Becoming a Pilot for a Job Career - Assignment Example

INTRODUCTION What do you want to be when you grow up? This is the frequently asked question a encounters in school. From as early as pre-school up until one finishes secondary education, this question haunts. It might appear silly for some but this basic inquiry gives the individual the opportunity to search the career one wants to delve into. One of the most interesting careers is that of being a pilot. Piloting is defined as “another name for guiding or steering ships and airplanes. A person who guides ships… is called a harbor or river pilot. A person who guides an airplane or airship through the air is called an aircraft pilot.” (Illustrated World Encyclopedia 3914) It would be totally exciting to be flying in the clouds. This has always been the ultimate aspiration of one hoping to be a pilot someday. In order to realize that dream, a lot of planning and preparation, research and mind setting are necessary. There are different phases of training involved in this career. But for someone who has his mind and heart set to become a pilot, everything would be possible in due time. JOB DESCRIPTION An airline pilot job includes the following responsibilities: (1) navigates or pilots aircraft to transport mail, freight, and/or passengers; (2) supervises or performs pre-flight checks of loading, fuel supplies, instruments and switches; (3) discusses with meteorologist weather conditions for take-off and flight (4) supervises activities of flight deck crew and (5) modifies flight plan as necessary The following discourse would contain information in greater detail on the classes of Pilots, requirements or qualifications to become a pilot, the costs associated with training, the specific steps in being a pilot, and other interesting details of the job. (Details were provided by Chris Vika in his article, “How to become a pilot”.) CLASSES/KINDS OF PILOTS For someone who wants to become a pilot, there are actually several options to choose from. Vika detailed three (3) classes of pilots, as itemized below: (1) Airline pilots –are pilots who fly an airline plane. (2) Commercial pilots- are pilots who has obtained a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and has undergone extensive flying experience. (3) Recreational pilots- are civilian pilots fly privately for pleasure, charity, or in pursuance of a business. The EAA Sport Magazine (2008) has identified another kind of pilot, the Sport Pilot. According to the article, the sport pilot certificate is the easier and least costly way to fly for fun and recreation. To earn a sport pilot certificate, one must: Be at least 16 to become a student sport pilot (14 for glider). Be at least 17 to test for a sport pilot certificate (16 for gliders). Be able to read, write, and understand English. Hold a current and valid U.S. driver’s license as evidence of medical eligibility (provided the FAA didn’t deny, revoke, or suspend your last medical certificate application). Alternatively, you can also use a third class airman’s medical to establish medical fitness. Pass an FAA sport pilot knowledge test. Pass a FAA sport pilot practical (flight) test. Given these classes, it can be deduced that the kind of pilot depends on the experience and training one has obtained. Therefore, a student can decide if he wants additional training to upgrade his level. Experience in this career is measured in the number of flying hours recorded in one’s logbook. COSTS ASSOCIATED IN BECOMING A PILOT Flying is really not cheap. There are costs involved in every phase of training. Itemized below are the average costs associated in every step: (1) Introduction flight costs from $50 - $60, or an average of $55. (2) Training for PPL costs from $4000 - $5000, or an average of $4500. Normally, 40 hours of training is needed. Therefore, this would mean an average per hour cost of $112.50. (3) Instrument Rating - $5000 - $6000, or an average of $5500. In EAA Sport Magazine (2008), the cost of flight training to become a pilot was actually reduced considerably. This was made possible by the elimination of burdensome medical examinations and certifications. Their first step is to join their organization, EAA. By being a member, only $40 per year is paid. Secondly, ‘”the cost of flight training varies by which type of aircraft you want to learn to fly. The cost for airplane flight training is approximately $2,800 - $3,500. You can learn to fly a powered parachute for between $800 and $1,000”. STEPS IN BEING A PILOT (1) Schedule an introduction flight. This is a briefing followed by a 30-minute flight done in a flight school or flying club in your area. The introduction flight costs about $50 to $60. (2) See an aviation medical examiner. An aviation medical examiner is a doctor approved by the aviation authorities (Federal Aviation Administration) to issue a medical certificate to qualified individuals interested to become pilots. There are three (3) classes of medical certificates depending on the kind of pilot an individual hopes to become: 1. Class 1 for airline pilots; 2. Class 2 for commercial pilots – those paid to fly 3. Class 3 is for recreational pilots. (4) Obtain a Private Pilot License The following are the requirements needed to obtain a PPL: (1) An individual must be at least 17 years of age; (2) There is no upper age restriction; (3) One must pass a Class1 medical exam to secure a Medical Certificate. The trainee has the option to pay for the training on a per lesson basis. A typical lesson is from one hour to one and a half hours long. This costs from $112.50/hour or $169 for 1 and a half hours. The minimum number of lessons required per week is about 2 hours. Therefore, the minimum amount required to train for a PPL is $338. (5) Pass a series of examinations. a. Theoretical exam. This is a 60-items multiple choice test with three (3) alternatives – one being the correct answer. This is done on a computer and is administered by the school you chose to attend. b. Flight exam. This is a check ride exam conducted with an authorized examiner and which comprises of an oral quiz. This usually takes about 1 to 2 hours. c. Flight test. This test usually takes about 1 and half hours long. (6) Complete at least 50 hours of cross country flying. Cross country flying is comprised flying the plane from one airport to another airport at least 50 nautical miles away. (7) Obtain an Instrument Rating. An instrument rating is a rating added to the certificate one holds. This phase would train the student to fly the plane solely by reference to the aircraft’s instruments. This instrument rating is required if the student opts to become a professional pilot. Otherwise, if the student plans to be a recreational pilot instead, this course is optional. (8) Pass a series of exams. a. Theoretical exam. b. Flight examination (check ride). c. Flight test. There are other flying schools and organizations which provide other steps or process one must follow to pursue this career. A step by step guide to flying could be read from a book written by the Federal Aviation Administration (1987). ACTUAL AND/OR SIMULATED LEARNING CONDITIONS In training, a student gets to learn how to fly a plane using both actual and simulated conditions. In actual conditions, the student sits beside his instructor and flies the plane inside actual clouds. In simulated conditions, “an instructor at a computer can loan every imaginable disaster into the flight simulation program: fires in the engine, wild turbulence, wind shear, iced wings, or even an engine falling off – something a pilot would have great difficulty recovering from.” (Skurzynski 36) For a pilot flying fifty feet off the deck at five hundred miles per hour, one mistake can be fatal. Simulators provide hundreds of hours of training before the real thing to ensure that all the necessary learning tools and tricks of the trade are ingrained in the pilot’s mind. With the advancement in technology, real flight training devices (FTDs) are actually duplicated to ensure state-of-the-art training. Simulators give all the opportunities to the students to familiarize him with all the equipment and tools in the aircraft. But the most important benefits of simulators are: (1) they can work nonstop, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; (2) they don’t need fuel; and (3) they prevent accidents to happen. In fact, in a book written by Clemson, et.al, (2004), a method of simulation was utilized using mathematics to fly a jumbo jet. “The reader takes the position of a jet pilot and uses important facts and data to do the job”. OBTAINING A COMMERCIAL PILOT LICENSE (CPL) The requirements to obtain a commercial pilot license of CPL are as follows: (1) The individual should be at least 18 years of age; (2) There is no upper age restriction; (3) The individual must pass a Class 2 medical exam; (4) The pilot must have completed 10 hours of training in a complex aircraft; (5) The pilot must have passed a series of examinations: a. Theoretical exam (100-questions; multiple choice); b. Flight examination (check ride); c. Flight test broken down into two (2) flights: (i) one flight in the regular training aircraft to demonstrate general flying skills; (ii) another flight in a complex aircraft to demonstrate ones ability to safely fly a complex aircraft. (6) The pilot must possess a Multi-Engine Rating. A multi-engine rating is required to fly aircrafts with more than one engine. To obtain this, a student needs to pass the following: a. Skills test; b. Flight exam (check ride) – one hour; c. Flight test – one and a half hours. OBTAINING AN AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT LICENSE (ATPL) This, according to Vika, is the highest pilot certificate one can obtain. An ATPL is needed to captain any aircraft with more than one pilot. This means this license is required when flying planes from airlines and in other commercial operations. The requirements to obtain an ATPL are as follows: (1) The individual must be at least 23 years of age; (2) The individual must have logged a minimum of 1,500 flight hours. CAREER PATTERN OF A PILOT Once a student graduates from his course, one does not immediately get a job from a reputable airlines or commercial flying company. Based on experience, Vika identified the following path of a newly graduate: Student pilot > Flight Instructor > Regional Airline Pilot (or charter/smaller cargo operations) > Major Airline Pilot (or major cargo operations like FedEx and UPS) Like any other course, as a pilot gains flying experiences with additional flight hours in his logbook, his employment opportunity increases in proportion to the size of the aircraft. Accordingly, as experience increases, the salary also increases. AVERAGE SALARY OF A PILOT Details from Houser on Career Information, the following are the average salaries of pilots depending on their classifications: As a new flight instructor, one can expect to earn $15.00 to $20.00 per flight hour. As mentioned, this is usually the first step in a pilot’s career. A captain on a twin engine piston aircraft may make as little as $30,000 per year while the captain of a large corporate jet may make nearly $150,000 per year. The newer “fractional” jet companies offer good salaries and benefits to their pilots. The goal of most pilots in his/her 20’s and early 30’s is to obtain a major pilot’s job. It is, in general, the highest paying and best job. Salaries start out in the $25,000 - $35,000 per year range for the first year, but they rapidly increase year by year with Captains’ salaries ranging from $130,000 to almost $200,000 per year depending on the airline, type of aircraft flown, seniority, and routes flown. Presently, pilots working for the freight/cargo carriers can do even better in terms of salary. National airlines are smaller airlines which operate smaller jets such as the Boeing 737 or Douglas MD-80 series. Examples of these are America West, Frontier, and Jet Blue. In general, they pay somewhat less (top pay in the low to mid $100,000 range) and are a little less strict in terms of a 4-year degree and other personal factors. They do, however, have similar flight experience requirements as the major airlines. For regional airlines, starting pay as a co-pilot is typically $1300-$1600 per month with most captains making $3000-4000 per month. A few of the larger regional airlines which fly regional jets pay upwards to $8000 per month. For corporate pilot jobs, pay can vary from about $35,000 to nearly $150,000 per year. PROS AND CONS OF THE BEING A PILOT IN THE UNITED STATES There are both advantages and disadvantages of being a pilot. First, the advantages are: (1) The United States is the number 1 country when it comes to producing pilots. (Vika) Therefore, a student who gets training in the US is sure to be considered of high-caliber after completing the course. (2) The income of a pilot is generally higher than other professionals and thereby is able to make a decent living. (3) There is considerable prestige and honor attached to this profession. (4) A pilot gets the opportunity to visit a lot of other states within the country and around the world. (5) A pilot’s relatives get to have benefits and discounts from the airlines where the pilot is employed. The disadvantages of this career, on the other hand, are as follows: (1) A pilot is away from home mostly for five (5) days a week and home 3 – 4 days on a normal work schedule. Therefore, he does not enjoy the company of his family as much as other people in other professions who maintain an 8am to 5pm work schedule. (2) It is not easy to get a job after graduation. Many companies set a higher minimum experience requirement than a student fresh from flight school will have. (3) The risks and work pressures associated with flying are far greater than other careers. Just to think that many lives are practically in the hands of a pilot. This is the reason why a premium is accorded to one who has obtained a greater number of flight hours than someone who just started in the industry. FLIGHT SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES There are numerous flight schools in the United States. One can search the internet depending on the state one is located. In Illinois, for example, there are a total of 30 flight schools to choose from. One has to visit those flight schools nearest ones residence first and check on the facilities, costs of training, the flight instructor’s qualifications, and the like. It is just a matter of investing time, money and effort to make one’s dream come true. CONCLUSION Despite the disadvantages that were noted for choosing this career, the advantages far outweigh them. This career provides a variety of options in terms of work opportunities. There are a lot of professional flying jobs that are non-airline related. This includes corporate flying (business and smaller propeller airplanes), cargo (large and small airplanes), law enforcement, crop spraying, search and rescue, air ambulance, flight instruction, and many more. As appropriately advised by Vika, who had been a professional pilot with six (6) years of flying experience and one who obtained dual rated license from Europe and the USA, to become a pilot, it is pertinent to do a lot of research and engage in proper planning. Of course, like any other course one wants to get into, becoming a pilot needs motivation, determination and discipline. One should genuinely love this career for him to succeed in this endeavor. Just thinking that one would be up in the clouds gives a surge of adrenaline. Flying an aircraft would give one a feeling of euphoria – a sense of fulfillment, of satisfaction, of self-esteem. WORKS CITED Illustrated World Encyclopedia, Illustrated World Encyclopedia, Inc., New York, 1972. Houser, Jerry, Career Information- Pilot Careers, Aviation Sciences, San Marcos, California. Chris Vika in his article, “How to become a pilot”, ) EAA, EAA Sport Aviation, April 2008. Federal Aviation Administration, “How To Become A Pilot - The Step-By-Step Guide To Flying”, Sterling Publishing, New York, 1987. Skurzynski, Gloria, ALMOST THE REAL THING: Simulation in Your High-Tech World, Bradbury Press, New York, 1991. Clemson, D., C. Perry, & G. Stevens, “Using Math to Fly a Jumbo Jet”, Gareth Stevens, 2004. “Asian Air Safari”, ANC, Documentary Show, November 30, 2008 Read More