Er. Neha Godbole: How To Be A Airline Pilot

Being an Airline Commercial Reserve Pilot -

A lot of commercial airline pilots end up staying with the very first major airline that gave them their first job after qualifying as a commercial airline pilot until they retire. Some people might find that hard to believe but it is not surprising to see this happen in the aviation industry.

A lot of pilots serve out their whole piloting career by working for regional airlines or for one of the major airlines. There are usually specific reasons for doing this which tend to encompass their lifestyle, family commitments or seniority issues that make them stay.

Working for a major commercial airline is the goal of many pilots. A major airline tends to be the highest payers, there is a lot more job stability with a major airline and their aircraft are usually the ones a pilot wants to fly.

A commercial airline pilot tends to get better career opportunities with a major airline. Whereas a smaller airline might not have the career structure like the major airlines but they can provide a far better working environment which appeals to a lot of pilots. Basically, it boils down to whatever you are comfortable with then enjoy the experience.

Beginning your career as a commercial airline pilot you will find yourself at the bottom of the seniority ladder and you are more than likely to be classed as a reserve pilot. Basically you are the pilot they call in case anything unplanned happens (like a pilot going down sick).

Reserve pilots are called upon to cover almost every position within an airline company. They usually work within a specific time frame and are always “on-call” throughout that time. If they receive a call they must drop everything and proceed to their base airport.

The nature of a reserve pilot’s job is that they must be close to their base airport at all times because once they get the call they have be ready for work. They will have no idea what the assignment is going to be and as such have to be prepared for anything. Nearly all reserve pilots must be at the airport and be ready to fly within 90 minutes after receiving the call.

A reserve pilot’s working schedule can vary from being on reserve for a few days at a time or in one long stretch. There is every chance that a reserve pilot will be called out every day during their reserve period, or just not fly for a couple of weeks. Being a reserve pilot appeals to a lot of commercial airline pilots especially if where they actually live is also the location for the base airport (a domicile).

There are a lot of commercial airline pilots that do not like being a reserve pilot especially if your domicile is not where you live. You are then called a commuter and more than likely you will share a place closer to your base airport, with several other pilots.

With all that experience of being a reserve pilot under your belt you will begin to move up the seniority ladder to have your own defined flying schedule (a line). Now is the time when your career as a commercial airline pilot really becomes what you always wanted from the career and it is now just a question of enhancing your career to whatever levels you want for yourself.

Commercial Airline Training -

This is the ultimate milestone in your long journey to becoming a commercial airline pilot. You have successfully passed the interview stage and you receive an offer of employment from a major commercial airline.

Now you just cannot wait to get behind the controls of the aircraft and begin to live your dream of taking command of your first commercial aircraft.

But, to your amazement you have more training to do before you are allowed to fulfil your dream. That is because irrespective of your background, qualification and experience, the commercial airline will train you to comply with their procedures and its Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) training course. Despite the fact that nearly all commercial airlines fly exactly the same types of aircraft; each company uses different techniques and methods.

The aim of a commercial airline is to ensure that you become qualified in the role you were hired to do and that the training is exactly the same for every pilot in the company. Standardisation is paramount for the safe running of a commercial airline.

All commercial airlines have to ensure that the procedures and behaviour in the cockpit is the same, irrespective of which pilot is in charge. This ensures that there is no confusion and misunderstanding amongst the company’s pilots

Initial training is usually 10 weeks with basic training lasting at least one week. General subjects training such as company procedures and regulations will be for another week. Two more weeks are required to ensure that you understand the specific aircraft systems you will be operating. Pilots normally specialise in one type of commercial aircraft until they move on to a different aircraft.

Then follows a further two weeks of simulator training with a training partner. Here you will be put through your paces to cover every type of emergency you could encounter when flying one of the company’s aircraft. Landing procedures and working in tandem with your crew are two critical training areas. Each manoeuvre is covered several times until the company are satisfied with your performance.

On completion of all the examinations and final check rides the training program is complete. But even after all this training the company will still not let you fly their aircraft on your own. You have to fly at least 25 hours with an instructor pilot to help you integrate all your new skills into your daily job requirements.

The final line check flight test is the final part of the initial operating procedure. Passing the line check you are then released to operate the company’s scheduled flights.

After completing all the instruction and line checks it is standard procedure that all commercial airlines require their new pilots to complete 100 flying hours. This allows the new pilot to gain immediate flight experience for the new company they are working for.

Commercial Airline Pilot – Entry Requirements -

To become a commercial airline pilot, except for some sponsorship programs, you need at least five GCSEs and two A-levels. You don’t need a university degree but a lot of people decide to get one because it gives them a better chance of being accepted.

If you have a good knowledge and qualifications in English, Mathematics and Physics would be an asset in your quest to become a commercial airline pilot.

To qualify as a commercial airline pilot requires that you progress through all the training and education for a Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL) and a Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL) right up to the Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL). You must qualify for a full ATPL to have the privileges of being a commercial airline pilot in charge of the aircraft you fly.

There are two main training courses that you can take to qualify for an ATPL.

Integrated Training Course

This is a full-time course which usually takes between 18 months and two years to achieve qualification. This type of course can be taken at one of the CAA accredited flight training schools. The course curriculum combines both practical flying lessons and classroom theory lessons. You do not require any previous experience to take this course because the flight training school course will take students from scratch right through to qualifying for your ATPL certificate. An integrated course can cost a student from £70,000 to £90,000 depending on school they attend.

Modular Training Course

The curriculum for this type of training is similar to the integrated course but is completed in several individual modules. This allows for the course to be broken up into segments and allows the student to take them as and when required.

There is the option for the student to either complete the theory parts of the course in the classroom (full-time) or as a distance learning course. The distance learning option gives the student the chance to work whilst they are completing the course.

Being able to work and complete the modular training course is very appealing to students who find it difficult to pay for the integrated course. It allows them to complete the different modules as and when they have the money to pay for the modules.

A student must hold a PPL and have at least 150 hours of flying experience before they can start the modular course. Although the modular course is the cheaper option it is still pretty expensive. You have to take into account if you fail some of the modules or miss a flying lesson you have paid for you could be charged again. Consequently, adding to the overall cost of the course.

Some commercial airlines sometimes offer sponsorships (full or part) but this only happens if the commercial airlines require pilots to cope with the increase in their business operations. When available the competition for these scholarships is very strong.

It is a mandatory requirement that all commercial airline pilots have passed a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Class 1 Medical. Without this medical certificate there is no way you will be able qualify for an ATPL.

If you have joined the services (i.e. Army, Royal Navy or RAF) and have been trained as a pilot, then it is possible that on completing your service career you could become a commercial airline pilot. You must take and pass a civil aviation course first before applying to any of the commercial airlines.

There are several ways of becoming a commercial airline pilot it is just a question of choosing the right one that suits your requirements and finances and getting started.

Commercial Airline Pilot: Salary and Conditions -

A commercial airline pilot’s salary varies depending on their flying experience, the company they work for and the type of aircraft they fly.

A pilot that has just recently qualified normally starts of as a first office with a commercial airline. They could expect to be earning around £21,000 with a small airline. Whereas, with a large company a first officer will start off with a salary around £22,000 – 24,000. As an experienced first officer a pilot could possibly earn from £28,000 to £44,000.

Salaries for suitably qualified captains will also vary depending on the airline they are working for. With a small to medium size airline a captain can expect to earn within the region of £54,000 to £75,000. If they worked for one of the major airlines then they could expect to be paid between £97,000 and £150,000.

The salary that a pilot receives usually rises with each year of service they have with their employer. In addition to their salary a pilot can expect to have a benefits package that would at least include a pension scheme, discounted travel and various other allowances.

Life as a commercial airline pilot is totally different to your average job. There is no regular working day for a commercial airline pilot. Every day is different from the day before. Depending on their work schedule a pilot’s working day can range from between four and twelve hours. The start of their working day can also vary from early morning starts and, depending on the routes they fly, their day could begin late at night.

Standby pilots usually live close to the airport they are based at because they need to available when they get the call. This tends to happen at very short notice.

The working schedule for commercial pilots that fly the short haul routes is usually set for at least two to three months in advance. This is a great job for pilot’s that have family commitments because it creates a more stable family environment if they are home every day.

If you are a pilot that is employed for one of the long haul carriers then you can expect to be spending a lot of time away from home because the flying distances will dictate where you are at any given time. They can expect to be staying overnight in some of their destinations. Plus there is no guarantee that the return flight will be back to their home destination. There could be another one or two (or even more) flights before they actually see home again.

The annual flying hours that a commercial airline pilot is allowed to fly is 900. You tend to find that on scheduled airlines a pilot’s workload is spread out over the year. Whereas, a pilot with a charter airline can expect the majority of their work is done in the busier summer months.

The old stereotype image of a commercial airline pilot career that was totally dominated by men has long gone because women are entering the profession on a regular basis.

The majority of a pilot’s working day is spent sitting in the cockpit. It is a good job modern day cockpits are a comfortable place to be because some long haul pilots could quite easily get tired with the length of hours they are sitting at the controls. Mind you some long haul aircraft have bunks onboard so their pilots can take short breaks away from the controls.

Being a commercial airline pilot requires dedication, responsibility and a lot of hard work. They not only have to continue doing their job with the utmost professionalism but they have to also pass six monthly reviews and tests of their ability. This requires ongoing training and study to ensure they are qualified to continue doing their job. To top it all off there is the annual medical they must pass. Failure of the medical can see them either on restricted duties or lose their job.

Career Development for a Commercial Airline Pilot -

A commercial pilot that has newly qualified will be the holder of a Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL). This gives them the privileges to start with a commercial airline as a first officer (co-pilot), where they will be second in command on the aircraft.

The safety of all the passengers, crew on board and the overall responsibility of the flight belongs to the captain. The captain shares all the duties that are required throughout the flight with their first officer.

Flying restrictions like the inclement weather conditions and the airports they are allowed to fly into are usually placed on newly first officers. As the first officer gains more experience, ratings qualifications and flying hours the restrictions will be lifted.

This allows a first officer to quickly advance their career to senior first officer and then by successfully qualifying for the Air Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL) they will eventually become a captain in charge of their own aircraft. The promotion to captain in charge of a commercial aircraft could occur more quickly with a budget airline than with a larger major airline.

Having reached the lofty heights of becoming a captain then you could advance further and become an instructor. This job entails training new pilots but it means spending a lot of time using flight simulators. This a big turn off for a lot of captains that like to fly every day having to be stuck indoors in a flight simulator scenario. There is always the possibility of taking up an examiner position.

Some pilots don’t want to become an instructor but instead prefer to fly the larger aircraft that operate over the long haul routes.

There is every possibility that a pilot could end up working for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as a flight operations inspector or an air accident inspector.

So what initially started out as the possibility of becoming a commercial airline pilot could eventually have a pilot being an accident investigator on the scene of any major aviation incident across the world.

If you decide that a career as a commercial airline pilot is the one for you, then with all the opportunities for advancement after having gained your CPL you can honestly say: “The world is my oyster!”

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