Career advice flying tips, and explanation of aviation topics which the aviation notice to the professional pilot can understand. Carl Valeri has over 30 years of experience in the aviation industry both teaching and helping people move forward in their careers.
So I have a question about being in the Air Force but still having dreams of being a pilot when I get out, I’m not flying in the Air Force, but I’m on a 4 yr contract until 2028/2029, I have my PPL but would like continue my lessons and become a pilot when I am out of active duty. I’m in a position where my flight training will be covered but I wonder if I’m screwed in terms of the projection of this pilot shortage by the turn of the decade?
There hasn’t been a real shortage. It’s pilots not getting paid enough for there experience. Getting screwed…You have more of an issue of being screwed by the flight school than getting into the airlines.
In general there are avenues for obtaining loans if you do not reside in the United States. I will ask Brandon if there are any loan options available through Stratus.
Great interview. A few things for the COO. 1. I’m going the same route in paying for school with credit cards. I applied through Stratus but was told I need a co-borrower. My wife doesn’t work, I’m 52 years old and self-employed, and my parents are deceased. I’d love to talk to you about a loan if possible. 2. The owner of the Part 61 where I’m doing my training claims that he sent an email to Stratus about being a partner school but never got a response. 3. For those who say don’t take out loans for flight school right now, I say that the best time to start flight training was last year. Hiring may have slowed compared to where it was before 2023, but it’s going to take some time to get through training, especially if you want a 121 job and have to hit ATP minimums. You don’t know what the economy and industry will look like in 2-3 years, so it’s better to be prepared to take advantage of opportunities.
Thanks for the question. I will forward the first 2 to Brandon. I like your 3rd comment. It is never prudent to drop out of college or flight school because of a down turn in the economy. It is best to continue your education and training because it affects your future.
I could really use some help. My credit is not the best right now but I am desperately trying to get into ATP flight school.. I didn’t have any luck with Sallie Mae.. any pointers
There are many options for financing but some have high interest rates if your credit score is not great. A few steps you can take right now are looking into scholarships while exploring creative options to fund your flight training. Broadening your search, such as some colleges and universities that offer finance for flight training may be an option. If you would like to talk more offline visit our coaching page at: www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/coaching/ At the very least I would start by looking through the scholarship guide. You can get one for free using the coupon code "stratus" and visiting www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/free/ Hope this helps.
I'm glad to have found this . a lot of information is geared up for the younger folks, but there's a lot of people ( myself included) want to change career at 40+. about to start my CLP at 41 ! great video !!
Glad it was helpful! We have helped many people change careers for over 2 decades. If you need any help making the jump I can help through career coaching. www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/coaching/ Remember to take one step every day toward your career goal!
Carl, i sent your explanation regarding Safety pilot time to my instructor and here is what he responded to; Safety pilot time is still not great time building at least for large portions. This guy is trying to sell a product. Remember as the airlines get more competitive the quality of your flight time will matter. It is confusing!!!!
Total flight time is a requirement to meet hiring minimums. Quality flight time is what employers prefer. For example, a pilot with 1000 flying as a pilot in command in a turbojet is more likely to get hired than a person who has 3000 flying a single-engine piston. Similarly, flying as PIC in actual instrument conditions is preferred over acting as a safety pilot. I hope this helps. If you or your instructor would like further help or a review of your logbook please reach out at: www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/coaching/
And that's where regulation crosses the line. Insurance is a broken industry anyways and "if something happens" fine. But if I own a plane and my pilot is certified on that plane, just like when youre young and drive your car and ask friends for gas money, I should be able to charge people to fly on my plane. Too many laws. You guys know how big 14 CFR is. Its ridiculous
Hi, my son graduated high school and has been considering a career as an Air Traffic Controller. I have looked online but have not found an answer to the question about whether going through the Armed Forces training to become an Aerospace Controller Officer offers any benefits. Would he be required to still go through NAV Canada in order to continue it as a career should he choose to return to civilian life? Does having that military experience translate well? Thanks in advance to anyone able to provide some insight.
Faa medical Deferral/Failure Dream & interpretation. I dreamed feb 2024 i went to get a medical 3rd class & Failed. I left the office and went in perfect shape lept as in perfect health outside the office not a care in the world. I woke up. I haven't flown or applied for med in 20 years & literally I'm not trying to obtain a medical. Interpretation to this dream is this Choose Christ #1 on your Preflight Checklist. #2 Remember this life is a test will you choose Christ and return Home making a perfect landing being healed by what Christ did. I Failed says it all medically Christ is the healer & doctor to keep us Flying/Fellowship with the Holy Spirit. AME is the Great I AM El Shaddai. Christ makes us perfect by what He did 4 us. I was in perfect health in my dream because i believe Christ but Fell Short in Sinning in this life/Failing my Flight medical 3rd Class 3rd day He rose from the dead to pay for our healing. This is the interpretation of my flight medical dream failure and perfect health.
I’m a newly minted Instrument pilot. My logbook doesn’t have a column to specify if my VMC cross-country flights are “in the system”. Is this just something I specify in the comments for my flights?
By "flying in the system" I am referring to filing and flying under IFR in the Air Traffic Control System. I recommend a note in your comments such as "Filed IFR". Of course, log all the time you fly in actual instrument conditions. As you gain experience, you will realize most of the time you log will be VMC.
As a commercial pilot can you fly for hire in those situations?: 1. CEO own privately airplane and rent that airplane to his company (XX). And company (XX) hire pilot (you) to move (a) employees, related and unrelated with company operation, cost of transport fully on company (XX) (a1) if no problem, can you do the same but employees must pay tax because IRS says that flight was extra compensation for employee (as they was given extra pay for airline ticket). (b) cargo from one company's site to another company's site, (c) delivery of product created by own company (XX), (d) transporting visitors/business partners (YY) to from one place to meeting with someone from your company (XX). (all cost of operation cover internally by company (XX)) (e) transporting cargo from business partner (YY) to your company (XX) (parts needed for your company (XX) internal operation) (f) transporting business partner (YY) from place x to y (not related with your operation) but cost are fully on company (XX) (g) transporting cargo for business partner's (YY) from one his place to another his place, but after that that cargo (after later processing) will become company (XX) order, all cost on company (XX). 2. as higher but airplane is partially/full own by company (XX) 3. as higher but airplane is fully own by CEO and you flying for CEO but CEO renting airplane (with pilots) to company (XX) and company (XX) give you trips. 4. for private owner (aa) transporting his family (bb) transporting his colleague for free (all cost on owner) (owner of a plane still pay's you) (cc) transporting owner's cargo from his one house to another house also owned by him. (dd) transporting cargo for owner's family cargo from family one house to another house also owned by his family. (ee) transporting cargo for owner's colleague cargo from colleague's one house to another house also owned by his colleague. for free (all cost on owner) (owner of a plane still pay's you) (ff) transporting owner and third person, third person pay for flight (more than cost for that flight) (ff1) recompensate his participation in cost of flight. (ex. on board was you, owner, and third person) and he give to the owner half of your salary for that full day flight and half of fuel cost, (ff2) + half of constant cost for that flight like 1/2* 1/365 * of annual inspections & insurances, and 1/2 * 10/5000 for engine overhaul if was 10h of flight and engine's TBO is 5000h) ------------------------------------ 5. You are CFI/CFII and own experimental airplane (IFR ready) can you give lesson (student logs that time) all cost of operation on You. (student is your's child, underage/adult) can you still do that if you you have CFII ME, and airplane is complex dual-engine IFR.
I recommend pilots looking to work for a quality operation and gain quality time review the Argus and Wyvern ratings. These companies may require more flight time because 3000 hours is still considered a low time pilot by most in the profession.
At 8:00 you grazed over 14 CFR part 91 operations when mentioned not being able to carry someone else's property. That's untrue. Part 91 operations exist. If the owner provides the plane the you can fly anyone one the plane. You just cannot charge or get reimbursed for this. And usually the owner of the airplane knows this because they understand tax code etc. You mentioned the flying SIC not being able to log time. This is only partly true. They can can give you a 14 CFR Part 61.55 sign off for aircraft requiring two pilots where you can legally log the time without a pdp. It's an endorsement from a CFI or MEI. Also you didn't discuss the 14 CFR 91K fractional ownership which is a case of several owners for one airplane. I.e. a construction firm and real estate developer purchase an aircraft jointly and hire a pilot or crew.
We have helped many people correct errors in their logbooks. To find out more visit www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/coaching/. I always recommend a private and confidential logbook review to avoid mistakes being published publicly.
I feel there is a 100% chance I would be DENIED because I have Autism & a Bipolar mental disorder. I flew some back in the early 1990s before I knew or was diagnosed with all this. Flying is too much of an expensive hobby for me so it doesn't matter if I could pass a medical or not because it costs outside of my budget to fly period.
I worked at a flight school/airport in Cocoa, Florida. I won’t name its name, but they routinely would have the instructors fly employees from one place to another, but they had a student with them so they claimed they were instructing the student and never mentioned the other person that was in the plane, like they flew two of the people I worked with down to Miami to help move furniture for the owner of the flight school and then flew them back to Coco
Another amazing episode! How does it work with these time building places? I see online a few places in FL, CO, AZ where you can go and build 100, 200, 300+ hours and the cost is reduced because you’re flying with another pilot building their time as well. They say you can both log the time but is that true? I’m new to the industry, I only have two discovery flights under my belt here in Clearwater and St. Pete (Both of which I loved). It’s hard to decipher what is true and what is not
The schools often say you can log the time with another pilot, but it is not their logbook, certificates, or career on the line. Make sure to ask what their basis is for having two pilots log time simultaneously. If they cannot provide a clear explanation - move on to another idea. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
The FTC has banned non-compete agreements. It is not clear yet if that will extend to training bonds. I suspect it will not prohibit training bond agreements. Also, never sign an agreement you do not intend to honor.
Around the 9 min mark we talk about if it’s not the owner it falls under that 135/121 veil. What about business owned aircraft flying it’s associates but the official owner is no aboard the aircraft?
Do the airlines respect flight time as a safety pilot? I have quite a bit of safety pilot time. I know it’s all legal PIC time under 61.51 (e) and 91.109 (b)(c) but I don’t want to get looked at differently by a potential employer because I wasn’t necessarily the sole manipulator of the controls for every single hour of PIC time.
Safety Pilot Time usually holds up if it is in compliance with the FARs you mentioned. That being said, an airline might be concerned if too much of your time is Safety Pilot. If you have a lot of safety pilot time, consider adding some other types of flight time. Solo, in particular, is valuable because it demonstrates an ability to operate the aircraft without the assistance of a second pilot.
I have a particular situation, I am not able to get my medical due to a health condition. And so, what do you think is the ideal career trajectory for my situation considering that I am in very early stages of flight school? Also, I am not against any career path at the moment as I have 2 more years before I can apply for my certificate, according to FAA. Any thoughts/suggestions?
You can always take a parallel career progression approach as I do with most clients in your situation. If you would like some one on one advice please visit: www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/coaching/
Do you want to hear a horror story? In Europe pilots have to pay for their own type-rating to be hired. And when hired, salaries could be $15/hour if you are lucky.
I know this is two years old, but you can make 200k no problem as a narrow body legacy FO in year two if you wanna work. So there really isn’t much getting by till 5 years as this implies. A 5 year FO that hustles can make $350k
You could make 200k as an FO a decade ago with some hard work. My video describes what the average individual experiences when moving forward in an airline career. Most fly for the regionals then on to the majors. Also, some of the larger fractional and 135 operators pay very well for the second year. Here is a video describing how you can make more money as an airline pilot: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-o2YBK-20AMU.htmlsi=K23gwbERCRYo_mUN
This clip really hits home for me do to failures. I bought into an accelerated flight school(141) and I was being pushed when I felt not ready. If I or another student complained about this, we were threatened with being pushed out and our funds not being fully reimbursed or at all. That said, plenty of law suites have been filled to set school when student were kicked out for not sticking with their schedule. So we went into checkrides not ready and failing. Now I feel like I wasted 100k and my future aviation career is in ruin. To further this, we were told many of times that airlines never wanna hear a potential employee (interviewer) ever tell them it was a fault of someone or someplace to why you failed. So what is a person in my shoes to do? It’s not that I wanna stop n give up. I spent way to much time, money, and effort to stop but now I’m always pondering do I even have a path in the 121 world 🤷♂️
"Try as hard as you can to get more senior" 🤣 By doing what exactly? Putting something in my CA's drink at the bar? - *There is no try, there is only do.* haha Funny thing to hear as an airline pilot. The only way to get more senior is for people to quit, lose their license, get fired, or die, none of which you want to have any control over.
If you see the Approach lightings you can go below DA and/or MDA to see if you're lucky and get sight of the runway environment better. However, if you get to 100 feet above the TDZE and you dont get sight of the red lights then you can not descent more. You're luck ended and i assume you have to go around. I dont think we can hang around cruising at 100 feet until getting sight of the runway. The reason why I say "i think" is because I'm not entirely sure, but being that low and maybe having passed the missed approach point will definitely required much more performance to get back to the published missed approach procedure. Anywyas I just wanted to say thank you. I feel like this subject, I always understand it but then everytime i get an example i always get confused. But not anymore, now reading the regulation where is says, if you see at least one of the runway environment in this case the approach lighting system that allows you to descent below MDA and or DA. And in order to continue further BELOW the 100' above TDZE we need to be able to see the red lights
My finding is that the bottom of the pyramid is why people aren't going into aviation. I worked for a 135 op that refused to spend money to train up new hires. The attitude was the captain was to be the teacher, and most of them did NOT take that mandate to heart. My advice: get a job that pays well with regular hours and no excessive "dues paying." You'll thank me in 30 years.
Started flying in the 80’s. I can attest to the absolute horrible hiring conditions. We flew for free, logging every single tenth, volunteering everywhere, just to get 2nd seat time. Still flying today and making good money. Wouldn’t change anything.
1400 hours. Several applications to Part 135s to time build for Part 121….Going back and forth with the idea of this now. Perfect timing for this video. Thank you sir!
I am glad the video was helpful. There are many paths towards the airlines. Part 135 is one of them. I suggest when considering a 135 operation you research how many hours you will be flying. Also, if you are flying right seat confirm the hours are considered SIC time. We will be recording a video on this topic coming up shortly. Congratulations on taking one step toward your career goal by applying for a 135 job! If you have any more questions feel free to reach out here or online at www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/contact/.
Hey, I wanted to ask a question regarding this topic. Once I saw this podcast and video, I wanted to know the route I am going is the best route for my goal. I am 17 years old and about to get a degree from GCU in the next year due to working alot of my credits during highschool. I want to be a delta airlines pilot working from seattle. According to what Ive seen, the biggest aircraft I would be flying in seattle would be the A350-900. With that said, I am planning on going through the destination 225 program with southwest airlines. My idea is to go through their program and get out of it as a first officer in the southwest and switch to delta once I get the job accepted. Despite this, my goal is to get to my objective as quickly as possible. Is this the quickest route or are the regional for delta a better route?
I think it’s stupid that you can get a degree unrelated to aeronautics or aviation and become a pilot, but count the people out without degrees who may have real work experience!
I been doing some research and as far as I know pilots are limited to 1000k hours per year. Is that not true? Because if your limited to the hours of flight per year then your limited to the amount of money a pilot can make…..🤔
Pilots are limited to how many hours a year they can fly not how many hours they are paid. There are many opportunities to get paid double even triple time in addition to "soft time" as I described in the video. Hope this helps.
I interviewed Spartan's President on the podcast in 2020. You can listen to the interview here: www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/acp311-spartan-college-educating-aviation-professionals-for-over-90-years/ I normally don't comment on schools in public but if you looking for one on one help choosing a school we can discuss in a career coaching session. Find out more at: www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/coaching/ Most importantly you should choose a school that fits your needs and has a good program. Hope this helps, Carl.
29:40 the main issue I see is that flight school is still very expensive and most people, who do want to be pilots, have rent/mortgages full time jobs, bills, responsibilities etc. But I guess, where there is a will, there is a way.
Flight school is expensive but the return on investment education is high. According to the Bureau Of Labor Statistics, The 2023 median income for pilots in scheduled airline service is $231,560. I have helped many people transition to a career in aviation who have many financial and other responsibilities. With a will and a plan an aviation career is possible! To find out more about career coaching visit: www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/coaching/ I hope this helps, Carl.
