Expert: D. Norkus - 6/28/2006

Question

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Followup To

Question -
I am electrical engineer and now I want to become Pilot for international airlines. Whats my first step and how long it takes to get started as Pilot career. How much it cost? where should I go to start this type of program.

Answer -
Before I can address your question, I need to know what country you are in. If it is not the USA, I cannot advise. Please let me know where you are.

Answer : I am US Citizen and leaving in San diego  

Answer
Regarding what steps you need to take to become an airline pilot:

That is quite a bit of information! Firstly, in order to get the background info about flight training and careers you should know, I will direct you to my website that addresses such questions:

http://www.geocities.com/av8trxx99/FAQ.html

Please read the basic FAQs over and it should give you a good idea of the routes people take to the career. There is such a volume of information that needs to be covered, that it will be better to refer you to my site first, then work through what questions you have that aren't covered, versus trying to answer everything via this forum as the volume of info needed to get the "big picture" is just so much. (I got so many similar inquiries, I had to create a site to cover it all!)

Once you digest that, as well as the career links at the bottom, please get back to me with any additional specific questions you may have.

As far as how much it will cost, anywhere from around $40,000 to $80,000 depending on how you chose to go about it (flight school, flying club or academy program).

There are also programs that will flight train you and guarantee a regional airline interview. Do a search of the internet for "airline academy" or visit schools such as

http://www.flightcareers.com
http://www.atpflightschool.com
http://www.deltaconnectionacademy.com

The ATP program costs $39,000 and seems to have a fairly good success rate. I know two people who did it in 12 months and now fly for regionals.

Let me know your additional questions,
Dottie