After earning a degree in communications, I got a real break when the radio and TV station combo that employed me decided to add traffic reports from a single-engine Cessna to the drive-time news programs. My greatest perk, really, my only perk, was serving as the backup pilot for the station's airborne traffic reporter.
Even if flying lessons strain your budget, you'll find that meeting the challenge you've set for yourself is worth sacrificing other discretionary spending. And AOPA can offer the advice of experienced pilots and instructors to help you hold down the costs. Our booklet, "A Pilot's Guide to Reducing the Cost of Flying," contains dozens of money-saving tips. You'll also find it worthwhile to visit the "Learn to Fly" and "Student Pilot and Aviation Enthusiast Member Benefits" sections of our Web site (AOPA Online).
If you're considering a career as a professional pilot, this is a great time to be training. The pilot population declined over a period of years, and although the number is rising again, thanks in great part to the general aviation industry's Be-A-Pilot program and AOPA's own Project Pilot program, qualified pilots are still in short supply.
This is particularly true at the nation's airlines. As of December, no major U.S. airline had pilots on furlough, and 160 out of 220 airlines and large fleet operators were hiring pilots. Almost 15,000 pilots were hired during 1998.
Some of the 55 or so pilots on the staff at AOPA headquarters have received unsolicited "out-of-the-blue" invitations from pilot placement organizations to register for possible airline interviews. And Atlantic Coast Airlines (a United Express carrier) recently placed an ad on local cable television stations inviting viewers to send in resumes. Some commuter airlines have even been canceling flights because of a shortage of pilots. Larger air carriers have had to change equipment on short notice because of a lack of flight engineers (pilots who fly in the third seat in the cockpit of many large airplanes).
This kind of aggressive hiring outreach has not been seen for decades. In fact, some analysts say the pilot hiring outlook today is better than at any time since 1966, more than 30 years ago.
Of course, not everyone who wants to fly wants to fly the heavy iron. Indeed, most of us are delighted to commune with the clouds in more personal machines. There's plenty of room for us in the sky, and many friends, new and old, with whom to fly.
AOPA's Project Pilot mentors, not instructors, just pilot friends, have given advice and encouragement to nearly 30,000 men and women on their way through flight training. In addition, Project Pilot instructors have enrolled almost 85,000 student pilots in the program. AOPA offers student pilots free Project Pilot information materials (publications, videos, etc.) on various phases of the learning process.
AOPA has also demonstrated our faith in aviation's future by being a leading contributor to the Be-A-Pilot program, helping to open the path to flight training for thousands. In 1998 alone, nearly 30,000 people responded to Be-A-Pilot ads offering a certificate for an introductory flight for only $35. Many of those respondents are now taking flight training, and quite a few already are private pilots.
So as you take to the skies, you'll have lots of good company. As for pleasure and personal satisfaction, it's there for the taking. High-time captains love the gold stripes on their sleeves, but they also look back on their early training days as the golden times, the best times. Enjoy your golden times now, when every lesson offers a new insight, every solo a fresh adventure.