Taylor: Captain Fred how did you become an airline pilot?

Capt Fred: I went through the 2 year Air Force ROTC program while attending the University of Michigan. After graduating with a BA degree in Economics I went to Willams AFB in Phoenix, AZ. There I trained in the T-37 and T-38 jet trainers for about 1 year.

Taylor: What type of flying did you do while going through the Air Force training?

Capt Fred: Great question Taylor. The T-37 was a fun airplane to fly. The takeoff and landing speed was from 80-100 knots. After takeoff we would fly out to airspace that was specifically reserved for military aircraft. There we would do stall training, loops, aileron rolls, barrell rolls, cuban eights, split s, intrument training and formation training. Our acrobatic training was done about 250 knots to enable us to complete the manuever. As I advanced to the T-38 all the speeds doubled and everything happened much faster. All this was excellent training for decision making and planning your mission.

Taylor: What did you do after pilot training?

Capt Fred: Through out pilot training all the instructors are evaluating you in a number of areas. Flying skills, leadership, team work, officer skills and many others. At the end of pilot training you are assigned a category. TTB which stands for tanker, transport, bomber. FAR which stands for fighter attack, reconissance. FAR/IP which is FAR and instructor pilot. I was one of the few chosen to become an instructor pilot and went to additional training to learn how instruct new students in the T-37. I went to Randolph AFB in San Antonio TX where we learned to fly and instruct, look for common errors, and many other grading items.

Taylor: Did you enjoy being a T-37 instructor?

Capt Fred: Yes, it was a fantastic experience. Not only did I become a better pilot but I was able to meet many great new students and got to know my fellow instructors better. I went on to be a Check Pilot which is the instructor that gave checkrides to the students. I then went on to be in standardization where I gave instructor pilots their checkrides. When it was time for me to put in for a new assignment I chose the C-5 Galaxy as it was the largest transport aircraft in the free world at the time.

Taylor: Wow, that is fantastic! That is like going from the smallest to the largest aircraft!

Capt Fred: That's right Taylor it is. I had to go to 4 months of training in Altus, OK. I was then assigned to Travis AFB, CA. Flying the C-5 was an awesome experience. Commanding up to 22 crew members ages 19-50 and flying an aircraft over 700,000 pounds all over the world. It was a dream come true and the perfect lead in for my airline career! I became an instructor, aerial refueling specialist and instructor other pilots in low level navigation taking the plane down to only 500 feet above the ground!

Taylor: So what made you go to the airlines?

Capt Fred: My dream since high school had always been to be an airline captain. During my junior year I read a national geographic article about flying. In the article it talked about a pilot that owned his own business, had an airplane, flew it to work, and flew for the airlines half of the month! It sounded like a wonderful job to me. So after 3 1/2 years as a C-5 pilot I was ready to become an airline pilot.

Taylor: How did you choose your airline?

Capt Fred: I sent out my applications to all the major airlines at the time. I had 3 interviews and 2 job offers. I talked with as many pilots as I could from each airline and also did research on the financials and history of each airline. In the interviews I asked them questions about long term growth, company culture, and what the management goals were. It was quite a process and I was excited when it was over. We moved back to Michigan where I grew up with our 4 1/2 kids and I was based out of Detroit.

Taylor: What airplanes have you flown since you have been with the airline?

Capt Fred: I started out as a B-727 second officer for 5 years and then moved to the DC-10 as a second officer for 8 years. I gained seniority there and become an instructor. That was a great job and it gave me a lot of flexibility with my schedule. I then became a first officer on the A-330. After 3 years I decided I had had enough of international flying and put in to become a captain on the A-320. In July of 2007 I completed training and became an airline captain. It took much longer than I had anticipated but it was well worth the wait.

Taylor: So how days a month does the average pilot fly?

Capt Fred: Well, there are many different types of schedules. If you bid for low hours you may flew as few as 11 or 12 days a months. If you bid for high hours or you are in a reserve status you could fly or be gone 19 days per month.

Taylor: What is the best way to travel with kids?

Capt Fred: Plan ahead. Bring their favorite "treats" for those crucial times on the plane when they get hungry or bored. Many people ...

My name is Taylor Schaberg and I am 23 going 24 years old. I currently own my own business. I am an active entrepreneur, and I am working on my degree in criminal justice. One day I would like be a police officer.