quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:
Become a military pilot because you have a desire to serve, because you get to do an incredible job and fly equipment that most only dream about doing, or for other reasons, but going military will not boost you to the head of the class.

Yeah, all that.

quote:

When I trained, I had several decades as a radio amateur.

Not as much time but some experience. I still have my Radio Telephone license required back in the early 70's.

I remember days are ERAU when you would be number two in the pattern behind a DC9. I'd need full power just to maintain a reasonable distance. Now they are a much larger school.

Of course only do military flying if you want to serve - it's just a great way to do flying others will only dream about or pretend to do on video games.

All of my compadres from Navy TacAir (F-14 / F-18) went straight to the major airlines with zero regional time - the only exceptions I know of were special cases who didn't time their separation / retirement to keep flying enough or did something stupid - ie self inflicted wounds.

And 1-3K of flight time behind the back of a moving airfield, 3 football fields long seems to prove you have the mustard to fly preplanned routes with an autopilot doing 90% of the flying.

But honestly get your son some intro flight training first (a demo lesson maybe and a couple 2-3 afterwards) - plenty of people 'think' they want to be pilots before figuring out (1) it's not what they thought or (2) they weren't very good at it. Or it may solidify his desire to fly even more.

if what you are after is an airline career you might consider a slightly different route

University of North Dakota has always had a very strong aviation program - one of the best in my opinion

they recently formed a partnership with United Airlines to create a program leading to entry level positions with their regional partners (and ultimately towards United themselves)

this might be a viable alternative

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:


But honestly get your son some intro flight training first (a demo lesson maybe and a couple 2-3 afterwards) - plenty of people 'think' they want to be pilots before figuring out (1) it's not what they thought or (2) they weren't very good at it. Or it may solidify his desire to fly even more.

There is a lot to this.

I liked flying, paid close attention to what was involved, what I was doing, plotting and scheming the next upgrade, from AA1B to Piper Mirage. It was fun, gratifying to be able to do it safely, and it met my needs.

I don’t think I would enjoy turning pro, though. I always said, “I don’t want to be a Blue Angel. I just want to fly like one,” meaning the skill, precision and confidence of a Blue.

Many things one enjoys in life lose their appeal if they become a living.

The key to surviving flying is being conservative.

Fly well maintained aircraft.
Weight, CG limits are there for a reason. Don’t exceed those limits.
Same with all other limitations.
Pack more than enough gas. Small aircraft fuel gauges are notoriously useless.
Set conservative personal weather minimums and don’t exceed them.
Get-there-itis is real, and it’s really dangerous. Don’t back yourself into corners.
Wake turbulence and windshear are as bad as they say.
Commercial operators establish “stabilized approach criteria” for a reason.
Most commercial operations require 2 pilots for a reason. Single pilot ops is fine when everything is fine. It’s a huge compromise when things are abnormal, especially for low experience pilots. Adjust your “personal minima” accordingly.


Physiological impairment, like fatigue and intoxication, are amplified at altitude.
Spatial disorientation is real too, particularly when you can’t see a horizon (in clouds or dark night).
Flyin is a perishable skill. And it’s expensive. Lack of recenency should make you more conservative.