A person who wants to become an airline commercial pilot must usually attend flight school, log a certain number of hours of flying, and obtain a commercial pilot certificate. He’ll almost certainly have to pass a written exam as well. A check-ride, which is similar to a vehicle driving test, is usually required of anyone interested in this field. Before being hired for this job, a person pursuing this career may need a medical certificate, an instrument and multi-engine rating, and flight experience.
In most cases, a person who wishes to pursue a career as an airline commercial pilot should obtain a college diploma. Many airlines prefer people with degrees, even if they are not in the aviation field. Because commercial airline pilot requirements differ from country to country, and even between different airlines within the same country, anyone interested in the field should contact airlines in his or her home country to learn the specific requirements.
A person can pursue training to become an airline commercial pilot in one of two ways. A person could join the military and work toward becoming a military pilot, for example. A pilot will typically gain the training, experience, and ratings needed to apply to become a commercial airline pilot during his time in the military. However, in addition to flying, this option requires a person to make a commitment to serving his country and performing a variety of rigorous military duties. As a result, before pursuing this path, a person should carefully consider both the benefits and the consequences of joining the military.
In order to obtain a commercial pilot certificate, a person interested in civilian training typically enrolls in flight school. This usually entails passing the flight school’s training program, passing a written exam, and logging a minimum of 250 hours of flying time. After that, a prospective commercial pilot must usually pass a check-ride test. An examiner accompanies the aspiring pilot on a flight and asks him to demonstrate his ability to perform certain maneuvers, similar to a driving test. The examiner may also ask pertinent aviation questions to determine the test taker’s level of knowledge.
An examiner may issue a commercial pilot’s certificate after a person passes his check-ride. His preparation isn’t finished yet, though. A medical certificate indicating that a person meets certain health requirements is required in many places for someone who wants to become an airline commercial pilot. He’ll almost certainly need an instrument rating as well, which requires him to complete instrument school, log a certain amount of time flying in poor visibility, and pass a separate instrument check-ride. Similarly, an aspiring commercial pilot must usually take multi-engine flying classes and pass another check-ride to obtain his multi-engine rating.
To get a job as an airline commercial pilot, a person usually needs a lot of flight experience with various types of aircraft. Different airlines may have different flight experience requirements, but most will not hire those who have only enough flight hours to obtain a commercial pilot license; many prefer those who have logged thousands of hours. A commercial airline transport pilot certificate is usually required for those who want to captain a commercial airline. To obtain this certificate, a person must have logged at least 1500 flight hours, including at least 250 hours as an aircraft captain. He usually has to pass a second written exam as well as meet other requirements.