Choosing the right training
Understand your options, compare training paths, and choose the route that makes sense for your goals.
Career talks with Austin Reed
You want to fly. Let’s talk about what that actually takes.
Airline Pilot Path is a one-on-one consulting business for people who are interested in becoming a pilot. We’ll talk on a scheduled video or phone call. I’ve been flying since 2009. I’m a flight instructor. I was Assistant/Chief Pilot at a major Part 141 school. Two regional airlines, currently CA on the Airbus 320 at a legacy carrier.
I’m not here to sell you a seat in a program. I’m here to help you decide if this path is right for you and give you an honest picture of what it takes.
Get the Right Plan Before You Start Spending
Flight training is a major investment, and the decisions you make early can have a lasting impact on both your career and your finances.
I’ll help you understand your options — including flight schools, training pathways, scholarships, financing, and the right order to earn your certificates — so you can make informed decisions before committing tens of thousands of dollars.
One conversation now can help you avoid expensive mistakes later.
So we’re clear
Guidance for the path, not another flight school.
Advice from someone who’s done it
Real-world guidance from a professional pilot who has gone from flight training and instructing to the airlines.
A plan before you spend
Map out the path ahead before committing significant time and money to training.
Who this is for
People who want a straight answer before they spend the money.
01
You haven’t started yet
You’re curious, maybe serious, and you don’t want the first person you talk to to be someone trying to sign you up.
02
You’re in the middle of deciding
You’ve read the forums. You’ve gotten the sales calls. You want a plain answer about what this actually takes.
03
You’re changing careers
You have a job, a family, or a timeline that isn’t a blank page. You need the path explained in those terms.
About Austin
Flying since 2009. Instructor. Then the airlines.
I’m Austin Reed. I started flying in 2009. I’m a flight instructor. I was Assistant/Chief Pilot at a major Part 141 school. Two regional airlines, currently CA on the Airbus 320 at a legacy carrier.
That list is the short version. The longer one is a lot of years, a lot of students, and a lot of work that didn’t look like a highlight reel. If you want that, it’s on the About page.
What a conversation is for
- Whether this career actually fits you.
- What the path from first lesson to an airline job looks like.
- The money and time conversation. The goal is to give you a clearer picture of what becoming a pilot actually requires.
- What to ask a flight school before you sign anything.
- Questions you’ve been sitting on and didn’t want to ask a recruiter.
Guides
Plain answers, before you talk to a school.
I wrote these for the questions people actually show up with. Start anywhere. If you want them applied to your situation, write me.
- How to become a pilot
Whether the career fits, the usual certificates, and what to ask a school before you spend the money.
- Talk to an airline pilot
What a one-on-one career call with a working airline pilot is for, and how to book one.
- Part 61 vs Part 141
How the two training rules differ, what the hour minimums say, and the restricted ATP fine print.
- How long it takes to become an airline pilot
The path from zero time toward a regional and a major, and why the FAA minimums are not a schedule.
- How much it costs to become an airline pilot
Where the money goes, the ranges people quote, and how to read a school’s number.
- Becoming an airline pilot as a career changer
Starting later, with a job or a family: age rules, the medical, and the pay gap while you build time.
- How to prepare for an airline pilot interview
What airline interviews tend to cover, and how to prepare your logbook and your stories.
If you want a straight conversation, write me.
Tell me where you are in this — never flown, looking at schools, changing careers — and what you’re trying to figure out. I’ll write back, and we’ll schedule a video or phone call.