Being an airline pilot is a glamorous, exciting, and highly rewarding job. But how exactly do you become one? You can't just submit a resume and expect someone to call you back with a job offer. The actual process takes a long time and much dedication; it also means meeting precise requirements and can be a fairly expensive pathway to getting a career. For some positions, it can take up to 10 years of flying experience to even qualify. Needless to say, you need to be serious and committed. Work hard and follow the steps below and one day you might become an airline pilot!
Method 1 of 4: Preliminary Requirements
Method 1 of 4: Preliminary Requirements
- Get a four-year college degree. While a college degree is not required to fly for any of the regional airlines in the United States, a four year degree is required to fly for a major US airline. It's preferable to get a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in aviation (but your degree doesn't necessarily have to be aviation related). Airline pilot training is intense and expensive. A college degree helps to demonstrate to the airline that you will be capable of completing their education program.
- Look around your local area for a good flight school and flight instructor to begin working on your private pilot certificate. The FAA minimum flight time is 40 hours, but the average is around 60. Schools with FAA oversight can be more desirable if you want a highly regimented training program.
- Get a First Class medical certificate from a Federal Aviation Administration medical examiner. It is better to apply for a first class medical the first time you apply for a medical certificate to be sure you will qualify for one before you have invested too much time and money into your new career choice.
- After you earn your private pilot license, begin working on your instrument rating and commercial certificate. An instrument rating requires 50 hours of cross country Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument conditions. For the commercial certificate, you will need 250 hours total time, 100 hours PIC, 50 hours cross country, and 10 hours of dual instruction in a complex aircraft.
- All pilots who are paid to transport passengers or cargo must get a commercial pilot’s license with an instrument rating issued by the FAA. Helicopter pilots also must hold a commercial pilot’s license with a helicopter rating.
- Complete your certified flight instructor (CFI) rating and begin working at your flight school. Some flight schools offer you flight hours in exchange for instructing for them. This can be useful when you go on to your multi-engine rating.
- Pilots need flight experience to qualify for a license. Completing classes at a flight school approved by the FAA can reduce the amount of flight experience required for a pilot’s license. In 2006, the FAA certified about 600 civilian flying schools, including some colleges and universities that offer degree credit for pilot training.
- Initial training for airline pilots typically includes a week of company indoctrination; three to six weeks of ground school and simulator training; and 25 hours of initial operating experience, including a check-ride with an FAA aviation safety inspector. Once trained, pilots are required to attend recurrent training and simulator checks once or twice a year throughout their career.
- To qualify for FAA licensure, applicants must be at least 18 years old and have at least 250 hours of flight experience.
- Work on your multi-engine, certified flight instructor instrument (CFII), and multi-engine instructor (MEI) ratings.
- With the proper ratings and 1500 hours of flight time, you could get hired by any number of regional airlines flying turboprop and regional-jet aircraft.
- To work for a major airline, you will typically need 3,000 hours total flight time including at least 1,500 hours multi-engine, and at least 1000 hours as pilot in command (PIC) of turbine (jet) powered aircraft, preferably in scheduled airline flying and in type of aircraft. These numbers are estimates and will vary depending on the airline. Also, while these may be the minimums required to apply for a job at a major airline, they may be far from the actual competitive numbers and the actual experience of successful applicants may be considerably higher than the minimums.
- Airline pilots must fulfill additional requirements. Both Captains and First Officers must have an airline transport pilot’s license. Applicants for this license must be at least 23 years old and have a minimum of 1,500 hours of flying experience, including night and instrument flying, and must pass FAA written and flight examinations. Usually, they also have one or more advanced ratings depending on the requirements of their particular job. Because pilots must be able to make quick decisions and accurate judgments under pressure, many airline companies reject applicants who do not pass required psychological and aptitude tests. All licenses are valid so long as a pilot can pass the periodic physical and eye examinations and tests of flying skills required by the FAA and company regulations.
- Companies other than airlines usually require less flying experience. However, a commercial pilot’s license is a minimum requirement, and employers prefer applicants who have experience in the type of craft they will be flying. New employees usually start as first officers, or fly less sophisticated equipment.
- Depending on the type of aircraft, new airline pilots start as first officers or flight engineers. Although some airlines favor applicants who already have a flight engineer’s license, they may provide flight engineer training for those who have only the commercial license. Many pilots begin with smaller regional or commuter airlines, where they obtain experience flying passengers on scheduled flights into busy airports in all weather conditions. These jobs often lead to higher paying jobs with bigger, national or major airlines.
- Consider military flight training. The Air Force, Navy (includes Marine pilots), Army, and Coast Guard offer flight training. In the case of the Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard, after initial training (a little over a year) you can go back to civilian life and, once you have enough hours, qualify to fly with an airline. Remember that US companies must allow their reservists and guard members to do their active duty drills without repercussion.
- Other options would be to go to a 4-year college such as the University of North Dakota or a flight academy, such as Embry-Riddle. Both offer flight training in concurrence with academic classes, but make sure to research tuition and fees. Another is the Delta Connection Academy, which is quite costly, but upon completing the course, you may be offered an entry-level interview as a pilot instructor, which may later lead to a job with Delta connection.
- There are no schools in the US that guarantee a position as a pilot for any company, and especially not a major airline.
- Seek a variety of flying jobs. To advance to the pinnacle of your profession, you'll need to gain experience in any number of creative ways. For example:
- Try teaching. Many pilots start their careers as flight instructors.
- Take assignments with charter planes or air-taxi companies.
- Go private. Don't forget about opportunities flying corporate planes.
- And some pilots take jobs as flight engineers with the airlines.
- In the airlines, advancement is usually predetermined by seniority provisions stated in union contracts. Expect a timetable like this:
- After 1 -5 years, flight engineers advance according to seniority to first officer.
- After 5 -15 years, a first officer will advance to captain.
- Note: In non-airline jobs, a first officer may advance to captain and, in large companies, to chief pilot or director of aviation in charge of aircraft scheduling, maintenance, and flight procedures.
- Gaining seniority will also help you acquire preferred flight assignments. Your time with the airline will determine when you fly, if you fly on weekends, or if you'll be in the air during Christmas or other holidays.
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