Becoming a pilot?

[Ark Angel114]

Hello everyone,

First off to introduce myself, My name is Alan. I am 16 years old almost 17 (in September) I live in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was told to go to this site to ask questions about aviation. I am looking for some guidance. I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong section.

Now, I am looking to be a commercial airline pilot when I am older. Right now, I have straight A's in high school and will be taking AP courses such as Euro, and maybe AP Calculus and AP Physics soon. I am not sure if these are necessary or not, but I was told that Algebra and just Physics would be fine.

I have no idea where to start, and I know becoming a pilot is very expensive until later on down the road. I'm doing this because not only do I love flying and have a passion for it, my dad died in 2002 and wanted me to become a pilot. It's my goal. Right now, I do not know if I want to stay in Ohio after I graduate high school, or move down to Texas. I want to know how to get started, and learn in-depth about the requirements of being a pilot. I am a tiny person, I'm 5'5" at 110 pounds, my metabolism is ridiculous. I want to especially know about the medical classes such as the 3rd and 1st class, I want to know exactly what they look for. I wear glasses also.

And I was also wondering about aptitude tests also. My option that I know of right now is to go to a place nearby me called "Sporty's Pilot Shop" and take flying lessons there. Can people here shed some light on this info for me? And how to get started, where can I get these medical tests done, etc.

Thanks!

[DE727UPS]

Welcome to JC. This is the best place for newbs. I would suggest you go to the home page and read all the perspectives articles to learn how others did it.

I'd look for other alternatives to Sporty's as any big name like that is likely to be pricey. Look in the phone book for other small airports in your area and look for flight schools. Then, check their websites or do a google search for more information on the net. Maybe some other locals who are JC members can chime in.

As far as the medical, you're size/age isn't an issue. Nor is the fact you wear glasses. You can do a search in your area for "FAA medical examiners" and see what comes up. Again, maybe some locals have some good advice. As to what they look for, do a search for FAA part 67 and look for 3rd class medical standards. Pretty much, if you are breathing, you are in.

[future pilot]

Welcome to JC! I am in the same spot as you are. I am 16. I have always wanted to be an airline pilot as well! trust me the guys and gals here will help you out a ton! do not be afraid to ask questions.

[SteveC]

< moved thread to general topics >

[coa787]

Welcome. You've come to the right place. You'll find a ton of information.

Those AP classes are not necessary. I took AP Calculus, AP Physics, and AP Government, last year, for my senior year in high school. Let me tell you, that was the biggest mistake of my high school career. I mean if you like doing excessive amounts of homework only to learn just a little bit more then you would by taking a regular class, then go ahead and do that. I ended up dropping AP Calculus and AP Physics and passed AP Government with a D. I wish I would've taken the regular classes. Oh, well, I still graduated. AP classes are the academic form of college tech prep courses in high school.

[BajtheJino]

Originally Posted by coa787

Airlines, largely, will not look at your high school or college grades, unless you continually fail checkrides and stuff, then they might look back to see if you've had trouble learning and whatnot.

Huh?

[coa787]

Originally Posted by BajtheJino

Huh?

Disregard. They don't care what kinds of classes you took is my point.

[averyrm]

Aside from Sporty's you can also look at Blue Ash airport, I flew with blue ash aviation (specifically the owner of it) and had a good experience. Also, I'm assuming he's not there anymore, but Brian at I67 (Cincinnati West) is a great flight instructor. Hamilton has an airport too, I flew there a bit as well.

Look around for a good price, I remember sporty's being pretty expensive. If Brian is still at I67 go work with him, it'd be tough to find a better instructor and the rates were really good as well.

Good luck!

[CN94559]

I am also 16 about to turn 17 but am a little ahead of you with almost 60 hrs flight time.

I would suggest looking around for a smaller company than sportys just to see if you can find a better price and not so uniform system of teaching. Some of the best instructors aren't with flight school, but independent guys or the guys in flight clubs IMO.

Hope your training goes well, you've come to the right place to find info, thats for sure!

[Socal321]

Originally Posted by Ark Angel114

Hello everyone,

First off to introduce myself, My name is Alan. I am 16 years old almost 17 (in September) I live in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was told to go to this site to ask questions about aviation. I am looking for some guidance. I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong section.

Now, I am looking to be a commercial airline pilot when I am older. Right now, I have straight A's in high school and will be taking AP courses such as Euro, and maybe AP Calculus and AP Physics soon. I am not sure if these are necessary or not, but I was told that Algebra and just Physics would be fine.

I have no idea where to start, and I know becoming a pilot is very expensive until later on down the road. I'm doing this because not only do I love flying and have a passion for it, my dad died in 2002 and wanted me to become a pilot. It's my goal. Right now, I do not know if I want to stay in Ohio after I graduate high school, or move down to Texas. I want to know how to get started, and learn in-depth about the requirements of being a pilot. I am a tiny person, I'm 5'5" at 110 pounds, my metabolism is ridiculous. I want to especially know about the medical classes such as the 3rd and 1st class, I want to know exactly what they look for. I wear glasses also.

And I was also wondering about aptitude tests also. My option that I know of right now is to go to a place nearby me called "Sporty's Pilot Shop" and take flying lessons there. Can people here shed some light on this info for me? And how to get started, where can I get these medical tests done, etc.

Thanks!

If you have a passion for it then that's it but I strongly suggest you look at other careers as well. A lot of people are getting out of flying. Make sure you go out and fly to see if it's for you. You are actually pretty young so you have a few more years to look into it to see if flying is for you because you won't be able to do much until you're at least 21 as far as getting an airline job. I would stay in school, the vast majority of pilots start flying after their college years, you will not be missing much. You need the degree as well.

[typhoonpilot]

Welcome to JC.

If being a pilot is what you really want to do then don't let anyone talk you out of it, but do listen to the views expressed here and make sure it is what you want to do.

Personally, there is nothing else I would rather do and I've had a good career, albeit with more than a few ups and downs. It just takes some ingenuity, patience, perseverance, skill, and a little bit of luck to be successful.

Some options you may wish to consider at your young age are:

1) Get a job at an airport in some capacity ( aircraft refueler, baggage handler, etc. ). Many small FBOs have jobs like these as do larger ones at the major airports.

2) Look into the military as an option.

3) Definitely plan on going to college and getting a 4 year degree. Something in engineering or aviation related would be my recommendation, but that's a whole other can of worms that gets discussed on this site.

I think it's fine that you are taking AP courses. Doing so can save you time and money when you do go to college.

Go get an FAA 1st class medical certificate from an FAA doctor. Someone from the Cincinnati area might be able to recommend one. Before you get started down this path make sure you can pass the medical. Cost should be around $100.



Hope that helps,


TP

[XLR99]

Another place to check out down in Cincy is Waynesville. http://www.stewartsaircraft.net/index.html
No personal experience yet, but I've heard great things second hand.

[wheelsup]

Originally Posted by coa787

Welcome. You've come to the right place. You'll find a ton of information.

Those AP classes are not necessary. I took AP Calculus, AP Physics, and AP Government, last year, for my senior year in high school. Let me tell you, that was the biggest mistake of my high school career. I mean if you like doing excessive amounts of homework only to learn just a little bit more then you would by taking a regular class, then go ahead and do that. I ended up dropping AP Calculus and AP Physics and passed AP Government with a D. I wish I would've taken the regular classes. Oh, well, I still graduated. AP classes are the academic form of college tech prep courses in high school.

If you excel in AP classes you take tests at the end of the semester and get college credit. I saved a bundle doing it that way.

Getting a D in an AP defeats the point of taking an AP course.

[wheelsup]

To the OP, this is my yearly pay after graduting college and working as a pilot:

2003 $7,548
2004 $16,928
2005 $27,841
2006 $30,836
2007 $38,708
2008 $55,942
2009 Close to 2007 numbers due to large pay cut

Avg: $29,630/yr since graduating college with a 4 year degree.

If you are OK living on this pay go for it. If not find something else. You sound smart, you can easily be making double my average pay out of college doing something else.

[youngflyer]

Welcome! You are in a good place. I joined this forum when I was 15 and it has helped me a lot with my career decisions! The people on here have also helped me progress through my private. The grades are not "huge", but obviously they can help you get nice scholarships. Stick with it!

[eric6887]

I would go out to one of your local airports and take an introductary flight. You'll get to sit in the left seat and fly the airplane a little bit with an instructor. I think the normal cost for this is about $50. If you like this then you can maybe see about getting your private pilot liscense while still in high school. When I did it the cost was about 5 - 6K but it may have gone up a little bit now.

Also maybe see about working out at the airport. If you have a passion for airplanes you'll love it, plus you'll be making money to pay for your flight lessons.

As for the AP classes, if you can get college credit that will definitely be nice down the road. Just don't take more than you can handle. I took 2 when I was a senior.

Hope this helps.

[juan valdez]

Originally Posted by typhoonpilot

2) Look into the military as an option.

height and weight may both be problems for that. Not to mention he wears glasses. But definitely something to look into still. I'm not sure how the services are on eye surgery. I know in the Navy/USMC you can get it but I don't know about the other two.

As far as DME, go to the homepage of jetcareers and their is a link their I beileve for DME. Or do a quick google search.

Welcome to the forum.

[falconvalley]

The Air Force accepts PRK and Lasik adjusted candidates, with strict guidelines. http://www.baseops.net is a good place to talk about that stuff. 5'5" isn't automatically disqualifying for height in the AF for pilot. Your sitting height is measured and as long as you can hold the brakes on your training aircraft at full power, you're good. I know someone who had to go down and do that, just to pass the physical.

[coa787]

Originally Posted by wheelsup

If you excel in AP classes you take tests at the end of the semester and get college credit. I saved a bundle doing it that way.

Getting a D in an AP defeats the point of taking an AP course.

Nah, you can take the tests even if you are not doing well in the course. The AP exam is merely to see how prepared you are for that course in college.

[averyrm]

Originally Posted by XLR99

Another place to check out down in Cincy is Waynesville. http://www.stewartsaircraft.net/index.html
No personal experience yet, but I've heard great things second hand.

I've flown there too, it's a bit further north but it's a great place.

[tjvpa28]

Originally Posted by coa787

Welcome. You've come to the right place. You'll find a ton of information.

Those AP classes are not necessary. I took AP Calculus, AP Physics, and AP Government, last year, for my senior year in high school. Let me tell you, that was the biggest mistake of my high school career. I mean if you like doing excessive amounts of homework only to learn just a little bit more then you would by taking a regular class, then go ahead and do that. I ended up dropping AP Calculus and AP Physics and passed AP Government with a D. I wish I would've taken the regular classes. Oh, well, I still graduated. AP classes are the academic form of college tech prep courses in high school.

Stick with the AP courses. Just because this guy couldn't hack it doesn't mean you can't. Push yourself to reach your full potential. Later you can look back and be proud that you didn't take the path of least resistance. Don't make it your goal to "just graduate." Any employer wants a driven, ambitious person who did more than the bare minimum. I guarantee you that applicant "A" with the AP courses and the excellent grades will win over applicant "B" with only regular courses even though they both have the same diploma. Besides that, if college is your goal, which it should be, the AP courses will be an asset.

[fender_jag]

Originally Posted by wheelsup

To the OP, this is my yearly pay after graduting college and working as a pilot:

2003 $7,548
2004 $16,928
2005 $27,841
2006 $30,836
2007 $38,708
2008 $55,942
2009 Close to 2007 numbers due to large pay cut

Avg: $29,630/yr since graduating college with a 4 year degree.

If you are OK living on this pay go for it. If not find something else. You sound smart, you can easily be making double my average pay out of college doing something else.

Thank you for posting this, wheelsup.

It is tough to make ends meet at first (and second, and third, etc). But if you want it, go for it. This site has plenty of airline pilots who have a ton of good info to share. The glam fades when your schedule gets changed by tracking, you're stuck at an outstation for six hours due to bad WX at your home base, you get re-assigned, then re-re-assigned, well...you get the idea.

At any rate, best of luck to you, ark angel! Keep us posted on your progress.

[Realms09]

1. Texas is better than Ohio. Easy decision. I have never been to Ohio but after growing up in Texas I am pretty sure.

2. You are in the middle of high school and currently have good grades, which means there is the potential for some attractive college options. State schools will offer generous scholarships to the top high school students, especially if you pass a threshold on the National Merit Test. A free ride to college would free up financial resources for flight training. It's something worth aiming for.

3. Whether it's high school, college, or graduate school, it's ultimately about learning, not grades (never let your schooling interfere with your education). I've always felt I learned more in the harder classes rather than the easier ones, and physics and calculus were amongst my favorites. The more you understand these subjects, the more you will understand how things work (airplanes, for instance).

[falconvalley]

Originally Posted by Realms09

1. Texas is better than Ohio. Easy decision. I have never been to Ohio but after growing up in Texas I am pretty sure.

Is that what they're teaching in Texas? Don't let Drew Carey scare you!

[Realms09]

Nothing will take my ridiculous bias away from me! Nothing I say! (I'm sure Ohio is nice).

To the original poster: think about starting out your flying life in gliders. It can be a cheaper (and more fun) way to learn the fundamentals. Gliding clubs also tend to be social with pilots coming from many sectors of life including different parts of professional aviation. I've talked with old ex-test pilots, Pan Am guys, etc. hanging around the glider port waiting for a tow. Check out www.ssa.org to find a gliding club near you.