Is any college degree good enough for a pilot job?

Question

I am currently enrolling in college to get a Bachelor's in History. Most likely will use it to be a high school teacher... however I have always been interested in a commercial pilot career ever since I was a kid. What I have gathered from my research is that flight school could cost a lot and you need to build up your hours anyway in order to fly passenger airplanes, and most airlines require a college degree.

Does that degree have to be aviation-related or it can be anything?

How many hours do you need to have to fly WITHIN the US?

So around how much would flight school cost, and how long would it be under those circumstances?

Where can I get my color-vision test before trying out anything to do with piloting? Can I get it at a local flight school for free so they can tell me if they can make an exception for my type of color-blindness?

Answer 1

Cheapest you can get. Nobody seems to care what.

Answer 2

a third grade education is good enough for a pilot job

Answer 3

It was once the case that airlines did not absolutely require a 4-year college degree, but that is no longer the case.  The airlines require a 4-year degree, as your research has indicated.

The hiring executives are interested in applicants with degrees in business, accounting, and law enforcement, as well as math, sciences, and engineering.  But any degree will do if you have the flying skill and experience.

The reason they want the 4-year degree is the increasing complexity of aircraft systems and flight procedures.  They want to know you have good study skills and the ability to assimilate complex material.  The thing they hate most is "I got my degree except for two courses."  Don't even bother to apply.  They want to know that an applicant is a person who finishes what he/she starts.

"Within the US" is not what matters.  Total flight experience is what matters.  To apply for an airline job you need the ATP certificate, which requires 1,500 hours.  If you start from scratch and pay your own way, it can cost $100,000 or more, and rising fast because of rising fuel costs.

There's more to it than that, but this is not the time or place.  Look in the yellow pages and find the nearest airport that offers flight instruction.  Go out there and talk with the flight instructors.

A flight school cannot give a vision test.  Your personal health care provider or an aviation medical examiner can advise you.

Good luck.

Answer 4

my dad is a pilot.

he got a masters in business, then just joined the airforce and flew air-refuelers. now he flys for ups and makes over 120grand a year.

Answer 5

"and most airlines require a college degree"

Nope they prefer one not require one....

Flight school (every single rating) can cost around 55k.But you can get loans.

This may take as long as you make it....If you start flight school and fly once a day it will be over in no time.

You need about 1500 Hours (you want more because you wont get hired with that)

Regional airlines require 500+ hours, but again the more the better.

Http://www.beapilot.com.

There's doctors that perform class one two and three medicals.

Best of luck