The Complete Guide on how to become an Airline Pilot — With Tips –
Before taking any big step or decision towards becoming an airline pilot, I’d recommend if you ask yourself the following questions first:
- Is this what I really want? & why?
- Is it a good time to become a pilot?
- What is the plan after getting my license?
- What is my Plan B alongside with flying?
1- Is this what I really want? & why? :
Anything in the world can look exciting and attractive from the outside, but once you get to know the details & insights, realize the reality as it is & live it, most of this attraction and excitement may start fading away if you don’t have enough passion for it. Airline Pilot job may seem super fun and exciting for most people, but only those who tried it can tell you that it’s not as easy or glowing as people might think. I’m a living example who quit my job as an airline pilot after 8 years of flying and here you can read why, even though it was my dream job since I was a little kid.
So what I want to say is, you must make sure that this is what you want, if the reasons why you want to be a pilot are enough, and that your passion for flying is above everything else.
2- Is it a good time to become a pilot? :
When I started thinking seriously about becoming a pilot back in 2008, I was in last year of high school, I made some market research & kept following the news about airlines in my country, I found that our flag carrier airline confirmed an order of 12 Boeing 737s that will be delivered within the next 2 ~ 3 years which obviously means that they will need to hire pilots for. Our flag-carrier always accepts zero-hour pilots and pays for their type ratings & training. so it was perfect timing for me to join a flight school, finish within a year and hopefully get hired by our flag-carrier. Fortunately, that’s exactly what happened, I got hired on the Boeing 737.
So you have to make some market research about airlines in your country, what are their requirements to join as a pilot? are they hiring or expecting to hire soon?
3- What is the plan after getting my license? :
Based on your market research that I mentioned earlier, you can plan what after getting your license, whether you’ll have the chance to get hired as a zero-hour pilot, pay for your own type-rating or fly as an instructor until something opens up ( more on this below ).
4- What is my Plan B alongside with flying? :
Before I join the flight school, my parents kept telling me I should finish a university degree alongside with flying ( I regret I never listened to them ), to have a plan B just in case something unexpected comes up as the airline pilot job has some risk of losing the whole career due to its strict annual medical checks. so I’d recommend if you plan to have another degree or skill alongside your pilot license.
The 3 types of pilot licenses:
- Private Pilot License ( PPL )
- Commercial Pilot License ( CPL )
- Airline Transport Pilots License ( ATPL )
If you wish to fly just for fun, privately and not earning money for it, then you will have to go only for the PPL which costs around 7000 EUR, otherwise, you will have to go through all of them.
1- Private Pilot License ( PPL ) :
This license allows you to fly planes privately, with this license you are not allowed to get paid for flying. so basically it’s the right choice if you’re just planning to fly for fun. to get a private pilot license you have to meet the following requirements:
- Be at least 16 years old when you start.
PPL license can be issued at the age of 17. - Be at least a Class 2 Medical holder.
You need to be physically fit for recreational flying. - Be proficient in the English language.
During the PPL(A) training, you will have to obtain ICAO English Language Proficiency minimum level 4. - To have sufficient knowledge of Mathematics and Physics.
You must be able to make some basic mental calculation and have minimum knowledge in Mathematics and Physics, However, no degree or scholarship is needed.
You will have to fly a minimum of 45 hours including 25 hours with a flight instructor ( based on EASA requirements ), study and pass the theoretical part which includes the following subjects:
Subjects you will study throughout your pilot license:
- Air Law
- Aircraft General Knowledge
- Flight Performance & Planning
- Human Performance & Limitations
- Meteorology, Navigation
- Operational Procedures
- Principles of Flight & Communications
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
after getting done with the PPL, you can add a Multi-Engine rating if you’re planning on flying a multi-engine plane in the future.
Or add Instrument Rating to be able to fly in IFR ( Instrument Flight Rules ), or continue your route towards being an airline pilot by going for the Commercial Pilot License.
2- Commercial Pilot License ( CPL ) :
This is where you take your flying skills a step forward to a professional career in aviation. CPL allows you to fly planes commercially. To get CPL you are required to have PPL first and :
- be at least 18 years old
- to be a Class 1 Medical holder ( which is more strict than Class 2 )
in order to complete both PPL & CPL, you need to fly a total of 200 hours ( including PPL time )
3- Airline Transport Pilot License ( ATPL ) :
ATPL allows you to act as a pilot in command for multi-pilot commercial jet airplanes. It’s divided into two parts, Theoretical and practical. You can finish the theoretical part during or after the Commercial Pilot License, then you will have a frozen ATPL License. After logging a minimum of 1500 flying hours, you can then undergo a skills test and get your full ATPL.
Now if you’re planning to take the full package to become a professional airline pilot, there’re still 2 ratings needed,
- Instrument Rating
- Multi-Engine Rating
The full course price ranges between 45 ~ 65,000 EUR ( depending on the country & flight school ) and usually takes around one year to finish. If you’re planning to only get the PPL, it costs around 7000 EUR.
After finishing your airline pilot license course successfully, you’ll be a zero-hour pilot which means you don’t have any jet time, and you’ll have one of the following routes to follow :
- Apply for one of your National Airlines
- Pay for a jet type-rating
- Fly as a Flight Instructor
1- Apply for one of your National Airlines :
Most National Airlines & Flag carriers accept zero-hour pilots who are citizens of the same country, pay for their type-rating and route training, and hire them after successful completion of the required training. However, it can be really competitive to get accepted in one of those programs.
2- Pay for a jet type-rating :
Many privately-owned airlines accept zero-hour pilots who hold a jet type-rating, their fleets usually consist of either Airbus A320s or Boeing 737s, so you can make pick one of them based on which airlines are hiring by the time you’re going for the type rating. type ratings usually cost around 10 ~ 12,000 EUR.
3- Fly as a Flight Instructor:
This is usually the last resort, if at the current time you can’t find any of the above-mentioned job openings, then this is the best route to take until you find a suitable vacancy in an airline, Flight instructor add-on costs around 6,000 EUR and can be finished in less than a month. However, the salary is not the best ( 1,000 ~ 2000 EUR/Month ) but it’s a good option while waiting for airline job openings. Flying as a Flight instructor will add a lot to your skills & experience as a pilot.
Originally Posted on The Rebellious.