good student, instructor and employee.
I only recommend getting your PPL early if you have any doubts if this is what you really want to do with your life. Flying planes isn’t like most other careers as there’s a physical component to the job. While many believe they want to fly, until you actually sit upfront at the controls of a small twitchy training aircraft you really won’t know for sure. With that in mind, before you invest to much time and thought into this you really should take a intro or discovery flight.
Finally, as for the training, flight training is difficult. Again it’s not just the academics, there’s coordination involved. The good news is if you’re willing to put in the work, in most cases you will be successful. Not easy but def doable.
Thank you so much! Big relief I won’t have to rush through pilots training in high school, or anything of that sort. A bit of a follow up question- do you know the average amount of hours a pilot will put in a day while going through flight training? I’d be really happy with a super generalized answer, since I’d like to sort of get an idea of how to structure my time through that!
I’ll definitely try to book in a intro or discovery flight before I fully commit my life to piloting; but is there also any majors I should look out for as well? I know that getting an aviation major is a bit redundant, but is it detrimental to becoming a pilot itself?
You’ve been such a big help and inspiration, thank you!
First I can’t even begin to answer the “how many hours a day question”. There are simply too many variables (what phase of training, the length of the program, primary vs airline, your ability learn, etc etc etc). Suffice to say there will be some long days, some short days and everything in between.
As for what to study, that’s completely up to you. As a rule we don’t recommend aviation degrees. They’re generally very expensive and the airlines neither require or desire them. More important they provide no backup should aviation not work out either by choice or circumstance. Also, despite a very common misconception, you need not study any advance math or science. Short answer, you should study something of interest or something you might use as a plan b.
Welcome to the forum. The best thing you can do right now is to focus on your studies and do well in your existing classes. There is really very little that you can do in high school to prepare to be a pilot. However, you will want to get a college degree at some point, so it is best to continue to position yourself to get into a good college.
I would not recommend getting a private license outside of ATP, for a whole host of reasons. The first is that if you desire to train with ATP for everything else, it just makes sense to do your private there as well. This way you will be brought up in the ATP way and taught to do things correctly from day one. Also, flying is a perishable skill. If you were to get your PPL now, then take many months or even years before beginning training again, you will be rusty when you start up again. I know you are anxious to get flying, but use this time to focus on your school work.
Flight training, when done correctly, is a full time endeavour. With an accelerated program like ATP, all waking hours should somehow be dedicated to the task at hand.
Being from the Dc area, let’s say I want to work for delta, does it matter what regional I start at, as I understand an airline like Envoy goes to American and Republic goes to Delta usaly?
While some of the Regionals offer flows to their respective Major partner, there are plenty of people from various Regionals who get hired at different Majors then they support.
As Adam mentioned, it’s possible to get hired outside the flow for their respective parent company, but I’ve seen more movement from working at a competitor brand and being picked up by their ideal airline. I’ve seen many colleagues jump ship to an airline such as United Airlines from the American Eagle brand before American Airlines simply because a parent company will not necessarily pull from their wholly own or subsidiaries… they can’t not have their regional airline suffering from “not enough pilots,” if that makes sense.
If you live in the DC area the closest Delta hub is in Atlanta. Whereas United has a base in IAD and American at DCA. Are you planning a career commute or planning a move? If not, consider other careers for your quality of life.
Hello, I’m currently in High School, and being a commercial pilot has been my dream as a youngster. My concern is whether I should do a bachelors in Finance (Plan B) or go straight to an ATP? Because I know any Flight School is expensive.
Thanks, Gianluca
While not required, the airlines still prefer a degree and not having one will put you at a disadvantage. Second frankly most people directly out of HS don’t have the maturity to handle the accelerated pace of ATP.
You’d be much better served finishing your education first.
I second the degree first, then attending flight school. Do well in school, join a few organizations and build a good resume, portfolio, and network. Then after college, begin your flight training if you so desire. You will also want to conduct an introductory flight, this is something you could do at any point, to see if the career and field is something you would find enjoyable doing.
Brady,
Yup, I definetely agree with you Brady. I will get my degree in Finance, and maybe will do flight training during college. I have a question though, do you guys reccomend a flight school or air force? I am trying to become a commercial pilot
Gianluca.
Two things, first don’t plan on doing flight training while in college. Any part time progress you make will be inefficient and expensive. Plus the GPA you get in college matters when you’re interviewing to be an airline pilot down the road. Put all your energy in to completing the degree with high marks then focus all on flight training. Flight skills are perishable, meaning once you start you have to consistently keep flying because any gaps you take will degrade your skills.
Second, if you have a desire to serve your country then look in to that route. If you’re just looking for free flight training, then don’t.
Hannah,
That is actually a very good option too, yeah because I need to focus on getting a degree and I can’t waste time there- time is precious and valueable. I will do flight school after getting my degree, so I focus and get a degree, plus around that age it is not late to become a pilot.
I rather not serve for the country since I really don’t like military aviation, I prefer commercial aviation. Thanks for the tips Hannah!
Gianluca