The commercial airline pilot occupies a special place in aviation and an almost heroic status in American culture. The pilot is responsible for the safety of passengers and cargo and must meet rigorous physical, training and experience standards. Airlines place a premium on experience. As a result, most commercial airline pilots start as military pilots in the Air Force or Navy, or as Army/Marine aviators. A college degree is not a requirement under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules, but the military and most commercial airlines do require a bachelor's degree.
Instructions
1. Start preparing in high school to become a pilot for a commercial airline. To earn even a basic (private pilot) license, you must have an understanding of navigation and principles of aircraft flight. For this you need trigonometry and physics. Courses in geography and in information technology or computer science are also helpful. Take the time to get in good physical condition if you plan to start as a military pilot.
2. Earn a bachelor's college degree from an accredited university. No specific degree is required. However, you will find courses in physics, meteorology, mathematics and geography helpful. To pursue a military path to becoming a pilot for a commercial airline, join the ROTC (usually Navy or Air Force, but the Army also has roles for pilots).
3. Learn to fly starting with a private pilot's license. The basic license is for VFR (visual flight rules). You'll take classes and must have 40 to 50 hours of in-flight instruction to solo. Your solo flight is your final fight test, and you must pass it and a written exam. The VFR license allows you to fly in the daytime in reasonably good weather.
4. Use military aviation training as a gateway to become a pilot for a commercial airline. Pilots are generally commissioned officers, so the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) or an appointment to a military academy is necessary. Once you graduate from college, you will be sent for intensive advanced flight training if you qualify. This is the preferred path to commercial pilot jobs because military pilots accumulate a great deal of experience, which gives them a major competitive advantage for commercial pilot jobs.
5. Earn advanced ratings (licenses) by training with a private flying school if you choose not to take the military aviation path. You need an instrument flight rules (IFR) license to start. This requires at least 250 hours flight experience plus classroom training. You must pass an FAA written exam and flight test. Next you must earn a transport pilot's license. This requires at least 1500 hours experience, including night and bad weather flying. Advanced flight and written exams are required as well.
6. Start with a job as pilot for a regional or commuter airline. The majority of pilots get their first jobs with smaller airlines, charter services or as flight instructors to gain more experience. Once hired by a commercial airline, a pilot normally starts as a flight engineer, then advances to copilot and finally to captain (this can take 5 to 15 years).
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