Hi there! I’m very new to the whole flying/pilot community. I really want to become some sort of pilot, but I’m getting a lot of mixed answers to the questions I have from the internet, so I was hoping someone credible could give me some facts! My main question is about flight schools, and I know that this is run by the ATP, so I’m not sure if I should really be asking here, but I just don’t know where else to go to get a complete answer.
What type of flight school do you need to go to and what kind of training do you need to receive to qualify for FO at an average airline? I’m also wondering about the hiring policies of major airlines: do they hire people fresh out of college/flight school or do you need to fly for a smaller company first to gain credibility? It’s rather difficult to find information about these things online, so sorry if they are obvious or incorrect in some way. Thank you in advance!
Catherine,
Take a few minutes and read the posts on this website, especially the FAQ section as a lot of your questions will be answered there.
Major airlines do not hire fresh out of college, they typically hire pilots that have thousands of hours of flight experience from the regionals or the military. Getting to a major is the apex of aviation, it can take many years to do so.
Chris
Catherine,
As Chris said many of your questions can be answered by visiting the FAQ section. Just to clarify not only will you not be hired by a Major out of college or flight school, you won’t be hired by a Regional either. Back in 2013 the govt passed the Airline Safety Act which included (amongst many other things) the 1500hrs Rule. That Rule states that to fly for ANY airline in the US you must have you ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) license and to earn that you must have at least 1500hrs of flight time which you will not finish ANY flight school with.
Please take a look and fell free to return with some more specific questions.
Adam