Fresh, Green Meat

[Cold_Blue_95]

Hello. I'm a complete newbie/wannabe. I've been a police officer for the last 10 years, and have found myself considering a career change. I've always been fascinated by the prospect of flying. My partner started taking flying lessons, and it completely sparked my interest again. So here I sit, accomplished in one career, 32 years old, and considering a switch to aviation. I'm going on a discovery flight in 2 days, and can hardly hold in the excitement! I'm very undecided at this point, as I may stay in my current career, and fly for hobby. Or, if things line up correctly, completely change my career. But, assuming that my goal is to complete my aviation degree and try to get on with a major airline, does anyone have any advice? :confused:

[mcgoo]

try here:

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=131649

[soviet bloc]

another one bitten by the bug then !
if you decide you want it you simply have to do it, or at least move heaven and earth to do everything to try...... like most of us :)
as a compromise since you're already in the police have you looked into flying for them ? police heli or coastguard - just a thought.
sb

[BEagle]

And, you'll be pleased to learn:

Pigs CAN fly!

Only kidding - best of luck to you!!

[scroggs]

McGoo has already given you the link to the Archive Reference Threads. Look carefully through the links given within that thread, especially the topics related to age and those that explain the realities of the job. A career change of any variety is an extremely stressful challenge, both for you and your family. Think very carefully before you commit to anything.

Scroggs

[maxdrypower]

Soviet , unfortunately in this ere country of ours to fly for the police you have to be fully spammed up with cpl/ir and at least 1500hrs rotary to even be considered by Police aviation services , direct employment pilots who are not contracted by PAS and are effectively police staff are required to have at least 2500 hrs , the only job that cops can do is my line of work as a police observer which is great but it aint piloting , bugger!!!!!

[Cold_Blue_95]

Thanks for all the replies.. I'm very much in the stage of figuring out my options right now. We don't have an aviation unit where I work now, but we could definitely use one! If I ever have a helo certificate, I'll probably put together a proposal for a North Suburban (Chicago) Air Unit. If that doesn't fly (no pun intended) then I may explore other options further. For the time being, I'll just have to sort through all the info. 10 hours to my first take-off!:D

[Cold_Blue_95]

Thanks for the lead on those other threads...very useful. Reminds me of law enforcement. When you're 22 years old, and the adrenalin that pumps through you when you get into that first foot chase, going after a guy who just bailed out of a stolen car, jumping fences and running through the shadows, not knowing if he's armed or how big of a fight he has in him. You live for those moments, but then find that most of your daily routine is taking reports from people who either hate the police, or at the very least want to tell you how to do your investigation (their suggestions always seem to mirror something from a Matlock episode). Over time, the foot chases become more of a bother, you get tired of getting complaints filed against you every time you stop a drug-dealer, and you begin to realize that you can't help people who don't want to be helped. At the same time, though, you realize that you just can't seem to pull away from the orange glow of those damn street lights, getting in the middle of drunken fist fights as the el-train rattles by, and that feeling of accomplishment you have when you and your partners manage to corner a fleeing suspect from an armed robbery and take him into custody. So, just like any other career, it's the good and bad together. We'd all like it to be just the good, but that's not reality. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to get into police aviation, as that would tie 2 of my passions together. It's basically a matter of risk assessment for me if I look at a career change. I'd be looking at a little more money, and a little less security. If nothing else, if I never make it past my discovery flight, I will at least have had the experience of pulling onto that runway, gunning it, and lifting into the air at least once. That's something that few people get to do, something that man spent centuries trying to do before it became possible. So, as for making it a career, that decision is yet to be determined. As for flying, I'm going to do that one way or the other, even if I never see the cockpit of anything other than a cessna!

[scroggs]

CB95, I'm sorry, I didn't notice that you were from the colonial side of the pond! You'll find the vast majority of the information here refers specifically to the European/British environment, and not the US situation. You may find that you can glean more info via our North America forum, but I strongly suggest that you have a look for USA-specific sites similar to Pprune for information most relevant to your area and needs. I did have a couple of addresses, but I can't seem to find them. We're normally a bit touchy about giving trade to competitors, but in your case it may well be the best way to go.

Scroggs

[Cold_Blue_95]

LOL...I though there were an awful lot of pilots from the UK! And I don't think I'm worthy of being called a "Competitor." But, to finish the thread on a positive note.... I completed my intro flight lesson today. It was something else! I've spent my whole life watching planes fly over, and longing to be in the cockpit. I live just a mile from one of Chicago O'Hare's runways, so I get to see the planes pretty close as they glide in for landing. The airport I flew out of today lies just 10 KM's north of O'Hare. When I took off, I found myself quite stressed, as I struggled to get a feel for the controls, battling for control of the aircraft as it rolled, pitched, and yawed in the terrible cross-wind. But, once I got a good feel for countering the thermals and cross-winds, I was able to relax a bit and take it all in. Forgive me if this sounds overly poetic, but, as I hung there in the milky-blue, overlooking the land, I looked over my shoulder, and saw those same planes that I've been watching from the ground for years. They were making their final approach, or circling the pattern around ORD. Only this time, I wasn't watching them from the ground... this time, I was in the air WITH them, at a similar altitude. As corny as it sounds, I felt like one of the Gods, blessed with the gift of flight, floating through the sky with the other Gods, looking down on the mortals on the ground. It was total euphoria. I still don't know where I'm going to go with this, but I can guarantee one thing; I'm going to stay in the air one way or another! While today's flight showed just how MUCH I have to learn yet, it also showed me just what I'm capable of. I thank you all for your responses and your time. Consider me hopelessly addicted!

[scroggs]

Welcome to aviation!

I didn't mean that you were a competitor; I meant competing web forum sites.

Scroggs

[forget]

Cold Blue. With your use of words I hope we can look forward to a weekly update on your progress.:ok: Best of luck.

[EchoMike]

Yep, you're hooked . . .

Go for it, anything worth achieving is worth struggling for.

And yes, there are opportunities for pilots within law enforcement, it is a good combination. Someone else pays for the airplane and the fuel and the maintenance and you get to fly it and rack up the hours.

You can also add it to your resume when you decide to depart Chicago for a law enforcement jurisdiction in sunnier climes - " and I have 1,500 hours pilot in command time in law enforcement aviation as well . . . " (I don't think you can strafe the drug dealers, but it does sound like a great idea.)

Best Regards,

EchoMike (in Florida)

[Cold_Blue_95]

For you western types out there... How does this whole airline career work? What's the typical route to flying a 737 or an MD-80? Do you typically start by flying a commuter and work your way up? Or, if you go to the right flight school, do you go directly to flying heavy? I'm still trying to figure out my options. If I'm going to go into debt to earn a license, I think I'd like to go "All the way." What's the low-down, in the American Aviation industry, in 2006? Assuming that I completed a degree in Aviation, at a good flight school, what are my realistic employment prospects, and what kind of starting salary would I be looking at? (Chicago based) I have a thousand questions, and I'm not sure where to go with them. As for the "BS" that comes with the job, I'm prepared for that. Five years of military and 10 years of law enforcement has more than conditioned me to deal with the BS element in any career! As much fun as it was to fly a Cessna for the first time, I still have that bug to go all the way. At the age of 32, I realize that I don't have a lot of time to play with.

[Cold_Blue_95]

Well, I've acquired Flight Sim 2004 to aid in my training, and applied for financing for the ATP flight school, which would cover everything from Private to CFI and MEI, with a jet transition phase using the Cessna 501 and 525. Still haven't decided for sure what I'm going to do. I'm thinking of keeping my current career, and possibly working as an instructor on a part time basis to cover the cost of financing. We'll see what happens!

[scroggs]

Cold Blue, you really need to ask your US-specific questions in the North America forum. There just isn't the experience in here to answer you with any authority.

Scroggs