In Which I Decide to Become a Professional Pilot

Yup, that's right. I am leaving my career in the software industry to go fly airplanes for a living. I left my job back in June, and since then I've spent a lot of time thinking about where I want to go and what I want to do with the rest of my life. The reality is that flying is the first thing I can remember ever wanting to do, and I'm at the point where I either need to go for it, or give up the dream for good. I came to the realization that I didn't want to risk living the rest of my life regretting not pursuing a dream I've had since I was a little kid. So with that in mind, and with the support of my amazing wife, I've enrolled in the Airline Career Pilot Program at Airline Transport Professionals (ATP). ATP is the largest flight school in country, and they offer a fast-track program that results in getting the multi-engine, instrument, single- and multi-engine commercial, certified flight instructor, certified instrument instructor, and multi-engine instructor ratings in 90 days. Those are all the ratings one needs to be a professional pilot. I start training on September 24 in Mesa, Arizona. After that I have a guaranteed job with ATP as a flight instructor in order to build enough hours to get hired by a regional airline. Ultimately I hope to be hired on at a regional by this time next year.

To say I'm excited is an understatement. This is going to be an incredible adventure, as well as a huge challenge. The training is intense, and I'll be flying pretty much seven days a week. There's a huge amount to learn, and I've already started studying for the first phase of the program, which is the multi-engine rating. I already have my multi-engine checkride scheduled for October 2, and I haven't even started the school yet!

This will also be a big challenge personally, as I will have to be living away from my wife and kids for at least three months. The longest I've ever been away from home previously was two weeks. While in Arizona, I'll be living with three other ATP students in a two bedroom apartment. I haven't had a roommate since my Army days over 20 years ago, so needless to say that will take some getting used to. I hope they can handle living with a gassy, grumpy, middle-aged guy like me :)

I will try to keep this blog updated with my progress and experiences, so check back to see how it's going.

Oh, and the one downside of all this is that the school dress code forbids facial hair, which means I've had to shave off my handlebar moustache. :(