Every young person has something he or she dreams about when it comes to what they want to become when they grow up. Among the lists of occupations, you will come across, the pilot is always among the top three. There is something exceptional about this career that sparks an interest in almost every young person.
Naturally, it is safe to say that not every child is successful in fulfilling this dream. But a certain percentage of the most persistent youngsters manage to achieve this. It needs to be said that achieving something like this is nothing short of exceptional since only a small number of individuals manage to achieve it.
Those who do it go through a complex system of education. Naturally, it needs to be said that this system differs from country to country. If you want to take a look at one of these you can come across in India, be sure to click here. Now, we want to talk about all the most important things you need to be aware of when it comes to becoming a qualified pilot.
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How Can You Become a Pilot?
Becoming a pilot is not an easy task, an individual needs to go through many different levels of education before this becomes possible. Naturally, the most straightforward way to achieve this is to enroll in pilot training schools. In most cases, you will see that there are two sorts of professional flight training, modular and integral.
The integrated course means that the individual who has enrolled doesn’t have any previous flying experience. We are talking about quite an intense course, and it will need it usually lasts for about eighteen months. It includes both practical flying and theoretical studies, which are closely integrated.
Modular training is somewhat different since it consists of a couple of different segments, therefore, it is slightly more flexible than the previous one. Because of its flexibility, the applicant will be allowed trainees to both works and receive education at the same time. It needs to be said that this category requires at least 150 hours of flying experience on the behalf of the participant.
How Long Do These Courses Last?
We need to point out that this education can be divided into a couple of categories. The first one is being a student pilot. The length of this course usually lasts up to three months to get a certificate. For a certain period, you will need to conduct this category alone to obtain much-needed certificates.
If you want to be a sports pilot, your training would last between six weeks and up to three months. When you obtain this one, it is possible only to drive sports airplanes. The next category is becoming a recreational pilot. As is the case with the previous one, it also lasts for up to three months.
The next level is when it all becomes much more serious. We are talking about the category of a commercial pilot. To complete this one, you will need at least nine months of training. Finally, those who want to become airline transport pilots would need to train for between three and five years.
Do You Need a College Degree?
Becoming a pilot doesn’t require you to get a college degree. Sure, it would be perceived as a bonus to already received an education. It can come useful in cases when the number of candidates who have significant experience is not high. However, having one of these can be of a lot of help when we’re talking about different job positions in the industry.
For instance, individuals with a college degree can work in job positions such as airport management, aviation management, aeronautical science, and aeronautical engineering. So, you can see that this is not something that can be considered a waste of time, but it is certainly not necessary for becoming a pilot.
How Costly is This Education?
As you can imagine, becoming a professional pilot is not something we can describe as a cheap endeavor. An individual who wants to receive this sort of education needs to prepare himself for investing a lot of money before this education can be completed. At the same time, it is more than clear that this is not something you can achieve shortly.
According to a couple of studies, we can see that most pilots need to work for the next ten years to recover the funds they have invested. We are not just talking about the education itself, we are also talking about certification, training, etc. So, you need to arm yourself with patience before it is possible to pay off all the money you’ve invested into.
How Much Do Pilots Earn?
One of the most interesting questions when it comes to this job position is how high are the salaries. According to the research conducted by BLS, we can see that the average annual salary of pilots in the US was around $120k. A career usually starts with beings on a regional airline in the position of the first officer.
Over the years, it is possible to become a captain at a regional airline by accumulating much-needed experience. With the experience, the salary will also become significantly higher, especially after an individual becomes a captain. Naturally, this is not the highest level someone can reach in this industry.
The highest possible level is to start working in an international airline. We are talking about the highest-pay grade out there. It means that the professional is able not just to fly from country to country, but also from continent to continent. When that happens, a professional can easily choose the company he or she wants to work for.
In Conclusion
Entering this industry requires a lot of studying and a lot of patience. In this article of ours, we’ve provided our readers with a high-detailed insight into the most relevant aspects. We have no doubt you will find this article of ours to be informative. We wish all the luck to individuals who are about to start this long journey.