How do you become a pilot?

Question

I've always wondered how someone becomes a pilot (not that I want to become one - I hate flying) but what route would you need to take? Science degree? Or how?!

Answer 1

Well, u need a scinence degree and then u can take classes like collage. You can work for as long as you want until you are comfotbale. Then you have to be assured my the goverment that you can be a pilot. Right then you are a pilot.

Answer 2

My boyfriend flies for BA - and has done for the last 4 years - and before that with cityflyer.

He started his career by flying for the RAF Gliding School. He became an instructor which does help if you want to go into commerical flying. Apart from he flew quite small airplanes - vigilants.

To become a commercial pilot - you do not need a degree - my boyfriend has not been to university - but he did study maths and physics for A-Level (which might have helped).

He joined the Oxford Flying school - but he had to pay for his own way - which is TRES expensive. But if an airline will sponsor you - then it does help!!!

It takes a few years to complete all the training - learning about the plane, engines etc. Once complete and you pass you will have a pilots licence - for 2 engined planes. It might take more training if you want to learn to fly a jumbo - with 4 engines.

Then all you need to do is apply to airline companies and hope for the best.

Answer 3

My husband has been training to be a pilot for 8 yrs now. There are basically 2 ways to do it. If you are young, say below 25 you can often get sponsored by an airline or there are schemes available. Once you are older which was his case, you have to go it alone! In this case go to a good, preferable recommended flying school and take lessons to become a private pilot, this is followed by exams to prepare for the commercial licence and practical flying. It is all VERY expensive hence the long period to complete. He then did another course to become a flying instructor and is now working at a flying school. This is usually the best way to build your hours and get paid rather than paying for acquiring the hours. Most airlines will not employ someone who has less than 1000 hrs minimum depending on how short of pilots they are! It is a long and expensive process but if it is your dream go for it! Or if you are young contact airlines direct to find out about their pilot training schemes. Good luck

Answer 4

And the answer is: You go down to a local airfield with an FBO(fixed base operator) and take an introductory lesson. If you enjoy the lesson and I know you will...you set up a schedule and begin doing it much like you would any course of study for proficiency. once a week or so you'd take lessons until you were ready to solo(mine took about 20 hours, because my instructor was a stickler for detail!). After that, you get as many hours flying and practicing the basics as you can and occassionally going up with your instructor to make sure you're performing the correct procedures. When he thinks you're ready, you schedule your ride with an inspector from the FAA and then you get to show them that you are indeed a flyer worthy of a license to pilot an aircraft all alone and in the busy skies of the USA. From there the steps should be: Instrument rating, High-Perfomance sign off, Complex sign off, Mutli-engine rating, and finally Commercial. If you'd like to gain hours in the interim, you can get an Instructor's certificate and teach others in order for your training to become redundant and ingrained as well as gain valuable time while you get paid(it's damned expensive!). After about 1000-1500 hours, you may get picked up by a local operator or a short-hop operator as a line pilot. The end.

Answer 5

Just last year, i was chasing my dream to become one. due to the recent climate of terrorism, and the economical climate as well, Airlines have sort of stopped the sponsorship scheme. Ie BA, Virgin, etc.
I was going to one of the best flight schools in the United Kingdom, and was expected to fund (by my self) £80,000. so that is one way, that is a full price of training up with training up in USA, which is also a cheaper way to go.
But really the routes are:
1. Get a full medical check up costing over £400 by CAA.
And then once you pass you can go:
2. Sponsorship - through airlines, this is a serious rat race, and that ALL spaces are given to the best candidate, ie, already got flying experience and medical, grades of A-Level - there is a huge amount of pressure here though, as the airlines are expecting you to pass meaning that they are paying for you!
3. Self funding - Like me can cost upto anything £80,000!
4. Through a job (liek self funding but you are earning whilst learning) - You pay for a Private Licence, and take teh instructor rating this then will allow you to teach fellow pilots and get paid for it, and this is giving you free flying hours in the expense of the trainee pilot!

There are many other routes like the army/raf, but really you need to pass the Medical before you can touch the controls of a Boeing or Airbus!

Answer 6

You don't need a degree to be a pilot - you don't need any qualifications to start training for your licence. To train as a commercial pilot is very very expensive maybe £100,000 and the training is very intensive-with exams in all manner of physics and meteorology as well as flying exams. They are v highly trained but it is v difficult to find a job in The USA and in Europe and they are not v well paid initially.....I think it's a labour of love to become a pilot

Answer 7

It can be a lot simpler. You need A levels to get a commission in the RAF, then you go through a selection process. If you pass, you start your basic officer training and afterwards train to become a pilot. Of course there are many other ways as i'm sure you now know

Answer 8

You take classes for it. Almost anyone can become one. You will study the books, learn about the engines, and go up with an instructor. It does cost quite a bit. After so much time or flight miles and with the instructors written statement, like you get for your drivers license, you can then get a pilots license. For commercial pilots it would be different though, those I am not sure of.

Answer 9

I am becoming a pilot (hopefully), i have done my gcses, and nearly completed my a-levels, and now going to uni in september, you need to pick a course for uni that allows you to train to become a pilot, you need the ppl, then the cpl, then atpl
ppl - private pilots licenses, cpl - commercial pilots license, atpl - airline transport pilots license, you have to do training in between and fly a certain amount of hours.

Its called Avionics or aviation but they teach you the aspects. you need a degree that will earn you a license.

Answer 10

There are two routes...military or civilian. Getting a slot in the military is pretty competitive, but once you are in, you get to fly some neat things rather quickly as long as you don't wash out. Going the civilian route takes a lot of money and time to build the hours you need if you want to fly jets. First, you have to get your private that is 35 to 40 hours of flight time (depending on the kind of program you are in), pass a flight test, written test, and oral test. Next, most people go for their instrument rating, which is one of the most demanding programs...this one allows you to fly in bad weather basically. After 250 hours, you can go for your commercial license, which allows you to fly for hire. Then, most people go for their instructor certificate then instrument instructor certificate to get additional hours. After enough hours, a lot of people instruct and to charter flights. At 1200 hours, you can go for your ATP license, the PhD of all licenses. For each license, you also need to pass a medical - class 3 for private, class 2 for commercial, and class 1 for ATP.
I hope this helps.

Answer 11

You need a heap of cash that you simply blow away in a couple of weeks learning to fly.
Once you pass your test, you can now fly anywhere you like during the day and in nice weather so long as you dont charge any of your passengers money.
If you want to fly at night or in bad weather you have to blow more cash on more tests.
If you want to fly a plane with more than one engine you have to blow more cash.
Now if you want to fly for a living you need a COMMERCIAL pilots licence.
You guessed it, it involves blowing even more cash and taking more tests.
Now you have your CPL, you want to fly an airliner, NO CHANCE. you now need to BLOW even more cash on an ATPL or airline transport pilots licence,
So unless you are really really rich or got a rich Dad FORGETT IT because even when you have passed all the tests and got all the paperwork you can join the Q of unemployed pilots.
I forgott to add, all your tests expire mor often than your MOT and you need to renew them all round the clock....MORE CASH.