Allflight57
Being from the uk and not america - i am not sure on what the American airlines want in the way of academic qualifications. I have however trained in America and had a lot of friends that have got into the airlines who were not that intelligent.
You are doing the right thing in starting your ppl. Work your way through to your instructors certificate and get about 1000hrs logged. I believe that is what most of the US airlines want. As for the academic aspect - in my opinion, as long as you can pass the theory exams and understand the topics to a satisfactory level and display that knowledge in the cockpit then I cant see a problem. That is however my opinion and the US airlines may have other ideas.
One thing i will say is that being academically intelligent doesn't neccessarily make you a good pilot!!!!
My advise is follow your dream and go for it. If you dont make the airlines, its not a problem as there are many other types of aviation work available.
Good luck
