It can seem like the coolest job in the world: soaring thousands of feet above the clouds at incredible speeds, visiting amazing places and getting to spend lots of time in planes. But behind the glamour it takes serious hard work to get qualified as an aviator. From surprising medical requirements to aptitude tests, intensive training and expensive college fees, these are all the hoops you have to jump through to become a commercial airline pilot.
If you’re thinking of becoming a pilot, the first step you should take is to obtain a medical certificate to make sure you’re fit to fly. In the US, you’ll need a 1st Class FAA Airman Medical Certificate to fly professionally, which involves tests of your eyesight and hearing, as well as an assessment of any mental, neurological, cardiovascular or other medical conditions. In Europe, you’ll need to go through an EASA Medical Class 1, which involves similar tests.
Wannabe pilots will also need to undergo a number of background checks, including employment and criminal record checks. In the US, these checks involve (among other things) looking through your criminal record, examining your employment history, drug and alcohol tests and submitting fingerprints. Those training in the UK must undergo a criminal record check, although this only shows unspent convictions. Pilots in the EU also undergo a lot of checks, which have recently become stricter – check up-to-date details here.
Many believe that if you wear glasses or contact lenses you can’t become a pilot, but that's simply not true. The FAA requires any pilot who has issues with their vision to wear glasses or contact lenses that correct their eyesight to 20/20. The same is true in the UK, where there are also requirements that glasses be well-fitting and comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time.
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While degrees are viewed favourably by many flight schools around the world, there’s no need to be educated to university level before you train. In the US and Australia you simply need to be a high school graduate, while in the UK you’ll need two to three A-levels or an equivalent qualification. Some countries, such as India, also require pilots to have taken certain subjects such as Maths and Physics at school.
We’re not talking about French or Spanish – pilots have a language all of their own. This is a mixture of English (the international language for all air traffic control), as well as lots of abbreviations and professional jargon. So if English isn’t your first language, you’ll need to meet a Level 4 proficiency requirement as determined by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO). You’ll also need to learn your Radiotelephony Alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and so on).
While you don’t need a science qualification to become a pilot, bear in mind you’ll need to use some maths and physics in your day-to-day job. During training, pilots will learn about principles including mass and balance, momentum and Newton’s Law, as well as memorising formulas and calculations which they’ll need to apply when they hit the skies.
Until very recently, a pilot would automatically be rejected from flight school if they lived with colour blindness. That’s because it’s essential to be able to recognise certain colours, including runway lights and signals – especially when flying at night. However, advanced testing can now determine the severity of one’s condition, meaning if you are partially colour blind it is still possible to pursue the career. Requirements vary around the world, so it’s worth checking the organisation you wish to apply to in your country.
Many airlines require prospective pilots to be a certain height. For example, British Airways states their pilots must be between five-foot-two and six-foot-three – if you’re taller, you can still apply but will have to undergo a functionality test. Until 2020, pilots wishing to fly in the US Air Force had to be between five-foot-four and six-foot-five, which ruled out around 44% of the female population. But the organisation has now removed its height restrictions, saying it’ll use an ‘anthropometric screening process’ to match pilots to aircrafts of the right size.
There are several different elements of training to become a pilot. In the US, you’ll need to take an introductory training flight before you can even start the application process – then, once you’ve passed your medical exams and background checks, there are a few more hoops to jump through. You’ll undergo practical flight training lessons, pass a computer-based pilot knowledge test and finally pass a practical exam with the FAA.
There are no two ways about it: training to become a pilot is a huge expense, so you’ll want to be in it for the long haul. In the UK, it’ll set you back between £70,000 to £120,000 ($86k-$147k), while in the US, training costs $91,995 (£75k) if you’ve no previous experience – or $20,000 (£16k) less if you already have a private flying licence. However, there are plenty of loans to cover the cost of training and living expenses, while some airlines will cover part of the cost of tuition for you.
So does all that hard work and investment result in a huge salary? It varies depending on your level of experience and the airline you’re employed by, but salaries aren’t as high as you might think. In the US, the median annual wage for commercial pilots is $93,000 (£75.8k) – which is pretty good compared to the average American wage of $51,916 (£42.3k). Meanwhile, pilots can expect to earn around A$106,913 ($74.8k/£60.9k) in Australia, €101,736 ($106.9k/£87k) in Germany and an average base pay of £41,155 ($50.5k) in the UK.
Before forking out huge sums of money, wannabe pilots in the UK can take an aptitude assessment test with the Honourable Company of Air Pilots. The course is designed for those with no flying experience, but it will assess your innate piloting ability before you sign up for a concrete commitment. There are also plenty of organisations which provide online aptitude tests, such as flightdeckfriend.com, whose tests are tailored to the requirements of over 140 airlines including easyJet, Jet2.com, Emirates, United Airlines and more.
While you have to love your job to be a pilot, it’s not always plane sailing (pun intended): you have to spend a lot of time away from home, which can be a strain on families and loved ones. Short-haul pilots usually spend up to five days away at a time, in return for three to four days off. Meanwhile, long-haul pilots spend more time away but get around 10-15 days at home per month.
In most countries you can’t qualify as a pilot until the age of 21, although in the UK and US you’re able to start your training from the age of 18. At the other end of the spectrum, American and British pilots are forced to retire when they turn 65. Yet in many other countries around the world – including Australia, New Zealand and Canada – there’s no upper limit. In fact, according to the Guinness World Records, in 2014 one Japanese pilot was still flying commercial planes at the age of 92.
Before you embark on the huge financial commitment that is required to become a pilot, consider getting to know the industry from a different perspective. Some routes recommended by Pilot Career News include work experience with aviation companies, getting involved with your local Air Training Corps or Combined Cadet Force if you’re at school, or, if you’re studying at university, joining the University Air Squadron.
All kinds of stressful situations can occur while flying, so having a calm manner is vital. Thankfully, there are plenty of measures pilots can take to keep their cool under pressure. These include repeating emergency procedures lots of times in training and having clear step-by-step processes in place for handling certain situations.
It pretty much goes without saying, but if you’re looking for a nine-to-five job, flying isn’t for you. Pilots work extremely unpredictable hours – and this can have an impact on their tiredness levels throughout the day. One study of 435 airline pilots found that almost 60% experienced daytime fatigue and 34.9% reported sleep complaints. While long-haul pilots attributed sleep issues to jetlag, short- and medium-haul pilots said it was due to heavy workload and sleep deprivation.
Even once you’ve qualified and are happily flying passengers around the world, you’ll still be tested regularly. Every 12 months (or every six months for over-60s) pilots must undergo a medical assessment, as well as completing a test flight under observation and completing Crew Resource Management (CRM) training. They must also go through emergency procedures in a simulator every six months.
As well as getting paid to fly all over the world, commercial pilots do get discounted – and often free – tickets for family and friends. Many of these tickets are allocated on an ‘ID90’ basis, which means you can get a 90% discount but you’ll only get to claim the ticket at the last minute if there happen to be spare seats on the flight.
You’d be surprised at how little of a pilot’s job is actually about flying. In fact, according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, US-based pilots work on average 225 hours per month (which is just under 52 hours per week), but just 75 of those are spent in the skies. The remainder of the time they’re completing tasks such as flight planning, checking aircraft and fuel supplies before flights, monitoring weather conditions and filling out reports about the flight after landing.
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Just 4% of US pilots are women and less than 1% of all US pilots are African American. Meanwhile in the UK the picture is similar: 96% of pilots are male while just 7% are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. UK-based Fantasy Wings is one of several organisations trying to improve the situation, by providing career mentoring, sponsored pilot training and workshops to under-represented groups. Pictured is trailblazing pilot Bessie Coleman, who became the world’s first African American pilot when she got her licence in 1921.
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If you’ve never been on a plane before, even as a passenger, that won’t stop you becoming a pilot. In fact, Indian aviator Anya Divya, who was the world’s youngest female pilot when she qualified at the age of 19, had never been on a plane before she began flying lessons. She’s now an advanced pilot at Air India, flying a Boeing 777 around the world.
Anyone who likes to cut corners and take risks probably shouldn’t consider a career in aviation, where following strict safety procedures is paramount. Among the top things which pilots do to improve safety are: communicating with other pilots while navigating the airspace, doing hazard checks before flying and carrying out quality control checks on the plane.
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