In our last episode, we discussed the 10 reasons you should become an air traffic controller. Joining me again today is George Harper, an air traffic control manager, to discuss 10 reasons you may not want to become an air traffic controller.
Ten Reasons You Should Not Become An Air Traffic Controller:
Afraid of heights.
Don’t like high-stress environments.
Don’t like being responsible for people’s lives.
The opposite of intellectually stimulating can be intellectually exhausting
Rarely 9-5 Mon-Fri (schedule)
Cannot make mistakes (at all)
Never routine, always changing
Ongoing training and refresher training are required monthly
May have to move for career
It’s a difficult field to get into.
With a shortage of air traffic controllers, there has been a renewed interest in the career. I have with me George Harper, an air traffic control manager, who will discuss the 10 reasons why you should become an Air Traffic Controller. George joined us on the show 5 years ago when we had a great conversation about what it is like to be a controller. Check out episode 285 to learn more.
Ten Reasons You Should Become An Air Traffic Controller:
An office with an amazing view.
Home every day.
Pay and Benefits
$137,380
Intellectually stimulating.
Something different every day
Adrenalin rush
Challenging
Elite career and is respected
Professional video gamer -Radar-
Rewarding career, keeping people safe
An aviation career spans a lifetime, and you will experience a recession at some point. With all the talk in the news about a recession, I figured it was time to discuss how to survive a recession in your aviation career. I have discussed this topic often over the past decade, but we need a refresh for the current marketplace.
Visit our sponsor Stratus Financial – Where Dreams Take Flight. Stratus Financial offers loans for pilot training, and they understand your needs because they are pilots! You can find more at https://stratus.finance/
Whether financing your dream of flying or simplifying the process by taking care of your student loans, their efficient, hassle-free funding can connect you to the life of your dreams of becoming a professional pilot sooner than you ever thought possible! To find out more, click here: https://stratus.finance
As a sponsor of this podcast, Stratus Financial is giving away scholarship guides, and you can get yours for free using the coupon code “Stratus” when you visit https://www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/free/
If you are thinking of becoming a pilot, choosing the right flight school is important. In today’s video we will discuss how to find the flight school that is best for you. Although this list of items are for those who are considering a career in aviation many of these items apply to pilots who want to fly recreationally.
Location.
Housing situation?
Work will you be flying?
Can you travel for a quick course?
Maintenance.
Ratings.
Will you need to go somewhere else for a rating?
A big school may make you go to another location for the rating.
Availability of Planes and Instructors.
Part Time vs Full Time.
141 vs 61.
Many schools prioritize 141 and other contracts.
GI Bill
After your private
Veterans Readiness and Employment (formerly VocRehab)for private pilot certificate https://www.va.gov/careers-employment/vocational-rehabilitation/programs/
Collegiate Programs. https://studentaid.gov
Talk to your advisor at the college.
Financing.
Employment.
How much are instructors flying?
Contingency plan.
How do you get your money out if you move or have a financial or medical setback?
Don’t let people on social media steal your dreams! Research shows that negative comments outnumber positive comments almost 2 for one and when someone posts something negative there are many more comments. Therefore it is easier to find negativity online than positivity. Today I am going to give you tools on how to combat negativity online and help you pursue your dreams!
Negativity Bias Is Real And Treatable.
Negative people are often the loudest.
Carl tells a story about a former fighter pilot working as an airline captain who loves his job in episode 88 August 2015. Also in Sept 2013 episode 38, we discuss not listening to the naysayers. https://www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/acp088-carls-theory-of-negativity-and-how-to-stay-positive/ https://www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/acp038-dont-listen-to-the-naysayers/
Be careful who you share your dreams with. Family and friends can be the most negative, find a mentor with experience doing what you want to do.
Work on the things you can control, don’t let the things you can’t control draw you down.
It is important to distinguish between negativity and reality. Sometimes you need to decide not to do something for a good reason.
Look for people who positively inspire you to make the best decisions, not just fill you up with sunshine.
When giving corrections and criticism, it is much better to continue to stay positive.
Successful people are criticized most often because they are more visible.
Challenge you to find a negative comment and think how you would respond or react positively.
It is usually best to ignore all the negativity.
Take a break. I turned off my TV for 8 years while building my first large business.
Links:
ACP088 Carl’s Theory of Negativity and How to Stay Positive:
Hiring is on the uptick and many of you are headed for training at your first airline, here are the things you should do to prepare for your first airline job. I am Carl Valeri, an A320 captain and instructor with a major airline.
Memory Items and Limitations.
Study and be prepared.
Too many failures due to lack of studying.
You have a direct effect on changing this.
Use the correct study guide.
Prepare your friends and family.
Remind them this is like basic training in the military without the pushups.
Sleep.
Stay healthy.
Be flexible
Sims do break and schedules change in general.
Ask for help if needed.
Better to extend your training than fail a check-ride reportable to the FAA.
Keep studying.
If you get a long break between training events ask for more training.
Don’t try and be the ACE of the base.
Contingency planning.
What if you get sick?
What if a family member gets sick?
Visit our sponsor Stratus Financial – Where Dreams Take Flight. Stratus Financial offers loans for pilot training and they understand your needs because they are pilots! you can find more at https://stratus.finance/
Whether financing your dream of flying or simplifying the process by taking care of your student loans, their efficient, hassle-free funding can connect you to the life of your dreams of becoming a professional pilot sooner than you ever thought possible! To find out more https://stratus.finance
As a sponsor of this podcast, Stratus Financial is giving away scholarship guides and you can get yours for free using the coupon code “Stratus” when you visit https://www.aviationcareerspodcast.com/free/
The aviation industry has grown and is on a continued trajectory leading to a shortage of mechanics and pilots.. A challenge to aviation both today and for the foreseeable future is keeping quality mechanics and trying to slow the high turnover rates. Taking a unique approach to the problem of retention is CEO of JETS MRO Suresh Narayanan. If you are someone looking towards a career in aviation or trying to retain maintainers you will learn much from Suresh, a successful aviation entrepreneur and industry ambassador.
Suresh is a passionate aviator with a family tradition in aviation dating back to the Concord.
His Path To Jets MRO CEO.
What is JETS MRO?
Is there a high turnover of mechanics? If so, what industry is affected the most?
How do we address the high turnover rates of mechanics?
His path forward and outlook for the MRO industry.
Aircraft fleets are growing and the number of hours flown keeps increasing.
To fly these airplanes we need more mechanics both now and in the future.
The prospects are good for an annual growth rate of 5% per year according to government statistics.
Joining me today is an aircraft mechanic who helps mechanics reach their career goals.
Mark Joy is a certificated A & P mechanic with over 15 years of experience.
Mark has a specialized background in avionics and drone research and development.
To top it off, Mark is also a private pilot.
Mark also believes that you don’t need to spend tons of money to become a mechanic and explains why in this episode.
Questions feedback@aviationcareerspodcast.com?
Send us your accomplishments and a photo if you want us to share in the podcast on YouTube to feedback@aviationcareerspodcast.com
Talking Points:
Why Mark loves being a mechanic.
I find fulfillment in making things “work” again
I have ADHD and have found that there is something about doing hands-on work that gets me into the deep “flow” state
I enjoy solving hard problems
What type of job opportunities for mechanics?
Manufacturers
Airlines
Line Mx
Hangar Mx
General Aviation
Contracting
For civilian businesses
For the military/government
Drones
Drone delivery services
Google Wing
Zipline
Mana
Amazon (under construction)
Drone manufacturing & repair
Consumer
Military & Government use
Data collection
Space (rockets, satellites, etc)
Specializations within any of these:
Structures (sheet metal, composites)
NDT
Avionics
Powerplants
Manufacturing/Assembly
QA
R&D
You can also work outside the aviation sector:
Amusement parks
Renewable energy (wind turbines, solar, etc)
Railroads
Other manufacturing
Many other hands-on skilled trades
What the future of mechanic hiring looks like
Per Bureau of Labor Projection Stats thru 2033:
5% growth total (same as all other occupations)
8% for avionics
5% for other Mx, repair, and service
~13,400 job openings per year
Due to folks retiring or leaving for other fields
Growth in pax travel and shipping demand
May also see an uptick in space travel
Why you don’t need to spend a ton of money on getting your mechanic certification.
Employers know that if you are a new A&P, you’re going to need some level of job-specific training anyway
You have your A&P, or you don’t. How much you spent doesn’t really matter to employers.
A&P is generally accepted in aviation as a “license to learn”
If you already have the required experience, there is no FAA requirement to spend any money on a PT147 school if you don’t want to – you just need to prepare for the tests and pass them.
What are some of the misperceptions most have about being a mechanic?
If they’ve never picked up a wrench, you can’t do this job
They won’t be able to pass the tests
They won’t make very much money
2023 wages:
Top 10%: $115k
Median: $75k
Bottom 10%: $45k or less
How can we reach Mark?
Download my free ultimate guide on how to become a mechanic – https://markhjoy.com/guide
Email me: mark@markhjoy.com
Links:
Become an Aircraft Mechanic – Ultimate Guide | Free PDF download for listeners:
In this episode, we will discuss the 10 reasons you should NOT become an airline pilot. In our last episode, we talked about the many great reasons to become an airline pilot but there are some reasons you should NOT become an airline pilot.
10 Reasons You Should NOT Become An Airline Pilot:
You are away from home many nights.
You will miss many holidays, birthdays, and family events.
If something goes wrong at home you might be thousands of miles away.
You like changing jobs often.
Don’t like an unstable industry prone to swings in the economy.
You don’t like continuous training and testing of your skills and knowledge.
You don’t like working in an enclosed environment.
You can work 16-hour days.
Income comes later during your career.
You don’t work well in stressful environments.
In the last episode, we answered whether you should become a pilot in 2025. In today’s episode, I want to get very specific as to why you should become an airline pilot. In future episodes, we will discuss reasons you should become a General Aviation Pilot.
Send us your accomplishments and a photo if you want us to share in the podcast on YouTube to feedback@aviationcareerspodcast.com
10 Reasons You Should Become An Airline Pilot:
Visit the world and get paid.
Safest aviation work environment.
Great Pay and Benefits.
Travel the world for free.
When you are off you are off. No calling into work on days off.
No office politics since you don’t work in an office.
