How They Did It | Chen Hsi Wen From Respiratory Therapist & Flight Attendant to Pilot
This is a summary that accompanies the original interview published on Work In Progress Podcast. Here we highlight the main takeaway and some useful resources. Listen to the full interview here.
“My motto is you can’t say you don’t like something until you tried it… I don’t like to limit myself.”
— Chen Hsi Wen
Chen Hsi moved from Taiwan to New York when she was 18 to attend college; upon graduating she started working as a respiratory therapist. Later on she became a flight attendant at Delta Airlines and made the switch to become a pilot. Once she completes all the required licenses and ratings, Chen Hsi’s goal is to go back to Delta Airlines to work as an airline transport pilot.
What prompted her to go through these changes? HOW did she switch ? Tune in to the episode to find out!
How Chen Hsi Made the Switch
- On one of Chen Hsi’s flights working as a flight attendant instructor, she was encouraged by a pilot to give flying it a try
- She didn’t think it was possible because women were generally not encouraged to be pilots in Taiwan, where she grew up
- Chen Hsi took an introductory flight, liked it and decided to go for it. These are often offered by flight schools at discounted rates and she highly recommends taking an introductory flight to find out if this is what you want to pursue as a career
The Path to Becoming a Pilot
[For a more comprehensive information on how to get started on pilot training, refer to the Resources section]
- Private pilot license. Chen Hsi started working on this since January 2018. Milestones include: flying “solo”, flying “cross country”, checkride with a designated flight examiner, etc. After obtaining the private pilot license, you can fly an aircraft but not commercially (ie. for a company)
- Instrument rating: an add-on to the private pilot training. Aside from additional instruction the pilot must be able to fly solely by reference to instrument
- Commercial pilot license: with this license you can be hired by companies and be paid for flying
- Multi-engine rating: this add-on allows you to fly airplanes with multiple engines
- Accumulate flight hours: if your goal is to become an airline transport pilot like Chen Hsi, you will need to accumulate 1500 flight hours to quality. The hours can be hard to come by, therefore some people opt to become flight instructors (which you need a license for) to help accrue the hours
- Airline transport license: with this license you can fly the passenger jets
This process takes time. Some accelerated programs promise all the above in less than 12 months, which is very intensive. Delta Airlines gives their employees 5.5 years to get all these licenses, ratings and 1500 flight hours before returning to Delta Airlines to become an airline transport pilot
What Chen Hsi Does Now
- Currently, Chen Hsi is a Certified Flight Instructor at Galvin Flying
Work In Progress — Chen Hsi’s Next Career
- Open a farm 🐷 — she loves animals
What Chen Hsi Did In The Past
- Respiratory therapist
- Flight attendant at Delta Airlines. The interview process took 2–3 months because it included application, video interview, language test for multilingual speakers and in-person interviews. Once she got the offer, the training took 7–8 weeks
- Flight attendant instructor at Delta Airlines. She applied for this position through the internal job site. Training to become a flight attendant instructor took about 4 weeks, and the training focused primarily on how to teach. Her duties as an instructor included training new comers and providing continuing education for the veterans. Here she was still required to fly every year; it was while working at this position that Chen Hsi met the pilot who recommended her to become a pilot herself
What Were the Obstacles When Chen Hsi Switched
- Becoming a pilot is very expensive, monetarily and the time it takes to obtain all the licenses and ratings. One can spend upwards to $100k
- If you goal is to become an airline transport pilot, you need to accumulate 1500 flight hours, which is hard to come by. Being a flight instructor makes it easier to fulfill the number of hours
- The lifestyle can be tough: lots of traveling
Resources
How to reach Chen Hsi
Work In Progress is a blog hosted by two twin sisters passionate about transitions in career and life. The series “How They Did It” features interviews of people who successfully changed their careers in all walks of life.
Their belief is simple: if people are able to pursue the careers they like, they can lead more fulfilling and meaningful lives. This is where you can find a collection of interviews from people who have successfully switched.
