Expert: Ismar Avdic, Eng. - 5/3/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi - I am very interested in become a pilot. What sort of qualifications are needed? If I went into a career with aviation, where could I receive lessons and what would I do after school?

Thanks


ANSWER: Hi Lewis,
In essence you should start your flight training as soon as practicable. Depends on your age you should be enrolled in an approved flight training school and start taking flight lessons. With age of 16 (USA Requirements) you should be able legally to solo in airplane and with age 17 you can earn your first Privae Pilot License PPL. After that you should pursue more flight training for an Instrumet rating and Commercial Pilot License Single and Multi engine license. When you are able to complete CPL with Single and Multi engine ratings you would be able employable for an pilot job with smaller charter company or an pilot instructor job (with completetation of your Flight Instructor rating), or do some scinic flight too. Now objective is to accumulate most flight hours that will qulaify you for an airline transport pilot license and an real airline pilot position. As you can see this is quite a bit process to get pilot seat of an airliner, although there is a few flight schools/academies that actually do almost complete training from "zero time to here" in proximatelly 1-2 year depending from flight student. They do step forward to guarantee you job after completeing their training at their facility.

Again, you do not have to complete high school in order to start taking flight lessons, soon you started sooer you will accumulate more flight hours that you will need to be marketable for airline pilot job.

Good Luck
Ismar


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi - What are the age limits for flying lessons in the UK? What sort of prices are the lessons? Is a medical quailification required?

Thank you.

Answer
Hi Lewis,

Providing you are 14 years old or over, you can log all your flying towards the PPL course, although you must be at least 16 years old to be able to fly solo. The minimum age for the issue of a PPL is 17 years. All pilots must undergo an aviation medical (Class 2 for PPL) conducted by a local CAA authorised medical practitioner.  Providing you meet the JAR (Joint Aviation Rules) medical requirements, there is no upper age limit.

Here is the link for an aviation pilot training school in England
where you can get more info:

http://www.takeflightaviation.co.uk/learn_to_fly.htm

Regards