The desire to fly with the birds in the sky is as old as mankind itself. Some of the oldest stories from ancient myths explore the fascination with flight. Think of Icarus, the son of Daedalus, who while escaping, was so enthralled with his ability to fly that he flew too close to the sun and melted the wax on his wings. Even Leonardo da Vinci, back in the 1500's, explored flying with amazing accuracy. So if you have felt that yearning to fly or that urge be part of the aviation community, you are in good company. In this article, we will explore a few of the paths for taking your passion and making it a career.
What is your final aviation goal?
For many of us, at first we wanted to get a pilot's certificate because it was always something we wanted to do. Some get their pilot certificate because they want to enjoy an occasional flight with family and friends. Still others see the business advantage of it by being able to rent (or own) an airplane, fly to where they have business, and avoid the commercial airport and airlines altogether. But no matter what the reason, once the "aviation bug" gets into your system, don't be surprised if you see yourself involved in aviation full-time and turning it into a career.
Here's an example. A very good friend of mine decided he wanted to fly. It had always been a dream of his so he did a Discovery Flight with me, we flew for about a half hour and I let him take the controls. We climbed, we descended, we turned, and we really enjoyed our flight. When we got back to the airport he was hooked! He bought the aviation books I recommended and started flight lessons. Eventually he became a flight instructor himself and shared his love of flying with his students. Then one day, he found himself flying a corporate jet and loving it. Do you think this could be you?
If your final goal is to fly for an airline or charter company, you will follow one path. If your final goal is to fly friends and family, then you will follow a different path. If you enjoy teaching AND love to fly, becoming a flight instructor just might be in your future. Or is your goal to work in the airline or aviation industry in some other capacity?
Obviously a career as a commercial pilot is going to take a lot of time, money, and patience to get all the ratings and certificates and hours you will need to reach that level. And if you know flying professionally is your destiny and goal, your flight instructor and your flight school will advise you on what is required and what your options are. If you are flying for fun or your own business needs, they will also be able to guide you through what you will need as well.
There are several other aviation careers of course, and they all have one thing in common. A bachelor's degree. It is a very important way to prepare for any career in the aviation or airline industry, whether it is to fly, to work as part of a large organization or to start your own aviation-oriented business. A four-year degree gives you a much greater depth of knowledge and education. Whether your degree is aviation specific or otherwise, a four-year degree makes you a more competitive candidate during ANY interview down the road. I always recommend to my young students that they focus their studies on a major that both interests them and that they can use outside of aviation. Then, with their degree completed, they should pursue their aviation dream. The costs of getting all your pilot certificates and ratings is pretty steep. And when you are done, you will have your certificate and ratings but nothing more if you don't get your degree first. A bachelor's degree is the first step towards your aviation career. Flying and aviation will always be there waiting when you are done with college and probably more so in the future than ever before.
Fortunately, there are many schools like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of North Dakota that offer integrated degree and flying programs. By channeling your funds into one of these full degree plans, you will still get your pilot ratings and certificates but it will be integrated into a program that will give you the business exposure into aviation and aviation management or your chosen discipline like entrepreneurship, accounting, marketing, engineering, etc. Either way, you will come out of their program with a bachelor's degree that you can then take on to specialized training or even to a masters or PhD if you like. Ultimately, you will have more options and choices in the long run.
Personally, with regards to mixing education and flight training, I am of the mindset that you should get your bachelor's degree first and satisfy your aviation dreams second. When you mix the two, I don't believe that you can focus on either to the level that you should. Furthermore, these mixed programs are very expensive when combined.
So there you have it. First, define your goal, then take action. If you want to fly "just-for-fun" then visit a flight school and talk to a flight instructor to help you determine the best path for you. If your aspirations are greater though, get your degree first, then work on your aviation or flying goals. Get involved in some aspect of aviation that you find interesting and learn as much as you can. It never hurts to have exposure to business in general and how the entire aviation and airline businesses work if you plan to be part of it long term. In the near future, you could be flying friends and family around or stepping into a jet or working for an aviation company. Aviation and commercial flying offer many options and alternatives and it won't take much to check out what programs are available and it might be one of the smartest career moves you ever made and you can turn your passion for flying or aviation into a life-long and rewarding career.
What is your final aviation goal?
For many of us, at first we wanted to get a pilot's certificate because it was always something we wanted to do. Some get their pilot certificate because they want to enjoy an occasional flight with family and friends. Still others see the business advantage of it by being able to rent (or own) an airplane, fly to where they have business, and avoid the commercial airport and airlines altogether. But no matter what the reason, once the "aviation bug" gets into your system, don't be surprised if you see yourself involved in aviation full-time and turning it into a career.
Here's an example. A very good friend of mine decided he wanted to fly. It had always been a dream of his so he did a Discovery Flight with me, we flew for about a half hour and I let him take the controls. We climbed, we descended, we turned, and we really enjoyed our flight. When we got back to the airport he was hooked! He bought the aviation books I recommended and started flight lessons. Eventually he became a flight instructor himself and shared his love of flying with his students. Then one day, he found himself flying a corporate jet and loving it. Do you think this could be you?
If your final goal is to fly for an airline or charter company, you will follow one path. If your final goal is to fly friends and family, then you will follow a different path. If you enjoy teaching AND love to fly, becoming a flight instructor just might be in your future. Or is your goal to work in the airline or aviation industry in some other capacity?
Obviously a career as a commercial pilot is going to take a lot of time, money, and patience to get all the ratings and certificates and hours you will need to reach that level. And if you know flying professionally is your destiny and goal, your flight instructor and your flight school will advise you on what is required and what your options are. If you are flying for fun or your own business needs, they will also be able to guide you through what you will need as well.
There are several other aviation careers of course, and they all have one thing in common. A bachelor's degree. It is a very important way to prepare for any career in the aviation or airline industry, whether it is to fly, to work as part of a large organization or to start your own aviation-oriented business. A four-year degree gives you a much greater depth of knowledge and education. Whether your degree is aviation specific or otherwise, a four-year degree makes you a more competitive candidate during ANY interview down the road. I always recommend to my young students that they focus their studies on a major that both interests them and that they can use outside of aviation. Then, with their degree completed, they should pursue their aviation dream. The costs of getting all your pilot certificates and ratings is pretty steep. And when you are done, you will have your certificate and ratings but nothing more if you don't get your degree first. A bachelor's degree is the first step towards your aviation career. Flying and aviation will always be there waiting when you are done with college and probably more so in the future than ever before.
Fortunately, there are many schools like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of North Dakota that offer integrated degree and flying programs. By channeling your funds into one of these full degree plans, you will still get your pilot ratings and certificates but it will be integrated into a program that will give you the business exposure into aviation and aviation management or your chosen discipline like entrepreneurship, accounting, marketing, engineering, etc. Either way, you will come out of their program with a bachelor's degree that you can then take on to specialized training or even to a masters or PhD if you like. Ultimately, you will have more options and choices in the long run.
Personally, with regards to mixing education and flight training, I am of the mindset that you should get your bachelor's degree first and satisfy your aviation dreams second. When you mix the two, I don't believe that you can focus on either to the level that you should. Furthermore, these mixed programs are very expensive when combined.
So there you have it. First, define your goal, then take action. If you want to fly "just-for-fun" then visit a flight school and talk to a flight instructor to help you determine the best path for you. If your aspirations are greater though, get your degree first, then work on your aviation or flying goals. Get involved in some aspect of aviation that you find interesting and learn as much as you can. It never hurts to have exposure to business in general and how the entire aviation and airline businesses work if you plan to be part of it long term. In the near future, you could be flying friends and family around or stepping into a jet or working for an aviation company. Aviation and commercial flying offer many options and alternatives and it won't take much to check out what programs are available and it might be one of the smartest career moves you ever made and you can turn your passion for flying or aviation into a life-long and rewarding career.
Jeffrey is a captain at regional airline and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He flies the CRJ200, CRJ700, and CRJ900. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, a CL-65 (CRJ200) type rating, and is a Gold Seal Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI). He has over 4000 hours total flight time.
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