How to Become a Pilot

Congratulations on taking the first step in learning how to become a pilot.

Getting your pilots license will open a world of opportunity to you, whether your goal is weekend fun with family and friends in a fixed wing plane or helicopter, or carving out a career as a commercial airline pilot, charter pilot or commercial helicopter pilot. The sky is the limit.

There is a lot of information available on learning to fly and becoming a pilot which can be overwhelming and confusing. We will endeavor to provide you with the information you need to get started.

Remember that becoming an “expert” at everything is not a prerequisite to following your dreams in aviation. Much of the knowledge required for learning to fly will come progressively during your pilot training.

There are many different ways you can become a pilot including privately paid flying lessons through a flight school or flying club, a pilot training scholarship, airline pilot training program or a career in the air force or navy.


We suggest you explore the rest of our site and further investigate the different aspects of becoming qualified pilot. Included in the topics we cover are aspects such as:

• Pilot License Medical Requirements for Private and Commercial / Pilot Training Age Limit
• Pilot License Types and Classes
• Pilot Training Costs – Private/Commercial/Helicopter
• Job Opportunities for Pilots
• Pilot Training Schools

How To Become A Pilot – Step One

Regardless of your aviation aspirations, whether they’re recreational or career oriented the first thing we recommend you do is take an introductory flight or flying lesson with a qualified instructor at your local flying club or pilot training school. There is no minimum or maximum age restriction for this first exciting foray into flying.

After this first flying experience you will know if learning how to become a pilot is something you wish to invest a significant amount of time, effort and money into.  Your initial flight will probably be around half an hour long and the great news is, the time you spend airborne can actually be logged and contribute to the total number of flying hours required to achieve your pilot license.  During this flight your instructor will allow you to take the flight controls and experience what it’s like to be in control of an aircraft.

It’s worth doing at least some preparation for your introductory flight as you’ll get more out of it if you’re not starting with zero knowledge.  Check out some books or info on the internet which explains some of the basic flight surfaces of an aircraft such as rudder, elevator, ailerons and flaps.  You’ll then understand a little more of what your instructor is telling you during the flight.

Where To From Here

Hopefully your introductory flight was a great experience and has left you hankering for airborne adventures.  Regardless of your long term aviation goals, a great first goal for a new pilot in relation to time and money required to complete is the recreational or sport pilot certificate so you will need flying lessons.  If you have aspirations to become a commercial pilot, you may wish to look at the typical pilot salary and gauge your future earning potential.


Below is a list of different pilot qualifications.   You can learn more about what’s necessary to achieve them throughout the rest of this site:

Resources

Aircraft Flight Controls http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_controls

Federal Aviation Authority http://faa.gov