Originally Posted by
pittsspecialguy
... I have a ten year old daughter who wants to fly and displays rare focus on our home made SIM. ...
My time as a flying instructor rings a huge warning bell there. Wanting to 'play a computer game' and being quite good at it at the age of 10 shows absolutely no commitment to actually flying. Does she show any actual interest in aviation in any other activities, such as reading, flying models (of any sort of simplicity -- and 'drones' don't count!), wanting to know about even simple aerodynamics, etc,? One of the worst new students is often those who have 'spent a lot of time on their flight sim' and one of the most difficult tasks in teaching them is getting them to
look outside!
It is a great career but full of uncertainties. Be prepared to be more 'wide-minded' (rather than narrow-focused). In the beginning that means looking and thinking outside rather than through the blinkers of an instrument panel. Later in life it means a broad approach to job opportunities, such as where a regional turbo-prop job can be seen as a good way of gaining experience for your later career and broadening your future options rather than "I must get that A320 job" and narrowing your future options. Also, watch out for that 'blinker' and 'shackle' of seniority that could (would?) seriously narrow your options if/when things go wrong in your later career. But I look back with enjoyment at my own career, I am thoroughly enjoying it now and I am enjoying my part-time position where I help new starters on their first steps towards it.
AI will be designed to assist, not to take over. And if you have learnt to
fly rather than just to 'operate' you will be more in control of that AI rather than have it 'control' you. I think that we are a long, long, long way off any AI pulling off what Sullenberger did.