Expert: Jeff Davis - 7/14/2007

Question
Becoming a commercial pilot has always been my ultimate dream.  Yet I know absolutely nothing regarding this career.  Ijust graduated from the University of California Berkeley but with no background in anything remotely related to flying.  Where can I obtain information on how to get started?  Do you know the average time it takes to become a commercial pilot for ones like me without any knowledge in this area?  Also what is the gender distribution?  

Thanks for you time!

Answer
If by "commercial pilot" you mean "airline pilot," please note that my profile on Allexperts cautions that I can't give advice in that area.  There are other Experts that can help you with that a lot more than I can.  However, to get any type of pilot's license, I would start at AOPA.com, which is the site for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; part of their web site is for paying subscribers, but a lot of it is free, and it has a wealth of information about getting started.  For a private license, you'll need a minimum of 40 hours of flight time, but the average time required is more like 60-70 hours.  You also need to pass a not-too-demanding physical exam and a written test.  If the AOPA site doesn't answer your questions, let me know and I'll try to provide more.  And as I said, if you're interested in flying for the airlines, you should ask one of the Experts that has experience in that area.