A pilot controls an aircraft, such as a plane or a helicopter. Commercial pilots or airline pilots are those who fly for a living. Pilots of airlines fly passengers and goods on a predetermined schedule. Commercial pilots operate for organizations that do rescue missions, charter flights, aerial photography, or other types of flights. Find out if you have the traits necessary to succeed in this line of work before learning about the educational, training, and certification requirements if you want to become a pilot.

Are You a Good Fit to Be a Pilot?

To excel in their career, professional pilots require a certain set of soft skills, or personality traits. For instance, since effective communication is a key component of the profession, having good speaking and listening abilities will help you succeed as a pilot. Additionally, critical thinking abilities assist pilots in recognizing issues, locating potential fixes, and deciding which option, if any, will yield the greatest results. Having effective time management abilities is helpful when keeping to a strict schedule.

Education, training, and certification requirements

Whether you want to work as a commercial or airline pilot will affect the training and knowledge you need. A high school diploma or equivalent is sufficient to become a commercial pilot, but if you ultimately want to work for a regional or large airline, you will need to obtain a bachelor's degree. If you're not convinced about this yet, don't worry. You can always return and complete your undergraduate studies later. Commercial pilots frequently start out as airline pilots.

You have the option of taking flight lessons from a private FAA-certified instructor or at a pilot training facility to learn how to fly.

At some point, you'll need to obtain a student pilot certificate. Depending on the sort of flight school you are attending, you must be at least 17 years old and have logged between 35 and 40 hours of flight time before you can accomplish this. Both written and practical tests must be passed. You can accrue flying time in a variety of methods, some of which are cost-free. Regulations set forth by the FAA prohibit the payment of private pilots for their services. Therefore, obtaining a Commercial Pilot's License is a prerequisite if you wish to work as a pilot for a living. After that, you must obtain an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certification in order to fly for an airline.

How to Fly for Money

You must accumulate at least 250 hours of flight experience before you may obtain a commercial pilot's license. Your time spent obtaining your private pilot certification is included. You also need to be at least 18 years old, pass a physical exam, and pass written and practical flight exams in addition to passing a physical exam.

You must fly for at least 1,500 hours before you may apply for airline transport pilot certification. Many applicants do this through serving in the military or as a commercial pilot. Additionally, you will need to succeed on written, practical, and physical exams. You need a lot of flight time if you want to work for an airline.

When you are hired by an airline or on-demand air services provider, you will receive on-the-job training that typically consists of 25 hours of flight experience as well as six to eight hours of ground school. You will receive training to operate a particular kind of aircraft.

Finding Your First Job as an Airline or Commercial Pilot

Commercial pilots are expected to see 8% job growth during the decade ending in 2028, which is slightly higher than the 5% growth anticipated for all occupations combined.

Some of the skills that employers look for are:

• working well as a team and in challenging field situations

• long-term standing or sitting endurance and 50-pound weight lifting capacity

• the capacity to adjust to shifting demands and stressful circumstances

• a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, and holidays, is required.

• to be prepared to work numerous days away from home while maintaining a flexible schedule.

• to be ready for flight duty at all times, one must be able to control their sleep.