How do I become a pilot? What’s the process?

Airline Pilot Questions & Answers
1

Hi there, I’m 16 years old and still in high school, but I’ve been exploring the idea of becoming a pilot and I was wondering what the process looks like. I’ve read that I should go to college before flight school, but is there anything I can do in the meantime to make sure flying is what I really want to do? Also I was considering going into the military, is the process for becoming a pilot different if I do that? Thank you!

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Alexandria,

At 16 the best thing you can do is do well in HS so you can go to a good college and finish your education. What I would recommend at some point is for you to take an intro flight or lesson to see if flying is something you really want to do and enjoy vs something you think you want to do.

As for the military that’s definitely a possible. To get a flying slot you do need to be an officer and that also means college first. That said while it’s very admiration, military service is a HUGE commitment. If you’re desire is to serve your country it’s definitely worth investigating but if you simply want to fly, every military pilot I know will tell you that’s not the reason to serve and there are far easier and faster routes.

Adam

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Alexandria,

Welcome! At your age, just enjoy high school, make good grades and fly for fun. Your high school GPA will be one of many things being reviewed for future interviews. So think of it as building a good foundation for your future applications. Take some intro lessons and talk to pilots you may know.

You’re really in the researching stage. Once you graduate high school, you can make a more concrete plan. Typically we recommend at least some college, two years minimum, and then an accelerated program like ATP with the plan on finishing the degree while flying for the regionals. Or the full four years securing a bachelors and then pursue flight training.

Hannah

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4

Hello,

Adam wrote a great post on this topic a bit ago. Check it out here: How do I become an Airline Pilot?

Chris

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Thank you all for the wonderful answers! I’m gonna try to keep my GPA high and then go from there. :slight_smile:

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6

I am 34 years old, recently acquired a job at the airport and became fascinated by the environment and the internal workings as a whole. I am interested in becoming a commercial airline pilot, with an objective to make it to international flights.
I have achieved my highest level of education thus far, with an associates degree in Medical Science. My resume has an extensive amount of variety for labor in different fields such as medical, construction, security, retail sales, professional driving, and restaurant management and more not worth mentioning. However, I don’t think I have found my passion just yet. Now I am a PSA for several national airlines, assisting passengers on and off a plane at the airport. I enjoy the experience and the service I provide for our customers/passengers but I feel like I am destined to do more in this life.
I find myself always wanting more and achieve higher learning, testing my limitations, and breaking boundaries I am not so familiar with. I am single, have no family left and live in a 5th wheel. I share this because nothing is really holding me back in making a pursuit of this “dream” to become an airline pilot.
What I am seeking at this forum is answers to the following questions and maybe some feedback in direction to take.

  1. How do I best utilize this airline pilot.life subscription I’ve made to my advantage?
  2. What are the questions I could ask myself before becoming a commercial air pilot?
  3. What resources are out there to help guide me through a journey in becoming a pilot?
  4. What does a daily life of a airline pilot look like or maybe I should ask as a student in becoming a commercial airline pilot
  5. Is there a way to obtain general expectations of a commercial airline pilot prior to receiving training for this position?
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Travis,

Welcome to the forum, lets get to your questions:

  1. The best way to utilize this forum is to spend time reading it. There is already a wealth of information on here, especially in the FAQ section.

  2. More than asking yourself questions, you need to schedule an introductory flight wither with aTP, or with another flight school to see if flying is really for you.

  3. I am biased, but I think this website is one of, if not the, best resource out there. I would also talk to the pilots you meet in your job. Most should be rather friendly and help to help an interested future pilot.

  4. Please check out our Schedules section and the Flying The Line section.

  5. There is a wealth of vides on the internet about this and again, the Flying The Line section.

Chris