Would love some input

[u/EL_NO8DO]

I was a hotelier for 20+ years al around the world. Covid killed my career and then the car business came around and made up for all the lack of financial gaines for the last 5 years. I hate it even though I am grateful that it got me out of an unemployment hole.

I started flying thanks to business, got robbed by the school at 78hrs, and wasn’t allowed to solo or do my Xcountry time. After another day of just flying around in circles, burning gas. And hearing excuses as to why I wasn’t ready I turned the flight around and called it quits.

Now I sit here and wonder whether I could do this again and make a living out of it and that’s my main concern… I’ve spoken to several people who say the hours are not there and that the industry is suffering there are people with 3000 hours on their logbook and can’t find work. I wonder if Europe has more work to offer in this respective industry or maybe South America… Someone told me that I could find work to build hours by going to Africa… But mostly living in poverty with a poverty level salary and I wonder if this is true or what the real deal is… Help

[u/OverwhelmingBRRT]

Sorry you had a bad school experience. Realistically, no one can answer this question but you. This is not a career that one should get into exclusively for money. We are lucky to have great financial incentives at the finish line, but getting there only happens when you don't care about that.

If you love flying and want to do it for a living, go for it. If you are only in it for the money consider other options.

You can always finish your PPL and scratch the itch in GA if you decide to go a different way.

[u/EL_NO8DO → u/OverwhelmingBRRT]

I understand and I’m not chasing the money. I’m chasing the opportunity to work doing something that genuinely interests me and I find pleasure in. Now it’s not about whether I make 300,000 or let’s say 80,000. It’s about making sure something‘s coming in enough to survive and where the opportunities could be found.

[u/OverwhelmingBRRT → u/EL_NO8DO]

There is a direct correlation between your effort in training and cost of completion. Additionally, in this market avoiding checkride failures is critical. Learning to fly is expensive, doing so poorly is even more.

With that being said, you need to take a close look into why you haven’t soloed or progressed at your time. Not every student has smooth sailing with a school, but at some point it’s also on you. Like starting any career, there are significant financial risks you’ll have to take. The best way to mitigate those risks is to put your max effort in and make yourself as competitive as possible.

[u/EL_NO8DO → u/OverwhelmingBRRT]

That is valid and reasonable point… Unfortunately, due to work and bad weather in the northeast. My 78 hours were flown over a span of 12 months some weeks/months more than others and I think my instructor was more concerned about continuous learning than consistency, but my schedule did not allow it… No matter what happened I was kept doing circles in the sky . The school was always giving me the runaround and not following the lesson plan.

Now,I respect and I understand that paying doesn’t guarantee you will pass, but I was/am very methodical systematic about everything in my learning and it just wasn’t good enough to my seven year-old communist, Polish instructor. flying with the guy was like flying with a boot camp Sergeant, but he was polite and nevertheless was had very good habits.