1. Nothing can top your first solo flight.
The minute you lift off the ground, you realize you’re the only person that can bring the plane back to the ground safely. And when you touch down, you realize you’ve accomplished something very few people have.
2. You learn how to make good decisions.
You need to understand situations and make decisions based on the information you have available to you. You’ll also quickly understand your limits, and what it takes to improve them.
3. Flying makes you smarter.
No joke. Becoming a pilot makes you smarter. You’ll gain knowledge that you never thought you would need to know. You’ll become a better planner and a logical decision maker. You’ll learn good resource management, how to be patient and how to operate safely, with a sense of urgency.
4. It’s exciting! Flying an airplane is fun stuff.
That’s why people are attracted to it in the first place. Getting behind the controls of a huge machine, pushing the throttle forward and taking off from the runway is a blast. Even when the initial adrenaline rush wears off and you’ve become so experienced that your actions are almost automated, there is always somewhere new to fly or a new airplane to learn.
5. Flying can lead to some amazing careers.
Most people think of airline pilots as the primary flying career, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to flying.
6. You’ll join an elite group.
Aviators may have a reputation for being bold, careless and insensitive, but this stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth. The people in the aviation industry are a different breed. When you become a pilot, you join an instant fraternity – without the hazing. As a new pilot, your new aviation friends will embrace you, help you and support you. They’ll make you never want to give up.
7. The view is stunning.
It doesn’t matter if you’re flying around your state or around the world, you’ll get to see things like never before.
8. It’s challenging.
If flying wasn’t challenging, it wouldn’t be nearly as rewarding. And when you have a bad day, it makes those good days in the air that much better.
9. It’s a part of who you are.
Flying is addictive. And for most pilots out there, it’s a longtime, if not lifetime, dream to become an aviator.
10. You’ll gain a new respect for the world around you.
It might not happen overnight, but eventually, you’ll have these moments when you understand the magnitude of flight; how immense of a privilege it really is to be a pilot.
