How is being a pilot as a career ?

Question

hi friends ! i m in class 10th .i have a passion for automobiles & i m very keen to become a pilot next year i wiil be choosing subject next year so, i want to know how is being a pilot as a career & is taking physics chem maths necessary for it or i take coommerce maths & is the course very tuf or can a averag person become a pilot

THANXXXXXXX PLZZZZZ REPLY

Answer 1

i was in a pilot training class and there is a LOT to learn. if you live in America, then i suggest that you don't do that because the need for pilots is becoming less and less here.

Answer 2

Well, all the professional pilots I know say the job is 99% boredom and 1% sheer terror.

I'm 15 and currently doing my PPL (Private Pilots Licence) - where I live, it's pretty much akin to city kids getting their driver's licence. Almost everyone out here holds a PPL.

The best things to study are maths, physics and meteorology (and both written and spoken English if it isn't your first language). Mechanics and machinery can be good to have as well especially if you've any ambition to be a bush pilot!

Most pilots would start off by doing the PPL, then either a CPL or ATPL. You can start your PPL at any age but the earliest you can actually get your licence is your 17th birthday (because of the solo flying rules).

As for actual requirements etc, they will be specific to your locale and prolly laid out by your country's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (or equivalent). Your best bet'd prolly be to check with a couple of local flying schools. If you're not sure of the contact details for your local schools, try searching the Flight School and Pilot Training Register @ : http://www.bestaviation.net/flight_schoo...

If you scroll down to the middle of the page, you'll find a map of the world followed by a list of countries/States. Just click on wherever you are in the world.

  

In my country, you can do the 12 month Advanced Diploma course in Aviation which covers:  

> Basic Aeronautical Knowledge

> Private Pilot Licence (if you don't already have it!)

> VFR Flight Planning

> Commercial Pilot Licence Theory

> Command Instrument Rating Theory

> Air Transport Licence Theory

> Maths and Physics for Pilots

> Dangerous Goods Training

> Morse Code

> Pilot Maintenance Training

> Advanced First Aid Training

> Learning Skills Development

However current (2008) costs are approximately $55,000 - your dad may need to be both rich and generous for you to go down that track, lol.

Alternatively some commercial carriers have their own training schemes; however, competition for places is likely to be incredibly tough and the entry requirements, rigorous. If that is the way you might want to go, you need to find out what their requirements are asap. They're likely to have educational requirements (possibly graduate level entry only), health requirements and a maximum age at entry which might be set surprisingly young - such training schemes are often closed to people over the age of 22 if they require graduate level education and younger if they don't. I know of at least one that considers 18 yr olds to be 'too old' to start training.

You *might* also be able to get a foothold into the job by going down the military route; join your country's Air Force and let them teach you to fly! However, not all carriers nor all country's will accept flying qualifications gained in the military as valid especially if it is from an Air Force other than their own; my country's Civil Aviation Safety Authority doesn't.

Doing your flight training in the military *may* look like a cheap and accessible way to do it but it is possible that you will then have to start over with civilian flight training by which time you will be too old to access the airlines' own training schemes and will be looking at having to pay out another $55,000+ (at current prices) to qualify privately.

No, the course work isn't especially tough (we know a couple aged in their 80s who are currently doing their PPLs!) but you do need to be prepared to devote plenty of time and effort to doing the studying!

Why don't you have a look at a couple of training manuals next time you're in your local book shop??

You might also like to go and speak to some of the pilots (private and commercial and military) who hang out on sites like:

http://www.theaviationforum.com  (otherwise known as 'TAF' )

http://www.pprune.com  ('Professional Pilots' Rumour Network')

Answer 3

I heard a report in the UK over the holidays that there will be a need for 17,000 pilots in the next 5 yrs. So, getting a job, shouldn't be a problem if that is any help at all. It is nice to know that the field you will study will actually be in demand.

Answer 4

Just one note of caution: find out if you are colorblind. Colorblindness doesn't mean you can't see *any* colors, it means that you ware weak at seeing certain colors. Many people who are colorblind don't know (my dad didn't know until he was drafted and the army tested him) and it almost always makes you ineligible to be a pilot. 1 in 20 men have some form of colorblindness while only 1 in 200 women do. There are some tragic stories about people who desperately wanted to become a pilot and didn't know until the last minute that they couldn't be one.