Where to start at age 15 to become a major airline pilot

I’m 15, and I want to learn about flying now. Are there any free courses, or anything that will help me in ATP Flight school, for use as an advantage?

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Robert,

There are TONS of free material available online. Two of the best are from the FAA (see the links below) but there are also volumes of videos on virtually every aspect of flying.

That said, at 15 the single best thing you can do is focus on your education, do well in HS and then continue on to college and do well there. There seems to be this misconception that you can just start flight training and the airlines will just scoop you up and pay you hundreds of thousands of dollars to fly hundreds of passengers around the world. Fortunately that’s not how it works. The airlines hire well trained pilots, but they also want well rounded and educated pilots with good communication skills and the ability to successfully complete ALL aspects of training which includes ALOT of book stuff. While none of the airlines require a degree, ALL prefer one.

Adam

Thanks. Should I read the Aeronautical Knowledge or Airplane Flying handbook first?

Flip a coin :wink:

Adam

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Robert,

Personally, I started officially flight training by reading through the PHAK front to back and learning about the theory behind everything behind flying. Then when I officially started training in the airplane, I referenced the AFH as I would enrich what I learned and confirmed all the maneuvers and best practices. That really helped me solidify my understanding of everything.

Luckily for you, you have all the time in the world to get through both before you even start flying! If you power through both of those before you even start getting in the plane, you’ll be sitting pretty on your first day!

Thanks for the major help, Adam and Berto.

Robert,

I won’t reiterate everything Adam mentioned word-for-word, but there are literally millions of resources available to anyone, pilot, non-pilot, that are about aviation and flying. Right now your primary focus should be on excelling in high school, enjoying your time studying, and seeing about making some honor rolls, honor societies and maybe a CAP or aviation group at your local airport. After high school, attend an accredited college to get a 4-year degree and excel in those studies.

Should you be unsure if flying is for you, take a discovery flight or two, and maybe a few basic lessons and consider. One of the most MISSED introductions key topics, “do I have flight time.” If you have flight time, it’s easy to say, “I want to do this” versus “I think this is my path.”

Brady

Robert,

I told you on your other post, but get involved in the aviation community and utilize free resources right now. Do well in school and leave the heavy studying for when you’re actively in flight training. By the time it’s recommended (post college) the information you read at 15 will be long gone and in need of a refresher anyway!

Hannah