I am in a high school and I want to become a international airline pilot so what do I do??

Question

I am in a high school and I want to become a international airline pilot so what do I do??

Answer 1

go to plane school.

Answer 2

No particular degree is required to become an airline pilot. Many pilots have degrees of different sorts, many of them not in an aviation related field. Others have degrees in "aeronautical science," and other aviation dubbed degrees which are essentially general business degrees with credit given for flight training and ground schools.

Again, no degree is required...until....

...competition for jobs becomes fierce. If you're the recruiter and need to hire 25 pilots and 400 applications are on your desk, what do you do? Easy. Increase the requirements for the job. Pick and choose and narrow down the stack as to who(m) has what qualifications. And a degree will help with that.

...or...you've been successfully hired by an airline and then the airline downsizes. With furlough notice in hand and many other pilots in the industry in the job market with you, then what? You might need that degree for a non-aviation job. Perhaps you want to make the jump to corporate flying and someone wants you to run the flight department, or at least manage the aircraft. Having the degree will probably be viewed as favorable.

Your best bet is to get a degree...in nearly anything. You can fly at your local airport while obtaining your education. I'm a graduate of a smaller aviation college and I truly wonder if I shouldn't have just attended a different school and done my flying on the side. The advantages would have been that I might have had more opportunities to fly and "move up" in equipment if I had been someplace that didn't have as many other pilots in the area. The disadvantage would have been that I wouldn't have been able to network with those other pilots who were also getting hired at the airline(s) I wanted to work at.

The market for regional airline pilots is actually incredibly good right now. The wages are miserable the first couple of years. They're actually fairly decent at some of the carriers after some longevity. www.airlinepilotcentral.com lists a bunch of different airlines and their wages. Remember that pilots are only able to fly up to 100 hours per month, but it might take you 12 hours on duty to fly two hours....and you only get paid (at most regionals) for what you actually fly.

Major airlines are, or are about to, hire again. With the bankruptcy turmoil that many of the carriers went through the last few years the jobs aren't nearly as attractive as they once were. Many US pilots are working as expats for foreign carriers because a) the demand is there, and b) the pay is superior.

Sorry for the long-winded response.

Answer 3

The main thing you need to give your attention to right now is just doing a good job of the tasks that are on your plate today.  You will be old enough to consider the technical details of your training and career development sooner than you think.

Right now, concentrate on being a person of good character and achievement.  Stay out of trouble:  no drugs, no alcohol, no trouble with the law like stealing or assault.  A reputation as a person of good character and social skills will work in your favor.

Take the courses you want to take, and talk it over with your school guidance counselor and your family.  Make sure you do well in mathematics and sciences, and also spend some time on civics and government, and also on geography.  A professional pilot has to have a really good understanding of law and regulations, and has to know where things are around the planet.

At the same time, do well in some physical pursuit.  You can't be a couch potato.  Do okay in Phys Ed, and find a personal sport that will help you develop strength and coordination.  This is important.

Also, read everything you can get your hands on about airplanes and aviation.  The more detailed knowledge you have, the easier it will be for you to learn the things you need to know to pass your aviation tests when the time comes.  Spend time in the library and read all the books and magazines about aviation and related subjects.

If you want to go by way of the military (and that's the most certain way of getting into the flight deck of an airliner), see your Air Force, Navy, or Marine Corps recruiter.  You can go to see them any time, even at age 14.  Your recruiter will advise you what college to go to and what to major in to maximize your chances of getting into military flight training.

When you are about 17, find the nearest flight school and go talk to the instructors.  Sign up for an introductory flight, and see what it feels like to fly a real airplane.  Do it that way, and avoid computerized flight simulators like FSX.  The simulators will teach you bad habits and give you a mistaken impression of what it's like to fly a real airplane.  Get some experience in the real thing before you mess with simulators.  This is important.

Get your private pilot certificate as soon as you can.  It will get you a head start on whatever additional training you need, either civilian or military.

Good luck, and have fun!

Answer 4

Best thing to do is join the air force.After that you can apply to a flight school and than apply at an airline.I would not get into the airline field because of all of the cut backs that are happening now because of fuel prices but good luck.From Dan in DTW ramper for NWA.

Answer 5

Easiest way is to join the RAF first.

Answer 6

first u have to get a private pilots license then u have to get a commercial pilot license at 18 with 300 hrs then u can go for atpl or airline transport pilots license at 21 which then u would have to get 1500 hrs

Answer 7

Ok, well I'm in high school too...I'm taking flying lessons, and this is my overall plan:

1. Take lessons at a nearby airport and get you private pilots license

2. Get instrument rated

3. Get commercial rated

4. Get CFI rated

5. Keep adding ratings, with complex, multi engine, high performance, etc.

Go to college and major in something other than aviation as a back up plan should the industry fall due to rising gas prices, terrorism, backruptcy, etc., but continue flying, instructing, or stay involved in aviation somehow.

Once you build enough experience, apply to the airlines.

Good luck, I think it sounds like a pretty good plan.

Answer 8

i would say go into collage but if u are already in it thats really good then my sugestion is to join the navy or be a piolet and drive planes u get paid tones of money

Answer 9

If you want a job with one of the major airlines, most require a bachelor degree,   preferrably in aviation. Most major airlines aren't going to hire you without it.  You won't make much money starting out, but the idea is to get experience first.

Answer 10

In what country?

In the US, get as far along in your flight training as you can during your high school years.  You can be a Private Pilot--Airplane at age 17, and a Commercial pilot at 18.  Get instrument rated, and become a Certified Flight Instructor so you can instruct during your college years.  Stay accident-free.  Get multiengine rated.  The flight experience you have by the time you finish college might be enough to get you hired somewhere--a charter company, a corporation, or a commuter air carrier would be good.  So would any entry level pilot job.  You might get your airline transport pilot certificate on your own (at age 23), or as part of a captain checkride.  Build experience and credentials--multiengine, turbine, captain, aircraft ratings, check pilot, check airman, lead captain, assistant chief pilot, chief pilot, standards director, training director, airline, etc.  Get jet and jet captain experience.  Hire on with airline that has international routes.