Most common airline pilot questions >> Q: Where did you go to flight school? A: I went to the University of North Dakota (UND). Q: Did you go to college or just flight school? A: Both! I double majored in commercial aviation and unmanned aircraft systems, with an emphasis in aviation safety and accident investigation. Q: How long did it take you to get to the airlines? A: 4.5 years. I got my private pilot license in high school, started UND in 2018 with a transition course, then did the rest of my ratings. I went to the airlines in May 2023 at 22, including a 9 month COVID delay. Q: How many flight hours did you need? A: 1,000, because UND is R-ATP. I actually had 975.1, since 25 hours of airline sim training can count toward it. I got incredibly lucky with timing, so don't expect that. I've known CFIs who built an extra 1,000 hours. Q: How much did it cost? A: Around $180k for college, flight, and housing, but UND is one of the cheapest college flight programs for the quality. In-state tuition after freshman year was about $5k a semester, flight training separate. Q: What's something most people don't know about being a pilot? A: Quality of life is based around seniority. No matter how hard you work, your schedule & life will be based on your hire date. Q: How did you build flight time? A: Flight instructing at UND. I was a lead flight instructor and gave certificate-granting checkrides and stage checks through my school's in-house examining authority. Q: What are you type rated on? A: The E175 and the 737. Q: What's one thing you wish you knew before starting flight training? A: If you can't fly at least 3x a week, you're wasting money, because instead of staying proficient and having the muscle memory, you're spending the first 1/2 of every lesson relearning what you did last time instead of progressing. So if you can't fly 3 times a week, you should wait until you can. Q: What do you do outside of flying? A: I love talking with the next generation of students, and I'm building resources for them through my company, Airlines on Autopilot. #pilot #pilotlife #airlinepilot #studentpilot #flighttraining - @pilot.avabelle