How to become a Pilot
There was once a time when the answer to how to become a pilot was simple: join the military. Those days are over. Although that remains one of the best ways to become a pilot, there are other options for future aviators also.
How to become a pilot depends on what type of pilot you want to become.
Student Pilot. A student pilot certificate is issued when a student passes the first medical examination. After receiving appropriate training and experience, a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) will endorse a student pilot certificate to allow certain flight privileges. While a student is flying with an instructor, the flight is actually being performed on the instructor’s certificate. The student certificate is only required for solo flights within the bounds of whatever endorsements the instructor has placed on the student.
Sport Pilot. A Sport Pilot Certificate allows a pilot to fly only Light Sport Aircraft. To receive a Sport Pilot certificate, the candidate must be 17 years old, be able to read, speak, write and understand English, log 20 hours of flight time (15 with an instructor and 5 solo), pass a written test and a practical test, and possess either a driver’s license or a third class medical certificate.
Recreational Pilot. The Recreational Pilot certificate has been largely replaced by the sport pilot certificate. It used to be a rating that was one step shy of private pilot, with a 50 nautical mile restriction. Given the much easier standards to become a Sport Pilot, the recreational certificate is becoming obsolete.
Private Pilot. The vast majority of non-professional pilots hold Private Pilot Certificates. To be eligible for a Private Pilot Certificate, a candidate must have logged at least 40 hours of flight time, including specific requirements for solo and solo cross-country flights. Part of that training, at least 3 hours, must have been at night. In reality, very few pilots qualify for their private pilot certificate after just 40 hours. But once a pilot passes the flight and written tests, the private pilots certificate does not expire and the holder is entitled to almost limitless flight privileges under visual flight rules (VFR).
Commercial Pilot. The first step beyond a private pilot’s certificate for somebody who wants to become a professional pilot is the Commercial Pilot’s Certificate. Unlike all the previously mentioned certificates, a Commercial Pilot is allowed to receive compensation for being a pilot, but is not necessarily allowed to start up a company that carries passengers for hire. A commercial pilot’s certificate requires at least 190 or 250 hours of flight experience, as well as passing a written and practical test. Although not specifically required, many commercial pilots are also instrument rated pilots, allowing them to fly in conditions where visual reference to the ground and the horizon are not possible.
Airline transport Pilot. The highest civilian rating for a pilot is the Airline Transport Pilot, or ATP rating. To qualify for an ATP certificate, a pilot must have at least 1,500 hours of experience, as well as certain minimums of night, instrument, and cross country time. This is the only rating that allows a pilot to carry passengers for hire, and is also the only rating that is assumed to include an instrument rating. A pilot must have reached the age of 23 to be eligible, and in addition to a class one medical exam (the strictest class) the pilot must demonstrate good moral character.
Military Pilot. To qualify as a military pilot, each service sets its own standards. The medical requirements are stricter than the requirements for ATP certificates. In the Air Force and Marine Corps, all pilots are commissioned officers. In the Army, and to a much lesser extent the Navy, some pilots are warrant officers. Pilot training for military pilots lasts for months, if not years. In many cases, military officers spend their first three or more years training before being allowed to fly in actual military conditions, and even then will spend several more years earning flight qualifications to allow them to take responsibility for particular types of missions.
