Flight Instructor Job Description

Why I Became a Pilot

I love to travel, so I thought if I love to travel, why not get paid for it?

I also have always had a passion for aviation, and I love being on the go, and so the adrenaline of being an airline pilot and always doing something new every day is very fulfilling for me.

Typical Pilots Schedule 

I typically work about 14 days a month, and you really are in control of your schedule and how you want to do that. What I like to do is work two or three-day trips, and then I'm home for three or four days. It's flexible, and that's the great thing about this career, this industry—it really allows you to kind of work your schedule however you'd like to do it.

Pros and Cons of Being a Pilot

The pros are that you get to see the world, and the great thing is it's at the company's expense, so it doesn't cost you to go. They provide the hotel, lodging, and per diem for your food.

The cons are, if you have a family at home or animals or anything like that, you're gone for two, three, four, or five days at a time. Sometimes that can be challenging for people. 

How to Become a Pilot

First, you would want to start off with attending maybe a seminar at a local community college or going to a local flight school. They offer what's called a discovery flight, which is typically like one hour, and you go up and fly with an instructor. Usually, they let you take the controls and play around to see if this is something that you're interested in.

From there, you can also go to a lot of colleges that offer flight schools or flight training. You can enroll in one of their programs, or there are also accelerated flight programs. I personally would recommend going to a local flight school and starting there to achieve your private pilot's license, which is your first flight license.

How to Become an Airline Pilot (ATP)

The main thing for becoming an airline pilot is flight time. Typically, people start with their private pilot's license, and then once you get that, you build onto your instrument rating, followed by your commercial and flight instructor licenses, and lastly, your airline transport pilot license.

Everyone has a different story, but typically people flight instruct to get to 1,500 hours. Once you reach 1,500 hours, the gates open, and you can start applying to the smaller airlines to work your way up to one of the larger airlines. 

The Path I Took

While working as a flight attendant, I also went to flight school part-time. The great thing about this industry and becoming a pilot is that you do it on your own time, allowing you to structure flight training around a current job if you're looking to progress into this career. There are many ways to become a pilot, and you control how you do that. 

How Much Do Pilots Make?

It's expensive to get your flight ratings to become an airline pilot, but it's very rewarding once you do so and become a paid airline pilot. The salaries vary depending on the type of airplane you fly and whether you're a first officer or a captain. Captains make more than first officers.

Starting salary for an airline pilot is around $50,000 at the regional level flying a smaller aircraft. A captain on a wide-body airplane can make around $700,000 to $800,000 a year. 

Airline Industry Career Tip

In the airline industry, everything is built on seniority, so it's important to start accruing seniority. The best schedules, fun trips, and great lifestyle with more days off all come with seniority. The faster you build seniority, the better quality of life you're going to have.