How to Become a Commercial Pilot15 Apr
By FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulations, to be a commercial pilot, that is, an aircraft pilot who is paid to pilot a plane, you must be at least 18 years of age, be able to read, speak, write and understand English, you must hold a private pilot certificate or higher license from the FAA, you must meet experience requirements of a commercial pilot license that apply to the aircraft type and type of work. You must also pass a knowledge and a practical flying test.
Types of Commercial Pilots
Basically two, small aircraft and large jet, but these branch out into a variety of specialties, Agricultural Spraying, Air Ambulance, Airline, Charter Pilot, Coastal Surveillance, Corporate, Flying Instructor , Search and Rescue, and Survey Pilot. You should check FAA regulations for specific requirements for the type of equipment you wish to fly.
Salary
Commercial airline pilots in the United States make about $ 100,000 a year. Flight Instructors in a major market such as NYC make about the same, while in Billings, Montana you might expect to pull down around $80,000.
Work Schedule
It is a widely held belief that airline pilots work only 80 hours a month. This is the number of hours they are PAID for. In other words, they are only paid when the “wheels are moving”, from the gate until parking at destination. Add in the total hours worked pre-flight, planning briefings, as well as the time away from home and they work twice that. Obviously, for commercial pilots, the hours can be crazy and vary widely.
Getting Started
There are many ways to become a commercial pilot. You can attend a flight school to obtain your private pilot license, which is a prerequisite to getting a commercial license. With large planes, such as jets and large commercial airliners there are a smaller number of schools to pick from.
After that, you will probably have to attend the airline’s own flight school.
You can also get your pilot’s license ny joining the Air Force. This is free, but you belong to the military for a number of years.
After discharge from the Air Force you be licenses, and may possibly but not definitely qualify to fly commercial aircraft. If not, with more training you can become a commercial pilot with an airline.
You can also opt to fly outside the United States if you are willing to relocate. Demand for airline pilots increases as countries develop economically and airline travel increases.
Being a commercial pilot may be your dream but you have to consider the strain that being away from home so much might put on your family life. You also can consider the Air Force route, if you are willing to give a few years to your country’s service. It can be a rewarding and well paid career.
There is also the possibilty of attending flight schools if you are seriously keen on becoming a pilot. The real flight simulators are expensive, however. A cheaper option, but not as realitic, you can have a bit of fun at home by practicing with flight simulator games at home on your computer. There are some excellent products on the market now that look very realistic in terms of graphics and the general aspect of simulation. There are also some excellent joystics available that replicate a real pilot’s.
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