Interested in being a commercial pilot. Possible?
Question by K J: Interested in being a commercial pilot. Possible?
Hi I am 22 yrs old. I finished doing my bachelors in computer science (I.T) which was for 3 yrs, did commerce stream in school. Now am thinking of changing my field to become a pilot, either in India or UAE. I have glasses and flat huge feet :D ( seriously! ) will that be a problem in this field? Am I too late? what are the prerequisites in this field ?
Best answer:
Answer by DL
Well here is the honest truth, being a pilot is a great job! It is however, the absolute worst career choice anyone could make. Let me explain.
First off when it comes to flying, forget everything you know about how other jobs/careers function. Aviation is its own animal.
Aviation is a very competitive feild (specially to fly overseas), graduating with a degree and having all you flight ratings is just the start. You will have to build flight time and experience in order to be somewhat competitive. Flight instructing and flying for the commuters for a few years.
You will have to keep your self in ok health for a job in the USA, in great shape if you want to fly overseas (good BMI = body mass index). Glasses are not a problem as long as you are corrected to 20/20. Also be ready to work very long duty days 14-15 hrs duty with minimal rest (less 5-6 hrs of sleep if you are lucky)
Forget about making money for at least the first 10 years of your career. You have to be ready and able to live off $ 8000 to $ 25,000 /year for a long time. This is the frustrating part as flying is probably one of the most expensive field to study in. IF YOU ARE DOING IT FOR THE MONEY YOU ARE GOING INTO THE WRONG FIELD. the cost vs return in aviation is about as bad as it gets.
Its is an employers market right now and airlines know it. They have a lot of experienced pilots in the streets and are taking great advantage of the situation. Airlines treat their employees extremely poorly (in the USA at least). You are just a number and they will gladly get rid of you as soon as they can so that they may replace you with a new (less expensive) pilot.
You have to be able to put your family 2nd to your job. Forget holidays, b-days, funerals (that one is hit or miss), week ends off, etc. Aviation is all about seniority the longer you are there the better your life gets, but for the first 5-10 years forget all the bove.
Those are the negatives in a nutshell. So, if after reading all this you are still inclined to do it and wondering to your self if this guy is full of $ h1t (sadly I am not). Then you my friend have aviation sickness like many of us (I sure plead guilty). This job is will give you the worst return on your efforts/money unless you really are a pilot at heart. There is only one good reason, and one good reason only, to become an airline pilot; You have to love it.
So, no you are definitly not too old, glasses are not a problem, and flat feet (in the US at least)should not a problem as long as you can maintain a normal weight.
Sincerely,
A fellow college graduate, furloughed Pilot, who would frustratedly/gladly leave this good paying office job to return to a flight deck.
What do you think? Answer below!
March 1st, 2011 at 12:52 pm
You are still possible, but aviation is a highly competitive industry a cut-throat one! As a full-time aircraft mechanic the administration is concerned with human factors, eyesight but not with how big are my legs. You will notice that aircrafts especially airbus which have their system that is fly-by-wire have may things and its system as light and compact as possible. This is for reducing the amount of weight penalty and increasing as much as the aircraft could safely hold the payload, so having huge feet might be a little bit of a disadvantage in the cockpit.
As prerequisites to become a pilot as far as i know are advanced levels. Good luck and all the best