Expert: D. Norkus - 3/30/2009

Question
Dottie,

First off, I think this is a wonderful service you provide. Thank you for that.

I am a twenty four years old with a degree in political science. I am interested in becoming a pilot. I have no dependents and would be able to dedicate myself full time to achieving this goal. I have no gauge for the length of time it would require to become certified; I am not even sure what certified entails. Could you lay out what you you expect to be a typical timeline for training, and the various progressions to becoming, say, a Captain for an airline like Delta?

I am also curious as to the subject areas I will be studying. Trigonometry? Meteorology? Is it advanced?

Lastly, and this may be the most convoluted question, but, is there anything that I have not asked or you would suggest to someone like myself in order to be in a good position to be hired?

Your thoughts on any or all of this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Best,
Danny J

Answer
Danny

There is a whole lot to know to get the 'big picture' about making this career change. Since it is something I address quite frequently, I made a webpage about the common FAQs to help answer them in depth and with links. It should address most of what you need to know: http://www.pilotcareer.info

As far as a time line, since you already have a degree I would assume you will go to a local flight school or flying club. An academy is also an option, but right now that option is not the 'fast track' to a career it once was as most of the regional airlines are furloughing or not hiring. You could easily get your private pilot certificate, instrument rating, commercial pilot certificate and multi-engine rating in 18-24 months, even less, depending on your schedule and budget. Once you get your pilot qualifications, you would then need to build up your flight experience as detailed in my link above. The path to major airline captain can take many, many years- even decades depending on the airlines you end up working for. As an example, if you were hired by a regional with a fast upgrade to captain (as was the case for several regionals before this economic downturn) you may have spent 3-4 years there: 18-24 months as a First Officer and then another 18-24 months as a captain to get experience for a major airline. The most junior captain in 'seniority' (tenure) or the low pilot on the totem pole at Delta was hired in July of 2000. So, figure the 9 years to upgrade at Delta, plus the 3-4 spent at the regional and you have 13 years to major airline captain. Another example would be American, where the junior captain was hired in March of 1992, so as you can see the time with that career progression would take 21 years. It heavily depends on where you get hired and the expansion and attrition at those airlines as to how quickly you will reach captain at a major.

The basic subject areas you study in flight training are:
1. Aerodynamics
2. Airplane systems
3. Federal Aviation Regulations
4. Airports and airspace
5. Airplane performance
6. Aeromedical factors
7. Weather/meteorology
8. Navigation
9. Cross-country flying
10. Flight Operations
11. Aircraft Weight & Balance
(Get more info at http://flightinfo.com/learntofly.htm )

You will only need basic math skills and at the most advanced, simple algebra using rounded numbers to figure climb/descents by a given point in your head. That said, most airliners these days have a flight management system/FMS that does all this for you, so the 'mental math' a pilot once needed to do routinely, is now automated. However, if you are interested in reading up on the subject, Ronald McElroy has written a small paperback covering all you'd ever need to know about math as a pilot: "Mental Math for Pilots". Get it at amazon.com

How to be in the best position to be hired? Have lots of quality flight time (multi-engine, instrument, night), plus a few internal recommendations. Of course luck always helps too. The more competitive of a market, the more over qualified you need to be. This has never been more evident than in the past few years. In 2007 the regional airlines were hiring more than ever from 'fast track' pilot academies (get an interview at a mere 300 flight hours) as they needed pilots so badly. Fast forward to March 2009, and there are literally thousands of pilots who are furloughed from both the majors and regionals, and employers have stacks of resume on their desks for any flying job. This industry is very cyclical. There are highs and lows and you just have to be lucky enough to get in right before a high and you will have a good start on your career. Right now there are many with less than a year who have been or are facing a furlough. Personally, I was a new hire in 2001 who was furloughed for 2 years post 9/11. (That isn't much considering there are still some American pilots who have not been recalled yet 8 years later!) You just have to know that is part of the game if you want to play. You may never be furloughed, but know that comes with the career.

Hope this helps,
Dottie