Peter BuffingtonPeter Buffington is a major airline pilot for a legacy U.S. airline, holding an ATP certificate with over 8,000 hours of flight time and 35 years of experience flying Boeing 737s out of Chicago O’Hare around the globe. He has authored two best-selling aviation books and brings 30 years of expertise as a piano tuner and technician. His father tuned for Duke Ellington and Chubby Checker when they were on tour in the 1970’s. The 737 series—Red Eye, Diversion, St. Erasmus’ Airshow, Hangar Dance, and now Airshow America—marks a groundbreaking chapter in authentic, aviation-themed music that has been missing for decades.
Hi Peter! I enjoyed reading about your early start in aviation, especially beginning at 15. As a high school student working towards my PPL I’d love any advice you have for someone my age pursuing aviation as a career choice, particularly about the pathway you took to become an airline pilot.
Hi Brayden, it was nice to receive your note this morning. Thanks for reaching out. I can offer a few brief tips now and get into a lot more detail later on. But you are in luck. I am actually a United Aviate Coach too. I have been in the program for 5 years and currently have 3 Aviate students who are working their way to United through the program. If you aren’t familiar with the program, I would highly recommend checking it out. Start the application process as soon as you are able. There are numerous aviation college programs across the country that are partners with United Aviate. I’ve been in the industry for 35 years now and I’ve seen a lot. The industry is a rollercoaster ride, up and down. So be prepared for both the good and bad times. I lived through 9-11 and covid. Both of those events took away about 12 total years of advancement. So my point, have something you can fall back on. For me, I was well prepared. I had my piano technician skills passed onto me from my father – an excellent skill and something that brings in relatively good money during hard times. I also had a background in computer engineering. I worked at both Rockwell Collins and Garmin after 9-11. Even though I wasn’t flying, I worked on aviation development programs in avionics and kept flying on the side until the industry picked up again. So you can see my point. Work hard to achieve your flying goals, but also keep a few options in your back pocket. History tells us, it’s inevitable there will be good and bad times. Right now it has been incredibly good. I am about 50% on United’s seniority list. That in itself offers some “protection” when things go south. We currently have 18,000 pilots and United plans to bring that total up to 25,000 in the coming years. I could get into a lot more detail and into more specifics if you would like. Reach out with any specific questions you may have anytime and I’ll give you my honest answer. For now though, keep these big-picture items in mind. You’ll be glad you have additional skill sets that you can rely on if and when they are needed. When times are good, they can be hobbies, as in my case. Take care and keep in touch! Pete, Speed Brake Armed