How to Become an Airline Pilot

Becoming a Private Pilot

Graduate from high school with courses in math and science. Although there are no high school course requirements for becoming an airline pilot, generally courses in math and science will be most helpful for your future career. Enroll in advanced placement classes if they are offered by your school. Consider taking part in extracurricular activities related to flying. In the UK, for instance, you could join the Air Training Corps (ATC), a volunteer-military youth organization for people under the age of 18.

Earn a 4-year college degree to fly for a large commercial airline. A bachelor's degree or equivalent is required to become a pilot for a major airline. It's preferable to get a bachelor of science with an emphasis in aviation, but your degree doesn't necessarily have to be aviation related. Some regional airlines only require a 2-year degree. Certain colleges and universities, such as the University of North Dakota, offer flight training in concurrence with academic classes.

Obtain a first-class medical certificate. Make an appointment with a certified aviation medical examiner. A doctor will review your medical history and conduct a physical examination to ensure that you’re both physically and mentally capable of operating an airplane. Contrary to popular belief, you can still become a professional pilot if you wear glasses or contacts, as long as your vision is correctable to 20/20. In the United States, you must visit the office of a certified Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). A list of AMEs in your community can be found here: https://www.faa.gov/pilots/medical_certification

Enroll in an accredited flight school or training program to gain flight experience. Training generally comes in two forms: integrated and modular. Integrated training programs are more expensive, but allow you to complete your training more quickly—generally 14-18 months. Modular programs allow you to pay as you go and are better if you want to train part-time, potentially taking breaks between modules. If you’re in the United States, completing classes at an FAA-approved flight school can reduce the amount of flight experience required for a pilot’s license.

Consider military flight training for a subsidized option. Enrolling in flight school and acquiring the required number of flight hours can be an incredibly expensive process. If you enlist in the military, however, your flight training will be subsidized. The flip side, of course, is that you must agree to a multi-year commitment to the armed forces (10 years, in the United States). The Air Force, Navy, Army, and Coast Guard offer flight training if you are a U.S. citizen. Job prospects are generally good for those leaving the military to become an airline pilot.

Get a student pilot’s license to fly a plane on your own. Apply for a student pilot’s license through the official aviation board in your country. These licenses are free to apply for, but you may need your instructor sign-off to prove your skills. You can start taking flying lessons before you’ve applied for a student pilot certificate, but you’ll need one to operate a plane by yourself. A private pilot’s license, your next step, requires a certain amount of solo flying hours. You can often apply for a student pilot certificate at the same time as your medical certificate.

Take a written exam to start earning your private pilot’s license. The written exam can be taken at any time before the practical exam—some instructors and flight schools require it to be completed successfully before you start flying. The test consists of 60 multiple-choice questions. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends that you complete a solo cross-country flight before taking the written exam.

Pass a practical flight exam and obtain your private pilot’s license. To take your practical exam, you must have completed 40 total hours of flight time. Those 40 hours must include a minimum of 10 hours flying solo, of which 5 must be a solo cross-country flight, and 20 hours with an instructor. The flight exam is administered by an FAA examiner and usually lasts 1-2 hours. You must provide your own plane for the exam. Once you’ve completed this process, you’re officially a licensed pilot. You will be comfortable with the fundamentals of flying a single-engine plane. You cannot receive payment for your services when you hold this license.

Earning an Airline Transport Pilot's License

Add an instrument rating to fly in inclement weather. An instrument rating requires 50 hours of cross-country flight time while serving as the pilot in command. You also need 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument flight experience to qualify. To prove your flight hours, your instructor will review your pilot logbook and set up an appointment with a dedicated pilot examiner. Then, you’ll be asked to plan a cross-country flight using instrument flight rules (which you may or may not actually fly), as well as an oral exam and flight test. This rating allows you to pilot a plane during periods of low visibility, guided solely by the airplane’s instruments.

Earn a commercial pilot’s license to be paid to fly. To qualify for an FAA Commercial Pilot License, applicants must be at least 18 years old and have at least 250 hours of flight experience. Like your private pilot license, you’ll need to pass a written and flight exam. The commercial certificate requires 250 flight hours (including 100 hours as pilot in command, 50 hours cross-country, and 10 hours of dual instruction in a complex aircraft). The written exam for a commercial license contains 100 multiple choice questions. You will be given 3 hours to complete the test, and the minimum score is 70%. The practical exam must be administered by an FAA-approved examiner, a list of which can be searched here: https://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/designees_delegations/find_designees.

Add a multi-engine rating to legally fly a twin engine aircraft. To work as an airline pilot, you must acquire a multi-engine rating to fly planes with two engines. You’ll need an endorsement from your instructor and will also have to take a practical test that includes a detailed verbal test. The oral exam can be administered by the instructor and includes questions about weight and balance, aircraft systems, and minimum controllable airspeed. No written test is required.

Earn your airline transport pilot’s license. To apply for this license, you must 23 years or older and have at least 1,500 hours of flying experience (that includes both night and instrument flying). You’ll also be required to pass written and flight examinations. The written exam is multiple choice and addresses subjects like flight planning and monitoring, radio navigation, meteorology, and air law. The practical exam is administered by either an FAA Inspector or an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner. It’s divided into two sections: an oral exam and a test flight. This license allows you to operate as the captain (or the “pilot in command”) of a commercial aircraft.

Gaining Experience

Apply for jobs with regional airlines. To work for a major airline, you will typically need 3,000 hours total flight time including at least 1,500 hours multi-engine, and at least 1,000 hours as pilot in command of a turbine-powered aircraft. To gain that experience, you can start by working at a regional airline, which often requires only 1,500 hours of flight time. Many pilots start out at smaller airlines where they can gain experience flying on scheduled flights in a variety of weather conditions. Then, they use that experience to get higher paying jobs at bigger airlines.

Complete your certified flight instructor rating to work at a flight school. Some flight schools offer you flight hours in exchange for working as an instructor there. This is a very common route to earning the hours needed to fly for a major airline since it allows you to earn money and while building up your flight hours. Similarly, find a job as an instructor at a simulator company. Even if they cannot pay you a salary, see if you can trade your instructor hours for hours using the simulator and gaining experience to use in future job interviews.

Volunteer as a pilot to gain experience while helping others. Safety pilots, for instance, keep an eye out while another pilot is wearing a view-limiting device that simulates low-visibility weather conditions. You can donate your time while also earning flight hours. Or, if you are in the U.S., you can work with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP)—the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. It conducts search-and-rescue missions and educational flights for younger cadets using a feel of smaller aircraft. Some CAP flights require a private pilot’s license at minimum, while others have more stringent requirements.

Find “low-time” pilot jobs in your community for additional hours. Options include scenic flights, glider towing, aerial photography, towing banners, and pipeline patrol. These jobs may be hard to find when the market is bad for pilots, since other, more experienced pilots may be looking for work. These jobs can usually be found via word-of-mouth or contacting businesses in your area that you think might be hiring part-time pilots.

Working at an Airline

Apply to airlines as soon as you meet the minimum requirements. Prepare a one-page professional pilot resume. The resume should be broken down into sections with your contact information, ratings and flight hours, experience and chronological job history and any awards or accomplishments. Ask other pilots who have direct knowledge of your flying skills to write letters of recommendation.

Prepare for the interview by researching the airline. Figure out what types of planes they operate, as well as their hub cities. Look them up online to see if there’s been any recent news about the company. Also, make sure your logbook is complete and you have an accurate record of your flight time. Check professional pilot websites where pilots share airline specific interview experiences. You may want to bring copies of records such as college transcripts, military records, and licenses to the interview. If the airline conducts a simulator check, rent a simulator at your local airport or flight school to brush up. Some companies offer airline-specific interview simulator preparation, although this specialty interview prep can be pricey.

Complete your initial training once hired. Onboarding for airline pilots typically includes a week of company training, 3-6 weeks of ground school and simulator training, and 25 hours of initial operating experience (including a check ride with an FAA aviation safety inspector). Once trained, you'll be required to complete regular training and simulator checks. These usually occur once or twice a year.

Start working at the airline as a flight engineer. Depending on the type of aircraft, new airline pilots start as first officers or flight engineers. Although some airlines favor applicants who already have a flight engineer’s license, they may provide flight engineer training for those who have only the commercial license.

Advance to first officer after 1-5 years. In the airlines, advancement is usually predetermined by seniority provisions stated in union contracts. After a period of 1-5 years, you will likely be promoted to the role of first office. A first officer (also known as the co-pilot) is the second-in-command to the captain.

Become a captain after 5-15 years on the job. Gaining seniority will also help you acquire preferred flight assignments. Your time with the airline will determine when you fly, if you fly on weekends, or if you'll be in the air during Christmas or other holidays. Any time you change airlines, by choice or because you've been laid off or your airline has gone out of business, you will be starting at the bottom again at your new airline in terms of your position, schedule, and pay—regardless of experience.