Path to Become a Pilot

[@edima3589]

Thank you Dan and Christy for giving me just the tid-bit of information that I needed to make the next decision in my journey. I have my PPL, CPL, instrument and completed the FOI/FIA with 450 hours. I'm 51 years old and have a fulfilling career in robotics and engineering with a solid financial picture that supports plenty of recreational flying and $200 burgers. These past few months, I have been mentally stressed at work, and I just haven't enough mental energy to prep for the CFI short of knocking off the FOI/FIA exams. I've been researching different CFI prep options with local schools, fast track out of state schools and talking to my pilot network. My goal is to teach as a transitional career then maybe fly 91 or 135. After hearing Christy talk about getting the multi-engine, I've decided to take care of that next, then put forward the energy preparing for the CFI when I have more mental capacity and PTO from work. There's a school within an hours flying time that has a reputable ME training program that takes 3-5 days give or take weather, etc. Thanks again..... listening to multiple perspectives helps to formulate a plan!

[@TakingOff]

Yeah, Bryan and I knocked out our Multi in four days. Glad this could help you!!

[@jag12549]

In the middle of my flight training. Theres a small airfield not far from my house (2B2) I went for a lesson one day and thought “if it keeps working out im gonna keep working it out” Turns out i was super lucky to stumble into Plum Island. Its a private field operated publicly as a charity. The people there made me feel like i could do it. I had never thought about owning an airplane, but 3 months into getting my PPL my flight instructor was taking me in his Arrow 2 to look at planes. Hes an A and P at American and has been teaching flying since 89. We also have an IA who is actually the airport manager who helps us keep everything going as well. I wound up buying a 67 Cherokee 140/160. Scott, one of my instructors former students, also has a 160 and now we shoot around all over the place. I had never really felt like i fit in anywhere until I made friend’s flying.

[@jhmcglynn]

I thought I recognized 2B2. I used to fly there a lot in the late 90s with my friend Phillip in our Mooney. Great little Airport. I remember they used to be quite a bit of Gyro plane traffic

[@jag12549]

@@jhmcglynn Runway 28 - 10 has been shortened up by about 500’ due to a dispute with the neighbor, making it around 2,000’ x 25’. Fresh Asphalt now though. I think it was done in 19 or 20. The traffic has really moved over to Beverly and Lawrence. Come by the afield sometime 😊

[@jhmcglynn]

@@jag12549 thanks, I might do that. I fly my RANS S-19 out of Cape Fear regional NC now (KSUT) but I’m planning a trip this summer up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire for my number two son lives. The Mooney is long gone flying out of Argentina last I heard. I built the S-19 a couple years ago and I’m flying light sport now.

[@jag12549]

@@jhmcglynn id love to see it. Also one of the guys at the field has a M20 Ranger you might dig.

[@StephensonRaceTech]

Nice job! Rarely a place where they dive into all those in one spot.

[@aorton7829]

Great discussion! Im 41, 21 years into an aviation career outside the cockpit. Realized recently thats where i want to be through the rest of my working life. Day job not bad, but not fulfilling. It pays well. Young kids at home, wife is supportive of the change. I am done with private, Instrument and working towards commercial. Goal is to get the rest of my ratings and be to that huge unobtainable number by the time I’m 45. I want this to be a soft landing. Im certain i will have to sacrifice the time with family afterwork and vacations and other things to meet this goal.

[@stevestevens9046]

I'm waiting for the sky diving

[@mortekaieve4729]

I'm in my early to mid 30's and have always wanted to fly. I have been in my current profession which is totally unrelated for 15 years, essentially my entire adult life. I am getting tired of it and want to pursue something that I actually enjoy. Decided to pull the trigger and focus on learning to fly while running my own business. Hopefully I can get to a point where I sell my company and transition into any type of pilot job once I get my commercial. I am fine with starting in a low paying pilots job and taking a fairly substantial pay cut from my current job in order to do it and work my way up from there. As long as I enjoy it, which I am loving learning to fly so far, I am ok with sacrificing the money. It's not worth working a job where I'm now unhappy and looking back thinking "what if". I still see myself as young enough to go through a complete career change and be successful with it. Or if I can sell my business soon I will just take that money to live off of and pay for my training and focus completely on aviation. That would be ideal to me.

[@JerryDumont-sp1ik]

Another option I didn't hear mentioned is to get a ground instructor certificate (AGI) and Instrument ground instructor (IGI), this allows a person to teach groundschool to help support the cost of flying.

[@JeremyMyersmusic]

I swear, I thought when you were talking about Brian, you were talking about me. The only difference was I only hold a private pilot and I'm 43. Dan and I are friends on Facebook so I wondered for a second. 😂 My situation is very similar to Brian's, my 3 kids are just now hitting their teen years, my wife works part time, and I have a very full time job in IT and I have never really liked the industry. Right now, we are in our best financial situation, our property is paid for though it's an hour and a half to drive to work. So my week days are all taken up in work though, I am planning to start flight training soon. I will train from the city I work in (Branson Missouri) and drive home afterwards. I thought about buying a plane to go to work daily weather permitting since KAOV has a nice airport to fly to KPLK... but the plane ownership has lots of other risks that could jeopardize the flight training. I'm not sure on thus. My goal is not airline pilot, I would prefer corporate.

[@nomadic_hurd]

I'm 29 with 5 hours towards my PPL. I intend to do an accelerated PPL course and pay for that up front. Then finance the remaining training with a big box accelerated school. My wife is onboard with supporting me for about a year untill I can become a CFI. This for me makes more sense than any other plan I've come up with 👍

[@gorgly123]

One scenario that wasn't covered was to bypass college and go straight into flight training out of high school. Why rack up a bunch of student loan debt for a college degree that you probably won't use and then a bunch of other debt for flight training?

[@jmizzonini]

Awesome video. I'm 40 and currently early in progress with my private pilot and plan to do instrument after. It's funny I debated maybe making this a second career but it's SO hard to decide if I'd still love what I'm doing as much if it was a daily gig! Not sure airline pilot would work for me because I have young kids and I would miss them terribly in the early years of not being home enough... may pursue it in some professional capacity (CFI?) or just end up buying something like a cherokee and enjoying flying for the pure joy of it

[@Anonymous99997]

Awesome information, Cap’n Christy. You are a wealth of information and advice.

[@Autocross7]

So much seems to be a product of geography. People often ask me, “what’s the cost of owning an airplane”? Well, unless you are in my neighborhood (so to speak), there is not a good answer. I pay $150 a month for my hangar that has power and water. I do owner assist annuals and typically the annual runs less than $1500. BTW, the airplane is a Piper Warrior. Flight training seems similar. CFIs range $55 to $150 per hour between Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Saving money is also an interesting study. I’m in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I am also OCD about recording finances… and here the cost of eating out vs eating in can be negligible. For example, $1.25 taco Tuesday at a local Mexican restaurant. We cannot eat at home for that. Steak restaurant was $78 for 3 of us last week… and with leftovers we can say there were 6 meals for that price. $13 a meal. Probably not going to be the case in Atlanta. There just seems to be a lot depending upon your geography when cost of flight training and aircraft ownership is the topic.

[@nuancematters]

I like what Christy said about a season of sacrifice because, when you think about it...if you truly wish to do something but you allow your self doubt to prevent you from doing so (or whatever other reasons prevent you from doing so) then you won't merely have a season of sacrifice, but the remainder of your life will be that sacrifice.

[@wcarlhepker4806]

There is an extreme amount of self control needed as I watch this. I am told that there is no way I can pass the medical requirements to be a pilot because I am in A-Fib twenty four, seven! My wife, who passed away ten years ago from brain cancer, could have passed the medical just fine!! I have out lived her by ten years, so far, but she could have passed the medical but I cannot!! When you are up there flying your way across the sky, be thankful that you have passed the medical and can enjoy with the choice of going VFR or IFR. Remember that, because you are flying, you do not encounter stop signs and stop lights until you land and have to drive like the rest of us!!! Never forget to be thankful!!

[@johnnunez17]

👍🏻✈️great info guys, thank you.

[@paratyshow]

👍✅Great info Christy! Tks guys.

[@KevinSmithAviation]

Excellent podcast Dan and Christy. I can so relate to this in many ways. Keep up the excellent work. Safe skies my friends 🇺🇸🛩️

[@lobsterwhisperer7932]

My dad was a Greek immigrant and a janitor with broken English who somehow managed to learn to fly and purchase his own plane a cherokee ON A JANITORS WAGE! when people in all fields got payed decent wages because the wealthy paid honest taxes. All this he achieved in early 60's, still fly's today and is in his late 80's with countless hours under his belt.

[@joseplascencia8380]

Great video! Considering a career change from Law Enforcement into aviation (current employer does not have an aviation unit). In my mid-30’s with a wife, kids, and single income. Biggest hurdle I feel would be taking a pay cut in the beginning. Currently earning just over $200k a year depending on how much overtime I decide to put in. I know a lot of factors come into play (reside in CA’s Central Valley), but in general how long would it take to build flight hours part-time as a CFI? Would it be better to buy a plane for flight instruction? Any tax write offs if the plane is for business/flight instruction to offset W2 income?

[@paulmorrisette1581]

Hours as Right seat count or Fl. Engineer towards “Hours “ ?

[@alexsze5455]

Went from 0 hours to getting hired in less than 3 years. Christy is 100% facts.

[@clarencewiles963]

I’m thinking that saving money first then go through the process. Versus paying as you go. As you go, you will need to repeat more and cost more. Thumbs up 👍

[@jhmcglynn]

Everyone I run across from Embry Riddle has done well after graduation.

[@Anonymous99997]

If “Ryan with a Y” were to instruct, I’d give him a chance to instruct me.

[@TaraOzekin]

Married 5.5 years, 2 kids, husband is supportive. We need to take out a loan to do it. Wanting to go part 61, and try to do it for less than $70k. LOL. But I can be a full time student. Are we ok? Does that check out?

[@TaraOzekin]

I’m 34 and an ex FA!

[@TakingOff]

I think $70k is a bit low. You might be able but usually a minimum of $100k.

[@bgeoffa]

If I was finishing high school, and wanted to fly, and had no money, I'd check out what it takes to go US Army Aviation. Sure you have to sign away a few years of your life, and you get to risk life and limb for Uncle Sam, but I can tell you from personal experience that flying helicopters the army way is awesome. When you finish flight school, you can take an FAA written exam (MilComp) and get your commercial/instrument certificate.

[@williambutler2177]

I'm still trying to decide if it's worth it. Currently 48 with SEL/IFR ratings with about 500 hours. Currently unemployed but typically work in high tech earning around $200k. Flying might be fun, but does it make sense to spend $100k on training to get a job which pays less than typical in my current career/experience level?

[@JustPlaneSilly]

same here. Anticipating a large pay cut but far fewer hours and doing something I love. I am so done with tech

[@jag12549]

Also, i was a successful electrician before deciding to take on flight school. I would never suggest taking a loan out on flying, for any reason. I was with a girl that wanted a marriage and kids. Realizing i was years from fulfilling my goals, we ended up breaking up the same day i bought my plane 🤷‍♂️ do what’s important to you

[@burncycle4621]

You don't need a degree to be an airline pilot. In the second scenario, why not use the money to get your ratings and build time. You are wasting it getting a degree unless it directly benefits your goal. At a school that doesn't have an aviation program, that degree will be an expensive resume bullet point. You don't even have to be a CFI, but it takes longer if you don't. You can build time on your own until you can be hired as SIC at a 135 operator. I'd argue flying 135 is more beneficial than sitting right seat watching someone fly for 1500 hours.

[@JustPlaneSilly]

This "Ryan" guy sounds sketchy

[@TakingOff]

He says he can make me rich.

[@pilotchristy]

Super sketch!

[@FlyingNDriving]

The "B" is for "bullsh!t"

[@kr6dr]

I’d enjoy a flight instructor like “Ryan”!