Aviation is so vast and diverse that it would be helpful if you could establish some initial career goals, even though it's very early in your career development. For example, if you aspire to becoming a military fighter jock, or a missionary pilot, or a firefighter airman, or an airline pilot, or a corporate pilot, or a law enforcement aviator...well, the route to each of these is somewhat different. But, certainly, the first step is learning to fly and that necessarily requires earning an FAA private pilot certificate.
The choice for initial pilot training depends primarily on how you will pay for it. If you are able to start working toward your private pilot certificate at a local airport before you graduate, it will probably be less expensive than starting from scratch at an aviation college, university, or flight academy. Once you earn your private, you can enter one of those training organizations with a good chunk of your overall training paid for. Some institutions will compel you to take the private pilot training all over again so that you can be schooled to their standards. Candidly, I am not a fan of that approach. However, other organizations may require that you take a standardization checkride or transition program to get you up to speed on the school's policies and procedures, and that is quite understandable.
One avenue I might suggest for a high-school student is to check out the local Civil Air Patrol (CAP) squadron. Some units provide initial flight training to CAP cadets at very low cost. If you can get a private pilot certificate by the time you finish your senior year, you can shop around for advanced training when you graduate.
There are dozens of schools and academies that can take you to the commercial pilot level and beyond. Scan through the pages of AOPA Flight Training for some great options. Our aviation college directory is online.
A couple of must-do items: First, plan on getting a four-year degree in some subject (it does not have to be aviation-related). Second, stay within your budget. You can spend $40,000 to $200,000 to earn all the FAA certificates and ratings to get you qualified for a career. Third, find a school that suits your style. Do you like cozy, small environments or large, busy venues with lots of hustle and bustle? Fourth, find a school that has connected with industry by offering internships and favored hiring status.
Finally, remember that excellent communications skills are essential. Start now to polish your writing and speaking abilities and strive to communicate professionally at all times. Good luck!
Send us your career question and we'll answer the best ones here. Sorry, but we are not able to provide individual responses. Wayne Phillips is an airline transport pilot with a Boeing 737 type rating. He is a B-737 instructor and operates the Airline Training Orientation Program in association with Continental Airlines. He is an aviation safety consultant in Michigan and speaker for the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.
Related Articles
