Ok so I am 15 years old but will be 16 in May, I am currently working my way through Sporty’s PPL training videos. What I would like to know is should I start training in May and spend the next year getting my hours or should I wait a couple of months to start so all the information is fresh for the final exam, also if I wait it might be easier to provide the funds since I can drive to work. Please advise.
On a side note is there anything else I can do while waiting to start training. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Gabriel Schwind
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Gabriel,
You’re very young which is great. Trust me you won’t forget the material but if it works out better for you financially and will allow you to be more consistent in your training then by all means wait. Time is on your side.
Adam
Gabriel,
I personally would recommend that you focus on your school work, then go to college, then flight training. There really is no need to rush into flight training now, there are other steps to life that you should focus on first. Furthermore, you might find it hard to make enough money with a part time job to pay for flight training.
Chris
Gabriel,
Think a little further down the road. You can’t hold an ATP certificate until you’re 21. Even then the best you’ll be able to hold is a restricted ATP. The restriction will be removed when you turn 23. At that point, only then will you be able to upgrade if you have the seniority.
You’re turning 16 in May. That’s 5 years from being able to fly for an airline. If you start now, you’re headed down an expensive road to keep yourself current and proficient. Or, the more likely scenario, you could have a long enough gap in your flying that you’ll need retraining.
Further, you’ll want to have a 4-year degree. Most major airline pilot have one. It’s a wise investment. That said, I think you should be focusing on your college education before flight training. You can either knock your 4-year degree out all at once, or split it up and do 2 years now and 2 more years while at a regional. That is completely up to you.
Tory
Thank you all for responding, currently I am doing college credit plus so I plan to graduate from high school with an associate’s degree (and hopefully with less debt). I can finish with a four-year degree in a major besides aviation just in case aviation doesn’t work out. By the time I graduate with a four-year degree I would be 20 or so and hopefully I could apply at ATP. Please let me know if you would change anything. Thank you.
Gabriel
Fantastic plan. Good on you for earning college credits in HS. Something I wish I had done.
Tory
Gabriel,
Your plan sounds excellent. Straight ahead, warp speed!
Chris