My son is 15 this year and wants to be an airline pilot what is the best route for him to take?

Question

He is very good at science, maths and enjoys geography. He has the correct eyesight to be a pilot (as this is quite rare apparently!) and is generally very intelligent.

Answer 1

I don't know about the U.S. (where I presume you are from), in the U.K. it doesn't hurt to get him involved with the A.T.C. (air training corps- air force cadets), a voluntary organisation modelled on the air force that gives opportunities for glider and fixed wing tutorials.

A degree in a relevent subject, (aeronautical engineering, etc) would help, as would involvement with the officer training corps. A stint in the airforce would help too, even without pilot training. But commercial training is available, it just costs a lot (in the UK I believe it costs in the region of £10,000)

Answer 2

Air force is good.

My husband is currently taking lessons in Louisiana for sport pilot, which requires the least amount of hours. It costs $100 per lesson and for sport pilot I think it's about 22 hours, plus about $300 for the exam. If you have a small airport nearby, lots of pilots give lessons on the weekends, check it out

Answer 3

If you have a lot of $$$ get him flying lessons.  It'll take quite a while and cost a lot of $$$.  I'd say look into the Air Force.  Find out what it takes to become a pilot with them.  Military pilots are highly sought after in the civilian sector.  He'll get the training, experience, and a pay check while doing it.  But he will have to wait til he's 18.

Answer 4

Ring this number and ask for details..?

Answer 5

Looks like he is on the right track scholastically...Later on, he will want to look at an aeronautics and maybe physics in college...He could get started early with some of the flying basics by getting to know smaller private type aircraft...Some youngsters have even gotten their private pilot's license at age 16 - with parental approval, of course...Good physical conditioning will also be required.

All the best.

Answer 6

Now while hes in school get him in a flight school in the evening and try and get his private licence and when he graduates high school go into the military for few years and he can come out with any airline looking for him

Answer 7

Look into a university that offers an aviation program. North Dakota University is a popular one, there may be more that are closer to you. At the University, you get all of your ratings, plus a four year degree, which airlines like. If he wants to get a head start you could contact your local FBO for flight lessons, so he can get his private pilot, which I wish I would have done. Make sure to stay away from drugs and traffic violations as well. To get the ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) you must be of "good moral character." Also, some good books: FAR/AIM (laws), Pilots guide to aeronautical knowledge, and Airplane Flying Handbook.

Answer 8

It's a very competitive field to go into. He should start by getting himself a degree (probably avionics or aeronautical engineering). He should also try and get a private pilots license, which he'll probably have to fund himself.

That will at least put him in the top runners for any vacancies. Then it's just a matter of applying to as many airlines as possible.

Answer 9

In the UK he maybe able to get an RAF scholarship.  I suggest he contacts an RAF recruitment office to find out what GCSE's & A levels he needs.  My son did an Aeronautics Degree and there were several RAF scholarship students on his course.  They were taught to fly in the vacs.

Answer 10

Although this does not answer your question, I would look into this before investing any money. Although flying seems like a great idea (I wanted to be an airline pilot for 3 years, and I knew what flying was like) after a while and some growing up you can get a big reality slap, and if your lucky it happens BEFORE  you invest thousands of dollars. The average pilot spends two weeks flying, then two weeks home. Yes, two weeks home without work is great, but with a family, being away for 2 weeks straight every month can harm your family a lot. Well with this sacrafice You think you would get paid a lot, right? no. for the first 5 years of work, pilots average around 30,000-50,000. Considering you can put up to 40,000 dollars of money into getting there, that's awful. It does not improve much there. Even after 40 years of being pilots, most pilots don't get more than 120,000 a year (yes, it is a lot, but very little compared to other jobs for how much you get versus how long you've been doing it) Now to the actual flying part. If your son has experianced actually flying a plane, I'm sure it would reinforce his want to do that (it did mine) but it was probably a small plane, nothing like the biggies. Autopilots are getting used more and more. Nowatheseday, pilots just taxi and takeoff, and don't touch the controls again until they've come to a stop on the runway (yes, autopilots do land the plane) For an average pilot, that's about 9 hours a day just sitting. Can anyone say weight gain? (not to mention lack of entertainment). It is also very stressful. Having a job where over 150 peoples lives are almost always dependent on your ability can really tear a person apart, especially during the beginning. With huge investment, a lot of stress, very little family time, weight gain, and a extremely low paycheck, this job is not reccomended by many. I would wait until he is a little older, when he can take the fantasies of life and turn them into reality, and then ask. I'm not saying he will definately say no when he comes to, I'm just saying for something that costs about 20-30,000 dollars, you need the person who decides to have a full view.

Good luck deciding, and best of wishes to your son for his pursuit.

Answer 11

In the UK. If he wants to go to uni- (doesn't need to) then go for one with a university air squadren, but get him to look up CTC on the web as this is the route a few people I know have taken, and the best bet if he wants to get into one of the major airlines

60k bond to borrow which is paid back as he starts to be paid by the airline, so no 'thousands' to find 1st.

Answer 12

Say, i'm 15 and want to be a pilot too! I think if he starts reading books about the flying world and really enjoys it, he will learn a whole lot of basics. It would make a good start. physics and meteorology are also helpful.

Answer 13

Join the RAF or the Fleet Air Arm (of the Navy), there is also the Army Air Corps.

Or contact British Airways, firstly just by ringing BA at Heathrow and ask for Personnel. They will point you in the right direction. I don't think that they recruit every year though.

Answer 14

There are three options he can take:

!) Try and get a flying job with the military, though jobs are few and far between. He could do this for a few years, then come out, get his commerical license and apply to the airlines.

2) Apply for sponsorship with an airline, but there are only a couple I know of (Flybe for example) and competition is fierce.

British Airways no longer accept inexperienced pilots.

3) Fork out £50,000 and pay for him to go to one of the flying colleges e.g. Cabair, Oxford Aviation, Jerez or CTC. They are all much of a muchness. The course lasts between 12 months and a year.

Airlines don't employ people under the age of 21, so bear that in mind.

Science or maths A-levels would be a good choice.

Have a look at the website www.pprune.org for more information.

Answer 15

Hi, i was in the exact same position as your son two years ago! It's good you got the eyesight checked. I answered a similar question to this about a month back, theres loads of information there and i hope u find it useful!

Taken from one of my earlier answers

'Hey

Im 17 and currently doing my A2 levels, and I also want to be a commercial pilot. You can get sponsored by airlines or you can fund the training yourself, the going rate for good qulality teaching is around £65,000. The top flying school (according to Flight International) in Europe is the Oxford College of Aviation, the second is Cabair, and the third is a spanish company called Jerez. Im going to apply to Oxford after my A2 results.

If you type in 'flyer exhibition' into a search engine, the 'Flyer' aviation magazine group hold a bi-annual exhibition where flying schools exhibit their school and give out information. I have been to the past two and they have been amazing. There is so much information to be accessed. The exhibition is held in the Rennaissance Hotel, Heathrow Airport and tickets are usually about £10.

A word of warning however! The woman from cabair I spoke to said that if the pilots they train fail their exams, they become flying instructors for the company!! I said 'so thats like if I failed my driving test and became a driving instructor', she just looked uncomfortable. So i wouldnt reccomend them.

Also, look for an Air Training Corps squadron near you, they are very militarised, but teach you loads about aircraft, how they work, and they give you loads of fun like going up in Aircraft-I recently got awarded a gliding scholarship which i hope to take in the Summer.

You will need Maths and a science based subject-preferably physics, and write off to flying schools to get their leaflets and information about them.

There is a magazine called 'Flight International' which keeps me up to date with everything happening in the world of Aviation, and is very useful.

There is also a predicted pilot shortage for 2010, which is when I hopefully graduate! Also, write off to airlines such as BA about sponsorship, they have to keep all your correspondance on file and if you get an interview with them, they can see you are keen on the career.

If you need any other information whatsoever, then send me an email! I wish you good luck for your future flying career.'

Answer 16

Down the runway.....

Seriously, my ex (the Italian, nice to look at but no good in bed.....) was an airline pilot. Your boy needs maths , at least one science (physics by preference), plus two more 'A' levels. A modern language is a big help.

Although they are a bunch of raving n***s, the best place to start is British Airways, but competition is very fierce.

Surprisingly, the ability to fly an aeroplane is NOT a prerequisite.