dollar-and-a-dream asked: hello. im going to school at western michigan university for aviation flight science. i have already soloed twice, so just in the traffic pattern. soon ill be doing my solo out beyond the airport. do you have any advice for the rest of my training and afterwords?

I could, I’m sure, offer a thousand bits of advice about procedures or stick and rudder flying, but that’s what your instructor’s for. My best advice is to have fun, man. Obviously there are lifestyle choices you already need to be making if your goal is to be a professional pilot (don’t do drugs, don’t get a DUI, etc), but the one bit of advice I wish someone had given to me when I was training was just to enjoy it and have some fun. I know it feels like a race to the finish line and there are times when flight training can be stressful but looking back on it, my time as a student and as an instructor was some of the most fun flying I’ve ever done. I love my job but it’s much more rigid and tedious at times. That’s not to say airline flying isn’t fun, because it absolutely can be (there’s nothing more fun than popping through the clouds doing 250), but the goal is safety and efficiency, so occasionally fun falls by the wayside. Don’t be in such a hurry that you forget to enjoy the journey. If this is what you want, your time will come.

Also, keep in mind that if your goal is to fly professionally some day, you really need to develop other hobbies. When you’re in primary training, flying is your hobby. When it becomes your job you need to find something new. You have no idea how many times I talk to my peers and when we get to the topic of what you do in your free time, there’s an awkward silence. Don’t let this job or any other job define you. It’s difficult sometimes because this is much more of a lifestyle than just a job. Admittedly I’m guilty of this too and I’m trying to follow my own advice on this one.

Oh, and enjoy your holidays now because later you’re going to work every single one for the rest of your life.