Airline Pilot Careers
What is an Airline Pilot?
The stereotype image of an airline pilot is a nicely uniformed older gentleman who flies a large airplane for a major airline. Although this type of pilot is still common, today there are many more different kinds of airlines and business aircraft, all needing skilled pilots. There are literally hundreds of different kinds of pilots. Many fly for commercial airlines of all sizes. Regional airlines have grown substantially in number, and this sector of the flight travel industry has the highest current demand for new pilots. Regional airlines typically hire pilots directly from high quality flight schools with 1,000 hours or less of flight time. Contrary to popular belief, young pilots are not less skilled or less safe than seasoned pilots. The military has always placed its youngest, most skilled and most freshly trained pilots into its most demanding fighter aircraft. In addition to the large and the regional commercial airlines, there has been substantial growth in business aircraft, either owned outright by large companies, or shared in fractional ownerships with other companies. This is the largest growing segment of business travel. One other new and rapidly growing category is that of the air freight lines. These airlines typically fly very large numbers of aircraft across the country during the nighttime hours.
Need for Commercial Pilots
In contrast to the stories frequently heard on popular news media today, the airline industry is growing rapidly, and opportunities for young pilots are very strong. The 911 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers impacted commercial air travel in different ways. While some tourism declined, business travel merely shifted to different kinds of aircraft. Every major airliner that lost 40 business travelers, for example, created a simultaneous need for up to five small business size aircraft, all needing pilots. In addition, the tremendous growth in internet shopping over the past five years has created a booming industry in overnight airfreight hauling. This has dramatically increased the need for pilots to fly increased numbers of large air freighters. Regional airlines have also seen a tremendous growth in business. They fly mid-size aircraft to destinations that are only hundreds of miles apart, instead of thousands. A regional flight crew typically makes 3 to 5 flights per day. Another growing segment for commercial pilots is corporate owned aircraft, especially fractional ownership. A business pilot normally has a very different flight schedule. He/she must be ready to depart at unscheduled times, often with short notice. And they sometimes stay with the aircraft at the destination for several days until the executive team is ready to return home. This often occurs in resort locations.
Becoming an Airline Pilot
There are several ways to become an airline pilot. It is possible to become a commercial pilot by taking flight lessons at a host of small, FAA Part 61 flight schools. These schools are less formal, and less expensive than FAA Part 141 flight schools. Pilots who train in a Part 61 flight school often have to reach far and wide to obtain all of the ratings in all of the different aircraft required for them to qualify for an entry level interview with a commercial airline. In order to compete, a Part 61 trained pilot often must accrue between 2,500 and 3,500 flight hours before being interviewed by an airline. FAA Part 61 schools are better suited for hobbyist pilots and for those who own their own aircraft, with no intention of moving up to commercial airline status. On the other hand, FAA Part 141 flight schools train a pilot to commercial airline standards from the first lesson. The professional flight schools have all of the aircraft and instructors needed to train for the seven primary FAA licenses required to qualify for a commercial airline job. Those licenses and ratings are: Private Pilot, Instrument Pilot, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor, Instrument Flight Instructor, Multi-Engine Pilot, and Multi-Engine Instructor. In addition, some Part 141 flight schools maintain a network of regional airlines who will guarantee the student pilot an interview at the 1,000 hour point, or less. The hire rate in this process is very high, sometimes 100%. Even though a Part 141 school is generally more expensive, the time saved for obtaining that first airline job can be years. And that results in a significant savings in cost, usually making the Part 141 school less expensive over the duration of the whole process. It is also highly recommended that airline pilots have a college degree. Most airlines require a degree. Although few airlines specify what kind of degree they require, it has been found that a two-year associate degree in Aviation Technology is ideal. In some cases, community colleges that offer such degrees have excellent articulation agreements with four year institutions for those students who want to obtain a bachelor degree.
Choosing a Program
To become an airline pilot, a candidate has three primary avenues for training: military pilot training, an FAA Part 61 flight school, and an FAA Part 141 flight school. The fastest way into a commercial airline cockpit is to attend a well known Part 141 school affiliated with a college, and having a network of regional airlines as hiring partners. Commercial airline pilots will often confide that in terms of getting a job with an airline, it is who you know as much as it is what you know. It often happens that, when a candidate pilot is interviewing with an airline for a job, that the same airline has previously hired another pilot from the same school, who used to be that candidate's flight instructor. The older pilot then becomes an excellent reference for the new pilot candidate. There are very few flight programs that pack everything together for a student – Professional FAA Part 141 training, a college degree, and a placement network for landing that first job.
Editorial provided by Walt Davis. Mr. Davis is the Chair/Professor of Aviation at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, OH.
