I have read copious amounts of questions and answers and after doing so I have MORE questions.
In one Hannah noted that your Bachelors does not need to be in, and is not recommended to be in aviation. Why is this recommended? Am I correct in assuming that it’s because if pilots are being fur-loughed or other events are happening they’re happening across all careers in the aviation sector? So the idea behind this statement is that your back up cannot also be in line with your current?
If a student gets into a degree program that offers flight in addition to their program is this recommended? To get a degree in unison with getting your pilot licenses, or is the recommendation to do 1 and then the other? And why is this?
How can someone get Medical before starting a combined dual program?
Does having ADHD, Auditory Processing Disorder, Anxiety, Dyslexia or Dyscalculia automatically disqualify you from becoming a pilot?
How possible is it to pilot at 4’11”?
Finally - if you’re a female and want kids and a family life is being a pilot ideal? I’m assuming from some other questions if you do this your husband would need to be supportive because he would be acting as a single parent during the ON days.
Finally I was reading posts about hubs and bases. I gathered that MCO is a base. Can anyone tell me if PIE or TPA are as well?
Obviously I’m a mom of an aviation obsessed, soon to be high school graduate. She has taken a small 30 min flight through the EAA and loved it. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard the “I got to turn the plane twice!” story.
Thank you to all the pilots on this board in advance. I have read many of your responses, reviewed your schedules and many other things and it has all been very informative!!!
I’m sure the mentors on here will add their perspectives, but these are my thoughts to your questions:
A bachelors in a non-aviation field is recommended for the exact reason you mentioned. Aviation is a volatile market and things can go wrong very quickly. If you found yourself being furloughed during a pandemic or market crash, or you lost your medical, an aviation degree wouldn’t help you very much for another career. Having a degree outside of aviation will offer you other job opportunities if flying is no longer an option. With that being said, there are plenty of pilots who do aviation degrees that make it to the airlines and have successful careers, there is just a lot of risk and high cost involved if things don’t work out.
If there’s an option to pursue a degree with flying in addition, it is certainly better than just an aviation degree since you’ll have a backup degree. I still wouldn’t recommend this though as you would stretch out training far longer than necessary which could make things expensive and inefficient. Flight training is best done in succession so that you can retain the flying skills and knowledge easier, without having to relearn stuff at the beginning of each lesson. It could also add a lot of extra unnecessary stress, having to juggle two difficult things at once. For this reason, I also wouldn’t recommend this route.
You can get a medical anytime you’d like by finding a nearby AME (Aviation medical examiner) and setting up an appointment for an FAA medical. The FAA website has a AME locator here: FAA-Designee Management System
Be sure that you have researched what receiving a medical entails and that you aren’t going to be surprised if something in your medical history is disqualifying.
Speaking of disqualifying; the cases you mentioned will bring up challenges when attempting to get a medical. Any past history of these will be a red flag to the FAA and could require time and additional cost to obtain your medical, if it is possible at all. The only person who could help you in this scenario is your local AME. I would suggest setting up a CONSULTATION with one (not an appointment for a medical) to see how best to approach your specific situation. With that being said, it is not fully disqualifying, but, if possible, it can be a costly and lengthy process. Start early.
I’m sure it is possible to be a pilot at 4’11". You would need to go on a discovery/intro flight in a few aircraft to make sure that you are capable of fully manipulating the controls. You might need a seat cushion to help in a general aviation aircraft. Jet aircraft have much more adjustment for the seats and rudder pedals, so if you want to make it to a jet, you should be ok.
I’m sure a female pilot would be much better suited than me to answer this question. As you mentioned, you would need a great supporting cast to make it work, but expect to miss events (birthdays, sports, holidays) because of your schedule. As you become more senior at an airline, you might gain more flexibility, but there are no guarantees of certain days off. I have flown with several female captains at my airline, but many of them were delaying kids until they had made it to their ‘destination’ airline (meaning one that they want to stay at the rest of their career), because of the challenges/delays it will cause. Is it ideal? No, but it depends on what you are willing and able to sacrifice to make this a career.
Here is a map that ATP offers showing where airlines in the US currently have bases: https://secure.atpflightschool.com/become-a-pilot/pilot-jobs/airline-domiciles/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkeSsBhDUARIsAK3tiecmNAIcLJGH-31cV9SN6qyCkSJRTlINaSopV2Z8q_7YuTa_RWfxG64aAtXjEALw_wcB
Just be aware that bases can change or be difficult to get straight away, so starting this career with the expectation that you will get the exact base you want, with a specific airline, is not a good idea. You always have the option to commute, but it isn’t ideal and you’ll lose days/time off traveling as a result. However, there are several airlines with bases in Orlando, Tampa, Miami and other parts of Florida. The key to this career in general is FLEXIBILITY. Without this, you might severely limit your options and the options aren’t always plentiful. If the only airline offer you get has bases far from home, would you be willing to commute or move to make it happen? I had to instruct away from home because that was the only option for me at the time. Flexibility goes a long way in this career and will determine your quality of life.
Glad to hear that you child enjoyed their flying experience! Aviation can be a very challenging but rewarding career down the road. I think most people on here would suggest that, as a soon to be high school graduate, they look at going to college to get a bachelors degree in something outside of aviation. Ideally somewhere where they aren’t going to accumulate significant debt. Then afterwards they can pursue flight training at a program like ATP or at a part 61 school (local flight school) to earn their ratings. Ex: I got a degree in engineering at an in-state school where scholarships covered most of it, followed by flight training at ATP after I graduated.
I’d like to offer one last piece of advice (which hopefully doesn’t sound too pessimistic, just trying to offer perspective!). I’m not sure if this is the case for your child, but there are lots of ‘high school graduates’ that wish to pursue flight training right away. While that may seem possible, try not to underestimate the discipline and maturity required to be successful in this career. I did pretty good in high school, but I had no idea how to study on my own. I learned that the hard way when I had my first test in college! I’m super glad it happened though, I highly doubt I would have done near as well in flight training had I not been to college beforehand and learned how to study properly. Flight training is almost entirely self study and no one will hold your hand if you slack off. College is recommended first not just to have a career backup, but because it prepares you well for self-study and also allows you to mature before facing flight training. And if I didn’t already mention it, a college degree is typically a requirement (or at least preferred) at most major airlines. When I was a flight instructor, I unfortunately saw several kids who had no college experience struggle to study and push themselves to be successful in flight training. The flying is fun and doable at that age, but the bookwork and self-study is often the main road block. Your training record sticks with you forever it this career, so it’s best to go in with the highest chances of being successful! Just something to think about before diving in.
I hope my thoughts answered most of your questions!
I actually prefer she not do it all at once so she can actually focus and not overwhelm herself. When I personally was in college I was so busy working that I did not give my degree the time or attention it truly deserved. So I completely support your stance in separating them out.
As far as the medical goes I will look into that. She has been diagnosed with these things but has never taken medication for any of them. I’m going to assume that’s a positive compared to some previous posts I have read through.
So @RoscoeL - I just want to be specific about the bachelors program, because the ones she has applied to/been accepted to are Aviation Management and also Concentration in Airport Operations Management. So that would mean even if something happened within her specific airline, doesn’t mean it would happen to the airport as a whole and she could place there or am I incorrect in this thought process?
Im honestly asking all these questions because everything she wants to do is insanely expensive and we by no means are wealthy so when we sit down with everything I want to have realistic outcomes and expectations for her - and from a real pilot makes it easier to have because you know, parents just want to ruin your life. To be a teen again.
Also, she selected this major because she just completed at internship at a local airport and she spent the majority of her time there with the guys in operations on the airfield and she LOVED IT!! With that said, I guess my next question would be, if it shouldn’t be aviation specific like that, is there a degree that you know of that would allow her the ability to do that same work?
Glad to hear that my response helped! Yes, as you mentioned, it is best to do one thing at a time so that you can put 100% into it. Flight training requires full focus and dedication to be successful. Not having taken medication might help, but again only an AME can give you the proper guidance for getting a medical. I would start early and plan for the worst (a lengthy process with the FAA), but hope for the best!
Having a degree in aviation management/airport operations management isn’t a bad option, but I would be cautious with those considering that anything affecting pilot staffing will almost always affect the corporate side. It is unlikely that an airline/airport would be hiring in those positions if there were another pandemic or economic crisis. It is also important to consider that if the aviation market crashes, most pilots who went to an aviation university will have a similar degree, and she could be competing with them for the few jobs available. I would still suggest a degree outside of aviation if her goal is to become an airline pilot.
I completely understand the questions, and yes it is absolutely an expensive career to get into, there’s no way around that. I would suggest looking around at local colleges where you can minimize costs, perhaps even earn some scholarships. If she can graduate college with minimal debt, she will be in a good position to start flight training afterwards. It might even be advisable to work after college to earn some savings to help pay for it. Working at an FBO at your local airport is always an option. She could just work there during her summer breaks, so that she isn’t juggling a job and college at once. You just wouldn’t want it to get in the way of her studies. Otherwise, she could continue to pursue a degree in a aviation field, but just would need to understand the risks involved. Maybe I would suggest a degree in business or business management? There’s plenty of routes you can take with those degrees and there’s always the possibility of a job/internship with an airline in their corporate operations. Is there anything else she is passionate about?
I think the really important factor is that she chooses a field that she truly enjoys and would be happy to work in if flight training/aviation doesn’t workout. If she is passionate about aviation management, then perhaps it is still the best option for her.
@RoscoeL - that’s where our issue is currently. The only thing she’s ever really shown any interest in is aviation. She is interested in airplanes, airports and traveling. She once was interested in aerospace engineering, but because mathematics is not her strongest subject, I suggested that it probably wasn’t ideal to choose a math heavy career. I try to be as realistic and honest with her about everything.
That was honestly why I asked the mom question. I understand how important having a kid is to her, so much so that starting a family at 23 is often discussed, but I’ve been reading this forum for a solid 5 hours (lol) and it seems like when female pilots decide to have a family it’s later, when established with an airline as a career. Not straight out of college and not before completing flight school. I fully understand it’s a lot easier for male to do that.
The most helpful part was viewing the schedules that were posted, in regards to also having a family and what that life looks like in terms of how much you’re home.
She is still young and has time to make some important decisions. But at some point she will need to decide what her priorities are. It is perfectly normal at that age to not know what they want to do with their life yet. You’ve seen by looking at the schedules on here, that there is a significant amount of time spent away from home in this career, so starting a family will be challenging. Not impossible, but very difficult, especially during training and early on at an airline.
Despite what I’ve suggest in the previous posts, it is not impossible for her to start flight training now (I just wouldn’t recommend it for everyone). Perhaps if she is really passionate about aviation and she thinks it is the best career choice for her, you could have her start taking some lessons towards her private certificate and work on getting a medical. The first class medical is really important because without that, she won’t know whether this is even a career option. If she gets her medical and then works on her private certificate, she should have a better idea on whether she wants to continue or not.
@RoscoeL off-topic question, but related to schedules, out of curiosity, on working days is there a minimum and a maximum amount of hours a pilot can be scheduled? I know there’s a required rest period between day end flight and next day start from personally experiencing a delayed flight due to how late the pilot previously ended the night before.
Yes there is a maximum flight-duty period and a maximum flight time limit under part 121 (airline operations). There is no minimum. All of this information is available in part 117 of 14 CFR:
Unless you are flying with additional crew members (relief officer, relief captain, etc…) , you will fall under “unaugmented operations” as listed below. You can see that the maximum flight time is dependent on the time of report, and the max flight duty period (basically the amount of time you are ‘working’ that day) is dependent on number of flights and scheduled time of start. It is a little confusing, but our crew scheduling department does a good job keeping track of these things to keep us legal. I have these tables on a card on my lanyard too, if I need to refer to them.
We are not medical professionals, but I can tell you that these health issues will likely be large hurdles that your daughter will need to overcome with the FAA, if she is able to at all/ I would not invest any more resources into flying until your daughter has a first class medical in hand.
After reading a ton on the board today, even after posting I realized this, especially with the detailed personal accounts of others with ADHD. I appreciate the honesty! It never dawned on me till a friend mentioned it last night. Better to realize the potential road blocks ahead of time rather than feeling like it’s 100% when it’s not!
Since your daughter is still in high school, there isn’t much to do yet but continue researching! It’s important she do well in school and continue pursuing a bachelors degree. The first major hurdle is going to be if she can get a medical. I’d recommend scheduling an appointment with an AME to discuss further. Some medications are strictly not allowed and can require a minimum of 24 months without it before any medical could be issued. Best to know that sooner than later.
As a female pilot, I can relate to the worry of having a family and balancing a successful and fulfilling career. If she’s going to do it at all, aviation should be prioritized prior to starting a family. Seniority means everything in this career. It can make the difference in being home for weekends, holidays and birthdays and making it work with her spouse and children. Or always being junior with a horrible schedule and never home. Even if she goes to college then pursues flight training, she could be established at an airline by about 25/26. Once she has that seniority number, she can focus on having a family and will be getting more senior and have an even better quality of life after returning from maternity leave than she did before. Any other method could be possible but will be much more challenging and one will suffer, even the future success of her career or her relationships… potentially both if they conflict too much.
@Hannah I appreciate the female perspective on the family front.
As far as medications go, she takes absolutely 0 medications for anything.
I think your viewpoint and words, for now anyways, gives her an answer about piloting. I asked her about whether or not piloting was more important than having a family. She said no. I explained that you CAN do both, but I showed her a schedule and explained that you do not wake up with your kids everyday. I explained that it is better to wait till established and reach seniority to start a family as well. Neither of those sat well with her. So your response was extremely helpful. Because it gave her a lot to think about.
so when we sit down with everything I want to have realistic outcomes and expectations for her - and from a real pilot makes it easier to have because you know, parents just want to ruin your life. 
