Pilot Training...

[FalcoNg]

I am 16 years old and going to start my lessons this summer. Im planning to hopefully turn out into a succesful Airline pilot. The only real information that I know to start my training and carrer is to start with my private pilots licsense and then getting my instrumental rating. From then on I have no idea what is next the cost and everything else. I would also like to learn more about the private pilots license and instrumental rating. What should I look for when looking for an instructor/school? thanks for any information

[IlyaPro]

First of all, to get your Private Pilot License, you must log at least 40 flight hours and complete the checkride, for the Instrument Rating the instruction and checkride what is required...

The next step is to become a Commercial Pilot, but to do that you have to log 250 (!) flight hours, and after that, completing the checkride with a lot of instruction prior to that and logging 1500 flight hours, you will get you Airline/Transport Pilot Certificate...

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Respectfully Yours,
Ilya.

[Silverblade]

Don't worry about getting an ATP (Air Transport Pilot Rating). You'll only need that in order to become a captain (i.e. pilot-in-command) and the company will assist you with that when the time comes.

A multi-engine commercial rating, with a college degree, will put you in a position to be hired by an airlines.

When looking for a flight school, look for those who have been around the longest. There's one in Tulsa, OK and one in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl that come to mind. More importantly, look at the instructor. Is he/she JUST there to build up flying time for their own airline career, or are they dedicated instructors with giving instruction as their choosen career.

I had a "time-builder" as my initial instructor, who let an instrument student fly them into the side of a mountain (on a clear day - kiling them both) shortly after I began my private instruction. I was then fortunate to have a flight instructor who did nothing else and had no aspirations for the airlines. He was a true professional and taught all of the extra things beyond the manual, establishing good, safe procedure habits from the start!

Silverblade

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[OStateFlyer]

Checkout colleges with aviation programs. That way you can get your degree while you get your ratings. You'll also still get the college experience (man this is fun!!). Check out schools that belong to NIFA, the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. Everyone has said what ratings you need, but make sure you enjoy it too!

Brad

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[budreiser]

Don't know what country you live in but here is U.S I would
wager money that most airline/corporate pilots (and whatever else
that pays big bucks) got there by way of military training.

[Silverblade]

Not So!

At the time of my Dad's retirement from United Air Lines in 1990 only about 43% (or so... memory stretching) of the flight crews had any military flight training, although most had some sort of military experience. In any case, less than half had seen a military cockpit. (ALPA statistic).

Silverblade

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[budreiser]

I stand corrected. Would have bet it was the other way.
After WWII the percentage of multi engine military pilots
made up the bulk of civil air transport pilots. I read a lot
more about aviation back then. Guess I ought to do my research
before making statements. Mea culpa.

[TxTaildragger]

I was in your spot not too long ago, and trust me, you will have your hands full with your private for now. It'll be great though, and don't rush through it. You will pick up a lot of the info you need along the way. Just focus on what is in front of you. It'll realy be fun that way. Happy flyin'!

[Khirsah13]

Military Experience is a definite plus, though not necessarily as a pilot. The Montgomery G.I. Bill will cover something like 60% of your advanced rating costs, so it becomes a lot more attainable than with a non-military route.

[flyinggriffin]

I would approach it like I would any career choice. You don't have to go to a high priced school, but I wouldn't fly with someone just because they are the cheapest.
When you say airline pilot, that covers a lot of ground from someone flying the latest Boeing, to a turboprop regional. Look into all the options including being a corporate pilot. You need to be willing to devote a large chunk of your life and in most cases, an even larger chunk of money to feed your desire. Do a lot of research and don't rush things. You have a lot of time to make sure the lifestyle is what you want.
Before you drop dime on any flight training, find out what would be the a first class medical where you live. If something would require a waiver to get a first class I would think hard and long on my chances of getting hired. There are a lot of people trying for a limited number of jobs in the airlines. A less than perfect medical record is going to hurt your chances. No use chasing that dream if it is physically imposssible. BUTTT! there are also loads of aviation careers that do not involve flying the big boys.

[lnuss]

It used to be true that most big-iron types were ex-military, but that hasn't been true for some years now. For one thing, there aren't nearly enough of them to go around -- the airlines have expanded and the military has shrunk.

That being said, anyone wishing to go career in aviation needs to be prepared for several years of building time and experience at very low pay, doing the "grunt jobs" such as flying checks or charter flying. Excellent experience, but it doesn't pay much. Sometimes you can get lucky and hire on with a commuter outfit after two or three years of instructing, but that is very dependent on how much hiring is going on, and whther you can make the right contacts. If you can afford it, there are the so-called ab-initio schools that start you on airline prep from the beginning, but competition to get into those is tough.

But corporate flying could be another target for a career, some jobs paying almost as much as the top airline jobs, but those, too, will require time and experience. Still, for one who is determined and willing to spend the necessary time, effort and dollars to get the needed ratings and experience, there can eventually be some very good jobs -- it's just that the competition is fierce, and you better hope your health stays good.

Whichever path you take, a college education is necessary, or at least very beneficial, both for hiring requirements and for something to fall back on if your health forces you to drop aviation at some future date.

Guaranteed that if you get your Private, hang around airports a lot, go for Commercial and Instrument and get to know the line boys and instructors (and charter pilots, if there are any around), you'll find out more about career opportunities than can possibly be said here, and make valuable contacts (even friends) to boot.

A piece of advice: learn all you can. Aviation magazines, books such as Stick and Rudder and Weather Flying, hangar flying, asking questions, observe, listen, read anything you can get your hands on about aviation -- these are all valuable learning mechanisms, and will help you in your career.

One last thought -- many outfits give preference to one who has an A&P (mechanic) in addition to their pilot quals.

Larry N.

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[georgi55]

Check out this page. The author really gave me useful information about college and what shoudl I study.
http://www.jetcareers.com/
Georgi
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[Frederf]

I finished my PPL training in August, and I plan on going on to the airlines/corporate. I'm transfering to SJSU as a sophmore in college. I'd love to fly 1900D's or King Air's on charter or cargo.

[FalcoNg]

this has been some extremely great information. thanks to evevryone. Can you guys please give me a estimate on the cost for the PPL?

[KenG01]

The cost of a PPL depends on a lot of things. Where you are training. What type of plane you train in. How frequently you fly. How much knowledge you come into the training with. How hard you work. And so on.

The average at the school where I'm finishing up my PPL is about $4000-7000. I'm almost done and it will have cost me about $5000. If you fly more frequently (2-3 times per week), you will forget less and it will expedite your training. However, if you only fly once or twice a month, it'll most likely cost you in the end. Call your local flight training centers and ask what they charge per hour for aircraft rental (all the different planes, not just the cheapest) and CFI time. Then, expect to have about 30-35 hours dual time (with CFI) and another 20+ hours solo. You can then do the math. BTW, this is just from my limited experience. You will also have to add several hundred dollars if you buy lots of training aids (King/Cessna CDs (~$250), books, etc.), a decent headset ($250) and exams (~$70 for the written and $200 for the checkride). Also, you'll need to factor in ~$75 for a 3rd class medical, more if you want a 1st class medical.

These are all estimates based on my limited experience. You will get better information for your area by calling and visiting your local training centers. Talk to the CFIs and the students. Find out what they paid and what to expect. Knowledge is power.

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Ken G:-wave

[FITZY]

LAST EDITED ON Feb-21-02 AT 07:33AM (EDT)[p]I believe the laws of supply and demand apply here. If the supply of rated pilots is high and the demand low, the airlines will be a lot pickier and only hire those with a lot of multi-engine heavy hours. If the demand is high and supply low they will hire those with less experience. In short, the experience cannot hurt you. Over the long haul there have been several of these cycles. Currently the Viet Nam era pilots are reaching age 60 and retiring.

Aim high, stay focused, work hard.

[lnuss]

Limited experience or not, Ken, you hit it right. And he should take special note of your comment about flying frequently to save money. It's so true.

Larry N.

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