What education do I need to become a commercial airline pilot?

~Aurora~: What education do I need to become a commercial airline pilot?
This is something I am REALLY passionate about.
I am in 11th grade and need to start thinking and making choices about what to do for college.
I do not know what education is needed.
Thank you so much for answering!

Answers and Views:

Answer by M R
While there are degrees in aviation science.. they are pretty much useless outside of aviation, and tend to be rather expensive.

The flight training you will need can be obtained at any flight school, it does not have to be done at a university.

With this being said, it would be beneficial for you to get a degree in something outside of aviation so that you can support yourself in the likely event that you won’t be able to get a job right away, or in case you get laid off from an airline in the future (as thousands of pilots are right now).. math, science, engineering, or business would be good choices

good luck

Answer by RickH
1. Stay in school and get your 4-year degree. Most airlines require one. They don’t generally care what the degree is in, they just want one.
2. Stay away from drugs. Stay away from people who do drugs. This includes grass.
3. If you drink, NEVER drink and drive—a DUI is a career killer
4. Avoid getting tickets. Many airlines require that you submit your national driving record with your application. Too many tickets=no interview.

You are speaking of entering a career that is incredibly unforgiving of any offenses involving the police: DUI, drugs, assault, etc. The company will, some day, launch you in a 150 million dollar jet, and have to just trust your judgment. Your record needs to be spotless.

You must be in reasonable health to fly. Before you start making career decisions, make certain that you currently meet the medical requirements by finding an AME (Aviation Medical Examiner) on faa.gov, and taking a Class I Physical. This is even more true for the military.

Flight Training:

You can go to an aviation college, and get the training along with the degree. I am a little concerned with what an aviation degree does for a person who suddenly because of health or other issues, can’t fly. San Jacinto has a 2-year program that gets an Associate Degree, and all the ratings. I am certain that there are others. After that, you can move to another college and finish out a 4-year degree in some fall-back area. Total cost will probably be somewhere in the 70K range, and student loans are available.

Get your 4-year degree, and then attend an accelerated program such as ATP, where you will spend 50-70K, loans are available, and get all the ratings in about 3-9 months.

Go to your local flight school, and take the training there. This will sometimes be a little hodge podge, and the schools can be all over the map in terms of quality of training and equipment. I live in a major metro area, and I know of only three local flight schools where I would have or have sent my children, or that I am willing to recommend. These schools, no matter what they say, just aren’t geared to getting you through quickly. Plan on at least 2 years from start to finish. This might be cheaper than any of the other options, until you consider the opportunity cost.

After you get your 4-year degree, go to the military. The upside is that you get to fly some really neat equipment and serve your country, assuming that you are a US citizen. The downside is that, if you are not s..t-hot, you may find yourself flying some really mundane equipment, and you are still committed to a long time in the service. I think the current commitment is 10 years, Did I mention that you might get shot at! When you separate from the military, if you can find a slot in the Reserves or Guard, it can be a real godsend if you are furloughed. You just go back the the military until the furlough is canceled. It can also help bolster your pay during those lean first few years. On the other hand, many military pilots separate with less than 1000 hours, so they, after 10 years in the military, still have to go to the Regionals to build time. So the upgrade to the Major can easily be 15 years after college graduation, or 37+ years old.

My suggestion is that you go to the local airport, find a school that has reasonably new and clean aircraft, and take a few lessons. Maybe even go through the complete Private course. If you really struggle with this program, then maybe professional aviation isn’t for you. Everyone hits bumps in the road, but if you are one of those people who can’t solo after 30-40 hours, then you either need a new instructor, or you may not be cut out for this job. If you already possess the 4-year degree, then IMHO ATP is the best/only way to go because it will get you done in a very short period of time. Remember the clock on the end of your career is already ticking. If you don’t have a 4-year degree, then you have some time to explore the other options.

I have seen a lot of guys go through ATP, and be hired by a Regional less than one year after solo. That is NOT happening in the current economic climate, but will probably happen again in the future. When is anybodies guess.

Good Luck

Answer by Cpt. Wright
Well, you don’t need any specific degree but get at least a 4 year degree or you won’t usually get hired plus if flying doesn’t work out for you you always want a fallback just in case, especially if you have a injury out of work that restricts you from flying.

Answer by dust08
You have two choices if the military is not your gig.

Part 141 flight school

Part 61 flight school

Part 141 schools are more closely regulated by the FAA than part 61. It’s all up to personal preference, but I believe part 141 schools provide better training.

Answer by crystal
u need to own a lawnmower.everyone else is lying

Answer by pilot T
You need a 4 year degree.
It doesn’t matter a lot to the airlines what that degree is. Maybe it helps a little bit if it is an aviation degree, but get a degree in whatever interests you for that fall back career like the rest of the answers say.
Then flight training at a flight school found at your local airport.
Some universities and colleges have aviation programs that include some kind of flight training also.

Answer by cris_sindac
When you finished your high school, you can go straight to aviation school and take a ground-schooling course for your student pilot license. You should finish this to get a Private pilot license after that… is a commercial pilot. If you want airline to provide the expenses for you to become airline pilot you need to finish your college to get a degree mostly airline companies they train their pilots with a college degree. As you like to become pilot, take course / degree related to aviation. I may suggest take either BS in Aeronautical Engineering or Aircraft Maintenance Technology to have basic knowledge about aviation.

Answer by p
The minimum requirements are:

a) Be at least 18 years of age;

(b) Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language.

So basically, if you have a pulse, you can be a pilot. If you’re asking for a college career, then its in Aerospace.

Answer by Ben Dere Dun Dat
Any 4 year college degree will suffice, as long as it is from an accredited institution. Do not believe that an aviation degree is required or even particularly helpful. It’s not (I know, I got one. It didn’t help my career at all). What is important is having the required pilot ratings and enough experience as a pilot to start getting interviews. And having a good flying record, a clean personal background, and good references. Where you go to school, what kind of degree you get, and where you learn to fly matters little to the airlines. Just plan on getting a 4 year degree. Choose something you would enjoy that might also employ you profitably if for some reason a flying career doesn’t materialize, takes a bad turn, stalls for awhile, or you just plain get sick of the rat race. That’s called having a backup plan. Everyone needs one. An “aeronautical science” or similar professional pilot degree is pretty useless if you ever have to find employment outside of flying for a living. Again, I got one and all the times I’ve been laid off as a professional pilot I sure could have used a more useful degree than the one I got.

That’s it in a nutshell. Any college. Any major you wish, and any flight school that is convenient, reasonably affordable, and provides all the training you’ll require.