Q: I’m 18 and a recent high school graduate whose grades were below par. I have the intellect for the career but what are the odds that I will get accepted into a good flight school and get a shot at a career?
—Wes from Reno
A: Obtaining FAA pilot certificates does take a certain aptitude for learning. Regulations, meteorology, weight-and-balance calculations, performance data, and systems understanding require some smarts. Although nobody needs to be an Einstein to fly aircraft, there is a solid need for a good amount of brain power. Thus, anyone contemplating the aviation career path must be honest with himself. Were the less-than-average grades because of lack of ability or lack of personal commitment and application? Many of the academies and aviation colleges will give you a fair shot. Colleges have admission standards that are more academic, such as SATs and ACTs, while flight academies typically do not have such rigorous qualification hurdles. Flying jobs at the major airlines can be dependent on college performance. Bill Traub, a former vice president of flight operations at United, has said that good college grades are essential. Traub believes that good grades and challenging subjects, no matter what they are, reveal much about a person’s work ethic and commitment. “Bad grades are a show stopper for us,” he said.
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