My name is Larry and i have been in the Air Force for 10 years as a Communication/Navigation Specialist, Like most people year i dreamed of being an airline pilot or pilot of any sort my whole life. I have a year left on my current contract and i plan on getting out next year and pursuing that dream. I am 32 right now and have my Bachelors in criminal justice. Seeing as i have a bachelors and still all of my Gi bill benefits, after reading alot on here i do not think going to a 4 year program would be for me. My question here would be would it be smart for me to try and get my private pilot license on my own dime with this year i have left on active duty? or wait til next year and enroll in a flight school that kind of packages it. Also with COVID going on it is making me think the risk is a lot getting into this career field at this time. Seeing as i am starting from scratch would it be wise tostart something like this now?
Couple of things. I generally only recommend getting your Private first unless you’re not really sure of aviation is for you. If that’s the case getting your PPL is a great way to get your feet wet without a big commitment. If that’s not the case it’s generally advisable to do all your training at once since each skill builds on the last and continuity it’s essential. That’s the reason the airlines and the military train daily.
As for timing with CV19 there are dozens of posts on the subject and the answer is pretty clear. There will of course be a recovery and there are plenty of pilots who are training in anticipation. If you wait for everything to completely settle you’ll be late to the game.
Thank you for the quick response and advice i figured the time i have left in the military getting my ppl would get me a head start. If it is smarter to just wait then that is the route i will take. I will continue digging thru these forums to understand the process even more