15 yr old daughter has an interest in becoming a pilot, hope it's okay to post!
Posted by jayplusfour@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 93 comments
Basically, my 15, almost 16 year old kiddo has for the last year been interested in becoming a pilot. She's done a ton of research on it, seems to know what's needed and each step of the process. Us as a family has no flight experience at all, whatsoever lol. I do have a family friend who is a pilot with frontier, so planning on setting them up for a chat.
But reading this sub has me a little worried honestly. It seems grueling and expensive. She found a little flight school here I think to get the first license. Nextgen in riverside ca.
She's got a good head on her shoulders, a 4.0 gpa, dual enrolled in community college, should graduate with her associates. She's a good kid and she seems very dead set on this path and I think it's great. But it does seem maybe impossible for normal people?
Any advice or starting points would be helpful! Thank you very much.
DogeLikestheStock@reddit
I highly recommend you insist on a female CFI for her initial flight training. I’m a guy, but of all the various instructors I’ve had in 20 years as a pilot I’d trust a daughter with less than half. It’s even worse now due to this plethora of young arrogant rich kids building time for the airlines.
Captain_Sheppard@reddit
Set up a discovery flight if she hasn’t done one already and before she starts training get her first class medical certificate
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Yes I'm booking it tonight for her birthday. I'm excited to surprise her with it. Apparently she's been saving her money to do one anyways.
Mundane-Reality-7770@reddit
Curious... When's her birthday? Always interested to know how these discovery flights go for people like her
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
July 27th! I'll come back and update!
Cessnateur@reddit
That lines up with Oshkosh. You should take her there for her birthday this year or next!
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
I'll look into it, thank you!!
Xaver1106@reddit
My parents got me a discovery flight for my 10th birthday back in 2013. I’m happy to say I’m now a pilot as of last November! Happy early birthday to her, from another July BDay’er. I think she’ll really enjoy it!
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
That's awesome! I think she'll enjoy it. She's been saving up for one and I haven't told her I'm just going to go ahead and pay for the bigger package for her birthday lol
zoomzoomzoomee@reddit
Oh no the discovery flight should be ASAP! Then she has the rest of the summer for lessons.
Xaver1106@reddit
They’re in Cali, it’s training season year round.
PrettyNetEngineer@reddit
But during the summer she will have more free time since school is out
Bunslow@reddit
oh my god
Mundane-Reality-7770@reddit
I sold my old plane to some people starting up a flight school at Cable airport in Upland. Apex flight I think. I saw another school at Cable and was surprised at rates. Cheaper there than where I'm at in near in the Midwest.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Thank you, I'll look into that one as well. She found a place in riverside. We also have one at our local airport in apple valley.
Mundane-Reality-7770@reddit
My vote is local airport. Driving to fly sucks.
onnob@reddit
Suggest she become a member of a glider club. She can start with her PPL-G (glider). It will save a lot of money, and the stock-and-rudder skills with PPL-G will transfer very well to the PPL-A (airplane) add-on. The PPL-A can be done with minimum hours because of that. The average flight time to be ready for an ab-initio PPL-A flight test is about 60 hrs. The minimum required flight time for the PPL-A is 40 hours (under FAR 61), which is possible given previous glider experience.
The PIC-G (Pilot-In-Command) flight time will also count towards the CPL-A aeronautical experience requirements. That will even save more money.
CPL-A (Commercial Pilot License - Airplane) pilots say that glider experience made them better pilots.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Thank you for your advice I'll definitely look into it with her
onnob@reddit
Remember the movie about Captain “Sully” Sullenberger, The Miracle on the Hudson, landing a deadstick Airbus A-320? He was a glider pilot, too.
Debtitall777@reddit
By the time she’s ready for a career in aviation, the industry will be in a different phase so I would take most of this sub with a grain of salt.
She sounds like a great kid with a lot of ambition! But I would take this step by step. Book a discovery flight at a reputable and safe school and see what she thinks. Then maybe do a Private Pilot course. And if she earns that, on to the next. Nothing needs to he decided now, and she may feel differently in a few years. You sound like a great, supportive, parent who wants the best for their daughter, so it’s good to think about these things but i would start with a few rides in a plane and go from there.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Thank you that's the plan I think for sure before I shell out money to an expensive school
ananajakq@reddit
Impossible for normal people is something my mom would have said to me when I was 17 an told her I wanted to be a pilot. She was very confused at first and admitted to me that she doubted me when I told her at first. We don’t have aviation in our family, I was the first pilot. I am a female and a refugee, and this was 15 years ago when the industry was very old and white. I didn’t look like anyone else pursuing this path. I was always the only woman in every room and one of the youngest. 15 years later, I am a captain of a 737, and I thank younger me every day for daring to dream and reach for something that didn’t seem to be possible. A belief in one’s self is one of the highest predictors of success. The fact that she seems interested and willing to research what it will take is a huge great sign. You should nurture that in her
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Oh I definitely am, I didn't tell her it seems out of reach at all, that's something I started thinking while scrolling this sub. In fact, I was so excited for her because she was so excited about it. I haven't seen her spark up like that about any careers or aspirations we've talked about so far.
PatternPinion@reddit
I’d suggest get her a discovery flight. Some people love the idea of flying until they actually go up and then decide it’s not what they think it is. Don’t be afraid to hand her a Dramamine if she needs it- I’ve been in GA since I was 6 years old and my first 4 lessons (in my early 40’s) I needed Dramamine haha. If she likes that, get her going on ground school. She sounds like she would handle that just fine, but that’s another area where people self-select out. If she loves it, get ready to pony up- but seeing your kids find something they love and succeed in it is incredibly rewarding as a parent. Makes all the sacrifices along the way worth it!
I say that as a parent with 6 kids who are just beginning to find their passions in life and have the courage to chase them. Best of luck to her (and your wallet!).
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
I went back to college in my late 20s because I wanted to able to help them do what's going to set them up instead of struggling to get my adult life going like I did. We had 4 kids on a 60k income and we've increased it to 250-300k depending on OT. And saving it all so hopefully we can get them set up. I want nothing more than for my kids to grow up and find stable careers and not be in crushing debt forever.
vivalicious16@reddit
Impossible for normal people? I got my private pilot license when I was 18, started when I was 17 (as a woman too). It’s definitely doable! There are aviation scholarships for girls from women in aviation, as well as AOPA
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
My googling had me all excited for her and the info she showed me. Then seeing this sub was kinda like, oh it might be financially tough to manage for her.
I did read about aviation scholarships for women, hopefully we'll be able to take advantage! I am already planning on booking an intro flight for her birthday in July. I've just never seen her light up with so much joy in soemthing so far when we've talked about careers and life after highschool. And I was surprised with how much info she already knew.
I just don't know a ton about it. Seems there are many different paths one could take.
Cessnateur@reddit
Remember that when people here talk about how doable it all is, they're generally thinking back to a very different economic time, when inflation wasn't as rampant.
It is indeed possible today, but I'd say the financial threshold to actually be able to do it is notably higher than it was even five to ten years ago.
goodatgettingbanned@reddit
Don’t put too much stock in this sub, it’s an echo chamber. She could absolutely do it. I’ve seen people who come from nothing push through and get all their ratings with no debt. Getting to the airlines is a lot of hard work, not for everyone, luck and timing are involved, but once you’re getting that paycheck to fly planes it’s so worth it. Sounds like she has a passion for it, she’ll do great.
Source: been flying professionally for 25 years and current major airline captain. Been through good times and bad, but even in the bad times, life is pretty good.
LightedAirway@reddit
With respect to cost - I always framed it as about the same as a decent used car.
That yardstick seems to have held up over the years, so for plenty of folks, it may just be a matter of priorities.
JetKeel@reddit
For PPL? Sure.
To become a CFI and start building hours to actually become a commercial pilot? You’re looking at a brand new Tesla Model S Plaid.
LightedAirway@reddit
If getting a commercial ticket and building hours as a CFI, that’s a whole different story - and personally, I wouldn’t recommend the same route as getting PPL.
If she wasn’t already working on an Associate degree at a local community college, I’d have recommended that route with one of the colleges that offer professional flight training through Part 141 programs. Since it sounds like she’ll have that soon, perhaps transferring to one of the smaller 4-year colleges with similar programs.
There are ways to do this that may still cost money, but where the costs are rolled into other costs that might be (or could be) part of the calculations already.
Mundane-Reality-7770@reddit
I wouldn't put too much stock into this or any sub for that matter. A bunch of curmudgeons. Yes it's hard. Yes it's expensive. Yes it's cyclical.
But the freedom to fly and do what others can't is very rewarding.
But I'm just a dumb welder with a ppl and my own plane. A relatively normal person.
Visible-Choice-5414@reddit
My teen locked in at the same time. Did an aviation camp and discovery flight. ✈️
Got 1st class and student pilot. Got a scholarship for ppl which was a lifesaver.
Decided on a 4yr program over independent to get bachelor+master knocked out.
Costs are very hard. As someone who did med school, it feels as if you’re paying for undergrad and grad simultaneously instead of one after the other. We are trying to all work overtime to pay out of pocket vs loans.
My :personal opinion only: is that if my teen has a bachelor’s and certifications in a special interest free and clear, then whatever they do later is fine. Whether pushing forward for professional flight, or staying in the hobby side of things, taking a break or churning onwards, etc.
But yeah the financial aspect is crushing. They’ve applied to over 100 scholarships this year and received zero, excepting the ppl one. I’ve learned a lot about external scholarships…imo the marketing around them serves several agendas and is not fully accurate. Especially if you aren’t below 7k SAI.
Chewy-Seneca@reddit
Well, consult with an AME before starting the medical process, wouldn't want a random little past diagnosis to ruin that dream
B100West@reddit
If money is an issue
See about getting someone else to pay
Start with
r/usafa
r/afrotc
Next would be to enlist. Get the GI Bill money after a couple years
Worldx22@reddit
Seems like a smart girl. So, let's look at the numbers. A PPL in California is like what? $15k on the low end at a Part 61 school?
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
She found a school for 12k apparently. Called nextgen in riverside ca.
Worldx22@reddit
Sounds very reasonable. With a good CFI she'll have her PPL in no time and an instrument rating would be the next step.
nkawtgpilot@reddit
Would she ever consider the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard? Then instead of her training being expensive, she’ll get paid pretty decent to get it and get to fly cooler equipment and missions right off the bat instead of the CFI/135/regional slog. There are Air Force Reserve C-17s and KC-135s right there in Riverside if she wants to stay close to home
Odd-Map3378@reddit
Tell her to checkout SLING pilot academy, many training craft With maintenance and manufacturer on site, in Torrance
Longjumping-Escape15@reddit
It’s very possible for normal people. I had no aviators in my family. Basically grew up in a step above the trailer park. No family support for any of this. But I was also like your daughter in school. Have her join her local Ninety-Nines group or Women in Aviation chapter. She will do great if she wants it.
Cats155@reddit
Got my private when I was 17. First Pilot in the family. It’s absolutely feasible. At the time, my high school had a pretty cool flight program which allowed me to do a ground school for free though the real savings came from being able to constantly talk to a CFI. Personally, I would say that it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done though I’m only 18 so hard to say…
Melodic_Visual1595@reddit
She is absolutely a solid candidate for scholarships. Have her apply for as many as humanly possible.
FridayMcNight@reddit
If you haven't already... read the sub's FAQ. It answers all your questions and points you to some critical things to sort out first (ie medical). It's a tough, saturated market for fresh commercial/CFI cert holders.
It is incredibly expensive; no avoiding that. She should look into CAP and EAA Young Eagles. It's a good way to begin networking, and both will offer a little bit of flying time (exposure mostly, not flight training) at no monetary cost to her. Academically she'll probably be fine.
Getting a pilot cert is not impossible for normal people. Most pilots are actually normal people. I know it doesn't seem that way when you're not connected to the community at all, but it's true. Connecting with her local community will help her out a ton.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Thank you for the info! I'll let her know. I'm setting her up with our family friend who's a commercial pilot, and another who has his PPL that he got locally. I told her it might be a good idea to even just see about trying to get a front desk job at the little local air strips here.
rtd131@reddit
One thing I haven't seen mentioned here but what might be a good idea is to get started out with Gliders.
It's usually a lot cheaper to get started out with and she'll build really good fundamentals. She can even solo now whereas to solo with powered aircraft she'll need to be 16.
The hours will also transfer over, and she can also get a commercial license in a glider then do an add on later for commerical powered aircraft.
Doing it that way could save quite a bit of money in the long run, and she could be working as an instructor in a glider before most people get their private pilot certificate.
I would def. explore that as a way to get started.
jimngo@reddit
It won't be a problem with the course or practical work. It's the cost. Budget a minimum of $10,000 before you start. You might be able to do it for less, but that's a good guideline.
Santos_Dumont@reddit
Since you’re in Riverside you may have lucked out in being right next to EAA Chapter 1 at Flabob. EAA gives away $2M in flight scholarships per year. The unlucky part might be Chapter 1 probably already has a healthy pipeline of Ray Scholarship candidates but it can’t hurt to show up for a meeting and ask.
I’m the secretary of my local chapter and we applied for a scholarship last year for a kid and got the award so I know that they are eager to help the kids that qualify.
The chapter probably also has a healthy Young Eagles program. After a YE flight she will get a logbook with a code on it for free online ground school from Sporty’s that will qualify her for the FAA written test. EAA will also reimburse the cost of the test when they pass. Passing the written is one of our qualifications for scholarship candidates in my EAA chapter for us to submit them for consideration to EAA.
SettingInteresting50@reddit
My daughter did it and it’s not cheap even and the least expensive flight school in the sf bay. Get the medical before anything else. Scholarships don’t really cover much so as a parent it’s going to be on you. $100k will get her the bare minimum commercial possibly with a cfi but it will the bare minimum hours. Pay as you go don’t fork over a bunch of money to any flight school.
fallingfaster345@reddit
Barrier to entry is the number one reason that the industry lacks diversity. You’re not wrong: it is grueling and expensive. BUT there are still people that figure it out and work hard and succeed! So don’t let the idea of it intimate you.
I’m not sure what you consider “normal,” that is subjective, but I think there are many people out there who probably share the “if I can do it, anyone can do it” attitude. Sure it probably helps if you’re 19 years old with zero responsibilities and rich parents who fund the whole thing and dad has a bonanza for you to burn holes in the sky… but pleeeenty of people who come from non-aviation backgrounds or more modest income classes still manage to figure out how to finance flight training.
That’s not really what you are asking for advice about, so I’ll just leave you with: it is absolutely doable and we could always use a little more diversity in the sky! I hope she pursues her dream!
Advice on where to start: get a first class medical, start researching flight schools (61 vs 141, pay as you go vs loans, contracts/cadet programs vs not, etc) AND there are many good all-female aviator groups on Facebook that she can join: FAST and LIFT as a starting place. Any sort of socializing and networking is valuable but there is such a small percentage of women aviators, having a safe place to discuss training with other women is extremely beneficial.
If you can fix her up with a pilot mentor, that’s also something that might be really beneficial. Flight school is tough, especially when you’re young, so having a mentor in your corner is great. I have seen plenty of grown men cry in flight training, so be choosy about who you fix your daughter up with because she WILL need support, advice, encouragement and a cheerleader from someone in the industry when things get tough, which they inevitably will at some point. It’s also good to have someone that can give a second perspective on any issues that may arise in training or with a school/instructor. Celebrating successes are a must, but no one reaches success alone. Network, network, network, and find a mentor.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Thank you so much for your advice, I appreciate the time you took to do so. I'm hoping she clicks with the family friend I know who's a pilot with frontier, she's also a female and I think that would be great for her in this field. She's also very early in this journey so who knows, things can change. But seeing that spark in her talking about it today it just feels like something she's put a lot of thought into lately.
ItsKindaTricky@reddit
The only barrier is $$. Aviation can be an excellent career path but will require some time energy and sacrifice but mostly dollars.
The good news is it's an excellent community full of people from every Walk of Life, men and women who are willing to Mentor help and see other succeed.
Regardless of the circumstances if she's motivated and you do some research there are many avenues and pathways to achieve and attain her goal.
Skynet_lives@reddit
Contact your local EAA chapter for their Young Eagles program. That should get you a free discovery flight.
Also you can look into the local Civil Air Patrol wings. They are hit and miss but the youth education is generally good.
Lastly woman in aviation, Experimental aircraft Association, and AOPA all have scholarships for both women and teens to get into aviation.
If she is only 15 I would find her a small school or independent CFI that isn’t dedicated to (or taking advantage) of the airline track kids. No paying up front more than a few thousand to get a block rate. Anymore then that your risking your money.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Thank you, very solid advice and I appreciate it
f1racer328@reddit
Biggest hurdle could be the medical certificate, things like ADHD, anxiety, and other mental health disorders can get in the way.
Second hurdle is paying for it.
Those are the two biggest show stoppers in my experience. A student who’s motivated and has a first class medical, and funding via loans, GI bill, or cash from their work/their parents won’t have many obstacles.
Also seeing this more now, but AI is not helpful with aviation. Do not use ChatGPT/Gemini as a primary source of info. Maybe to find a reference and source the FAA material, sure.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Paying for it is what's worrisome. She wants to enter this path before she even graduates highschool. We do fine, but idk if I could fund a huge investment like that. She has motivation though, for sure.
f1racer328@reddit
The good thing is you can pay as you go, and you should never pay up front (at least more than $1000 or so, in case the business shuts down)
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
That's good to know. The place she found that she wanted to look into is like 12k upfront I believe. Probably not a great idea?
MehCFI@reddit
Schools demanding all the cash up front is typically a very big red flag. Find a smaller, less corporate school where you can pay as you go. Be financially able to pay for at least private out of pocket. Do that before taking out any loans. The dropout rate to private pilot is like 60-75%. After that it plummets and people are much much more likely to make it through. Signing loans for $90-110k and finding this path isn’t for you is financially devastating
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Tbh it seemed sketchy anyways. But I looked into it anyways. I went for an RN degree in ca, there are many big expensive nursing schools that promise to push you through and get that degree. I opted for a small community college, paid as I went and now don't owe 100k for a degree lol. So I'm totally on your side of that. I'm huge on keeping her out of school loan debt for sure. It is worrisome how many drop out but paying as you go seems like a good way to ensure she sticks to it
MehCFI@reddit
Absolutely. Plus aviation’s a little different compared to typical college degrees. Regardless of where you do your flight training, employers do not care. Whether you drop $600k on empty riddle or find a cheap Midwest school that’ll charge 80-90k it’s all the same! There is truly no prestige to one school or another
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Nursing is the same way I've come to find out. Lol. They don't give a shit expect that you have the license. I found a flight school very local and it looks decent. The one she found is a very flashy website lol it just seems sketchy. And the family friend who flies for frontier went to ATP in riverside which seems to be some all in one flight academy that is over 100k and rigorous
MehCFI@reddit
Oh ATP and any ‘pilot mill’ school are horrendous wastes of money. Search the sub and you’ll see sooooo many horror story
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
The WCU of the flight world seemed to be the vibe for sure lol. Good to know. Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it
f1racer328@reddit
I wouldn’t pay upfront. There’s plenty of stories on this subreddit on how people lost a ton of money.
If you can pay in chunks of say, $1000-2000 for a small discount then that might be worth it.
The 12k is also probably an estimate. Costs vary a lot, and most people go over the estimated costs since those costs are usually based on minimum requirements, not average.
RaiseTheDed@reddit
Check out the various posts I've made here: https://raisetheded.blogspot.com/
The ones in particular you should read is the College Aviation Programs post and the How to Pay for Flight Training post. The latter has some links to scholarships, which I wish I had when I went through training.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Thank you very much, I'll forward this to her!
RaiseTheDed@reddit
You're welcome! Let me know if you have any questions.
rotardy@reddit
Everyone in the business is a normal person.
Except for that one guy I flew with. He was weird as fuck. /s
I started at 16 with my private. I’m forty eight now. Still earning a pay check doing the job.
Encourage her…
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
I am trying my best to encourage her for sure. We've talked a lot the last year or so about careers/college/adulthood and many jobs have come up, but today asking her more about this pilot interest I've never seen her quite perk up and have a spark like that about anything we've talked about. And the fact she had a whole notepad of research she's already done and steps she needs to take, I'm hoping she sticks to it.
digital_dyslexia@reddit
Absolutely not impossible for normal people! She can legally solo the aircraft at 16 but cannot actually take her checkride (final test) and get her license until she's 17. You can start training at any age but a lot of kids start when they're late 16 for this reason.
Riverside is a great place to learn, Chino is also a good airport if you need options. Expect to pay more than whatever "package" is quoted, and a golden rule of thumb this community lives by is that the worse and uglier the website, the better the flight school.
The discovery flight will ensure she actually wants to go for it, so do that soon
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
That's great to know lol we're in the high desert and apple valleys website seems to be last updated in 2010 🙃 it's close so I was trying to look into that
Tiny-Ad-830@reddit
For her age, honestly I would recommend she do an aviation management degree. My husband graduated in 1996 with this degree from OU. He got all but his PPL thru them which set him up to instruct and build hours. Then to get his multiengine hours he and his dad went in together and bought a Twin Comanche and did multi-engine instruction with it. By the time he had the hours to apply he had a good assortment of hours in different types of aircraft. All owned by OU, except for a couple of them.
unnecessary_overhead@reddit
It's not impossible but it's not a sure thing either. If she's as smart and motivated as you say she is, she'll land on her feet somewhere even if it isn't flying.
At this point she's never even flown an airplane so don't worry about 5-10 years down the road. Do a few lessons at a local flight school, if that goes well go on to private as her school schedule allows, and at the end of that if she's still got the bug figure out the rest.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Thank you, that seems reasonable for sure. Definitely want to get her going and see if it's something she actually wants to do. It's exciting because we've spoken about careers/college/etc a lot the last year or so, and I've never seen her spark up like she did today when I started asking more questions. She has a whole note pad of research she's done
ReverandBlueJeans@reddit
Money
currymuncher52@reddit
my only tip is i would only do it if it’s your passion. i’ve seen many people who start but never finish because of the time commitment. i got my private at 17 and i was balancing like 6 aps and sat/act all that stuff junior year and it was definitely a challenge. but it was my passion and if i wasn’t doing homework most of the time i was either flying or studying for the checkride/written. if it feels like a chore to her to study then i reccomend she dosent do it. ppl is probably a 20k ish investment but that’s only the tip of the iceberg there is so much more after if she wants to make money doing it or airlines whatever it is. so before investing that money into her i reccomend you ask her those questions.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
She's pretty good with studying and being busy/putting in work. She's section leader in her marching band, plays like 9 instruments, softball, college classes, and now trying to find a part time job to fund her aviation dreams.
Sometimes I really don't know where she got the drive to be honest. I think the discovery flight will tell a lot I hope. She's been saving up to do it, I'll be paying for her birthday.
currymuncher52@reddit
nice yea i worked at my flight school during junior year and got a small discount on the rental fees aswell. it’s a great thing to do and very rewarding aswell. if she does start and wants any tips/ help studying shoot me a message. im 17 and im abt to get my instrument rating
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Very nice! She's turning 16 in July, so I'm hoping she can do some flight stuff here soon.
currymuncher52@reddit
she can start now! i soloed on my 16th birthday. assuming she’s on summer break it’s the perfect time to start studying and get the written exam knocked out
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Oh wow okay, well we're going to have to start really getting serious then lol. I was planning on doing a discovery flight for her birthday.
currymuncher52@reddit
i reccomend doing the written as soon as possible. it gives a decent level of basic knowledge abt flying which helps while studying. the knowledge for the written isn’t nearly everything she needs to know but it’s a start. and i’m guessing she’s going into junior year next year and it will make her life a whole lot easier if she can get the written knocked out.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Yes she'll be a junior next year. I'll definitely let her know and see what we gotta do. I'm sure she already has it mapped out lol
Golfer_Joe@reddit
She's young enough that she could also check out Flying Eagles for a free flight!
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
Someone did recommend that, definitely going to look into it
4surenotathroeawhey@reddit
Grueling and expensive, yes lol but it beats any office job!
Normal people? Idk how else to put this but many pilots I know, including myself sometimes, are the most normal dumbasses you’d ever meet lmao you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to fly a plane. A healthy-ish body and a half working brain will take you a looooong way in aviation.
Honestly the biggest hurdles for most people is money and motivation.
Mundane-Reality-7770@reddit
And a medical... The only way I can get a first class is to get a SODA for monovision. Dad and sis are both color deficient.
jayplusfour@reddit (OP)
She's got the motivation that's for sure. And I agree, beats a desk job. She's a lot like me, I also gave up a desk job career to be a trauma RN lol. We both seem to enjoy adrenaline 🙃
ltcterry@reddit
It will cost $18-20k typically. Maybe more in a high cost area. Please don’t start this process if don’t have the money to see it through.
It’s easy to fly faster than cash flow allows. Starting young it’s possible to progress faster than age legally allows.
I encourage not starting until age 16-1/2 to allow a reasonable path through training, solo, and licensing.
BrtFrkwr@reddit
Get her a Discovery flight.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Basically, my 15, almost 16 year old kiddo has for the last year been interested in becoming a pilot. She's done a ton of research on it, seems to know what's needed and each step of the process. Us as a family has no flight experience at all, whatsoever lol. I do have a family friend who is a pilot with frontier, so planning on setting them up for a chat.
But reading this sub has me a little worried honestly. It seems grueling and expensive. She found a little flight school here I think to get the first license. Nextgen in riverside ca.
She's got a good head on her shoulders, a 4.0 gpa, dual enrolled in community college, should graduate with her associates. She's a good kid and she seems very dead set on this path and I think it's great. But it does seem maybe impossible for normal people?
Any advice or starting points would be helpful! Thank you very much.
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