where do i go from here?

I recently aquired my PPL and am looking forward to getting the rest of my ratings. I am having trouble deciding if i should quit my current job and go to ATP and then on to the regionals or stay at the fbo and get my commercial and try to fly banners in FL or something? i fly out of Muscle Shoals,Al and there are no multi planes available for getting my multi ticket so i'm kinda screwed if i stay there. I really dont want to miss the hiring boom but i also dont want to "get in over my head" trying to fly the regional equipment before i'm comfortable with my flying skills. I hope all that made sense and that this is in the right forum? All i know is that i'm ready to get out of the line of wok i'm in! Maybe you guys could help me out a little!

Congrats on the PPL!!!:rawk: As far as you feeling comfortable in a plane. Even if you went to ATP and did it the "fast way" You will develop the abilties to become a confident pilot. The more you do something the better at it you will get. It's a stepping stone kinda thing. The private takes you so far, the the Instrument takes you a little (ok a lot) further, and so on through the Commercial,multi, cfi etc!
As far as going to ATP, you will get a lot of different answers. Mine is do you have enough money to pay for it up front (not a loan). A loan for 60K over the next 15-20 years is almost a house payment. for several years you will not be making a lot of money. If you cannot pay up front then I recommend the fbo way. either way, If business continues to grow the way it is forcast to grow, you WILL NOT miss the Hiring boom!

Good luck!

Well i've got some money left over from my college days..but not enough for the whole thing. The only problem i have with going to the fbo is there is only one plane and it is a 172, and I have to drive an hour to get to the airport, plus working 40 hrs doesnt help much either!. So i dont know where i would get my multi. I hope your right about the stepping stone thing, cause i'm still nervous about flying without my instructor at times, hopefully that will pass, i havent gotten to fly much since getting my ppl because of work and the weather.

Have you considered the CFI route? You could get your instrument, commercial & CFI all in ASEL where you are. Ask your FBO if they will hire you as a CFI if you get all your ratings from them. Once you're working as a CFI you could save all your paychecks and when you get enough money you could go to one of those places that will sell you a block of twin time. I just looked in the back of a recent Flight Training magazine and found several places that do just that. One ad lists 100 hrs plus ME commercial rating for a bit over $11K. I'll bet that's 10 hrs dual, a check ride and the rest of the time is split 50% as the safety pilot and 50% under the hood as the flying pilot. You could probably get 100 hrs that way in a few weeks, which would prevent you from having to move or quitting your current job until you're ready to move on.

Just a thought...

I'd stay local and work your way up through CFI, then instruct to build time. When you hit 1200 total, if no multi opportunites have presented themselves, figure out a way to get 50 hours of multi (or less) and get on at a 135 freight operation. You'll have all the multi you need in six months. You'll save a lot of money this way, though, you will be a little slower to get to the RJ F/O. Maybe you'll decide to go Corp or stay with freight. There are many ways to work your way up. Even if you decide to go regionals, you'll only be slightly behind, which isn't a big deal in todays hiring enviornment.

ha..no children for me, yet! i'm 24yrs old, i got a loonnnggg time before i want to deal with any kids!

I am going through my local FBO for every thing. They have already told me once i get a CFI they will hire me and I can build the hours I need. They have 172's with G1000 glass cockpit, Cessna 182T, Turbo Cessna 182T, Turbo Cessna 206H, Piper Seminole, and they have a contract with a company to get you into the Citations. I am not sure exactly what I am going to do in aviation yet, but I do know I am going to get all the certs I can. I am lucky though, I have the VA helping me pay for every thing except the PPL.

I am really inspired from this post. I am currently in the same situation and have very much the same questions. Here what I posted:

Hello all,

Let me take this time to introduce myself. My name is Louie N. 33, single. Came to the state from Vietnam in 91. Graduated with bachelor degree in science from LSU in 2001. Currently working as Respiratory Therapist at Plano Texas but am considering a change in career. Met one ATP pilot as my patient and he talked me into flying. I am currently working on my PPL. Only have 10 hrs flying. Did get my 1st medical and passed the ground school written test. The only flight school I know is ALLATPS.com. Any suggest? The cost is very expensive, 55k with a pre requisite of PPL. I need your help and expertise on choosing schools which would help me to land a job with airlines. It is a long way with great challenges but I am willing to do it. Just need some mentors and advices that's all. My goal is to become ATP and go see the world. I love flying so far. Currently joined Texin flying club in Mckinney. Please help.

God bless.


Can someone explain to me what is " FBO"?

In the aviation industry, a fixed base operator (also known as fixed base of operation), or FBO, is a service center at an airport that may be a private enterprise or may be a department of the municipality that the airport serves. The term is originally North American, but it is becoming more common in Europe and the UK.


I wish cutting and pasting was a paying job


Can't help with schooling advice, on the same search myself. Best of luck to you though!

I would pay as you go at an FBO. AllATPs and other similar schools are great if you have the money, but will put you in a bad financial situation if you don't. It's a really big loan, and as someone else mentioned, you'll be paying it back slowly for a long time. If you're career aspirations are to go to the airlines, remember, you are not going to make a decent salary until you've been at it a few years, but you're still going to have to pay on your loan in the mean time.

I was a 45 minute drive from my airport when I did my PPL and instrument and I was working 40-hour weeks too. It's not ideal I know, but it can be done. No, you won't get all your certifcates and ratings in 60 days, but you will still get them, and at a much lower cost than if you go the AllATP route.

Are there any flying clubs in your area? You may be able to join a flying club that has more plane's to offer than your local FBO and still get all of your training done for less money.

As far as the multi add-on goes, that's a long way off right now. You still need to get your instrument, and commercial. Once you get those done, you can travel to another school and spend 4-5 days getting the multi. The fact that your FBO doesn't have a multi should not prevent you from getting your instrument and commercial done there.

I hope this helps. It's just my opinion.

Good luck!