Flying really the best job in the world, but only a small number will stick with it an actually achieve their dreams. The comparison is the huge amount of high schoolers that played basketball and the very small number that acutally make it to the NBA.

Due to the massive shortage of qualified pilots, the timing has never been better for you to consider a career in aviation.

 

BEFORE YOU SPEND MONEY

We have all heard that if do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.

The first question to ask yourself is would flying make you happy?

Do you naturally have the right stuff?

Before you spend tens of thousands of dollars to get your flight ratings see if your personality is well suited to becoming a pilot.

And no, you do not need to be good at math.

  • Excel under pressure - When you have an engine failure or a cargo fire at 30,000 feet,  everyone is counting on you to stay calm and do what you have been trained to do.
  • Disciplined - Are you a good rule follower? In your career, you will follow MANY checklists, the owner of the airplane is not looking for creativity or out-of-the-box thinking. Color within the lines.
  • Extrovert - You will be flying with another crew member locked in a room the size of a small closet for hours and hours. The FAA will not allow you to read in the cockpit, so you’d better have some good stories to keep the other pilot entertained. 
  • Attention to detail  -  When you do your preflight have the attitude that, "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong." Be suspicious. "In God we trust, everything else . . . we check."
  • Positive and Confident- A can-do attitude is critical. People put their lives in your hands - quiet confidence is a trait you must possess.
  • Likes novelty - The only thing you can count on is change. You will have packed your suitcase for San Diego, but at the last minute find out the airplane needs to go to New York in a raging snowstorm.
  • Dislike 9 to 5 and the daily grind - Every day is different. Airplanes fly 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. You will be working at very odd hours.
  • Dislike working in a cubicle - It is the best inside job that is really outside. You have a great view that very few other people get to experience. 
  • Likes to travel - You get to see the world on someone else’s dime. People ask airline pilots all the time, "What route do you fly?" They are expecting to reply, "Chicago to New York." Or "Paris".  The reality is "Domestic" or "International" is as close as you can get. There is nothing static about the career of a pilot. Your route really depends on the fuel range of the airplane and changes all the time.
  • Likes a challenge - Flying the airplane is not hard, but being mentally prepared for absolutely anything is. You need to be laid back but on your toes at the time.
  • Likes to be tested - You will have the check rides every 6 to 12 months depending on who your work for.

A large majority of pilots have a specific personality type. Research has shown that this personality occurs in 8% of the general population but 95% of pilots.

Applicants to the military and airlines often have take an expanded version of the Myers-Briggs Personality Test. Most pilots test as ESTJ. Not all mind you, but many.

From www.truity.com: ESTJ stands for Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging. ESTJ indicates a person who is energized by time spent with others (Extraverted), who focuses on facts and details rather than ideas and concepts (Sensing), who makes decisions based on logic and reason (Thinking), and who prefers to be planned and organized rather than spontaneous and flexible (Judging). ESTJs are sometimes referred to as Supervisor personalities because they tend to take charge and make sure things are done correctly.

Below is link to the abbreviated version of the test to see if you naturally have the right stuff.

Free Myers Briggs Personality test

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