Steps to Becoming a Pilot in the US

Of course - becoming a pilot requires some different steps depending on where you're hoping to study. This lesson will focus on the steps involved in becoming a pilot in the US.

Some Things to Think About…

The first step to becoming a pilot, is figuring out what you'd like to fly. Depending on the type of aircraft you want to fly, FAA's (Federal Aviation Administration) rules for getting your pilot's license/certificate differ. Your choices range from airplanes to helicopters and airships. Another thing you should think about is the type of flying you're interested in doing. Pilot's licenses come in several types. They range from a student pilot all the way up to an airline transport pilot.

To operate an aircraft in the United States, you must be licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which since 9/11 is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). There are several levels of pilot's licenses; the most basic is the Private Pilot license. This license permits the holder to pilot an aircraft anywhere in the United States, and to carry passengers.

What it Takes…

Steps to Earning a Private Pilot License

• Pass a basic medical examination.
• Receive the required amount of instruction from a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI).
• Pass a written examination (100 multiple-choice questions).
• Pass a "checkride" (aircraft equivalent of a driving test) given by an FAA-approved examiner.

Education,Training, and Licensing

Requirements for professional pilots vary depending on the type of work they are doing. Generally, you must have a strong command of written and spoken English, graduate from a certified pilot training school, and have the appropriate commercial or airline transport pilot's license and endorsements. The US Flight Academy is a well known, reputable flight school with a long history of accelerated flight training.

Not surprisingly, one of the main steps to becoming a pilot is learning to fly an airplane. A potential pilot must complete ground school and flight training to earn a private pilot's license. Once you have this license and have accumulated enough flight hours you can obtain a commercial pilot's license, which allows pilots to offer their services in exchange for a fee. It's important to look into where you'd want to study.

Because you must accumulate a certain number of flight hours before you can acquire the license needed to fly a large aircraft, many pilots begin their careers working as flight instructors or flying sightseers in small planes. These types of positions allow them to accumulate flight experience without having to pay for the flight time themselves.

To work for a major airline

You will need to have your ATP license. Major airlines typically require at least 3,000 hours total flight time including at least 1,500 hours multi-engine, and at least 1000 hours as pilot in command (PIC) of turbine (jet) powered aircraft, preferably in scheduled airline flying. These numbers will vary depending on the airline. Also, while these may be the minimums required to apply for a job at a major airline, they may be far from the actual competitive numbers and the actual experience of successful applicants may be considerably higher than the minimums.

Sources:

• http://learnhub.com/redirect?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wikihow.com%2FBecome-an-Airline-Pilot
• http://learnhub.com/redirect?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.careercruising.com%2FCareers%2FJobDetails.aspx%3FLoginID%3D9bf35ab8-7fea-4e7f-b984-3ff42c822ea3-%26%2338%3BOccNumber%3D333%26#38;field=Education
• http://learnhub.com/redirect?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.airaffair.com%2FLibrary%2Fstart-airplanes.html
• http://learnhub.com/redirect?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.faa.gov%2F