Can I really do this?

[AlexanderP-VA-909]

Greetings,

I currently work for the Boy Scouts of America. I am an Eagle Scout. I am married with two kids and a mortgage.

I have always been interested in flying but have never really had the oppotunity. I have read all about different training programs and such and I wonder if beginning is a real possibility for me.

Would financial aid allow me to stop working, do the fast track training and still pay my other bills?

[SkyWest JJ]

Hi Alexander,

I am an Eagle Scout, also. Welcome to the forums! Flying is a definite possibility.

Most people have to borrow money to start training. As far as I know--the money will pay for your training (which includes housing) with maybe a little left over to feed yourself. I doubt it would cover your mortgage payments or other expenses while you train. Many married people use the support of their spouse and their spouse's income to pay other expenses while training. I did not take a loan for training and I was single so it was a little easier for me to drop everything and focus on flying.

I would recommend you call 800-ALL-ATPS and ask to speak to a financial aid expert--they may have a better idea if there is a loan for your situation. Please report back what they tell you because I'm curious to know, too.

Welcome again!!

JJ

[AlexanderP-VA-909]

JJ,

Thanks for the quick reply. I have spent some time on the phone with some ATP representatives now and I am getting a clearer picture as to how this can work.

I wanted to ask you about what kind of lifestyle to expect during the training and after.

I gather that if I do the 150 day training, I will be totally absorbed by that.

Once training is over, what kind of hours would I keep. I know this is not a "9 to 5" kind of career. I am sure it varies a lot, but can you give me an idea of personal time vs. work time. Is it the kind of thing where you might be gone for days at a time, but then off for days at a time?

Also, I know that pilots can eventually make good money, but how long does it take to get to that point? If I am making 37K annually now, will I be able to make something comparable once I am done with the 150 days?

Thanks for your time.

[SkyWest JJ]

Hi Alexander--

Being a pilot is almost as much of a lifestyle choice as it is a job! However there is flexibility to accommodate your needs.

After training--you will be an instructor. I chose to instruct every day because I wanted to get to the airlines as soon as possible and get a seniority number. You will basically set your own hours--you can choose to instruct at a flight school three days a week if that suits you best.

Once at the airlines--your schedule gets better as time goes on. In the beginning--you will likely be on reserve. You will have no flight schedule and you will get called (2 hours in advance at the minimum) to come to the airport if someone gets sick--often you'll get notified a day or two in advance. At SkyWest you would get 10 or 11 days off per month.

At some point you will be able to hold a set schedule (called a line). You can choose to fly locals (one day trips), or 2 or 3 or 4 day trips. Some people want to be home every night--some would rather leave on a trip and then have consecutive days off. Check out my schedule to see some of the different ways I have bid. Again--when you are junior you have less say--but as your seniority grow you could do anything you want basically. I guess I average about 15 days off a month or so.

As an instructor you might make between 15k and 25k. First year pay at the airlines is between 20k and 25k. Year 2 for me was close to 45k. Check out http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/a...ional-lcc.html for an idea about pay rates. Most of these are listed by the hour---a rough rule of thumb is to add three 0's for an approximate annual salary (you are limited to flying 1000 hours for the year). So $65 per hour equals roughly $65,000 per year.

JJ

[AlexanderP-VA-909]

Originally Posted by SkyWest JJ

Hi Alexander--

In the beginning--you will likely be on reserve. You will have no flight schedule and you will get called (2 hours in advance at the minimum) to come to the airport if someone gets sick-

JJ

What happens while you are on reserve? Does your pay suffer if you are not getting a lot of flights, or are you "on the clock" regardless, and get paid to be on standby.

Also, in terms of where I call "home" will I need to move to close to an airlines home base, or is it the kind of thing that if I live close to any airport that runs my airlines flights, that becomes my jumping spot?

[SkyWest JJ]

I was lucky with my timing and I actually never sat any reserve. However--you are paid a minimum monthly guarantee no matter how little you fly. That is 75 hours. Of course if you fly more than that, you are paid more.

Living near where you are based is best. However many pilots choose to commute. Commuting is easier when you have enough seniority to know your schedule in advance. We actually have a 2 hour callout reserve and a 24 hour callout reserve--so even on reserve, with 24 hours notice it might be easier for you to fly into your airport. Many pilots live across the country from where they are based. It is your responsibility to be at work and it can be stressful when flights are full.