How easy is the route to being a commercial pilot?

Question

My cousin is 27 yrs old and has always had an interest in being a pilot but couldn't because of his eyesight. He did lasik recently and now he is waiting a year for his eyes to stabilize and then apply to be a pilot with Singapore Airlines. He has no flight experience at all. What are his chances of being successful in achieving his dream?

Answer 1

First of all- he needs to get his pilots liscence, which is very expensive, then he has to train for it. His chances are pretty good if he can foot the bill. Good luck!

Answer 2

Singapore Airlines have an opening for cadet pilots. Though the training allowance WILL be low, probably arnd 1.1k. Before being selected as a cadet pilot, he will have to undergo some aptitude test which will test his memory, basic calculations, solve sequences, hand-eye-leg coordination and lots more. I went through the test myself and it's not easy. (I failed..twice). If he pass, there's d interviews and if he gets through it all, he will be training as a cadet pilot. Not many people can withstand the training so the no. of cadet pilots in a batch will decrease overtime. After all the training, he will become a first officer if successful. This is just the next step to becoming a commercial pilot. Eventually with more training and experience(this may take several years), he will rise to the rank of pilot. It's better to start off young due to the length of training but its worth a try.

Answer 3

Maybe you guys shouldnt assume you know everything and try and crush this guys dreams.
First off, he can wear glasses if needed.
Secondly, almost every pilot out there started as a civilian, not as a military pilot.
It is common for people to get their Airline transport Pilot license and the Instructor rating at the same time, then become an instructor at the academy that he learned at.
That way he can get over 1000 hours while being paid a survivable wage. After 1000 hours, pilots usually get jobs pretty quickly, usually in turboprops.
Unfortunately, If he ends up liking being an instructor, he has less of a chance keeping that job after 1000 hours because the schools feel obligated to make room for their own graduates.

Tell him good luck.

Answer 4

The questioners who survey you at the same time as you get a position as an airline pilot seem for that, they prefer a mixture, if you're an airchronic pilot they confirm you suited do speedy flights/military persay, and in the shape you bypass the civilian route they confirm you recognize more effective about civilian planes and how they artwork, fairly it does now no longer make to a large type of a substitute, you're able to confirm airchronic besides the undeniable fact that they fairly are known on an similar finally. I heard this from a pilot who replaced into once also a guy who does procedure interviews for airways.

Answer 5

I'm not sure what the Singapore equivlant to the FAA is but check to see what he needs to get his medical first. If he can't get that then the rest of it won't happen. Also, if his dream is to fly with Singapore Airlines ask them what the requirements are. They may have an internship program. Back in the 90's I went to school in Alabama with a guy who was an intern for British Airways. All he had to do was get the appropriate licenses and they did the rest.

If he finds that he can and is eligible to go through pilot training he may want to check out schools in the US. From what I understand it is much more expensive to get licenses in countries overseas. That is one reason the British Airways intern (mentioned above) was over here.

Good luck it's not an easy task. In most cases it will take years to make it to the big airlines.

Answer 6

At 27 years old with no pilot experience?

Almost zero.
The road from his position is long and expensive.
His basic commercial licence takes 200-300 hours(depending on skill). Depending on the school that could run up to $14,000.
The big airlines usually hire pilots with a minumum1000+ hours of commercial flying and he must get certified in the aircraft that he is looking to fly.Military guys usually have their pick.
Getting simulation time is difficult unless you pay for it.
So looking at those numbers you can be expected to shell out some big money and years.

Good luck.

Answer 7

If he doesn't have his license, they won't even accept his application. I'm not aware of any airline that accepts untrained applicants and teaches them to fly. Only the military does that.

To have any chance at all with the airlines, he'll need a Commercial certificate with multi-engine turbine, and instrument ratings along with an ATP and at least one type rating such as B737 or A320. A CFI or CFII is highly desireable, and a good way to build time as well. The airlines like to see several hundred hours time in type for a junior flight engineer position.

Starting from scratch it will cost at least $30,000 - $50,000 for training and that's allowing for the income earned as a CFI or CFII. It can be done that way, but it's slow and expensive.

Answer 8

The way the industry works is that when armed forces pilots retire from service, they join up with a commercial airliner in order to continue soaring through the air.

Unfortunately, with no prior extensive experience, I would advise you to talk your brother out of joining a flight school. If he truly wants to fly, he can maybe join the Youth Flying Club as an understudy trainer? (a BIG maybe.)

Answer 9

A career in aviation is always an option if he is willing to accept that he might not get to fly a 747. This site: www.aopa.org is a good place to start. Many people pay for their own flying lessons to get started, then become instructors to build flight time experience. From here he would have several options including a job in the private jet industry.

Best of luck to your cousin.

Answer 10

It is possible with a lifetime of dedication, but difficult. Mainly because large commercial airlines require a lot of experience. Newly recruited employees at some smaller airlines not too far long ago qualified for food stamps.

So, to recap:
Lifetime career choice
Costly to educate
Low salaries to begin

Answer 11

Slim to none......only "qualified pilots" apply for airline pilot jobs, the line is long and the competition is stiff. With no previous pilot qualifications he would not even be given a chance to apply much less interview.