Expert: David A. NewMyer - 10/4/2007

Question
hi my name is brittany nelson im age 13 i am doing a poster on bush pilots and
need some information.
if i want to be a bush pilot what type of schools would help me be one?
why type of things does a bush pilot do?
if i want to be a bush pilot but also be a pilot for a jet wich one would take more
time to be???

Answer
HI,

I do not know of specific colleges or universities that specialize in bush flying.....there are, however, some fixed base opeations that offer flight training that might be able to help you.  If I were you, I would select an excellent flight school (university based or otherwise....university based since it wouild be a lot smarter for someone going into a flight career to have a college degree.....)that can provide the basic flight training that ANYONE would need:  the FAA Private Pilot Certificate followed by the FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate with at least an instrument rating and also a multi engine rating (the multi engine rating is not needed as much in bush flying as it is flying for a jet airline).

Once you have the basics out of the way, then, it is time to build flight  experience.  The key to building flight experience is eitehr to build time as a flight instructor (where you build time by teaching others to fly)...that requires a flight instructor rating.  So, no mater whether you plan to be a bush pilot or a jet pilot, you must:

Obtain Federal Aviation Administration Private Pilot Certificate

Obtain Federal Aviation Administration Commercial Pilot Certificate with Instrument and Multi Engine Ratings

Obtain Federal Aviation Administration Flight Instructor (Airplane) Certificate

In order to be a bush pilot, you probably need 500 to 1000 hours of flying experience.

In order to be a first officer on a regional jet aircraft (one that carries less than 100 passengers) you will likely need between 500 and 1500 hours of flight experience of which 100 to 300 hours of which must be mulit engine flight experience.

I hope that this helps....

Good websites to look at for more information:

www.aopa.org

www.airlines.org

www.aviationinterviews.com

Good luck to you,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight