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I am a honorably discharged disabled vet. I applied for vocational
rehabilitation and was accepted. Va will pay 100% of my education. I
am very weak in math, how much is involved in this profession. Where
do we see this profession in the future, anyone have any advice,
suggestions or guidance for me. Thank You.
-- Mark Hall, January 21, 2010
My friend Dirk, a jet pilot, says that "pilots are notoriously stupid". Certainly there are plenty of meatheads with pilot certificates who would be dead if the dispatchers had not done all of the calculations for them. That said, no actual mathematics is required on FAA exams. A person who was at the 5th grade level with arithmetic could do just fine and, in any case, it is acceptable to use calculators during the tests.There should eventually be jobs again in aviation as a wave of older pilots retire upon reaching 65 starting in 2013. The retirement age was recently changed from 60 to 65, just in time for the economic collapse of 2008-? and therefore U.S. airlines may not need to hire anyone until 2013-2015. With no demand from the airlines, there won't be much room in flight schools either.
If you're young (employers don't like to hire older workers) and willing to relocate, possibly in an Arab or Asian country, it might be a viable career.
-- Philip Greenspun, February 18, 2010