Flying airplanes

[TheWhiteFlame]

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ok, so my original career dream was to be an airline pilot and i started flying at a young age. but i quit before college (obviously had a change of heart)


but, i miss it and i want to do it again. and, if i thought it would help me get into med school i would do it even more vigorously.

what say you? if i did it, i would want to become a CFI (certified flight instructor).

this involves
1. flying airplanes
2. teaching students how to fly airplanes
^^which you could imagine the responsibility it takes to pilot aircraft. (flying in extreme weather conds, flying people, peoples lives in your hands yada)

i already have a private license. the only drawback to this is it require a s-ton of work. 5+ written exams and practical tests (people make careers out of being CFI's). i would do it during undergrad obvs. would probably take me about 12-16 months. im currently a sophomore.

??

 

[mauberley]

Do what makes you happy. Don't do something just because it looks good on an application.

That having been said, there might be elements of your activity to tie to an argument for transferable skills, but not necessarily a motivation for medicine.

 

[LegendaryPunk]

First and foremost - will you be able to maintain a strong GPA? What about fulfilling all other necessary EC "requirements?"

How much continuing education is required? Will you able to meet those requirements while in med school?

 

[halethsonofhama]

Its definitely going to be an interesting mark on your application that will turn flight from a "hobby" to work experience.

I know flying and cert can be expensive, and I doubt you would be able to make much as a part time instructor, but if it is a personal goal then go for it.

I would advise trying to make flying sound more important than it really is. Flying can be dangerous, but so is J walking and I didn't put that on my app. If you have to stress anything, stress the teaching aspect of it

 

[TheWhiteFlame]

to be completely honest i dont think it would affect my GPA because it would entirely be a "do at your own pace" type thing. that being said, about 80% of the time required is actual flying time which 1. is fun 2. has a lot of down time (in the air, copilot with someone, all you do is talk sh.)


then, once you obtain CFI, its just a regular job. go up, teach some skills for an hour and bill people.

but i really think i could make a case for transferable skills. because it requires a lot of preparation and focus. idk.

i may not go all the way with CFI, i may just stop at commercial multi engine or something. but i definitely think that it would bring something different to the table (not saying i would just do it for the resume).

 

[halethsonofhama]

I have to admit that I am jealous of you. I've always had the bug to fly, but never had the money to pay for it. I figure One day I'll learn.

I know you say you would keep on licensing higher for yourself, if so, great. Just keep in mind that the admissions committee probably won't see a difference between private pilot or multi engine commercial; they'll just see "I fly planes." So don't sacrifice other pre-med ECs for flying.

 

[Avoidthetiger]

While flying is an awesome passion to have, I am confused about why you would seek to be a CFI and a premed at the same time. It seems like if you want to be a flight instructor/pilot, you should go for it and do it for a few years. CFIs can make about $30-35k a year (just starting). Of course, that's after how many thousands of loans -- 10k+ (most pilots I know have over 50k in flight-fee only loans)(.... unless someone is paying for you to get the flight hours -- in which case, why even bother to become a CFI? Just fly yourself around and enjoy it.)

As a premed, you should probably be focusing alittle bit more towards premed things. Flying is a nice hobby, but it won't make or break your application -- in fact, they might think that you are going into a career that you are less passionate about than flying (especially if you go for the CFI, a career move more so than a fun job). Additionally, those "flight skills" really aren't as "transferable" as you think -- you can get those same leadership skills at other jobs or experiences.

For me though, it seems like a lot of undergrad loans for flying AND then a LOT MORE grad school loans for medical school... and i don't know if I would think it's worth it.

 

[Bungie]

Do you still have to get your IFR and commerical license? Work on getting those first and if they aren't a problem keep on your path toward becoming a CFI. I personally wouldn't want a young flight instructor. I'd prefer somebody with at least 1,000 PIC but that's just me (I don't remember what's required for CFI.)

 

[demh23]

I was also very interested in flying in the military but I recently found out that my vision is not correctable to 20/20. The path to the airlines via the civilian world is simply an insult to every professional pilot out there (CFI earn ~13k a year full time, regional copilot ~23k first year pay [remember they all paid like 40-60k for their flight training]) but I am interested in at least getting my Pvt / instrument while in college and racking up hours. It would look good on the resume and its something I'm really interested in. Maybe if I can free up some cash I would go for the CFI and do freelance instructing in the summers or something. Anyway what I'm saying is go for it, you can never get rid of the aviation bug once you've been bit by it. 🙂

What Bungie said about being uneasy around a new CFI is not the norm.. Yes there are some career CFI's out there who grow old instructing but the vast majority are young guys in their 20's waiting to make it to the regionals.