Philosophy Student to Pilot Instructor
By Bill Spring
As a student studying philosophy, Andy Hammond often felt frustrated and weighted down by graduate work. But, these days his work as an airplane pilot and flight instructor is taking him to new heights of happiness and freedom.
Hammond, a native of Baltimore, entered Syracuse University in the fall of 1987. The idea of majoring in philosophy came from his father, who had been an Episcopal priest before becoming a stockbroker. "He said I seemed the type," Hammond remembers.
For the next four years, Hammond dutifully followed the path laid out by the school's philosophy department, earning top marks and fulfilling the requirements for his degree. "I enjoyed the fact that my classes were highbrow and obscure, and I felt I was doing something serious and academic," he adds.
Hammond graduated summa cum laude in 1991, with an eye toward making a living in publishing. But it was love, rather than money, that determined his next decision. While a senior at Syracuse, he fell for a young woman in the university's music department. He spent the year after graduation killing time in a retail job, waiting for her to finish school. "I planned to move where she moved and find (any kind of job)."
That "somewhere" turned out to be Cincinnati, where Hammond's bride-to-be entered the University of Cincinnati's graduate music program. As she worked toward her dream, Andy spent much of the next two years as the sole employee of a marketing company, growing increasingly disenchanted with life as a nine-to-fiver. "I was convinced that the working world was a sham," he says.
Hammond spent his free time with his fiancee's new friends, all of whom were artists, musicians and students. Tired of being the only working guy in this bohemian community, Hammond threw off his necktie and headed back to academia in the fall of 1993, accepting a fellowship to the University of Cincinnati's graduate philosophy program.
At the time, the decision actually seemed practical. "I was told that upon graduating from the program in five years, that there would be a wave of hiring in philosophy departments." he says. Unfortunately, Hammond's experience as a doctoral philosophy student bore little resemblance to his happy days as an undergrad at Syracuse. "It was grueling," he says.
Although Hammond really enjoyed teaching undergraduates, it eventually became clear that the full-time teaching positions would never materialize, as colleges across the country cut philosophy departments rather than hired new professors.
Bogged down in his search for a dissertation topic and dreading everything but his teaching, Hammond was miserable. "I was in danger of turning into a bitter (person) at the tender age of 27," he says. With five years invested in the program, and without a degree, Hammond decided to leave the program in 1998.
Meanwhile, his wife earned her doctorate of musical arts and accepted a teaching position at a university in Macon, Ga. Hammond was set to pull up roots again, but, like with the previous move, he had no clear idea of a career path.
"I did a lot of soul-searching, and began a deliberate search for what I was going to do next."
Hammond knew that he still had dreams and aspirations, but wasn't quite sure what they were anymore. "What I was looking for was an identity," he explains. "I wanted to be able to give a good answer when people asked me what I did for a living."
He decided to be a pilot because he liked the sound of it.
"I just pulled it out of the sky," he says. He started by taking a discovery flight in a Cessna 172 (about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle) during his last days in Cincinnati. "It was really fun," Hammond says, "and by the time I landed, I committed myself to (becoming a pilot)."
In Macon, Hammond enrolled in flight school and, rediscovering the enthusiasm and dedication that had served him so well as an undergrad, began tackling the coursework and logging the flight time required to earn his flying certificates and ratings.
A difficult divorce took its toll for a time, but since his identity and future were no longer dependent solely on his relationship, Hammond was able to move forward. As a licensed pilot, he was in control of his own destiny, one that soon led him to Central Florida.
Today, Hammond, 34, lives in the Orlando area and works as a flight instructor. It's the perfect way to combine his dual loves of teaching and flying, and it also allows him to rack up plenty of hours in the air. Airlines consider a pilot's time in the air when making employment decisions.
While he is keeping his employment options open, Hammond is not sure he wants a job with a big carrier.
"I'm happiest when I have a student who learns something that (he or she has) been struggling with," he says.
Introducing students to the world upstairs fills Hammond with a sense of purpose and a feeling of accomplishment that dissecting philosophical theories never did.
"I like saying to my students, 'Welcome to my office. It's a little bit small, but you can't beat the view from the windows.' "
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