Elevate Your Aviation Skills

       DON’T BE A FLYING MONKEY

Becoming a Pilot

I have wanted to write this paper for a long time and now I have found the time. When I was a lot younger, I wanted to become a pilot, and I could not find anyone who could give me information. I want to write this paper to get the word out that there are a few ways to accomplish this goal. When I was twelve, I knew I wanted to be a pilot. I would assume you are in the same boat. In this paper I am going to try and get to as many school guidance offices I can. I am in the process of setting up a website for you to get more information on becoming a pilot from Private pilot to a Professional. I have trained numerous future pilots from a Private license to ATP Licenses.

There are two paths to follow in becoming a pilot. One is to join the military and the other is the civilian route. I will give a broad review on the requirements of both roads to travel.

Joining the miliary requires you obtain a 4-year degree if you want to be an Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, or Marine Aviator. To fly in these Branches of Service you need to be a Commissioned Officer before flight school. The Army has a Warrant Officer Program that does not require a 4-year degree. The Army has the most aircraft. Flying in the military is a very honorable and rewarding career. When you retire, you can easily transition to an airline which most of them do. These are the basic requirements for military flying but the best way to grasp all the requirements is to contact a recruiter for the respected branch.

The civilian route is usually a self-paying route, and it can get quite expensive but well worth the investment. This is the route I followed because I started to wear glasses and back in the late 70’s early 80’s you needed perfect vision to be a military pilot. I tried memorizing the 20/20 line on the eye chart but still failed. Lol! DEFPOTJAM or MAJTOPFED if they wanted it backwards. So I went to the local airport, borrowed 12,000 dollars and proceeded to get my licenses while working three jobs. I ran out of money after my commercial license and put another 3 grand on a credit card to get my CFI/A rating because I needed extra training during my first 250 hours. Now a days it can cost as much as $110,000 to get all your licenses.

If you want to get it done quickly you can go to a region of the country where the weather is mild and get it done, from zero time to 200 hours, in 5 months. No problem. While attending one of these schools you will also be acquiring college credits because each license you obtain is considered a college level class. Normally you will receive 24 credits for your licenses up to your CFiI/A and 6 credit hours for every license awarded after that up to, and including, an ATP. These college courses are awarded on your completion of the issuance of the license. Many loans are available to borrow the money to get your licenses. There are different types of schools available for your training. A Part 141, Part 142, and your basic Part 61 school.

A Part 61 school is a flight school or Club that offers training but does not use a mandated curriculum from the FAA. They normally have a syllabus you follow for each license you get. Works just fine.

Part 141 Flight School is an approved flight school, by the FAA, and has a syllabus THEY MUST FOLLOW. The advantage of using this school is that it lowers the requirements for each rating which should lower the cost. There is some fluff built into the program if you need extra flying. A Part 141 school has both simulators and aircraft. The use of simulators are used in these programs to lower cost of learning. From becoming a Private Pilot right up to an ATP Rating. These schools do a great job of fixing your cost and accelerating your training. You will also know, every day, what is expected of you, and you can prepare ahead of time. If you are interested in expedited training the Southeast has numerous flight schools to accomplish your training. Florida has the most schools because of being “ The Sunshine State”. California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona are great weather states. You will be expected to fly every day and read textbooks every day. A simple Google search will give you a lot options. These schools also offer to hire you when you complete your training because you know their training syllabus so well. Pay to play sort of. The pay is very good and you get to fly every day. Remember, every minute you spend with a student, as an instructor, you log the time for you too. This is how you build your time.

Part 142 school is a Part 141 school without aircraft, just simulators. Most 142 schools are designed to train pilots in getting an advanced rating and or a type rating in a large aircraft. I am not aware of a 142-school giving out primary licenses because they all require an aircraft to complete the training. 

There are age requirements for obtaining your licenses and written exams.

Student Pilot 16

Private Pilot 17

Commercial/CFI 18

ATP 23 to 60

Written exams do not have an age requirement but must be completed prior to the test in the aircraft. They do expire after 2 years.

The FAA has published rules for obtaining your selected license.

Student Pilot FAR 61. 81

Private Pilot FAR 61.103

Instrument Pilot FAR 61. 65

Commercial Pilot FAR 61. 121

Certified Flight Instructor (CFI/A) FAR 61.181

The hour requirement is lowed by attending a Part 141 school approved by the FAA for each license, but it is very structured. The lowered hours requirement is very significant. A Part 141 school program is easier to ascertain a loan.

Just do a Google search of these regulations and it will list the FAA requirements for each license. My advice for anyone wanting to become a pilot is to first take a “Discovery Flight” at a nearby flight center to confirm you are still interested in becoming a pilot. Then save some money up to take a few more flights. I recommend that you ask the instructor to show you how to take-off and land the aircraft. You will be hooked after that. The reason I say this is because how you take the aircraft off and land it is the essence of being a good pilot. All the maneuvers required to become a pilot are boring. Flying enroute is super boring. If you enjoy landing and taking off the aircraft, you will really like flying. Every take-off is challenging but landing the aircraft is a science/art. I have numerous ocean crossings, and they were the most boring flights I ever experienced. I had a Line check that was scheduled for 11 hours but the weather was bad upon our arrival at Edwards Air Force. Fog. When is the weather ever bad in California? Fog!!!! We held for an hour and then diverted to Ontario Airport 12 miles away. My longest, most boring flight ever. Over 12 hours long. After that flight I began to wonder why I ever left the Commuter Airline. Each leg was about an hour to an hour and half long with a lot of take-offs and landings. That was fun flying. 

I have given your Guidance Office my contact info if you need or want more information. I hope to see you at the hangar.

In the following section there are numerous downloads to choose from depending on the information you are looking for. The ATP download is for a pilot who is seeking a Type Rating or adding an ATP. If you get a chance to get a type rating this would be a perfect time to get your ATP. The check rides are the same so you can kill to birds with one stone. The other downloads are for pilots interested in other licenses.

The AYP download has a lot of information on going to a Part 142 school to get a type rating. It explains what you need to know from preparation for the first day to the check ride. Don't forget to check the notes section at the end of the paper. These notes are information I have acquired over a long career in aviation. I have an ATP, CFI/A, and a CFII/A. I also have over 24,000 hours and 10 type ratings. They range from an SD-3 Shorts 330). The aircraft that they threw away and decided to fly the box it came. To a B757/767. My favorite plane still to this day is a Learjet 60XR. Climbs like homesick Angle. My second favorite is a Dash-8 100. I am not a big fan of Heavy Jet flying. It is like drive a big Rig. Not a lot of hand flying either. On a 12-hour flight you would get to hand fly for maybe 15 minuets. From take-off to 500 feet and then from 500 to 200 feet above the landing runway. The company I flew for required a lot of autopilot flying due to calculations on fuel burns. You cannot fly 8 to 12 hours without good calculations. I hope you enjoy what I have written and it helps relieve some of the stress of getting a new rating or license. God knows that any rating or license, after the private, is very tough. The Private is supposed to be fun; the rest are not. Before I sign off I want to make you aware of a saying at Part 142 schools, from the time you arrive it is like "drinking from a fire hose". I hope my ATP paper helps with that so you can" drink from a garden hose".