Juggling Pilot Career with Music Career

[WhiskeyNovember]

Hello,

I'm just finishing up my aviation flight bachelor's degree and ratings at a 4-year university. I love flying, and am convinced I want to pursue it as a career. Lately, however, I have been coming to terms with the fact that this career I've chosen to pursue for the next 35 years of my life is largely defined by one's ability to absorb information and regurgitate it at a later time and place.


I guess my frustration stems from the fact that as a professional pilot, there is little if any room for creativity or originality, other than how you interact with coworkers and customers.


Combine this frustration with the fact that I'm hopelessly in love with music and I find myself wondering if 1) Anyone can relate to this at all, and 2) If anyone has ever successfully combined a career as a professional pilot with a career as a musician.


Time (or lack therof) seems to be the greatest barrier in the pursuit of such a lifestyle, as bands generally require much time spent touring and practicing.


Anyway, thanks for reading this far. I hope my inquiry isn't regarded as too childish or ridiculous.



-WN

[Dan Winterland]

Bruce Dickinson - lead singer of Iron Maiden and 737 F/O with Astreus.

John Travolta - Owns his own 707 and has recently qualified with Quantas on the 747-400.

[Bootlegger]

I seem to manage both, music and flying. Music/group.. ..is my profession, and flying a cherished hobby. The only problem is.....after late nights. I never "GO UP" if i feel too tired...but thankfully this isn't very often. I dont think you could juggle both as professions too easily though. :D

[Penguina]

I come from the other direction - musician (with qualifications and things) who wants to be a pilot and is having to do some educational backpedalling to do it, so I've thought about this a lot. Both are in the 'dream career' category, but the sort of people who actually manage to get into either seem quite similar - maybe you could say childlike, but who cares? No one sneers if you actually manage it and to do that you have to be bold.

Lots of musicians are hobby pilots and vice versa, but I think it would probably be harder to juggle the two professions. Performing is one of the few occupations which is as tough to get into and as hard work to keep going as flying seems to be; you need to be able to accept gigs whenever they are offered to you if you possibly can - and to be wide awake for them.

But I don't believe it would be impossible to do - it might work quite well if you could pull it off. A steady flying job which keeps the money coming in and fitting in gigs/writing/rehearsals around it, as there is more freedom involved there. You are not then constricted by the need to earn (most musicians have to do a bit of teaching or something on the side) and may find you are able to fulfil those creative urges as a result. Lets face it - most bands that start off with the intention of becoming famous fold. But it would be a pretty fine(/knackering) life if you could fly by day and spend your nights off playing to an enthusiastic group of followers on the London circuit (or whatever you equivalent is).

Finally, I have always thought it's a shame that in order to follow a career and earn a living, people with different facets to their personality and a set of diverse aptitudes are forced to frustrate parts of themselves.

I'm a classical musician, which is a bit more rigid unfortunately, but I'm certainly keeping my options open. :)

[VFE]

Yeah, I've met quite a few who've combined the two, some even through training too. ;)

VFE.

[McD]

IMHO the two fields are very similar. I, and many other airline pilots with whom I fly, are musicians (to some degree at least). For me, the music is simply a pleasurable hobby these days, but for others, it's much more.

You could truthfully say that both professions are "performance" professions (i.e. there is a certain required talent or skill-level; these skills must be carried out real-time, watched/evaluated/judged by many, and under intense pressure at times.)

They are both very demanding professions, especially in the early, "getting established" days, so it might not be wise to pursue both professions simultaneously from a beginning level. However, as many of the above posters have pointed out, you can develop one profession, and incorporate the other into your life as time allows.

[scroggs]

Oh, it can be done! I'm not one of those lucky or talented enough to have a serious musical career alongside flying, but I do know many that do - and I play at it.

The problem is that certain periods in each career need 100% concentration. If you time things well, you can progress in both careers without overly affecting the other - but if you time things badly (and who has control over these things?) one or both careers could fall apart! I guess the secret is prioritisation. Aviation is intolerant of lack of application, and will spit you out if you don't continually make the grade. Music can be more forgiving.

If you're unsure which to prioritise, I'd choose aviation. After you get the all-important qualifications, you can loosen up a bit. You can practice music almost any time; you don't need a formal organisation to do it. You most certainly do in flying! But what do I know?

Bruce is probably the exception that proves the rule, along with our own £6: professional airline pilots are not generally professional musicians. Airline pilots tend to like structure, predictability, order etc. Musicians (rock'n'roll, at least) are less easily pigeonholed. If you feel that creativity and freedom to make music are more important than flying aeroplanes (and why shouldn't they be), then make music your no. 1. If you're more disposed to the opposite, then piloting may be the way ahead. Tom Petty and Dave (call me David) Gilmour are examples you could study.

The thing is, flying and music are not mutually exclusive. They may need prioritising one way or the other from time to time, and your personal feelings will determine which way is your own priority. Be assured, they are not incompatible - you just have to find a way they work together for you!

Best of luck!

[VFE]

Well for my money that's good advice about knowing when to dedicate 100% concentration to which career. As I said - I do know of at least one person who managed to fit in some pretty decent quality music work whilst working towards his commercial pilots licence but he is probably the exception to the rule.

When I started on the ladder for CPL I put a total block on all musical work (much to the annoyance of those muso's who know/knew me!) and opted for the 100% commitment to aviation route. There have been the odd time due to unforseen circumstance (waiting for VISA, delay in getting into ground school brush up course before exams etc) where I've managed to fit some music work in but in doing so have also ran the risk of whetting my appetite for more music so you have to be on your guard and not afraid to say no to pressure to play more.

Music and flying are similar in that they can be addictive to the exclusion of all else and if you're getting phone calls about projects that sound very interesting it can be very frustrating to say no. I have one guy who rings me once a week without fail to try and enrole me into his band! Another more promising contact I have had serious lack of sleep over turning down work for. I will probably live to regret it but flying will very soon be at the fore of my concerns again with exams so cannot take the work as it won't be finished before the hard study comes back into my life again. It is a shame but that's the rub.

VFE.

My post may appear slightly garbled but I hope it makes sense!

[HugMonster]

I always suspected that scroggs was a bit of an artist... :}

[WhiskeyNovember]

Hey, thanks for the insight, everyone. I agree that my aviation career should take priority, both before and after reaching the airlines. I do, however, look forward to the day that I become comfortable enough in my flying career to add music to the workload.

With any luck, I'll be able to enjoy success at both.



- WN






P.S. - Any Luna fans in here?

[McD]

Just as an amusing (and hopefully relevant) footnote:

I just finished a 3-day trip with a Captain who majored in Music during his University years. :ok: