• Work at the airport at least once in your life.
    71 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Fedd;25336258]That's a cool read. I'm aiming to become an aviation pilot. I dunno where to start from. I guess it's the Physics first. Then I need to build some will to read books about flights.[/QUOTE] I've never taken physics. I am taking an aeronautical science class though, we've gone over the forces of flight already. About half of it is theory, and the other half actually applies to flying airplanes. Going over different airplane systems currently, have a test on it tomorrow.
I might do this, I've been working at Wendy's for 3 1/2 years and I wanna get out and experience a new job. I live about 20 minutes from Pittsburgh international airport so I might check it out.
I am in and around my local airport all the time. One of the few towered airports in Minnesota, not counting MSP. There is nothing like getting to the airport early in the morning. If I'm driving in the area, I make a detour just to drive past the runways where the roads go right underneath the approach. Even helps when you have a radio scanner and you time it just right. Damnit, I love flying.
[QUOTE=Aries;25326512]I love the feeling of just being in an airport during the early morning. I get this feeling I can't quite describe, but it's awesome.[/QUOTE] Wow, I thought I was the only person that loved sitting in an airport when the sun is coming up or just came up. Very cool to know others like this too. Actually, that's the same reason I wouldn't want to work at an airport.. it'd ruin this special feeling that not very many places have.
[QUOTE=mscmn;25332353]There's only one thing that makes airplanes fly; money. [B] I'm $35,000 in the hole on a federal Direct Plus loan,[/B] it's just about the only educational loan you can get that will cover flight training. You really do need to enjoy it to do it. Every instructor I've met so far loves what they do despite their low pay. [B]I'm not sure how many flight hours you need to have logged on every airline, I think American Airlines requires about 10,000 hours minimum if I remember right. [/B] The good thing about where I'm going to school (Aerosim Flight Academy, formerly Delta Connection Academy) is that they guarantee an interview with a few regional carriers once you're all finished. I'm still gonna need to log a lot of hours though, I'll probably spend a while as a flight instructor where I'm studying now once I've graduated. It's a lot of studying as a student pilot, most of the weight in my flight bag is books, all I need with me on the plane is my kneeboard, checklists, charts, AFD, headset, and my GATS jar to sample fuel for preflight. All the studying is well worth the flight time though. Once you're up there with flight controls you feel like you're the coolest motherfucker in history. [B]At the moment I'm only working on my private pilot certificate, single engine land and instrument ratings.[/B] Once I finish up with that I move on to my commercial certificate and multi-engine rating, etc etc. [B]Right now I'm training in the Cirrus SR20/G.[/B] It isn't approved for spins by Cirrus though so I really wanna get into the 172 to do spin recovery. I'll be flying a Piper Seminole for my commercial/multi. Here's a picture I took of my plane for the day right before preflight, last Saturday morning [img]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5033502270_52db7a0f48_z.jpg[/img] For anyone who is interested in looking into becoming a pilot, feel free to PM me, I'll be more than happy to share my experience so far with it. Also, I found this site to be [b]extremely[/b] useful reading before I started flight school: [url]http://thetruthabouttheprofession.weebly.com/some-final-advice-from-me.html[/url][/QUOTE] K first of all, if you're a student under part 69 of FARAIM, it should only cost you around $8,000 for your private. Single-engine land of course comes with the private lol. Since you can take instrument lessons almost directly after you get your private, your looking at around another $5,000(if you're a decent student. slow kids will use more money). Why did you take out such a large loan? And as far as getting jobs: [url]http://www.airlineapps.com/home/news/default.asp[/url] [url]http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines.html[/url] [url]http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/regional/17880-updated-regional-hiring-minimums.html[/url] [url]http://www.pilotjobs.com/[/url] Many of these list the minimum and recommended flight hours. I don't recall any of them being anywhere near 10,000 hours haha. Why are you doing your training in a Cirrus? They are expensive as far as rentals go. I did my training in a 152 and a DA-20. [editline]08:58PM[/editline] also, a tip for you: The airlines are hitting a hiring bubble that will peak by 2015. if you're interested in getting a really good job as far as flying goes, get your shit together by 2015 and then apply to Delta. Delta is probably the best as far pay and employee satisfaction goes. If you get hired during the hiring bubble, you're pretty much guaranteed not to get furloughed
My friend works at BWI for some company, I can't remember which, as a baggage guy. He said it's crazy as hell and he'll always post facebook updates in random ass cities he just decided to fly to.
[QUOTE=wewt!;25331089]It's also expensive as fuck.[/QUOTE] Like Skydiving here. $375-$400 a jump, you need 15+ jumps to get your solo certification. Then you need gear which can range from $300-$3000 and then it's about $20 per flight if you jump solo with your own gear.
[QUOTE=Assburgers;25332028]I agree, no idea what's so awesome about it, though. Just have this feeling.[/QUOTE] It's the spirit of adventure. The feeling that you might be moving on to the next chapter of your life.
I've been strongly considering working at an Airport. After community college (or not, would a GED keep me out of the airline industry?), I've been hoping to split rent with a friend or two down in Santa Cruz, and there are a handful of airports in within hour or two's transit there, so I've kind of got this image of me living in Santa Cruz, and working at an airport... It's an odd combination in my mind, but I've got this wanderlust inside me.
[QUOTE=Aaronn;25340472]K first of all, if you're a student under part 69 of FARAIM, it should only cost you around $8,000 for your private. Single-engine land of course comes with the private lol. Since you can take instrument lessons almost directly after you get your private, your looking at around another $5,000(if you're a decent student. slow kids will use more money). Why did you take out such a large loan? And as far as getting jobs: [url]http://www.airlineapps.com/home/news/default.asp[/url] [url]http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines.html[/url] [url]http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/regional/17880-updated-regional-hiring-minimums.html[/url] [url]http://www.pilotjobs.com/[/url] Many of these list the minimum and recommended flight hours. I don't recall any of them being anywhere near 10,000 hours haha. Why are you doing your training in a Cirrus? They are expensive as far as rentals go. I did my training in a 152 and a DA-20. [editline]08:58PM[/editline] also, a tip for you: The airlines are hitting a hiring bubble that will peak by 2015. if you're interested in getting a really good job as far as flying goes, get your shit together by 2015 and then apply to Delta. Delta is probably the best as far pay and employee satisfaction goes. If you get hired during the hiring bubble, you're pretty much guaranteed not to get furloughed[/QUOTE] I took that big ass loan because I'm taking college classes along with my flight training lol. My flight school is right on my college campus. Yeah my instrument rating is getting tied in with my private. And we use the Cirrus because that's pretty much the only option at DCA for me lol. We only have one 172, and two Seminoles. And there's an Arrow that's always in maintenance lol, not sure who even uses it.
[QUOTE=mscmn;25343214]I took that big ass loan because I'm taking college classes along with my flight training lol. My flight school is right on my college campus. Yeah my instrument rating is getting tied in with my private. And we use the Cirrus because that's pretty much the only option at DCA for me lol. We only have one 172, and two Seminoles. And there's an Arrow that's always in maintenance lol, not sure who even uses it.[/QUOTE] that's cool. I understand now
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