Wondering about becoming a pilot

Airline Pilot Questions & Answers
1

I am 18 and am planning on starting flight school in January of 2024. Recently I have been becoming more and more unsure if this is what I actually want to do. I want to be able to go home to a family when I have one, but I also want to come home and take care of my dog without worrying if I have to get rid of him. I want to know if becoming a pilot means I am unable to come home at all for days.

2

Aden,

Pilots by definition fly away from home. On the average most pilots are gone 15 days a month or more. It can eventually be less (depending on the operation, equipment and most importantly your seniority) but that won’t be for some time.

You should give some serious thought whether this is something you want to do and you most definitely would need someone to watch your dog.

Adam

3

Aden,

Pilots fly long distances to far away places and are gone for days at a time, that is just the nature of the profession. Take a look at our Schedules section to get an idea of how much we are gone and remember that it is worse in the beginning.

Chris

4

Aden,

This is one of the biggest reasons we say to take a few introductory lessons and do your research before you jump into a career/industry of choice. Below is a link to our schedules:

At most Regional Airlines (I cannot speak amongst the Major/Legacy) you can expect a minimum of 11/12 days off a month when you are first starting out.

Brady

5

Aden,

Yes, you absolutely need to think about all these things before jumping in to any flight training. I have a dog from before I started flying and it was tricky at times. However, I live near my parents and they were able to take him when I was gone on trips the first year at the regionals. I dropped him off before every trip and picked him up when I got home. It wasn’t ideal but it worked.

As for kids and a family, well that gets harder but you’re going to have to come to terms with being away from them for 18 days a month at least to start. Eventually you could get senior enough to fly turns (out and backs) that get you home more nights but that will take time.

Hannah