Becoming a pilot

Society Business and Career
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Someone I know is aspring to become a pilot one day ..

Can someone here guide me please , as to what academic route to follow and qualifications / training required for the profession and how long it takes to become fully qualified?

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Re: Becoming a pilot

Well you don't need degrees and what not to be a pilot. All you need to have done is finish A-levels/Equivalent and be of a certain age which is mostly eighteen. Some people choose to do diplomas of degrees which are helpful in the long run if you want to get into management and senior levels after a while. Although some pilots take this down the line when they have been flying for a while so they can just move over in roles.

These days you'll need to fund yourself initially unless you can get recruited by some airlines that are still offering cadet schemes (Singapore, Etihad, etc.) although those aren't aplenty. You need to do your research. There are still companies hiring and there will be plenty of pilots required.

The different steps on the ladder to becoming a Captain/FO with a major airline as as follows. Also note, you can also study continuously until you get the ATPL but it will be a 'frozen' ATPL which means you need to complete your FH requirement. Once you complete your FH requirement at the required level you automatically get your ATPL released and are then a fully qualified pilot.

Find flight schools and do your research (It can cost anywhere between 50K to 100K pounds from A-Z depending on the individual and financial aid) Don't worry though, once you become a pilot the payoffs are HUGE. Its a very lucrative career if you can join with an airline. The initial investment looks like peanuts.

Medical Fitness Certificate

PPL - Private Pilots Licence > IFR / NR (These are add-ons you will need if you want to actually fly)

CPL - Commercial Pilots Licence > You can use this to be a flight instructor or pilot for any non airline flying (F/O with a cargo company for example). You can keep doing this while collecting different type ratings. Each type rating means you can fly in a certain type of cockpit (Single/Multi/AC type/Etc.)

ATPL - Airline Transport Pilots Licence - 1,500 hours at CPL level and also a number of type ratings to go along. It is the highest licence available for a pilot. You need this to be a Captain.

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Re: Becoming a pilot

he must make sure that he is medically fit. one of my cousin's son did everything and during the hiring process by Air India, he was found to have slight auditory impairment and as a result he was rejected and that effectively killed all his aspirations to become a commercial pilot...at least for now!

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Re: Becoming a pilot

Contrary to popular belief they let a lot of things slide; He must an elevated issue.

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Re: Becoming a pilot

Gidsa, very helpful indeed , thanks mate :)

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Re: Becoming a pilot

here is a very good set of Books for detail info:

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Re: Becoming a pilot

Very useful info by GIDSA. A good friend of mine is now a trainee pilot with PIA. From what I know he joined the Lahore Flying Club right after A-Levels, spent 3 years doing the PPL and CPL. He then went through PIA's recruitment process for fresh pilots and made it in.

Now I don't know where this person will be training to become a pilot but it is actually a risky career option here in Pakistan (according to my friend). The reason for that is you only have one option for recruitment here, PIA. The private airlines don't have cadet schemes and according to my friend, those who fail to make it into PIA are usually resigned to becoming instructors with flying schools and racking up the hours so they might be eligible for other airlines in the future. However flight school is considerably cheaper here so there isn't a lot of initial investment.