Mid Life Crisis gift to myself, Pilot Training

(flight-sim newsgroup trimmed)

"RandyL" wrote in message
...
Har,
I certainly don't want to tell you what to do, but here is an
observation. $8500 is a LOT of money. You could certainly use it to get
your commercial license, but I am wondering how useful a commercial
license will be to you.

Note that in his case, the difference between the Commercial and the
"Multi-passenger" (must be some Canadian thing) is only $1000 CDN.

The whole purpose of getting a commercial license is to get a job with a
commercial carrier.

"The whole purpose"? Not even close.

Yes, many commercially certificated pilots want a job with a commercial
carrier. But there are a lot of jobs involving commercial certification
that don't involve a commercial carrier, most of which are not subject to
the mandatory retirement at 60 rule. Beyond that, many pilots get their
commercial certification without any intention of ever flying for hire.

[...] I'm just wondering if that $8500 could be better used to perhaps
purchase an airplane of your own.

If he spends $8500 on a new airplane (and by the way, $8500 CDN, doesn't get
you much of an airplane...that's ultralight territory, tops...it's not even
enough for a 1/4 share of a Cessna 172).

You might do a little investigating before you plunk down a lot of money
on a commercial rating, and see just what the minimum requirements are for
employment with a commercial carrier. It's just something to think about.

If he has no intention of being employed with a commercial carrier, then the
minimum requirements for doing so are irrelevant. He may have other,
entirely valid, reasons for wanting a Commercial certificate.

Pete