I’ve wanted to be an airline pilot for some time. My mom works in the aerospace industry, so I’ve grown up around airplanes. I’ve talked with many airline pilots and the general consensus I’ve heard is that they wouldn’t do anything different in their lives. Now that I’m in high school, I’ve been looking into what my options are for becoming an airline pilot, especially since I am coming of age to get my license.  

While many might think that getting their pilot’s license would be too expensive or too difficult, there are scholarship programs that will pay for your flight training, and many airlines have flight schools that will give you a job offer after completing their programs. Many pilots also join the military and have their training paid for by them while also gaining experience. It isn’t all that difficult either, and you don’t even need a college degree, although it does give you a slight pay boost. Additionally, you can start training at any age, and can get your first license at seventeen, so you can fly a plane before you can even drive a car in some states. 

While it isn’t a cheap endeavor, it can be very rewarding. The median airline pilot salary, according to ATP flight school, is somewhere in the realm of $200,000 a year, along with employee discounts on flights and sometimes even free flights with standby tickets which allow you to take any open seat on a plane. 

However, this does come with some caveats. Pilots with less seniority don’t have as much flexibility with their schedule, and you will be expected to be away from home for days on end, and if there are maintenance issues or flight delays/cancellations, that one or two day layover can turn into 3 or 4 or even more. There isn’t always a guarantee that they have pilot spots available, but it is a good path to take if you can. 

Before you begin training, you have to choose a flight school. You have two options for types of flight schools: Part 141 and Part 61. The names come from the different laws regarding their operation. Part 141 schools are based on a tight curriculum that students must follow, and are usually the preferred option for people wanting to work in the airline industry. Part 61 schools are more flexible, catering to each student’s needs, although aren’t ideal for people going into the airlines. If you want to pick up aviation as a hobby, this is your best option.

After you pick a school, you need to get your Private Pilots’ License, or PPL. This is the basic license you need to operate small single-engine aircraft in good weather conditions. This costs about $20k depending on your flight school, and takes a minimum of 40 flying hours, not including ground lessons or other training. Most students take 3 months if they are flying every day, but if you are more flexible with your training and fly less frequently, it can take 4-6 months, not including the waits for your mandatory FAA written exam, oral exam (where you talk with an examiner for 1.5-2 hours while they ask you questions), and checkride flight with an examiner. 

After that, the general next step is to get your instrument rating. This allows you to fly in sub-par weather conditions using the instruments in your plane and assistance from Air Traffic Control instead of visual references on the ground. This also has a required 40 hours of flight time, and 15 of those with an instructor. This takes less time, with some completing it in three weeks, and costs about $10k.

Then, most people go for their Commercial Pilot’s license. This allows you to make a profit while flying, as it is illegal without it. Students are required to have 250 flight hours total to get this certification, which covers more about the basics of flying that the Private Pilot’s license doesn’t. This certification costs somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000 depending on your flight school. With this, you can work for certain charter companies flying single-engine planes, although this won’t get you to any major airlines or cargo companies just yet.

Once you finish that, you can start your Multi-Engine certification. There is no federal time requirement for this, but generally most students can expect to take 10-15 flight hours. This can cost somewhere between $2,000 and $6,000 depending on your flight school. 

From there, you just need to gain flight hours. Most commercial airlines in the US require 1,500 flight hours for new pilots, including your training time. However, flying for 1,500 hours isn’t cheap. Many aspiring commercial pilots choose to become Certified Flight Instructors, or CFIs, to build their flight hours while getting paid to fly. This costs $6,000-$8,000 and can take 4 weeks. If you want to, you can get your CFII, which allows you to give students their Instrument ratings, and costs about $5,000 and takes roughly 4 days. 

Once you hit the 1,500 hours, you’ll need to get your ATPL, or Airline Transport Pilot license. This will cost roughly $4,000 and requires 30 hours of classroom training. This is required to fly for any airline in the US.

After that, you can finally apply for a job with an airline. The hiring process is similar to other jobs, with interviewers looking to see your knowledge of the airline industry, aviation, and general interest in the job. Once you get hired, you’re only one step away from sitting in the cockpit.

Your last step is to get the type rating for your aircraft. The FAA mandates that any pilot operating a “large” plane or plane with a jet engine have a training course centered around the operation of that aircraft. This is given by the airline directly in most cases and is paid for by them. This heavily depends on the aircraft type, but can take roughly 6 weeks to complete depending on the plane.

After this, along with any other airline-specific training, you are now an airline pilot. You can now brag to your friends, family, and anyone you meet that you have the coolest job in the world. After all, your office is 6 miles in the air! I’ve never talked to a pilot who would pick a different career, so why would you?