How to Become a Commercial Pilot
77
There is More than One Route to a Career in Commercial Aviation
A commercial pilot in the U.S. is a person who is allowed to be paid for flying. Before you can be paid for flying any type of aircraft you must meet these minimum FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) requirements;
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Be able to read, speak, write and understand English. - Hold a private pilot certificate or higher license from the FAA - Meet the aeronautical experience requirements of a commercial pilot license that apply to the aircraft category (type of plane) and commercial class rating (type of work) sought. - Take and pass the knowledge test. - Pass the practical flying test.As can be surmised from the list above, there is a wide range of commercial flying licenses and we are talking about more than being a commercial airline pilot. There are a couple of routes that you can take to become a commercial pilot. One would be to attend flight school and train yourself. Most cities have flight schools that train people for their private pilot license, which is required before you can obtain any type of commercial license. Many of these schools also offer training for commercial pilot licenses for small propeller driven aircraft. For jets and large commercial airliners (both passenger airliners which the airlines use as well as air cargo haulers like Federal Express) you will need to go to one of the smaller number of schools that specialize in this type of training. Most of these schools are located in the southern part of the U.S. where there is good flying weather year round. Even if you do go through and earn a license to fly the big jets that the airlines use, most major airlines will still require that you complete their flight school.
A second, no cost way of obtaining a pilot’s license is to join the Air Force and have them train you as a pilot for free. This costs nothing in terms of cash (you will actually get paid while going through flight school) but you will have to fly for the Air Force for a set number of years. Upon leaving the Air Force you will have the license, training and experience which, depending upon what type of aircraft you flew for the Air Force, may or may not transfer directly to a commercial civilian aircraft. However, with some additional training in a particular aircraft type, you will be able to qualify for employment as a commercial pilot with an airline or a company. Again, In the case of major airlines they will not only provide the training but usually require that you go through their training school regardless of your background and experience (as an airline employee, you will be paid to attend their school). While your military flying experience will not lead directly to an airline flying job, it will be a big plus in their deciding to hire you.
The final suggestion is to look abroad. The U.S. has a well developed aviation industry, but many countries abroad have a small aviation industry that is just now developing. People in these countries are becoming wealthier and want to fly more, so demand for airline services – both passenger and freight services – is increasing and airline companies in these countries are eager to hire pilots. With a commercial license and some experience you can often have them hire you and pay for the remainder of your training.
Flight Simulator view of Pilot Training
- FAA License and Certification Page
This page contains links to all the different license and certification categories for flying.
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Amal, as I stated in the article, two possibilities for obtaining the necessary flight training without having to pay cash for it is to look into joining your country's air force and having them train you or try to find a an airline (small regional airline or air freight service) at home or abroad that is desperate for pilots and will provide the necessary training when they hire you. Good luck.
I always wanted to become a pilot. But, my eye site has never been any good.
geeez what a great hub!!! 2 thumbs up
if you have time come check mine
http://hubpages.com/hub/Fin_any_cell_phone_number
see ya ;-)
I want a good adviceon " how to become a pilot with expenses ".
hallo sir. im from india. i want to become a commercial pilot but i dont know the best institutions in the world especially in US and south africa & their fees structure. so can u plz tell me about them. i would be grateful to u. u can also send the details on my email id.
I'm not planning to become a commercial pilot (at age 72), but I enjoyed reading about it and watching the video. Very nice.
do you need a student pilot lisence before you receive your private lisence?
Anthony - thanks for your comment. Not being a pilot myself (I was a navigator in the Air Force and thus have considerable cockpit time as well as having spent considerable time with pilots) I can't answer for certain but I believe that you do need some type of student license before you can receive a private pilot license (at least in the United States).
from any stream can we can become a comm pilot , from whre to get FAA crtificate or private pilot certificate what are the aeronautical requirements how much percentage after 12 std ,and what todo after 12 , its my foremost dream sir plz let me know through e mail the answers of the above queeries as early as possible my yahoo id is rambo_321 @yahoo.com
Sir, My dream is to bcome a pilot. But i dont know how to become a pilot.So,please tell me what should be the qualities,rules and regulations to become a pilot.How to apply for it.
i completed my +2 (maths physics chemistry) from board of national institute of open schooling is my qualification eligible for the pilot course and also iam 19 years of age.
My dream is to become a pilot.But i dont know how to become......Can you please tell me how to become???????????????
Respected sir/madam,
i am very much interested to become an Indian Piolot, Can u pls guide me about the qualification and courses based on this field. My e-mail ID is sudhin_prince @yahoo.co.in
how long is it from start to finish to go for an airline and what is the youngest pilot out their for an airline
I would like to become a pilot but really dont intend on joining the Air Force how can i get hired to a large comm company? PLEASE E-MAIL me akturk_adem@yahoo.com
i want to be a commercial pilot and i think i should fulfil my requirments . So you please send me information that which subjects i have to take to be a part of your air lines From Ambreesh kohli
hey guys,heard abt this company called Caital Flight Training based in New Delhi,India...they send students to amazing flying schools in US,Philippines,South Africa,etc...also have awesome Simulator set up along with ground classes...a person is truly guided the right way and helps you save money in US....
Iam a brand loyal to that company now...call them for more details...011-41638521,98111-82842,fly@capitalflight.net
Hi kirupa...This is vinod from coimbatore..i saw ur article..U have asked that how to become a pilot with expenses..I don know wheather u have asked this question serioiusly??because i m sitting without money to join in madras flying club or not even collateral security to get loan but u have asked that....anyway best of luck....if u wish give me a call @ 9894680019 and my mail id is vinod_theist@yahoo.co.in
Perhaps it's not easy to pass the practical flying test.
The problem these days is that it is really hard to get on with the major airlines in the US, and the smaller regional jets don't pay much at all. I think it helps to have a college degree in the area these days as well.
sir,my wish is to become a commercial pilot.so kindly please tell me how to become a commercial pilot.
I have the greatest respect for commercial pilots - and it's only getting more challenging. The scary thing is you finally become a commercial pilot and in this market place you get layed off - excellent hub!!
uhm.. what course in college will i take o be a pilot? is aeraunotical engineering already fit for me to be a pilot?? just asking???
aaron - thanks for your comment. As to studying aeronautical engineering in preparation for a career as a commercial pilot, I doubt that it is required but it certainly would not hurt and would help in understanding your aircraft and the principles of flight.
Great Hub. . More informative for those who wants to become a commercial pilot. Thanks for your hard effort to pull all the information into your hub and for sharing. I like this hub and rated 5*. I have bookmarked this hub to come back again. Here is a similar kind of interesting and informative site about Cost Of Private Jets on http://www.privatejetscenter.com/cost-of-private-j Please step into this site if you are free to surf more information about Cost Of Private Jets.
hi chuck
i enrolled in a pilot's school but dismissed for being a diminutive monkey. Very unfair! Still great hub.
TravelMonkey
What a great hub! You did a wonderful job and I'm giving you five stars for that. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on this topic. I was planning to be a pilot before but for some reasons I didn't pursue it. You made it look so easy to be a pilot and that awakens that long dream of mine. Let me share to you a lens that I find helpful and informative too. http://www.privatejetscenter.com They provide inforamtions on air charter by jets, its different kinds and features and much more.
i just want to know that can i do fying with specticles
Amarbir - that would depend upon your overall eyesight, government regulations and individual airline policy.
i want to become pilot, plz. tell me crietyarea essential in comm. pilot. also about fees.
How much total cost to become a commercial pilot
i do i need to become a pilot for example school diploma ans what else
Can anyone tell me what is the reason behind this Page Rank of 100?
Sunny Kumar - the cost to become a commercial pilot will vary depending upon the cost of the filght schools and training that you choose. The types of training and acceptable schools may also vary depending upon the requirments of the airline for which you want to work.
What a great hub Chuck you’ve posted here. You have done a great job here. It is true you need not only financial, academic and physical qualifications but you should have a high degree of alertness to do well as a commercial pilot.
Trsmd is wondering how you get a PR of 100. Trsmd, this has not only got to do with the quality of the hub, but there are other factors that are being considered not only here at hubpage but everywhere else in internet. I have done a good hub on this, “Page Ranking Flow Diagrams” which you can read if you can.
Thank you ngureco for your comment.
Having written over 300 Hubs, I have often been surprised by the results of some of them and have spent time analyzing the ratings and comments to try to determine what sells and what doesn't (I just looked at your http://hubpages.com/hub/Page-Rank-Flow-Diagrams Hub and plan to incorporate the tools and ideas you discussed there into my analysis in the future.
This particular Hub was one my my entries in the contest that HubPages ran in the Fall of 2006. Following the contest I published a Hub http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Continue_Winning_Wi
in which I reflected on the contest and made it clear that I had actively participated in the contest both to win in the short term and to also lay a foundation for future Google AdSense earnings by having written articles on topics that viewers had expressed an interest in (as I mentioned in that Hub, I also took care to maintain other quality areas along with promoting the Hubs - all of which are explained in more detail in the Hub).
My prediction proved true as many of the Hubs I wrote fro the contest in the Fall of 2006 (and this Hub on How to Be a Commercial Pilot is one of them) continue to draw readers and generate revenue for me. In the case of this Hub I tried to write clearly and accurately (it was revised, spell checked and proof read more than once before being published), tried to keep my audience in mind and write for them and tried to keep it short and too the point. More importantly, it was written in response to requests for that topic from people who visited HubPages.
Frankly, I would have never thought to write this Hub on my own. However, the interesting thing is that many of the comments on this Hub are from people living abroad. From this I have concluded that much of the traffic that visits this particular Hub (and the companion one http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Become_a_Fighter_Pi ) is from abroad. This is further backed up when I check my Traffic Sources (found by clicking on the "My Account" and then clicking on "Traffic Sources" on the drop down menu) and see the volume of traffic that comes from abroad as evidenced by the number of search engines (including Google and Yahoo) that have a country code (such as .uk for United Kingdom, or .in for India) rather than a .com at the end (see my Hub http://hubpages.com/hub/Cyber_Geography_Internet_C for a list of country codes and the countries they represent). While flying is common in the U.S. and commercial pilot jobs here are difficult to get as airlines continue to cut back on benefits and even lay off pilots, the economies of nations like India are developing rapidly and people in these countries are using their new wealth to travel which is leading to an increased demand for commercial airline pilots in those nations. Good pay, high status and growing demand for commercial pilots in countries like India it is not surprising that people are seeking information on how to get into that field.
It is my strong belief that it is very important to know your audience and keep them in mind when writing. That is why I make a point of reading every comment, reading Hub pages of others and looking at the comments they receive and regularly check my traffic sources to keep tabs on who my audience is (another trick I have found is to go to Google and check my AdSense earnings throughout the day to see the times when they are increasing the most - if they suddenly jump at night that is an indicator that the readers are in the Asian-Pacific region while early morning indicates Europe and during the day and early evening the U.S. where I live).
Thank you chack for your detailed explanation. I certainly must mention the link to this hub in my blogs.
Respected sir\mam
i want to become a commercial pilot but dont know the procedure to apply for same.i request you (or anyone who visits this site) to send the procedure in my e-mail id - kittu9544@rediff.com .please mention the total fee structure .
thanking you,
ankita
(from india)
A HAVE A BURNING DESIRE TO BECOME A PILOT JUST HELP ME OUT HOW?????????????????????????
EMAIL AT:-FREEBIRD_MEGHA@YAHOO.CO.IN
i am 21 years old now i am pursuing bachelour of social work 2 year.i want to become a COMMERCIAL Pilot.now i am working in nagpur airport under handling agency for QATAR & AIR INDIA EXPRESS.so pls help me out to get the pilot traning.i want loans also because i belong from a very poor family and cant afford to pay,so pls help me out my email addres philip_samuel2001@yahoo.com
dear sir , i am a student frm nepal , after all i have completed my +2 level(science) , i always want to fly high on the sky so it was my dream to become a pilot, but due to economic condition it became very tough for me to achieve my goal, i think i can't be not able to fullfill my dream,its very difficult to take decision in this moment ,please please please sir, if there is any way(soln) to overcome this problem then plz suggest me for that, your suggestion may help to fullfill my desire goal....my dream......... hope u will send me ur words on niteshbenzs@hotmail.com
Respected sir/mam
I want to bocome a commercial piolet but i dont know how to become it please tell me wich subject is must required to becoming a commercial piolet and how many marks in each subject and tell me also how many total many and year are required to becoming a sucessful commercial piolet . please tell me diply information on my e-mail address (rimsha ansari 1993 @ G-mail . com)
Dear Sir/Madam
Im 24 years old girl, i m commerce graduate, but always like to fly, i love to become a pilot, but somehow it was not possible for me, because 1st thing is tht i m from commerece background and second thing is tht, to become a pilot u need lots of money to spend, that is not affordable for me.
and i have medical problem like, i m thyroide patient.
so can i become a pilot with this mediacl problem,? and secondely show me the different way to join the flighting institute and there fees structure which can help me to fullfil my dream.
Kindly send us u r suggestion on my email id ashi_hello1@yahoo.com
I hope u will do the needful in the matter.
Hi,
I am a graduated in philosophy and Economics. I do not have any physics and Maths background in my 12th Std. Moreover I am 30 years old. I would like to know whether I can become a commercial pilot in India. Please email me at campanch@yahoo.com
Thank you
sir, it is my dream to become a commercial piot and work for SIA. singapore airlines.. im in philippines and ging to start training in a few months.. all i really wanna know is that how many years will it take of training and diff types of lisence to actually become a full fledge commercial pilot and fly.. like how many years?? im 16 right now.. not too young to think aboit such things but not too old to dream as well..
working
Amal says:
13 months ago
be a pilot . it's my dream.being an indian it is very tough to achieve my goal.
the main barrier is the money itself.
so send some remedies
your's faithfully Amal