Warbird Information Exchange

Sounds like the medical field really must be the place to be. Wow... thanks for the suggestion, I really apprecaite it!

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"It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you have wanted to do so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane." Charles Lindbergh

You never have to worry about finding a job in aviation either! There is always a shortage for low payed help!

OH MY GOSH! Okay, so I work in a law office, and I had just read this as I picked up the phone to answer a call and started laughing right as I did so! Good thing it just happened to be a girlfriend from another firm, because I got the "What the hell are you laughing at?" hahahaha, totally cracked me up!!!

Way to go!

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"It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you have wanted to do so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane." Charles Lindbergh

Both my wife and I graduated for Embry-Riddle with aviation degrees. So I feel pretty comfortable answering questions about ERAU as an educational option.

First and foremost, what ever educational path you choose, do so because that is what you are interested in and not because of any percieved financial gain. A degree is like a PPL, it is only a starting point, the real education is the execution of your knowledge base in the workforce.

If you decide on an aviation education, do not let a college or university sway you because they have a bridge program. This is nothing more than a dangling carrot. It is a pipe dream to think you have the skills at 350 hrs TT to compete with 5000 hr + pilots. No matter how bad you want to get there, do not cut cornes and go the PFT route, in the airline pilot community I believe only a scab rates lower.

My wifes journey toward this goal was no different than most civilian or non-military trained airline pilots, she obtained a PPL before attending ERAU, she obtained her mutli, instrument, and commercial at ERAU. Afterward she obtained her CFI ticket at a local flight school, were she then worked as a CFI, then added MEI when the workload demanded it. After building the requiste time as a CFI/MEI she was hired at a regional, there she flew B1900s. Because of this we moved to CO, and she learned what hard IFR really is. Flying is demanding, flying the line in aircraft without a/p in the CO winter iced up into Telluride where the braking action is poor to nil is an experience that no university can prepare you for. At this point she is working harder than a 747 driver, growing her knowledge and paying her dues. She is living the dream and being rewarded with an annual income of 15K. Yep, 15K, while a senior FedEx driver may make 300K be prepared to shop for Top Ramen by the case. You learn about unions, junior manning, reserve and furloughs. While on furlough you learn that you make more money as a cashier at Costco than as a first officer. She has persevered because this is the occupation she wants to do, not because someday she'll make 300K, that day is still a long way off and with todays declining airline salaries it may never happen. While many have chased this occupation with a false sense of entitlement, we have not. While, I agree that the pensions evaporating for our retirees sux this is out of our control. However, becoming smart money manger is in our control, and fully funding a company independant retirement is now part of our lives.
Today, she is an airline pilot at a major airline and I work for aviation charting and navigation company. (I lost the coin toss in college for the flying job) We did not arrive at our jobs by accident it was the result of a lifetime of commitment to a craft.

We both truly enjoy what we do, a statement not many people cannot make, neither of our jobs are easy and financially will never be Mr/Ms Bill Gates. But, if we all chased money there would be no teachers, police, servicemen, and pilots, etc...

I guess what my little rant is all about: Listen to yourself, then pursue your educational and professional dreams with passion. A wise old Texan once told me the only thing thats stopping you from pursuing your dreams "Is the fear in your heart, and the lead in the a**"

Warren

... a recommendation to become an A&P. There is a steadily declining base of training for A&P's, and there is a steadily rising departure by licensed A&P's from the field. There are a lot of jobs listed which require you to be a pilot/mechanic, and I can't think of a better way to learn if your "office" is safe than by working on it. Just a thought...

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REMEMBER THE SERGEANT PILOTS!

I disagree.. you are either a pilot or a mechanic by trade or your not really good at either trade.. " There are exceptions though" All they want is pilot that can fill out his or her own MELs (Paper work )so the plane can fly to the next station. I don't think they expect you to really fix anything.

Embry Riddle is a great school, but I feel that you are paying for the name to a point. It is a great school, after all they taught the terrorists on 9/11 how to fly. Rather than learnign to fly in Sunny Florida, I learned to fly in Pittsburgh, PA where we have weather, snow, icing, runway braking advisories in the winter, and a mix of other interesting weather events. I just always felt that it better prepared me for actual flying conditions in some of the worse weather. All joking aside ER is a great school. As for medical or flying careers< well you have to answer that for yourself. I am thankful every morning when I pull up to work and park next to a hangar rather than a hospital parking lot, or doctor's office. Could I be making more money somewhere else? Maybe, but I wouldn't h ave benn as happy. Do what your heart tells you to do.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager