Commercial pilot...?

[Alonso]

Well... in the last moths I've been thinking about which career I'm gonna take...

And of course, commercial pilot is a high posibility option...

My question is.. how much time (and money aprx. ($)) does it take to be a commercial pilot?.. (Without being part of any Air force or military organisation)...

I've seen that first, you need a Private pilot license and then you can have the Commercial one..

What "special" abilities are necessary for taking that career?


I've been thinking of taking commercial pilot because:

1. I LOVE AVIATION
2. It's a fast growing market in my country.
3. It's a career that I can study in my contry...

"If" I decide to follow that career, I would start here: www.masterofthesky.com ... I've heard it is an expensive career.. but I'd want some more details...   The minimum age requirement for Private pilot is 17.. and I'm 16..


Hope you can give me some advice...

Alonso.

[Canuck.]

cool!
im learning to become a  pilot from my dad......the plane im learning to fly is our harvards.....and of course.....a 172!

[C]

Although not immediately obvious, it'd be well worth looking at a medical before you spend lots of cash...

[Iwannabeapilot]

I'm looking at going down that road too...

[bok269]

Where do you live?

If you live in the US, the regionals are hiring like crazy.  You can get a right seat job in an RJ with a wet Commercial/Multi and no hour requirement.

[ATI_7500]

I've applied unsuccessfully for a pilots career at Lufthansa last year.

But since they expect you to be superman to fly an airliner, this didn't work out.
So now for plan B: Go and study something good (engineering), get a fairly well-paid job and do my CPL and CPR on my own, as a pastime.
That way, I can still get into aviation, but with a "safety net" if it goes wrong.

[Alonso]

I live in Lima, Peru.. (South America)...

The medical check is a requirement ...

Bjorn, I've been thinking of that too... Studying industrial engineering as a "back up" and then try to get my licenses

[Mobius]

Bjorn, I've been thinking of that too... Studying industrial engineering as a "back up" and then try to get my licenses

That exactly what I'm doing right now.  I'm a year away from graduating with a degree in Mechanical engineering, and a couple weeks away from my instrument rating (stupid PIC cross country time).  It's a lot of work, but it's interesting, and rewarding, and the job market is pretty good, so it's probably a good plan.

[Brett_Henderson]

Funny how times change. When I was young enough to ponder being a pilot, it was pretty much out of the question. At that time, your only path to an airline gig was via the AirForce, as on officer/pilot/college grad, with perfect, uncorrected vision...

Now I've seen and know personally, people I wouldn't hire as a baby-sitter, flying right-seat in regionals

[elite marksman]

This is actually something that interests me as well, but probably as my backup-backup plan. Plan A is career officer, preferably USN/USMC, but USAF depending on what school I get into. Plan B is Mech/Aero Engineering. Plan C is going to be airline pilot. I live in US, and I think I might rather be a regional pilot than an international pilot. Regional pilots probably get to do a bit more "flying" than internationals do.

[Mobius]

Mobius.. you're gonna shine. Finish your degree; Get your commercial/CFI/multi, and in a few years. you'll be flying big tubes  :)

Thanks for the vote of confidence Brett, but hopefully it will be little, fast tubes.  

I wouldn't be a very good bus driver I don't think, with my requisite steep turns during long cross countries and all, "I have the need....the need for speed." 8-)

And good luck to everyone going down the same path, it can be difficult, but if you enjoy doing it, and you can find a job doing it, you can't ask for anything else (except maybe a pony ).

[Stormtropper]

USN pilot all the way for me...none of that boring pressurized aluminum tubes...heh....

...'course, Plan B: Rockstar... !

[C]

I wouldn't be a very good bus driver I don't think, with my requisite steep turns during long cross countries and all, "I have the need....the need for speed." 8-)

Flying busses can be strangely theraputic though. Very relaxing compared to upside down "punchy" things...

Now I've seen and know personally, people I wouldn't hire as a baby-sitter, flying right-seat in regionals

Quite. I consider myself a very "green" pilot, yet I meet people who've come straight out of school, paid for their (Frozen) ATPL and are in the right seat of 737s/A320 will just over half the hours I have. What I find worse is they very little "real" flying experience - it has all been tailored to moving quickliy into an airliner right hand seat in as few hours as possible. Spinning? They'd never done it. Aerobatic - nil (you may question why, but they do help develop your appreciation and handling of an aeroplane)... :-?

[Brett_Henderson]

I think you should be able to demonstrate spin-recovery before you're allowed to SOLO. And you should be introduced to aerobatics before you're issued a PPL.

It's just a matter of logistics and time. We're going to hit a flash-point of pilot incompetence. These pilots (a couple of whom I know personally) are getting their first, real experience with paying passengers behind them (albeit from a right seat) are going to slide into PIC slots with less, actual IMC time than I have  ::)

You can say you heard it here first...   Even tower personel are starting to say, "What the heck is going on ? "

[C]

I think you should be able to demonstrate spin-recovery before you're allowed to SOLO.

Mmm, possibly - the only caveat I put on that is that spinning (for the first time for some, and all the time for others!) is not particularly pleasant, and may even put people off before they go solo. Taking the capabiliy of most people, with a 1000ft circuit, if they manage to mishandle the aircraft incompetantly enough to go incipient, then they'd have little time to recognise it and recover, even before it entered a fully developed spin. Certainly what I would agree with though is that it ought to be a prerequisite before going out of the circuit/pattern solo, and most definately before aerobatics!