I want to be a Pilot. I'm 13, where do i start? PLZ HELP?

Question

Ok, i'm 13 years old turning 14 in May and i live in Canada. I realised i want to be a commercial pilot or any other high paying pilot job when i'm older. I was thinking of taking flight school soon, but how does flight school benifit you?do i have to take it?

Please can someone give a step by step quide to where i should start and what i should do when i get older.

Thank you!!!

Answer 1

I suggest that you have school as your primary goal for now. because grades will greatly affect any career in the flying world. To start out, read books about aircraft, technical books, flight manuals etc. you could learn a general knowledge about aviation. if you really enjoy that, then try and pick up some college level books.

Answer 2

Yours is one of the most frequently asked questions here, and this is not the best place to get the information you need.  Please use the "search for questions" box above to find previous questions in the same vein and the answers they received.

After that, the best way is to find the nearest local airport that has a flight school.  Go over there and talk to the flight instructors.  Speak respectfully.

By the way, a Cessna 150 has 100 horsepower, so something is wrong with that answer.  A Cessna 140 had 85 or 90 HP.  That is a tail wheel airplane that preceded the Cessna 150 in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Answer 3

If you don't want to fly, it isn't going to work.  Going into flying just for a "high paying pilot job"  will be disappointing.

Answer 4

Don't do it!  Get a job that will be a bit more stable.  Trust me, it's not worth it.  Go to an aviation message board, of which there are many, and look at how the current pilots complain.  Even the "high paying" ones are not all that happy.  Get a good job and buy a plane someday.  That's a much better plan.  If you can't see yourself doing anything else, don't say you weren't warned.  Good luck.

Answer 5

Go here, you'll enjoy it and learn a lot. http://www.copanational.org/non-members/... and http://www.pilottraining.ca/site/ Then come back and ask questions.

Answer 6

to add to the rest of th great answers

surely not here!

Answer 7

Take a big pile of money out to the back yard, soak it in gas and light it on fire at the same time have one of your friends kick you in the nuts as hard as he can until it stops burning. THIS WILL BE LESS PAINFUL THAN BECOMING A PILOT AND YOU WONT HAVE WASTED YEARS OF YOUR LIFE TO GET A JOB THAT PAYS LESS THAN A MCDONALD'S MANAGER.

Answer 8

I'm turning 14 this March and I plan on beginning my private pilot course this summer. Although, I would NOT recommend you start as early as I do because you will face the consequences. Since you are not allowed to solo until 16, starting now could mean finishing your lessons very early and having to wait like 2 years until you're old enough to solo, and by then you may have forgotten everything, thus forcing you to retake the lessons and waist more money. But you can start at any age, just as long as your feet touch the pedals.

Okay, this is the entire process of working your way up to an airline pilot...

First, find a flight school that is suitable for you. Try these sites for schools in your area: http://www.beapilot.com and http://www.learntofly.com. There are two types of flight schools, part 141 and part 61. I would recommend part 141 because they generally have better-quality equipment, and FAA-approved, and must use a syllabus when training. Part 61 may (and notice I said "may", not "are) be lower-quality than 141. They are not required to use a syllabus. But what really matters is that you are comfortable with your flight school, regardless of what type it is. Visit all the schools, meet the people who work there and ask questions. They will have them answered. You can even schedule an introductory flight with an instructor. Check out the fleet, make sure you're comfortable with the aircraft they operate. Just get an overall idea of where you'll be training.

If you have money issues there are several options for you. Many of the FAA-approved schools offer student loans. You can also try asking your schools if you can wash their planes in exchange for lessons. I have two friends currently in school who do this, but I tried asking and got rejected. So, they may or may not let you do this, in which case student loans is a better choice. Flight lessons will usually cost from $70 - $200 depending on which aircraft type you fly. In the end, it will cost you around $40,000 - $50,000 to get your commercial pilot with your two ratings included.

Now let's talk about your training. Again, a better time to start is around 15 and a half, but do whatever you want. I'm copying this from a handout I got at my school, so it should be pretty acurate.

PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE

40 flight time hours

20 hours with instructor

ground school

FAA knowledge exam

FAA practical exam

FAA 3rd class medical exam

10 hours ground time with instructor

You must be 17 to recieve your private pilot. You can rent your own aircraft, fly your buddies around, whatever. Now you need to get your instrument and multi-engine ratings which insure you can fly multi-engine aircraft and fly in poor-visibility using only your instruments. Here are the requirments for the Instrument.

INSTRUMENT RATING

40 hours flight time

15 hours simulator

40 hours with instructor

Instrument Ground School

FAA knowledge exam

FAA flight test

10 hours gorund time with instructor

50 hours of cross-country flying

You also need a multi-engine rating. Here are the requirements.

MULTI-ENGINE RATING

15 hours multi-engine

15 hours with instructor

10 hours gorund time with instructor

FAA flight test

When you have both ratings, pass a 2nd class medical exam and are 18 years old, you can get your commercial pilot. Here are the requirments.

COMMERCIAL PILOT

25 hours multi-engine time

15 hours with instructor

Commercial pilot ground school

FAA knowledge exam

FAA flight test

10 hours ground time with instructor

250 cross-country flight time

Once you have your commercial you can become a CFI or certified flight instructor, which is a great way to build up time and money at the same time. Although regional airlines can hire you at age 18, it is highly unlikely since they want someone with more experience. So become a CFI and go to college. A great college is Embry-Riddle University in Florida and Arizona. It's an aviation university. Though you can get hired with any degree, I suggest getting a degree in science or math since this may improve your chances. Since the competition is high and hundreds of other people want your position, you should make yourself stand out by having more flight hours and a four-year degree in math or science. This will impress them. Okay, once out of college, look for regional airlines that may be hiring. Do not wait for a particular airline to start hiring. A smart pilot takes whatever is available. You will be placed into a hiring pool with hundreds of people and go to a job interview. Make sure you dress formally, have a nice hair-cut and know a lot about the airline's background (this will really impress them). If you get hired, you'll start out as a F/O or first officer. You will reamain here until the airlnie feels you have enough experience. You may or may not start out as a F/O on reserve, it really depends on whether or not there is a shortage of pilots like there is now and like there is going to be in the future because more pilots are retiring and more planes are being built. In this case, you won't be on reserve, just start out as a blockholder. Then, you become captain (once again you may or may not be on reserve). To become a captain, you need your ATP (airline transport pilot certificate). You must be at least 23, pass a 1st class medical exam, and have around 1500 flight time, you can become captain. Then you start looking for major airlnies that may be hiring. Just repeat the entire process of working your way up to the top.

Well, I wish you the best of luck with becoming a pilot and I hope this information was at all useful to you. If you have any questions feel free to email me. Good luck!

-Captain Zach

Also try http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com for information about schools.

Answer 9

ok, go to a airport that has flying lessions, you need to ask what  to do to get a comericial lic, i am a small plane pilot, rated for a single engine, under 90 hp, [cessna 150]  yes flying lessions will help you, but its diffrent in a multi, engine plane,  or if theres a comericial plane company close go there and ask,