US Airline pilot

[rich49]

Dear All,. .I am currently living in the UK and I am studying for my A levels, afterwards I hope to go to university and get a degree then apply for a sponsorship and become an airline pilot in the UK.

However, my family is thinking of moving to the USA, this cahnges things a bit. If they did I would probably join them after getting my degree which would make me 22. I have no idea how you would train/become a pilot in the USA. I would not want to join the air force. I have looked into the situation already to find that there are no sponsorships in the USA (at least I couldn't find any)so how would I do it? How would I get the finance to fund my own training? Were would I go etc.. .Any help would be appreciated.. .Thanks

[GoneWest]

Forgive me if I've taken your message out of context - and this may come as something of a shock - but you could at least consider GETTING A JOB and EARNING the seat on the flight deck.

[rich49]

No sorry if you misunderstood! That is exactly what I intend to do. I am not looking for a free ride, that is not what I ment, I am already working trying to save some money for university. What I mean is what courses are there, how many hours do need for any airline career, how much do I need to earn. That sort of thing. . .Rich

[ 27 January 2002: Message edited by: rich49 ]</p>

[hvassk]

If you don't the right to work in the US then there is no point in getting FAA certificates. Right now the conversion route to JAA certificates is a big hassle. There are a few schools in Florida that can do JAA certification. You might want to look into to that. Assuming that you have the right to work in the US the job market fluctuates constantly. Right now, with the excess pilot pool, the average hours for any job are very high. Two years ago all the airlines were hiring a great deal and the average was very low. Most instruct initially at a school and then move on to a cargo operation, fly corporate, or go to a regional airline. Anticipate over 12 months for your training and at least 12 to 24 months on instructing before moving on. Of course, there are so many variables that it is impossible to put together a plan and say to yourself that you'll be flying a jet for airline A in 2005. Good luck.

[Lucifer]

Assuming you do get a Green Card, which is likely as you are going there with your family rather than as a qualified pilot at the moment, there were a couple of sponsorship schemes that I remember hearing about, though I can only remember that one was Continental Express which was ab initio.

I can only say that if you graduate, in order to find the cash you get a good graduate job to earn the money if there is no other source of cash. Apologies I cannot be more helpful.

[Roadtrip]

Everything hinges on where you intend to live and work as an adult. If it's the US, and if you will have a green card (right to work in the US), then I would highly recommend that you do you college work in the US. If you want to become a professional pilot, I would recommend an university with an aviation program.

Here's a link to almost all the major universities in the US with aviation programs. One of the best is the University of North Dakota (of all places). Good luck.

<a href="http://www.aapilots.com/public/flash/mentoring.asp?content_id=1280" target="_blank">http://www.aapilots.com/public/flash/mentoring.asp?content_id=1280</a>