So You Wanna Be an Airline Pilot

Perhaps the most popular and glamorized of all flying jobs is that of the airline pilot. In the movies and most cultural stereotypes, they’re broad-shouldered, handsome salt-and-pepper types who casually stroll onto the aircraft after a few harried flight attendants have herded the grumpy passengers into their too-small seats. While their job might not be all that great, it’s still a pretty interesting one. Here’s how the job works, and how you could begin a career as an airline pilot.

A Day in the Life

All larger passenger aircraft have at least two pilots, one being the captain, the more-experienced pilot, along with the less-experienced copilot, called the first officer. These two share flying duties, like calling into air traffic control and checking the aircraft’s instruments.

Takeoff and landing are by far the most difficult parts of flight. Before takeoff, pilots go through a checklist to ensure that everything is ready and secure; they check that the luggage or cargo is stowed and chat with air traffic controllers about flight conditions that day. With the information they’ve garnered about the state of the sky, the pilot has to choose a route, speed, and altitude that will give the best flight path. For takeoff and landing, pilots have to factor in wind speed, the altitude of the airport, and the temperature outside the plane, and alter the aircraft’s direction accordingly.

During the flight, operations are relatively routine. If the outside visibility is poor, pilots may have to rely solely on flight instruments to direct the aircraft. Once their aircraft has landed and is at the gate, pilots make out reports about their flight and the state of the aircraft for the FAA. (BLS)

Upsides and Downsides

Benefits:

Earn an average salary of about $111,000 a year. (BLS)
Most pilots are provided with health and life insurance, free hotel stays, and expense allowances while away from home.
Enjoy a prestigious job.
Use the skills you learned in flight school on a daily basis.

Downsides:

Pilots spend an average of 360 hours a month away from home. (BLS)
Pilots experience fatigue from constant jet lag.
Airline job openings often lag in a depressed economy.

Necessary Education and Training

A four-year college degree is rapidly becoming the requirement to be hired as an airline pilot, although some will hire those with two years of college or a high school diploma. Pilots need to have pilot’s license, which is given out by the FAA. To get a general license, pilots must have 250 hours of flying time, pass a written test, and be in good physical condition for flying.

To be hired by most airlines, pilots also have to have a transport pilot’s license. To obtain this license, you must have 1,500 hours of flying experience in different conditions, pass written examinations, and be at least 23 years old.

Since the flying time requirements to be an airline pilot are relatively high, the military has been long been a key supplier of airline pilots. Civilian aeronautics and flight schools are increasing in importance, however. (BLS)