A JOURNEY FROM STUDENT PILOT TO AIRLINE PILOT

Civilian Pathway to the Airlines

Have you ever dreamed of taking control of a large jet advancing the thrust on the engines while you rocket into the sky? Although the economic and human disasters of the last 20 years (9/11, the financial crisis and most recently COVID19) have wreaked havoc in the air carrier sector with booms and busts, consolidation and isolated gains, the next 10 years in commercial aviation is set up for exponential growth for air carriers as a whole.

With the mandatory retirement age set by Congress for Air Carrier Part 121 (Airline) pilots to be 65 years old, there is going to be attrition in the tens of thousands of pilots in the next decade amongst American, United, Delta, FedEx, UPS, Southwest, and Alaska just to name a few.

In our modern day of YouTube, Google, Blogs etc there are dozens of people and sites like this that talk about how you can enter the airlines. While there is no exact or “right” way to do it, there are avenues which may be more suited for your own personality and your own schedule. One of the most common

trajectories to become an airline pilot is:

1. PRIVATE PILOT
2. PRIVATE PILOT IR
3. COMMERCIAL PILOT (ASEL)***
4. COMMERCIAL PILOT (AMEL)***
5. CFI (Certified Flight Instructor)***
6. AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT

(*** denotes job trajectory can vary at this point in training)

Stage1: You study for and test to become a Private Pilot (SINGLE ENGINE)

• Private Pilot – The ability to operate an aircraft by yourself or with passengers NOT for hire.

• Flight Minimums:

• 3 hours of cross-country flight training in a single-engine airplane

• 3 hours of night flight training in a single-engine airplane that includes

               (i) One cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles total distance

• 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport

• 3 hours of flight training in a single-engine airplane on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments, including straight and level flight, constant airspeed climbs and descents, turns to a heading, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, radio communications, and the use of navigation systems/facilities and radar services appropriate to instrument flight

• 3 hours of flight training with an authorized instructor in a single-engine airplane in preparation for the practical test, which must have been performed within the preceding 2 calendar months from the month of the test

• 10 hours of solo flight time in a single-engine airplane, consisting of at least
  1. 5 hours of solo cross-country time
  2. One solo cross-country flight of 150 nautical miles total distance, with full-stop landings at three points, and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of more than 50 nautical miles between the takeoff and landing locations
  3. Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower

DISCLAIMER!!!! – 40 hours is extremely low to achieve this rating. Although it may be

possible and you may be able to do this, MOST students who do this full time usually achieve this rating somewhere between 55 – 65 hours. Everyone learns differently and plateaus differently so keep in mind, even though this is a FAA minimum, it’s important to manage expectations with regulatory minimums.

Stage 2: You study for and test to become a Private Pilot with Instrument Rating (IR) Add On (SINGLE ENGINE)

• Private Pilot IR – The ability to operate an aircraft with yourself or with passengers in adverse weather conditions (Also not for hire).

• Flight Minimums:

• 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, of which 10 hours must have been in an airplane
• Forty hours of actual or simulated instrument time of which 15 hours must have been received from an authorized instructor who holds an instrument-airplane rating, and the instrument time includes
  1. Three hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor in an airplane that is appropriate to the instrument-airplane rating within 2 calendar months before the date of the practical test
  2. Instrument flight training on cross country flight procedures, including one cross country flight in an airplane with an authorized instructor, that is performed under instrument flight rules, when a flight plan has been filed with an air traffic control facility, and that involves
     1. A flight of 250 nautical miles along airways or by directed routing from an air traffic control facility
     2. An instrument approach at each airport
     3. Three different kinds of approaches with the use of navigation systems

Stage 3: You study for and test to become a Commercial Pilot

• Commercial Pilot – The ability to operate an aircraft for hire. (Usually there is some different ways to accomplish this rating. Due to cost, some students will accomplish this rating with a Multi-Engine airplane ONLY and forgo the Single Engine Commercial Rating. However, some students may first get their Single Engine Commercial Rating and then do their Multi Engine Commercial Rating).

• Flight Minimums

         250 hours broken down in the listed below

• 100 hours in powered aircraft, of which 50 hours must be in airplanes

• 100 hours of pilot-in-command flight time, which includes

1. 50 hours in airplanes
2. 50 hours in cross-country flight of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes

• 20 hours of training on the areas of operation listed in FAR 61.127(b)(1) that includes

1. 10 hours of instrument training using a view-limiting device including attitude instrument flying, partial panel skills, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, and intercepting and tracking navigational systems. 5 of the 10 hours required on instrument training must be in a single engine airplane
2. 10 hours of training in a complex airplane, a turbine-powered airplane, or a technically advanced airplane (TAA) that meets the requirements of paragraph (j) of this section, or any combination thereof. The airplane must be appropriate to land or sea for the rating sought
3. One 2-hour cross country flight in a single engine airplane in daytime conditions that consists of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure
4. One 2-hour cross country flight in a single engine airplane in nighttime conditions that consists of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure
5. Three hours in a single-engine airplane with an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test within the preceding 2 calendar months from the month of the test

• 10 hours of solo flight time in a single engine airplane or 10 hours of flight time performing the duties of pilot in command in a single engine airplane with an authorized instructor on board
  1. One cross-country flight of not less than 300 nautical miles total distance, with landings at a minimum of three points, one of which is a straight-line distance of at least 250 nautical miles from the original departure point. However, if this requirement is being met in Hawaii, the longest segment need only have a straight-line distance of at least 150 nautical miles
  2. 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

The above listed are for SINGLE ENGINE COMMERCIAL. Multi Engine Commercial has very similar requirements as well which are listed in the same FAR subpart under Multi-Engine aeronautical knowledge requirements.

Usually after step three is completed, some doors may open to you upon which you may want to leave the flight school training environment. Having a commercial pilot does not mean access to apply to the airlines, however it gives you the keys to go out and use the ratings to build your flight time and your experience. There are various jobs a Commercial Pilot can do. For example, if you go on a sightseeing tour somewhere, or are used to survey some sort of activity for a industrial complex (Oil drills, pipeline, state survey work for example), work for an independent contractor or small cargo operator to move equipment by air, you will only need your Commercial Pilot certificate.

However, if you choose to not do any of this and want to build your flight experience another way you can get another credential to help you build your time. The coveted CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) certificate.

Stage 4: You study for and test to become a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor)

• CFI - The ability to instruct students from student level to commercial pilot level while building your own flight time. Within the CFI category, you will also most likely add to the CFI credential by Adding on a CFI Instrument and Multi Engine Instructor.

• Flight Minimums: No Flight time minimums. However, a passage of a knowledge test is necessary and a logbook endorsement is required from an authorized instructor. Most candidates go through an academy or study with an instructor teaching mock lessons. During this training, you as the applicant will also go do mock flight lessons as well teaching another CFI all of the maneuvers and ground knowledge you’ve accumulated over your training events.

No matter what, the end goal is to build your flight time and experience to get your Airline Transport Pilot certificate.

Stage 5: You study for and test to become an Airline Transport Pilot.

• Airline Transport Pilot – The ability to transport passengers in the air carrier environment. ATP certificates are broken down as restricted ATP certificates for Military (750hours), 2-year affiliated college (1000 hours), 4-year affiliated colleges (1250 hours). An unrestricted ATP requires you log 1,500 hours.

• Flight Minimums

• 500 hours of cross-country flight time

• 100 hours of night flight time

• 50 hours of flight time in the class of airplane for the rating sought. A maximum of 25 hours of training in a full flight simulator representing the class of airplane for the rating sought if training under part 141

• 75 hours of instrument flight time, in actual or simulated instrument conditions, subject to the following
  1. An applicant may not receive credit for more than a total of 25 hours of simulated instrument time in a full flight simulator or flight training device
  2. A maximum of 50 hours of training in a full flight simulator or flight training device may be credited toward the instrument flight time requirements
  3. Training in a full flight simulator or flight training device must be accomplished in a full flight simulator or flight training device, representing an airplane

• 250 hours of flight time in an airplane as a pilot in command, or when serving as a required second in command flight crew member performing the duties of pilot in command while under the supervision of a pilot in command, or any combination thereof, which includes at least
  1. 100 hours of cross-country flight time
  2. 25 hours of night flight time

We all start at square one as a student pilot. However, that distance from your first solo to your first job as an airline pilot is closer than you know.

Sources:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text

https://www.faa.gov/

https://aopa.org/

Personal experience