Aspiring pilot needs some career guidance
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Join Date: Jun 2012
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Aspiring pilot needs some career guidance
Greetings
Since a very young age, I have always wanted to be a pilot. I had to abandon my dream of flying for a living many times due to financial and various other constraints. I think that now I am financially stable to take up flight training and would like suggestions and advice from seasoned veterans of aviation.
A little background on myself:
Age: 28
Marital Status: Married/no kids (wife flexible to move)
Housing status: Renting apartment / no mortgages
Education: Bachelor of Science (non – aviation) with high honors
Student loan status: debt-free (no loans)
Employment: Information Technology / $ 60,000 per year
My job is financially rewarding but not self- satisfying so I have come up with a plan that will help finance my flight lessons. My plan is to work in my current field of employment for the next 5-6 years and save as much money as I can. Having said that, I can set aside $ 70k for flight training when I will be 34 and that’s when I can start taking flying lessons. I will try to get my PPL by that time.
After my PPL, I plan on taking aviation classes head on and leave my current job. I am thinking of taking accelerated course where one can finish to CFI-ME in 90 days. I am sure you guys already know what school that is. I even though about taking flight lessons on weekends and finish to CFI-ME in 5 years but that will be very difficult since my job is stressful and I work as a consultant on contract. What are your thoughts on PPL to CFI-ME in 90 days? Is it a good idea or would you suggest spanning this over 5 years of time? I have a feeling that I would forget some stuff in this long span of 5 years. One of the good things about that accelerated program is that, graduates are guaranteed instructor job upon completion of program. This will help me build time too. Thoughts, suggestions, advice?
My final destination is Asia and I would like to bypass regionals in the US if I could. I am a US citizen originally from Nepal so I would like to be based pretty much anywhere in Asia but India or China would be close and great for me regarding commute. For the first couple of years of my aviation career I will be able to survive on $2k to 3k per month salary. I have some inheritance, other nominal source of income and savings from my current job will provide some cushion for the starting years. Would you suggest building some time at regionals in the US and taking shot at Asian airlines or jumping to any Asian gig after my training here in the US?
I have read plenty of threads here on the forum and have done my homework; and my desire to fly for a living does not come from Shiny Jet Syndrome but rather a calculated risk. I am a hard-working person and got through college without any loan and a degree with honors. I was able to come out of college debt-free because I worked a full time job while going to college full time and worked 70 hours a week in the summer to stay afloat despite paying international rate of tuition (3 times the rate of instate tuition). With due respect, I am trying to say that I can work hard and I will work hard to fulfill my dream of flying .For some reasons, if I can’t fulfill my dream of a professional aviator I will have lost 70k of my money but I would have no loans to pay and with some education and training I could go back to my desk job. It’s better to have loved and lost than not loved at all! At least I will not have to look up in the sky every time I see a plane flying over me and live with this guilt that maybe I could have become that person if I ever tried! The cure to aviation bug-bite is very hard to overcome!
Thank you for taking time to read and shed light
Stay safe and happy flying!
Since a very young age, I have always wanted to be a pilot. I had to abandon my dream of flying for a living many times due to financial and various other constraints. I think that now I am financially stable to take up flight training and would like suggestions and advice from seasoned veterans of aviation.
A little background on myself:
Age: 28
Marital Status: Married/no kids (wife flexible to move)
Housing status: Renting apartment / no mortgages
Education: Bachelor of Science (non – aviation) with high honors
Student loan status: debt-free (no loans)
Employment: Information Technology / $ 60,000 per year
My job is financially rewarding but not self- satisfying so I have come up with a plan that will help finance my flight lessons. My plan is to work in my current field of employment for the next 5-6 years and save as much money as I can. Having said that, I can set aside $ 70k for flight training when I will be 34 and that’s when I can start taking flying lessons. I will try to get my PPL by that time.
After my PPL, I plan on taking aviation classes head on and leave my current job. I am thinking of taking accelerated course where one can finish to CFI-ME in 90 days. I am sure you guys already know what school that is. I even though about taking flight lessons on weekends and finish to CFI-ME in 5 years but that will be very difficult since my job is stressful and I work as a consultant on contract. What are your thoughts on PPL to CFI-ME in 90 days? Is it a good idea or would you suggest spanning this over 5 years of time? I have a feeling that I would forget some stuff in this long span of 5 years. One of the good things about that accelerated program is that, graduates are guaranteed instructor job upon completion of program. This will help me build time too. Thoughts, suggestions, advice?
My final destination is Asia and I would like to bypass regionals in the US if I could. I am a US citizen originally from Nepal so I would like to be based pretty much anywhere in Asia but India or China would be close and great for me regarding commute. For the first couple of years of my aviation career I will be able to survive on $2k to 3k per month salary. I have some inheritance, other nominal source of income and savings from my current job will provide some cushion for the starting years. Would you suggest building some time at regionals in the US and taking shot at Asian airlines or jumping to any Asian gig after my training here in the US?
I have read plenty of threads here on the forum and have done my homework; and my desire to fly for a living does not come from Shiny Jet Syndrome but rather a calculated risk. I am a hard-working person and got through college without any loan and a degree with honors. I was able to come out of college debt-free because I worked a full time job while going to college full time and worked 70 hours a week in the summer to stay afloat despite paying international rate of tuition (3 times the rate of instate tuition). With due respect, I am trying to say that I can work hard and I will work hard to fulfill my dream of flying .For some reasons, if I can’t fulfill my dream of a professional aviator I will have lost 70k of my money but I would have no loans to pay and with some education and training I could go back to my desk job. It’s better to have loved and lost than not loved at all! At least I will not have to look up in the sky every time I see a plane flying over me and live with this guilt that maybe I could have become that person if I ever tried! The cure to aviation bug-bite is very hard to overcome!
Thank you for taking time to read and shed light
Stay safe and happy flying!
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Seattle
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Get your PPL and Instrument rating on the side, while you're still working. If you decide you enjoy the recreational flying, work on the CPL and CFI. Try to find a part-time CFI job to build hours without having to pay for all of them. When you get what you need to start applying for flying jobs, do it at your leisure while still working and making money.
Since you already have a BS degree and a career, spending a lot of $$ on "aviation classes" is not necessary outside the certificate progression.
I have no idea what jobs will be available in Asia in 5 years for someone without an ATP. You'll have to worry about that once you get far enough to worry about that...
Since you already have a BS degree and a career, spending a lot of $$ on "aviation classes" is not necessary outside the certificate progression.
I have no idea what jobs will be available in Asia in 5 years for someone without an ATP. You'll have to worry about that once you get far enough to worry about that...
