After a student pilot graduates, they do not have enough flight hours to qualify for the airline. Specifically the diploma program, a graduated student comes out with 200 hours, when airlines require 1,000 - 1,500 hours. Graduated students can gain their hours through flight instructing.

 

This process of gaining hours can take up to 2-3 years, and the pilot only gets paid for the hours spent airborne , which means only when the plane leaves the ground. So, I flight instructor may only get up to 3 full training hours per day, resulting in a $60 - $80 daily pay check.

With a debt to pay of $60,000 - $80,000 dollars, upfront, you can see why so my aspired pilots were steered away from their dreams.