Hello Adam

[AnthonyK-MA-509]

Hello there my name is Anthony I’m 36 from Boston MA and love flying and looking in to a new career. I’m currently working with an energy company Patriot Energy Group in Woburn MA, as the company IT coordinator and Commodity Analyst and earning a degree Information technology from a local collage. Looking into an airline pilot career but need to make sure that I will be able to sustain my family with an airman salary what advice can you give me.
Hope to read you soon
Anthony

[ExpressJet Adam]

Hey Anthony,

Just curious, when you say you LOVE FLYING, that's because you've FLOWN an airplane before (at the controls) and LOVED IT or you've sat in the back and LOVE the "idea" of it. I always like to ask because they're 2 very different things, and if you haven't been up in a small plane I strongly recommend you do. For now we'll assume you have flown a plane and are thinking of making a major life/career change.

Whether or not you can support your family and live up to your responsibilities is huge and not to be taken lightly. The answer? I have no idea what your current situation is and obviously there are many variables. Without question at the very least you need to have some basic numbers and a plan so let's go.

Flight training, pay:-$55,000. I again assuming you currently have no flight time or licenses so 5 months at ATP (if you go full time) with no income and the cost of training. You could opt for the Self-Paced which would allow you to work but now you're looking at a year. OK, you're done training, now you're going to instruct, pay: $2000 a month, for how long? That's tricky. When I went throught the program things were booming and I only instructed for 5mos BUT things have slowed considerably. Assuming ATP (or other flight schools) is/are back to hiring instructors when you're ready, I think it's safe to say you're looking at 1 year min. The problem in while things have slowed there are a ton of guys out there who have been instructing for some time now and have some serious time so they're getting hired first. OK, you get your Regional gig, pay:$20,000(1st yr). The sad reality (which you may be familiar with if you've been watching the news) is first year airline pay is considered "paying your dues". Second year you'll get a bump to $30K. You'll continue up through the mid $30's until upgrade to Capt comes (again, things have slowed so let's say 4-5 yrs). First year Capt pay: approx $60K (not bad but not great). You'll keep going up until you max out at a Regional (around $100K) OR go to a Major. If you do decide to go to a Major you can actually expect a cut in pay for the first few years because you're back to FO. Eventually you'll recoup and max out at about $150K.

Well Anthony, hope I didn't discourage you but I believe it's important for people to go into this with open eyes. I love my job and that's invaluable to me BUT it was a huge sacrifice and I'm afraid my family is still paying for it (financially) in some ways. That being said my marriage and relationship with my kids is the best it's ever been.

Ultimately, the choice is yours.

Adam

[AnthonyK-MA-509]

Hi Adam,

When I was 5 my dad worked for a company that had a corporate fleet and the chief pilot use to come and get met on weekends to fly with him. After high school I start flying I logged about 38 hours soloed but was discouraged when learning on how much Airline Pilot where making and how hard it was to make captain if you do not have a military background. I do not have family support to help me financially it me and me alone so I do not what to quite my job that pays me good right now and have to struggle for about 6 years before seeing the fruits of my labor. I’m 36 and not sure that I will be able to endure. I’m planning to get married in 2 years starting from scratched not sure I have neither the time nor the strength

That my story
Thank you for you honest response
AK

[ExpressJet Adam]

Hey Anthony,

I appreciate your honesty as well. Well you definitely have some legit aviation experience so that's out of the way. Unfortunately the thing that kept you from an pursuing an airline career years ago hasn't changed at all. The pay's lousy (at least at the beginning) and I don't believe that'll ever change. The truth is we pilot's did it to ourselves. Most pilot's fly for the love of it and the airlines know it. The reality is if a Major airline anounced they would hire 1000 pilots but would pay them $0 for the first year they still would be flooded with applicants.

The only thing you're incorrect about is the Capt upgrade (at least in the US). Most of the airlines in this country are union and all operate on a seniority system. That means once you're hired you'll progress based on your seniority and not much else. When your number's up for advancement, doesn't matter your background, flight school, military, none of that counts. Seniority rules (for better or worse).

I write you this from a very nice hotel on the beach in San Juan. My wife will be flying to Rome next week (usually First Class) for nothing, and my kids are far from deprived (ask them they may tell you different, but they're not). I have friends who were making huge salaries in finance and are now unemployed. I'm 45 now and I've learned life has no guarantees, you just have to do the best you can. Could things be better, of course, but it ain't that bad either.

Good luck,

Adam

[AnthonyK-MA-509]

Hello Adam,

Thank you for the help you giving me hope to want keep on keeping on with my flying dream. What can you tell me about ATP is it a good place to get my training last week in the news the Gulfstream Academy was strongly criticized in relation with the crash in Buffalo NY and could you tell me if ATP as a school in the northeast I’m from Boston and my girl just got accepted to Boston medical for her residency she moving here from Columbus OH to be with me after a 4 year long-distance relationship

Thanks
Anthony

[ExpressJet Adam]

Hey Anthony,

Well it goes without saying that I'm a fan of ATP (or I wouldn't be here). I've often said I'd probably still be a pilot if I hadn't gone to ATP (maybe?) but without question they made it easier. So let's talk about why.

First, the accelerated program. I had gotten my PPL back in the early 90's but never did anything with it. It took me 2 years to earn it. I was 39 and wanted a career in aviation but really couldn't afford to take years to get there. I investigated EVERY school out there, and there simple was no other school that could compete time wise or price wise. Getting done in a timely fashion did 2 things, it helped me get in the position where I could actually work and build time faster than anywhere else AND it taught me how to perform under pressure. I'm often asked "well ATP sounds good but I don't think I have the discipline to buckle down for 3 mos straight or I simply with rather take my time". Well that's great BUT what happens when you get hired but the airlines skippy? Do you think they'll let you train on your timeframe and take your checks when you want? I can tell you they will not.

ATP also has one of the best reputations in the industry. I know, I'm in the industry and I work in the training dept. ANYONE who tells you the airlines don't "like" ATP grads is simply full of it (and probably went to another school and took 3 times as long and paid 3 times as much). How can I say that with such certainty? Because when I got hired at ExpressJet their mins were 700hrs TT BUT I got my interview with 500. Why? Is there some backroom handshaking going on? NO. First, of my 500 more than half was MULTI (very rare except at ATP but very desireable), and I had ATP's blessing which says "hey, this guy can work hard so you're not going to waste $15,000 training someone who can't cut it".

The recent events in the news surrounding GulfStream are unfortunate to say the least. As far as I know the guilty parties are long gone. I also happen to know some very skilled pilots who were former students and instructors there. That being said, obviously if the folks at ATP had any incling of what was going on I'm certain they would have kept their distance. The future of GulfStream remains to be seen but generally something like this does a good job of cleaning things up as they'll be under the FAA's microscope for a while.

The most NE location ATP currently has is Trenton NJ. Not close to Boston but not terrible. When I went through the training I went to Virginia because I wanted to be close enough to get home "just in case" but not too close that my family and friends would be a distraction. Something to think about.

Adam