Trying To Become a Pilot?

Question

what is it exactly that you have to do to become a pilot and get your license whether its private or commercial? do you have to be a high school graduate or go to college for it? please help.

Answer 1

You have to find a licensed flight school which will provide class time and flight time and then take a license test with an FAA instructor.

Answer 2

http://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_r...

Answer 3

You need instruction, but  you don't need to get it at a flight school.

Answer 4

Here is an answer I posted to a similar question earlier. I understand some of my information might not be 100% correct so hopefully other users will correct me if I'm wrong.

It depends on if you want to fly as a hobby or fly for an airline. I'm going to assume you want to be an airline pilot. The first thing you're gonna have to do is find a flight school. There are two types to become familiar with: Part 141 and Part 61. So, what's the difference? Although both types will get you to where you want to be, I would personally recommend Part 141 because they are required to use a syllabus when training students, while Part 61 may but are not required to do so. Also, 141 generally has better-quality equipment, offer student loans, and are FAA-approved. But what really matters in the end is that you are comfortable with your school. Go check out all the schools in your area. Meet the people, check out the fleet to make sure you're comfortable with the aircraft you'll be flying in, and feel free to ask questions as they will be answered. You can also schedule an introductory flight with an instructor. Here are some sites that may help you locate schools in your area.

http://learntofly.com/

http://beapilot.com/

Before you start I would recommend you get a third-class physical exam to ensure you'll be able to solo in the future so you don't waist time. However, you will still need to take another exam before you solo so you won't be getting it over with, just checking. You can begin flying lessons @ any age as long as your feet touch the pedals. Okay, so you've chosen your school and you'reready to start training.

Over the course of a few months to a year depending on how often you fly, you will complete several lessons with your instructor (basic flying lessons). You will also complete several ground school exams. @ age 16 you can solo (you must pass the third-class medical exam). You continue flying and @ age 17 you can recieve your private pilot certificate which allows you to fly with passengers. Now you can get your instrument & multi-engine ratings (which are pretty self-explanitory). Once you turn 18, have both ratings, are 18 years of age, pass a second-class medical exam, and have at least 250 hours cross-country flight hours in your log, you can get your commercial pilot certificate. Now, you can chose to become a CFI or certified flight instructor to build up flight time and make money.

Now that you're 18, you should also be going to college. Again, I'm not sure how old you are so you may or may not have already been to college. But to get hired by the airlines you need to have a four-year degree. I would recommend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University which has campuses in Daytona, FL and Prescott, AZ.

When you get out of college (you should be about 22, 21 if you finish in 3 years by attending over the summers) you can begin looking for airlines that may be hiring. A smart pilot takes what is available to him/her so don't be picky with which airline you fly for. You first start out flying for a regional airline. You start out as a F/O (first-officer) and depending on whether or not there is a shortage of pilots, you may become a F/O on reserve (meaning you fill in for blockholder pilots when they are unable to fly. You must carry a beeper with you all the time and if it goes off you are required to be @ the airport within a certain period of time). Of course, considering that more and more pilots are retiring and more planes are being built each day, you might just skip the whole reserve thing. After you have enough experience as a F/O the airline promotes you to captain. Again, you may or may not be a reserve. In order to be captain you must first be @ least 23 years of age, pass a first-class medical exam, and have 1500 cross-country flight log hours to get your ATP or airline transport pilot certificate. Once you have enough experience as a captain you can begin searching for major airlines that may be hiring. Again, don't be too picky, but choose wisley, as once pilots fly for an airlnie it is very difficult to switch to another. This is because even if you were a captain of one airline and switch, you could risk losing your position and be sent back to F/O and work your way all the way up all over again.

Well, that's how you become a pilot. I hope I helped! I wish you the best of luck. Oh, and if you have any questions related to becoming a pilot feel free to contact me by IM or email. C ya!

-Captain Zach