Breakdown of Private Pilots by Profession/Background? Any Data?

AirDC

AirDC

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Andrew
Hi there -

Does anyone happen to know if there is data out there to show what professions tend to gravitate towards getting their private pilots license? I thought I remembered having to give my occupation during my check-ride application.

Looking for a chart like 20% business executives, 20% lawyers, 20% doctors, 20% Real Estate Developers, 10% students, 5% self-employed, 5% models, etc. Just making arbitrary numbers up - looking for some hard data for research purposes and couldn't find anything online.

Send any links you might be able to share. Thanks!

Thanks!

Drew
 
I would think professional pilot would pretty much be 100% in terms of a profession that has has pilots among its ranks.
 
I see what you did there. I guess I'm looking for more along the lines of data with just Private/IFR rating which would not include those making money from aviation (flight instructors, airline pilots, etc). Although I know many other non-professionals get the ratings for one reason or another.
 
If 5% were models then I think the others would increase by 200% so they could hang out around the models.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
If 5% were models then I think the others would increase by 200% so they could hang out around the models.
Click to expand...

You just described Hollywood's business model. ;)

I heard today that the number of Performing Arts majors graduating from colleges is larger than Civil Engineering, Math, and Science Majors combined.

(The so called "STEM" disciplines, apparently minus computers and Electrical Engineering, as best as I could tell. It was an odd statistic in that it limited itself to Civil Engineering, but even though my statistical bull**** meter was blaring, it's still pretty shocking, nonetheless.)

And the President is coming to my town tomorrow to explain a new system of managing Student Loan debt. This will be good.

Can you say, "Sorry you made an un-wise career choice?" The Country doesn't need that many Performing Arts people.

Plus, who needs a Performing Arts major to be successful in that field?

You show up, you try out. No one cares about a resume' if you're good enough to pack the house.

The best movies and music of my lifetime -- e.g. The stuff I'd pay to see or purchase for personal enjoyment -- often wasn't created by Performing Arts majors.
 
This is kind of strange. I do not see how any sort of correlation could be made between a persons occupation and their decision to take up flying, unless that flying would be a part of their business or occupation.

I believe a correlation could be found based more on income levels than on occupations.

I'm a picture framer, in my youth, I was a paratrooper. I think my once being a paratrooper had more influence on my desire to fly than my profession.

When I started my flying lessons, my business was doing great, I had plenty of money. If I had waited until now to decide I wanted to be a pilot, it would not have happened. My income in the economy of Obama's new America, the one with all the change, does not allow for frivolous things like learning to fly.

John
 
I think there might be a correlation. Its the same thing that causes guys named Chris to work in my profession.
 
I learned to fly before I had a profession.
 
Are you a member of AOPA? Perhaps they have that data?
 
I always wanted to be a pilot from a very young age, didn't know how.

Starting in my mid 20s, I worked a desk job in the air cargo biz (not a rampie) doing very boring things with paperwork and flight schedules.

The smell of JET-A and the sound of turbofan engines every day rekindled my desire to be a pilot as well as providing the means to pay for it all. Right now I'm working on my IR and will be doing my Commercial after that. :D
 
John Baker said:
This is kind of strange. I do not see how any sort of correlation could be made between a persons occupation and their decision to take up flying, unless that flying would be a part of their business or occupation.
Click to expand...

I would expect to see a fairly strong correlation with entrepreneurs, if for no other reason than they are risk takers.

Of course, "entrepreneur" isn't generally considered an occupation.
 
Jay Honeck said:
I would expect to see a fairly strong correlation with entrepreneurs, if for no other reason than they are risk takers.

Of course, "entrepreneur" isn't generally considered an occupation.
Click to expand...

That kind of makes sense. People who have learned to face their fears, like starting a business from scratch, not part time, but jumping headlong into it, would probably be the type to take on the perceived risk of flying.

I think overcoming your fears is really the basis of being alive. You can stay in the safety of your home, and your little cubical at work, then spend your entire life being nice and secure, existing, rather than living.

Facing and conquering your fears is life's greatest challenge. "Open my own business, well I'd love to, but I just don't have the money." "Learn to fly, I have a family, besides, I can't afford it." " jump out of a perfectly good airplane, nonsense, it's not for me." " Pick up that snake, no way, get it away from me."

Actually doing it, then discovering that you actually did it, and your OK after all. There is nothing more exhilarating. It's being alive. It's standing on the very top of the mountain and breathing in that amazingly clean air, with a view that goes on forever. Living, you can't beat it.

I somehow can not equate the act of living as taking a risk. The real risk takers are those poor timid souls who live out their existence in complete security, what a senseless waste of a life. They risk and lose a lifetime of living.

John
 
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Beech used to keep those records. After compiling years worth of stats they stopped. Year after year the data strongly suggested MDs as #1.:rofl:
 
Professional pilots or GA pilots? Big difference in backgrounds. If you assemble data for ALL Private Pilots certs, your data will be skewed by those that get it solely as a stepping stone to ATP or other commercial aviation pursuits.

If your looking just for pilots that obtain it for personal use, then that will give you results like this:

Old curmudgeon with more money than brains. :D
 
There was a thread on this board that showed a strong correlation to certain parameters of the Myers-Briggs personality profile.
 
Lessee, at my home field of those I happen to know who own airplanes:
5 are physicians
3 are GM factory rats
2 are farmers
1 sells seed corn and beans, etc.
1 runs a computer maintenance business
1 is a diesel mechanic and operates his own garage
1 owns a wholesale business involving pumps and piping systems large and small
1 was in the commercial heating and cooling business
1 was a preacher
1 was a corporate jet pilot

Looks like the docs take the prize...

denny-o
factory rat, doctor, entrepreneur who has lost money at every business known to man, so now he is a farmer (no, I did not count myself more than once, above)
 
AirDC said:
Hi there -


looking for some hard data for research purposes and couldn't find anything online.

Send any links you might be able to share. Thanks!

Thanks!

Drew
Click to expand...

I'm starting to wonder what the research is for? It started out with me wondering who would give a darn in the first place?

Perhaps it is to quench some sort of bureaucratic thirst for more statistics. A bureaucracy can never have enough important statistics. Much like a wood shop can never have enough clamps. Well sort of,...... clamps are useful.

John
 
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John Baker said:
That kind of makes sense. People who have learned to face their fears, like starting a business from scratch, not part time, but jumping headlong into it, would probably be the type to take on the perceived risk of flying.

I think overcoming your fears is really the basis of being alive. You can stay in the safety of your home, and your little cubical at work, then spend your entire life being nice and secure, existing, rather than living.

Facing and conquering your fears is life's greatest challenge. "Open my own business, well I'd love to, but I just don't have the money." "Learn to fly, I have a family, besides, I can't afford it." " jump out of a perfectly good airplane, nonsense, it's not for me." " Pick up that snake, no way, get it away from me."

Actually doing it, then discovering that you actually did it, and your OK after all. There is nothing more exhilarating. It's being alive. It's standing on the very top of the mountain and breathing in that amazingly clean air, with a view that goes on forever. Living, you can't beat it.

I somehow can not equate the act of living as taking a risk. The real risk takers are those poor timid souls who live out their existence in complete security, what a senseless waste of a life. They risk and lose a lifetime of living.

John
Click to expand...

That last paragraph is my "Quote of the Day" -- thanks, John!
 
Dr. O said:
Lessee, at my home field of those I happen to know who own airplanes:
5 are physicians
3 are GM factory rats
2 are farmers
1 sells seed corn and beans, etc.
1 runs a computer maintenance business
1 is a diesel mechanic and operates his own garage
1 owns a wholesale business involving pumps and piping systems large and small
1 was in the commercial heating and cooling business
1 was a preacher
1 was a corporate jet pilot

Looks like the docs take the prize...

denny-o
factory rat, doctor, entrepreneur who has lost money at every business known to man, so now he is a farmer (no, I did not count myself more than once, above)
Click to expand...


Nope, Businessmen win!
 
bartmc said:
I dunno, the fly-ins and people I see around the airport show it's not just a problem on the internet boards.
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IT people are a problem? :rofl:

They're only a problem when they start speaking some language I can't comprehend. Then I stop listening. Just like I'm sure many other people do when the conversation includes too many technical flying terms. :idea:
 
Everskyward said:
IT people are a problem? :rofl:

They're only a problem when they start speaking some language I can't comprehend. Then I stop listening. Just like I'm sure many other people do when the conversation includes too many technical flying terms. :idea:
Click to expand...

Ahh you say thst your e-mail doesn't work? ;)

Check that your SMTP and IMAP settings are pointed at the correct FQDN and that SSL is enabled on the appropriate port. If you get a Certificate Error, accept the self-signed X509 Certificate by clicking with the mouse on the "Allow" checkbox. Also check that your host-based firewall is set to allow connectivity from your e-mail client of choice. If still trouble, ping the FQDN and make sure DNS resolution is working properly and that you get an IP address. If ICMP doesn't work, there may be a problem with your router's PPPoE settings, see if you have any connectivity at all. Also make sure you're connected to the VPN. Start by pinging your default route which you can find in the ipconfig or ifconfig depending on operating system, and then moving outward to each hop from there. Traceroute may be of assistance here if your ISP or upstream haven't blocked ICMP messages. Oh it'll be tracert on Windows, sorry.

Or... Just reboot your machine and we'll come look at it if it still doesn't work. What? You accidentally kicked the power cord of your router out of the wall socket? Ah ok then, have a nice day. We'll close the ticket. ;)
 
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