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PIAnswering some of my most asked questions as an airline pilot ✈️
Q: Where did you go to flight school?
A: I went to SIU Carbondale.
Q: Did you go to college or just flight school?
A: Both! SIU is a Part 141 aviation program, so I got two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management and an Associate of Applied Science in Aviation Flight.
Q: How long did it take you to become a pilot?
A: My first flight was April 11, 2018 and I passed my ATP checkride on April 26, 2025, so just over 7 years.
Q: How many flight hours did you need?
A: I only needed 1000 hours because I have a restricted ATP from going to an accredited Part 141 university.
Q: How much did it cost?
A: Honestly… I have no idea. Between loans, tuition, fun rental flights, ground schools, Sheppard Air, all the written exams… it’s impossible to add up.
Q: Did you take out loans?
A: Yes, I used student loans through my college. Anything the loans didn’t cover came from savings, and I worked through college as well.
Q: How did you build flight time?
A: I instructed at SIU and UND Aerospace Foundation in Phoenix, Arizona.
Q: What aircraft do you fly?
A: CRJ550 (CL-65 type rating)
Q: Do you fly domestic or international?
A: Both, but international is just Ottawa, Canada lol
Q: What’s your schedule like?
A: It changes every month, but I’m pretty senior so I usually get what I bid for. We find out our schedule 2 weeks prior to that month starting.
Q: How many days do you work per month?
A: Usually around 12–14 days.
Q: What’s the hardest part of the job?
A: The sleep schedule. I track it with my @whoop which gives me a lot of insight on how I can try to improve my sleep quality.
Q: What’s your favorite part?
A: The sense of purpose. Nothing has ever felt as right for me as this career.
Q: What’s something people don’t know about being a pilot?
A: We don’t just do one flight a day usually, especially at regionals. We can be scheduled to fly up to 5 flights in a single day.
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@pilot.kaia
