How do you become a commercial airline pilot?

Question

How do you become a commercial airline pilot?

Answer 1

i live in portland and i went across country every lunch break and i also have my licience for flying. it only took about 17 years and 42 days and 9 hours and 4 minutes, and 51 seconds. i like air planes.

Answer 2

If you need to ask the question I doubt if you are bright enough to qualify. Apologies if you are a very young person. In this case write, email or phone major airlines like British Airways, American Airlines and Qantas and they will point you in the right direction.

Answer 3

Learn to fly would be a good start.

Answer 4

Join a terrorist group, go to your nearest airport and hijack a plane...

Answer 5

Apply for the job - if they say yes then ure a pilot

Answer 6

As with most anything, time, money, and ambition.

First you need to get a commercial pilot license (or 'certificate' if you are American).

You will start at a flight school by getting your private license and then building time and training more to get a commercial license.  

Most airlines want their pilots to have a four year degree in something so be sure to get one.  Some flight schools offer 'aviation diplomas' as part of their commercial pilot courses and these are liked by the airlines.  As part of your commercial license you need to get additional ratings like night, multi-engine, instrument, and perhaps an instructor rating.

After you finish you commercial licenses it is time to build hours.  You start with about 250hrs and you need to get to at least 1500hrs before an airline will hire you (the better airlines have higher requirements due to more pilots applying).  You buildup time can be doing flight instruction, charters for a smaller company, aerial work (crop spraying, power line patrol, banner towing), or the like.

After you have built up some time the next step is the regionals, starting as a first officer on a puddle jumper and ending as a captain.  Then the big airlines; back to a first officer (and a pay cut probably too) and the long wait for the holy grail of being a major airline captain.

Total time: On average, about ten years from zero hours to first officer at a major airline.

Total cash:  $50000-$80000 for training (if you are creative you can do it for less).

Total ambition:  Training, training, training!  Low pay (expect to start at $20,000/yr, averaging out to $30,000/yr for the first ten years and for the first year of being a major F/O).  Layoffs, union squabbles, near misses, bad weather, mechanical failures, sick passengers, terrible hours.

Only you can answer if it is all worth it in the end.  I think it is!