Hi I’m a junior in high school and I’m questioning if I need precalculus to be able to be a airline pilot. The university I’m looking at requires it but I’m wondering if there is a different option. Is flight school or university flight school the better option?
Brianna,
For the life of me I don’t know why the university would require pre-calc (or any other advanced math). While I studied calculus a million years ago, as someone who’s been flying longer than you’ve been alive, I’ve never used or needed it.
With that in mind we’re not fans of aviation degree programs. The airlines neither require or desire them and they offer no backup should flying not work out for any reason. You’re far better off getting a degree in something you enjoy or might use and doing your flight training independently in a professional career program that’s designed to do that. You’ll also save a ton of money.
Adam
Don’t I need a bachelors degree to become a pilot a degree in aviation?
Brianna,
This is one of our most frequently asked questions. The short answer is no. But that comes with a caveat.
The Regionals don’t not care if you have a degree or not so there you definitely don’t need one. The Majors however are a different story. While no Majors actually require a 4yr degree, ALL list it as one of their “preferred” or “competitive” qualifications. This means that’s really what they want and prefer which means if it’s a choice between someone with a degree and someone without, they will always choose the person with first which is why we recommend one to make yourself as competitive as possible.
As for aviation degrees no airline requires or even desires one.
Adam
What type of degrees would they be looking for? Thank you for replying it’s really helpful!
Brianna,
This is where it gets a bit interesting. The majors want a degree, but they do not care what the field of study is. They just want to see that you can be dedicated to something for four years and value the additional knowledge that college brings. I recommend picking a field of study that interests you and go from there, that way you have a backup plan should aviation not workout for some reason.
Chris
Brianna,
Flight school is where you get the training you need to be an airline pilot. At your age, we recommend you continue on to college and complete a bachelors degree first. The degree is important for your future success as an airline pilot. If money is tight, community college for the first two years is helpful and then finish up at a college with in state tuition. Save money where you can because the flight school loan can be a tough one to get approved for without years of credit built up.
Hannah
Brianna,
I took pre-calculus in high school because I needed a math credit. I later took regular calculus in college, and I’ll be honest… I don’t remember a thing about it, I don’t use calculus in my everyday life. However, I do use basic math when computing weight & balance, fuel, and profiles for descents etc.
I think the most important thing to look at here if attending college is finding a degree you would be interested in. There’s this saying that if you’re finding yourself enjoying something that you do, you’ll put more effort into it than if you dreaded it every day. Plus, something you could see yourself doing if anything in aviation fell through is something to keep in mind. Just make sure that your degree comes from an accredited university.
Brady
I’m interested in sustainability to can I get a bachelors in that and then go to flight school? Will that help a lot getting into the majors? Or does it have to be some sort of mathematical degree?
Brianna,
I believe Chris already answered this question quite well:
“The majors want a degree, but they do not care what the field of study is. They just want to see that you can be dedicated to something for four years and value the additional knowledge that college brings. I recommend picking a field of study that interests you and go from there”
Adam
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