Up in the air office

Flying an airplane is fun. Getting paid to do it is even better. For some people, it's the
perfect job: an office that travels, a view that's constantly changing and challenges that are
exhilarating. It has been said that a pilot's job is hours of boredom punctuated with seconds of
sheer terror. This is perhaps hyperbole, but sometimes not all that far from the truth.

A person who takes a multimillion dollar machine, casually flies it off the ground and
then safely returns it, fascinates people. They wonder what it's like to be responsible for
hundreds of lives or goods worth millions. When passengers peek inside a cockpit, they are
amazed. They stare at the multitude of dials and ask incredulously, "Do you really know what
they all do?"

This presentationshows the path that a person must follow to become an airline pilot. First, I will
explain the reasons why some people have wanted to become pilots, I will then discuss the education
needed to be followed and in the last part I will present the advantages and disadvantages of pilot life.

2. The dream
In most cases, the dream of becoming a pilot began when a boy got his first toy plane for
Christmas or a girl had to choose a career in a board game.
To be a pilot and to fly, it is not what it was many years ago. These days, increasingly
fewer people find reasons to fulfill their dream of becoming a pilot, because they are not
encouraged by the system and are not attracted by wages and benefits that are offered.
Here are some reasons of those people who, regardless of the conditions offered have
decided to take this step:
Getting paid to do what you love;
A love of travel and a desire to make have an outdoor office;
a desire to work in different places. It give you time off when other people are
stuck in the office and feeling of freedom.
Ability to take calculated risks;
and in this sense I mean more with your career than in the airplane, because there
is a risk that you'll invest a lot of time and money and then get knocked back to
the bottom of the seniority ladder one or more times in your career
A pleasure to do practical things;
desire to apply intellectual interest in flying in the real world. A love of big
machines and seeing stuff happen.
A desire to constantly improve.
The personality to see these as constant opportunities for self-improvement, to get
better and safer at one's craft.

3. Education
To obtain pilot license is not required to follow a certain college, you just need to follow
the criteria listed below. But to pursue a career in aviation is advisable to have higher education,
not necessarily in aviation area, it can be related to business or economics.
The necessary steps to earn this license are:

Be at least 16 years old.

Read, speak, and understand English sufficiently to understand the aviation rules and
communicate with Air Traffic Control.

Pass a basic medical examination.

Receive the required amount of instruction from a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI).

Pass a written examination (100 multiple-choice questions).

Pass a "checkride" (aircraft equivalent of a driving test) given by an FAA-approved

examiner.

Topics that need to be learned:

Here is a brief overview of some of the topics you will need to master in order to earn a
pilot's license:

Aircraft systems: the basic components of an airplane, engine, flight controls,

instruments, and how they operate.

Aerodynamics: basic priciples of how an airplane is able to leave the ground, and how to
control it once airborne.

Navigation: how to use aviation maps and radio navigation aids to get you and your
aircraft to your destination.

Weather: basic concepts of weather formation, and how to obtain and interpret weather
information that may affect your flight.

Aircraft operations: just as there are rules for operating automobiles on roads and
highways, there are rules governing the operation of aircraft in the National Airspace
System (NAS).

Regulations: the applicable portions of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) which
govern licensing of pilots and the licensing and operation of aircraft in the USA.

The cost
Many factors will affect the final cost, including the location of where you train (rural vs.
urban), the type of training aircraft, your learning pace and style, even things like weather. The
budget will be from $10,000 to $12,000(if you plan to fly in an urban area).This amount
includes aircraft rental, flight instruction, books, charts, examiner fees, etc.
You don't need to pay this money all at once. Most flight schools operate on a pay-asyou-go basis, so the cost will be spread out over the time you are working on your license.

Duration
To receive a Private Pilot license, the FAA requires student pilots have a minimum of 40
hours of flight time, of which 20 hours must be dual (flying with an instructor). However, these
are MINIMUMS. The national average is 60 to 70 hours. About half of your flight time will be
with an instructor, and and the rest "solo." For every flight hour, expect an additional 2-3 hours
of reading, flight planning, and ground review with your instructor.

4. Advantages and disadvantages of pilot's life

High salary - First year salaries range from $25,000 to over $50,000 per year. Pilots who
have worked for a company for 10 years could have annual earnings close to $300,000. It is
possible for a pilot to have even higher earnings during the course of a career.
Work time - They never have to take their work "home" with them; their job is finished
when they leave the airplane.
Pilots can work as few a 8 days in a month, to as many as 20. While pilots at a major
airline might work 14 days in a month, you must keep in mind that they are not coming home
from work on those 14 days. They are actually away from their homes and families half of every
month, or more. This is a high price to pay. It would not be physically possible to work much
more. Pilots are already living out of their suitcases half their lives.
Benefits - Pilots have retirement and benefit packages that exceed what most other
professionals earn. They get free or reduced rate travel. They get reduced rate hotel and car
rentals. Pilots even have the time off to use these fringe benefits.

Home study - While pilots do not take their work home with them, they are required to be
prepared for tests. Most pilots take a checkride twice a year. This requires some home study. In
the event of failure a pilot could find him or herself out of a job. In addition, pilots are expected
to maintain currency in new techniques and procedures, and keep their charts up to date.
High costs - A pilot either has to go through the military, which is an 8 year commitment
after pilot training, or pay for that training him or herself. In addition to needing a bachelor's
degree (in any subject), a pilot needs a lot of intensive training in the field of aviation itself. This
is expensive, especially if you consider that there is a fairly good chance that a pilot will never
work for an airline.

Physical condition - A pilot also needs to be in good physical condition. Captains need to
pass a physical exam once every 6 months; other commercial pilots need to pass an exam every
year. A pilot could be out of a job if a health problem is discovered. In addition, pilots are subject
to regular drug and alcohol tests. If you have ever had a problem with drugs or alcohol you need
to choose a different profession
Job security - Airlines that once seemed to be invincible have gone out of business, like
Pan Am and Eastern airlines. The pilots of those carriers had to seek employment elsewhere. If
they took a job as a pilot for a different airline, they started again at the bottom. There are pilots
who were Captains at Eastern Airlines, who are now Flight Engineers for a different company.
Eventually they may move back up to Captain, but they are not given any special priority over
anyone else who was hired at the same time.

Conclusion
Pilots are the focal point and end operator in a huge team of highly trained professionals.
They are the movie stars of the air transportation show, because they are the most visible people
to the public, while most of the other team members remain "behind the scenes." But movie stars
rarely die or cause others to die because of an on-the-job mistake. All pilots run that risk. Piloting
is a serious business.