Long read, but I figured I would share my story. I’m not an actual student yet, but I’ll be there soon enough. I just got back from the gym and have some time to kill.
Growing up, my dad worked on the ramp for Southwest. He worked there for over 20 years. He used to tell me,” when you grow up, you’re going to be a pilot.”. Being a kid I didn’t really take him seriously.
After floating around a bit post high school, I decided that I needed a change. I enlisted in the military. I did 5 years in the Marine Corps working as a helicopter engine mechanic for the CH-53. Shortly after getting out back in 2018 I decided to get my Airframe and Powerplant licenses.
I am now 33 years old. Last summer, my girlfriend signed me up for an intro flight at a local flight school. It was a surprise birthday present. I work as an A&P mechanic so I’m a little familiar with airplanes.
We walk up to a little Cessna 150. I laughed. My girlfriend was a little confused. I told her it was because I was sure that they were gonna need to de-fuel (At the time I was sitting around 300 pounds).
Sure enough, the pilot conducting the intro flight walks out, looks me up and down and asks me my weight. He looks at some papers and calls a mechanic out to drain some fuel from the tanks.
I’ve been around aviation maintenance for about 6 years now. What I saw next kind of blew my mind. The mechanic walks out, checks the fuel level on the RH tank and begins to siphon fuel (with his mouth) into a gas can that he brought out with him. Lol. He got a bunch in his mouth and spit it out like it was no big deal. He proceeded to the LH tank and did the same.
Once we were prepped and ready, we taxied to the runway and took off. The nervousness and excitement that I felt is like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I asked myself,” people get paid to do this?”. We had to cut it short because of the lack of fuel.
I expressed my interest in flying to my girlfriend long before the flight, but had not taken any steps to move forward. As we drove away from the airport, the feeling of being in the air stuck with me.
Fast forward to November 2022. I was doing some research on a computer while I was at lunch. On the company homepage they had announced that they introduced a leave program that would reimburse around 57k for flight school (under the condition that once you pick up Captain you fly for them for 2 years).
I immediately started researching the requirements to become an airline pilot. I looked at a few different flight schools and from what I’ve seen, ATP is the one. I also stumbled upon this forum which helped me come to that conclusion.
With advice from people on this forum, I went to see an AME. I got into a little trouble many moons ago and my application had to be deferred to the FAA. The AME told me that I shouldn’t have anything to worry about. I still had some weight to lose, so I was okay with the deferral.
It is now February. I’ve been working a bunch of overtime building up my savings. My lease in my current apartment ends in three weeks. I was able to secure a place 10 minutes away from the airport. 2 days ago, my AME emailed me saying that my application cleared. I am going to apply for my loan today (787 credit score with a co-signer available if needed), and I have 5 more pounds to lose (I’ll be there by next week).
It’s been pretty stressful, but everything seems to be falling into place. I’ve started studying for the written exams and I can’t wait to start! As soon as my weight comes in I’m gonna set up my intro flight.
When there’s a will, there’s a way.
-Ben
