A pilot career can be a hugely rewarding way to live your life and it is understandable why people choose to try and find their way into pilot jobs. Pilot jobs however can be one of the hardest jobs to find your way into and it costs thousands of pounds in training to obtain your pilot’s license. If you feel a pilot career is for you however, read this article for more help starting out.

How to Start a Pilot Career

• The first thing you need to do before you start a pilot career is to obtain your private pilot’s license (PPL). If you are unsure as to whether you are interested in pilot jobs, many places will let you take a single pilot lesson to get the feel for a pilot career. Your private pilot license will allow you to fly on your own or with passengers but not for commercial reasons (i.e. you don’t get paid).

• The next step in your journey for pilot jobs is to obtain your commercial pilot license. This is much more expensive and time consuming to obtain but it opens up a world of pilot jobs for you. You obtain your commercial pilot license from a certified flying school. Many people also train as a flying instructor as this builds up the number of flying hours required for the commercial license.

• The other main method of finding civilian pilot jobs is to undertake an Airline Transport license and this will open up the opportunity to find pilot jobs within a passenger or freight airline. People looking for an airline pilot job will start as a first officer and then progress to a co-pilot job and finally a pilot job as a captain.

• The military is another method of starting a pilot career and many people have done so using this method. The military pays for all of your training and provides you with thousands of flying hours in return for your period of service in potentially dangerous locations.

• Regardless of which method you use to start your pilot career, you will need to undergo a medical examination and you will need to be both physically and mentally fit. To qualify for pilot jobs you will need to have excellent hearing and eyesight as well as good overall health. Good maths and science skills are also a benefit for pilot jobs.

You can search for a wide range of pilot jobs here on Airline Pilots.

Of all the airline jobs, it’s hard to think of one with the glamour and the reputation of an airline pilot. Of all the pilot career opportunities, airline jobs are undoubtedly some of the most lucrative in terms of earnings and working conditions. To find out more about pilot jobs, read on.

Airline Pilot Career Info

• The job of an airline pilot is to fly cargo and passenger planes around the world alongside a co-pilot, which is one of the junior pilot jobs available. There is much more to pilot jobs however though than simply flying the aeroplane.

• A successful pilot career will involve year’s worth of training and experience to be able to fly a range of aeroplanes. A pilot job will involve knowing how to fly several different aeroplanes, how to carry out all pre-flight checks and briefings, how to understand the weather and also how to interact with air traffic control and other pilots.

• Although many people view airline jobs as very glamorous, the reality is that an airline pilot career demands large amounts commitment, self sacrifice responsibility and unsociable hours. To be able to get a pilot job, you will have to undergo thousands of hours of flight training, be very physically and mentally healthy as well as having a good grasp of maths and science. Pilot jobs require continual re-examination to prove the individual is still capable of the job.

• The general tasks of pilot jobs can be quite numerous including making sure all the information about the route, the weather and the aeroplane are correct, checking the flight plan, checking all safety systems and briefing the cabin crew. During the flight, an individual with a pilot career will need to interact with air traffic control, understand data from various instruments and check these against the flight plan as well as fill in the flight logbook throughout the flight.

• Those with pilot jobs can earn vastly different amounts of money depending on the amount of experience they have, their job role and the airline they work for. For instance, long distance pilots for companies like British Airways can easily earn over £100k per year but a newly qualified pilot may only earn in the region of £30k. You can begin your search for a pilot career here on Airline Pilots.

A pilot career can be very rewarding, both financially and emotionally. Pilot jobs require thousands of hours of training and financial commitment but those that are willing to put in the effort to start a pilot career can reap the benefits. Starting a pilot career can be quite tricky and confusing so if you are thinking of starting a pilot job, read on.

Starting a Pilot Job

• When a lot of people think of a pilot career, two things will come into their head, either airline jobs or military pilot jobs and although these are arguably the most prominent types of pilot job, there are others. Unless you have been in the military, you will need to start your pilot career by getting your private pilot license at a flight school.

• Once you have completed your pilot training and got your first license, you will need to get a commercial pilot license which can be very expensive. The commercial pilot license can cost anywhere between £40k and £50k to obtain so this is obviously a huge financial outlay.

• Once you have achieved these licenses you can then apply for airline jobs and the training will continue and you will gain more flying experience and qualifications until you are ready to become a full blown pilot. To qualify as an airline pilot you will need achieve first officer status and undertake roughly 1500 hours of flight time.

• The military is one of the most well known and arguably the best routes of starting a pilot career. You will receive some of the best training in the world for a pilot job and will also get paid at the same time. Of course, by it’s very nature, the military is dangerous and if you undertake a pilot career in this method, you will have to sign up for a minimum service time and there is also a very high chance of you putting yourself in harms way.

• Regardless of which method you choose for pilot jobs, you will need to be physically fit and healthy as well as having good eyesight and hearing. To start a pilot career, you need to be extremely highly motivated, committed and driven to be able to complete the training as it can take several years to become a trained pilot.

• The wages received for a pilot career can be hugely financially beneficial and top airline pilots can easily earn in excess of £100k per year. Of course, other pilot jobs include that of a flying instructor, the aforementioned military pilots and private pilot jobs. You can search for your start to a pilot career here on Airline Pilots.