Where should i start on becoming a pilot?

Question

I am a junior in high school right now and i am thinking of what i would like to do in the future. I want to become a pilot and work for an airline, anyways i would like to become a pilot. Where should i start? Im not sure if its expensive to become one or not since i am from a single parent family of immigrants i cannot pay high amounts of money. I am however a very hard working and diligent students with a 3.7 GPA, over 5 extracurriculars which i am very dedicated to and a leader in one of them. I would really like to become one and as of right now it is my dream. I am researching right now and i thought it would be helpful if people from yahoo who knew about becoming a pilot could help me out a bit. Thank you

Answer 1

(1) Flight training is very expensive. To become a professional pilot, in the USA the training can easily cost about $80,000, not including the cost of getting a college degree which is more or less required by all of the major airlines. Training can be done less expensively, but any way you go about it, the cost isn't ever cheap. At a bare minimum, if you shop around for best prices, it will cost about $40,000 to become qualified with a commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating for single-engine aircraft. Add another $5000 for a basic flight instructor certificate so that you can work as an instructor - the most common entry-level job that pilots use to build up their flight time.



(2) All civilian pilots begin by getting a private pilots license. In the USA this costs about $8000 to $12.000 at most flight schools. For those on a budget, a Sport Pilot License is a bit cheaper by a couple thousand and it can eventually be upgraded to a PPL.



(3) How do you really know that you want to be an airline pilot? How much do you actually know about that profession and what it takes to become one? You probably don't even know yet if you are medically qualified. As with any career choice, it takes real investigation into the nature and requirements of a job to find out if it is really for you or not.



(4) Armed with sufficient knowledge, if it is a career that you really do want but money is an issue, then you had better plan on getting trained in another profession you can afford to get into first that will allow you to earn enough money to pay for flight training, or at least enough that you'll have strong enough financial credit to obtain financing for it.



(5) There are scholarships available from various sources, especially for minority applicants, but few of them pay more than a small portion of costs. If you live in the USA, think about joining the EAA and getting into their Young Eagles program. This would be a good place to start: https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/aviation-education-and-resources/eaa-youth-education/eaa-young-eagles-program



(6) With good grades, the right attitude and aptitude, and good physical conditioning, your other option is to try for military flight training. To succeed won't be easy and competition is fierce. If you succeed, the commitment is about 10.5 years. If you don't succeed, then you'll still be looking at a 4 year enlistment since you must join before you can apply for flight training. Your best bet would be to see if you can get an appointment to the Coast Guard, Air Force or Naval Academy.

Answer 2

Where you start...? - When you are in high school -

Since you are tight for money, here are the best advice in order of preference -



(1) Get top grades in high school, and select mathematics and sciences (physics) classes -

(2) Apply for Air Force (or Navy) ROTC in college (o they pay the college tuition) -

(3) When in the Air Force (or Navy) complete OCS Officer Candidate School) -

(4) Try to qualify for flight training as pilot - You will have to stay 10 years in the military as pilot -

(5) If not selected as pilot, you are officer and must stay in the military as officer for 4 years -

(6) If a military pilot, AF or Navy, pilot training is free - and you get to fly jets, not a Cessna 172...!

(7) If not selected as pilot, with good pay as officer (4 years) you train in civilian flight school as pilot -

(8) If you do not become military pilot, training as civilian pilot will cost you $75,000 and takes 1 year -

(9) As officer in the military, you also qualify for G.I. Bill education benefits (pilot training) -



Be aware that ex-military pilots are the first choice for selection by the airlines -

2,000 hours of C-17 command pilot time in your log book impresses even major airlines -

(This remark is for those who claim you need 5,000 hours to be hired by a major airline) -



Be also aware that as civilian trained pilot, the first years, your pay will be miserable -

You might need a second job at night serving burgers and fries in a McDonald's -



I did ROTC in college, became Air Force pilot, that got me selected by an airline in 1968 (Pan Am) -

Back then required active duty was only 5 years...

Good luck to you -

Answer 3

I'm pretty sure a flight school is minimum 70 grand or you can join the Air Force and then later become an airline pilot

Answer 4

My cousin was an honor graduate in aerospace engineering. He was commissioned on graduation in the Air Force Reserve with a call to active duty for flight training. He went to advanced training on the C-130 Herc. He got out when he completed his obligation. He did spen a couple of years overseas with a second rate airline flying 747 as first officer. He quit that job and was promised a job with a major airline if he had a type rating for their aircraft. He is now a captain with that company.

Answer 5

At Los Angeles Flight School