My Flying Career

In response to Zach’s comment on my last post, I would like to take you on a little journey through my short and long-term goals.

My long-term goals are probably not that of most.  ’The Airlines’ do not necessarily entice me that much.  The schedules and what I’ve heard about how some pilots are treated does not outweigh the pay.  It doesn’t seem to be the dream job it used to be.  From what I have seen, it looks like charter, air taxi, air ambulance, corporate, or any other job that has a little bit more excitement is what I am pursuing.  This goal of course has its baby steps (to quote ‘What about Bob?’), so for my short term goal, I would like to get hired at a flight school as an instructor.  I think that instructing is a great way of building skills for yourself and a way of giving back a little of what you have learned (It’s also a more inexpensive way to build time).  From their I will start my search for a ‘puddle-jumping’ company hopefully here in the northwest.  Ameriflight, Empire Airlines, Seaport Airline, to just name a few.  You can only plan so far in advance before the plans are no more than hopes and dreams.  I’m the kind of guy who is very goal-oriented and having these short-term and a long-term goals is what drives me.

To shift gears a little bit, I have been practicing my Single Engine Commercial maneuvers and will be taking my Single Engine Commerical addon checkride very soon.  I’ll let you all know how that goes.

Thanks for reading!

Well in my first post I said I would talk a little about the process I used to pick the school that I would be completing my training at.  This process was filled with much research, advice from pilot’s I respect, and prayer.  Originally I was going to go through the “Fast Track” program at ATP (Airline Transport Professionals, Inc.).  My wife and I decided not to take that route because we were newlyweds and not seeing each other for 3 months was out of the question.  And even though they provide housing, it is only for the student, so my wife would not be able to come.

My next choice was Delta Connections Academy.  They were just finishing up their brand new campus in Houston, TX at the time.  My wife and I were planning on flying down their to check it out and find a place to live.  Ya know, just scope out the area.  We had heard both good things and bad things about Houston and of course the bad things are what stuck in our minds.  ”It’s hot and humid, the crime rates are really bad”.  Needless to say, it would cost more than twice as much to move to houston and go through their program with moving expenses, living expenses (I would not be able to work much while attending school), and school expenses.  With the seemingly endless downturn of the economy, their just aren’t the school loans their used to be.  So even if I wanted to go to Delta Connections Academy, I wouldn’t be able to.  I look at the glass half full.  That decision was easy.  I can’t go, so I won’t go.

Then my instrument instructor mentioned that I should just stay here, get my ratings through Hillsboro Aviation and work for Ameriflight when I build enough time.  It would be cheaper, I’ll make some good connections here on the west coast (which is worth a lot in this business),  I can do school at my schedule and work part time and best of all, I wouldn’t have to move.  Seems like the perfect plan right?  Flawless in fact hehe.

Well we are about to find out…I anxiously await my first day at Hillsboro (April 1st, 2009).  Meanwhile I have been saturating myself with flying.  Reading blogs (check out my blog roll), re-watching my King Schools Instrument DVDs, flying on Flight Simulator practicing approaches, anything and everything I can do to keep myself pumped up and ready to roll.

In conclusion to this post, I am happy where I am at and where I am going.  And on a slight side note, my work decided to keep me for Tuesday’s and Thursday’s!  Which is fantastic and a huge load off my mind.  So I will be going to school Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and working the other two days.

See ya next post!