How to become a pilot?

[Spidierox 4]

Alexander,Don't let these remarks about US situation distract you - ask for info where I told you in Belgium (US doesn't evenknow where our country is :( )True, it is a major investment - money wise / time wise.But satisfaction of the job, the freedom of flying, the responsibility of PIC, etc... does put everything in perspective.The moment you squeelch your mike and say : " Antwerpen Ground, goeiemorgend, OO-KPM in front of the hangarat Charlie requesting taxi for touch and goes " for the first time gives you the chills like you will never experience behind a frecking desk in Walmart... that's why you do it m8.And I didn't mention the first time you line up on a lighted runway after T/O clearance...

[downscc 1,327]

I signed up but got rejected because I'm colorblind.Funny though because I can't really see how this will effect my performance.

Ability to see color might be important if you loose communcation radio and need to receive light signals from the tower to land. Also, helpful to recognize red and green nav lights when avoiding traffic at night. Probably several more reasons I can't think of off of the top of my head.Please sign your posts in this forum.

[Spidierox 4]

And ofcourse indicator lights on your panel...you have 3 green or 3 red for the gear ?...

[Guest merijnie]

HeyIk ben ook van Belgi

[Guest Alexandervw]

Alexander,Don't let these remarks about US situation distract you - ask for info where I told you in Belgium (US doesn't evenknow where our country is :( )True, it is a major investment - money wise / time wise.But satisfaction of the job, the freedom of flying, the responsibility of PIC, etc... does put everything in perspective.The moment you squeelch your mike and say : " Antwerpen Ground, goeiemorgend, OO-KPM in front of the hangarat Charlie requesting taxi for touch and goes " for the first time gives you the chills like you will never experience behind a frecking desk in Walmart... that's why you do it m8.And I didn't mention the first time you line up on a lighted runway after T/O clearance...

Hey,I would like to do it because it's my dream...So if money isn't an overcoming problem, I really would like to do it.Thanks!Ciao,Alexander

[red1 0]

The $100,000 debt is proportionate to the ACTUAL salary of an airline pilot which is at least DOUBLE that to begin with.

I hope you realize you'd be very very lucky to make more then 40k in your first 4 or 5 years...IF you get a job. And from what I hear, being the new guy on the block in your airline is quite the job. The figures you're quoting are either completely outdated (on the highside) or only result with many years of seniority. Last I heard...a senior captain on cross-Atlantic routes makes maybe 200k...which is as high as a postion goes...someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[Paul_Smith 92]

I signed up but got rejected because I'm colorblind.Funny though because I can't really see how this will effect my performance.

:( Colour blind....can't see... very droll.

[davidv 0]

$100-200,000 starting salary? LOL!!!!!!!Try 20k while packing fish in the back of a 206 up north or as an instructor if you stay south. But who cares, I'd love either of those jobs regardless of pay and that's what I'm working towards. Don't get into flying for money, get into it because it's your dream career.That said don't get into debt just to get in fast - you are better off taking a full time job to pay for the training and just flying when you can afford it and coming out debt free, at least that's the route I'm taking. It should still only take me 3-4 years, and once I'm done I won't have to worry if that job offer I got from ABC Flying Club will pay the bills or not.As for vision requirements, in Canada you need 20/30 vision WITH glasses, it's not nearly as restrictive as people think. That said if you are colour blind you are out of luck unfortunately.

[michal 44]

Funny though because I can't really see how this will effect my performance.

Maybe 50 years ago I would think that being color blind should not be a huge handicap for a pilot but today .. try to operate something like the G1000 glass cockpit while being color blind - impossible.

[SK-1323 4]

I wish you good luck in your future endeavour and to pursue a career within Aviation. This was also my dream, and in 2003 i went to a Norwegian/American flight academy and passed the admission tests, but i couldn't afford to start the education back then, and when i saw the fluctuating economy in the aviation sector through the years, i changed my mind.I changed to the Maritime sector instead, where i have worked a few years as an able seaman, and a few weeks ago i started on the Maritime technical college, which is a free education (at least where i live) + i get a great scholarship from the company i currently work at. Deck officers are always in demand for the Norwegian offshore sector, let alone the ferries. Also the salary is not too bad. It could be a good alternative to aviation at least :)Anyway, i wish you good luck in whatever you decide to do. Becoming an airline pilot was my big dream as well, but i'll do with a PPL license now, as i do plan to take that sometime in the futureKind regardsJan

[Guest BlueRidgeDx]

Being color blind does not preclude you from being a pilot, except in the military. For clarity's sake, very few people are "color blind", most are "color deficient".I found out that I was red/green color deficient just prior to my 16th birthday when I was getting my flight physical. My medical contained a restriction "NOT VALID FOR NIGHT FLIGHT OR BY LIGHT GUN CONTROL". In order to remove the restriction, I had to go to the Cincinnati FSDO, and get a Demonstrated Ability waiver.The waiver consisted of the tower flashing the light gun at me several times, and I told the examiner what color I saw. Had I failed, I could have requested an alternate test, something called a Farnsworth Lantern Test, and if I had failed that, there was still another alternate test I could have taken.So long story short, being "color blind" does not mean you're out of luck. It means that until you demonstrate your ability to see aviation colors properly, you can't fly at night.With all of that out of the way, I have to say, most people have no concept of what it means to be "color blind". When people find out I'm color blind, the first thing they do is ask me to point out red and green objects. When I do so without difficulty, they think I'm lying about my condition.As I mentioned, I am red/green "color blind", yet, I never knew. I see red and green lights just fine, and if I stand next to someone with normal vision, we will both say that the fire engine is red. The problem is that in very low light conditions, it becomes difficult to discern a red surface from green surface. This does not apply to lights, or self-luminous objects. "Color blind" people can usually easily discern things like VASI/PAPI color, cockpit display colors, etc.One area where I actually have a noticeable deficiency is when trying to descern the color of a flashing red or yellow light. The reason is that most "color blind" people unconsciously compensate by factoring in light intensity to help identify the color. I know that an amber light is of higher intensity than a red light, so it's easy to tell whether a traffic signal is yellow or red from a distance.However, if I'm approaching an intersection with a flashing yellow or red light, I have great difficulty telling which one it is since they're constantly modulating intensity. The same sort of thing happens when trying to tell if it's a tow truck or a fire engine in the distance. Too many flashing lights.So while this might be a problem if I'm planning on flying to an airport with a PLASI, it's extremely rare for it to be an issue in any conceivable type of IFR or VFR flying.It's not possible to mistake a white PAPI for a red one, or to mistake a blue taxiway light for a white runway light. There are very few color ambiguities in aviation to be concerned with.Regards,Nick

[mothball 0]

Alexander,You'd be amazed how often I get asked this at work. To the moderators I apologise for continuing a thread that doesn't belong here, but for some reason people do struggle finding this info out.The first thing to realise Alexander is that everybody will give you a lot of advice and none of it will be the same! ;) This is my take on how to go about it...but of course it's just another opinion.The very first thing to do is get a Class 1 medical out of the way. It is expensive getting the intial medical done, but you'll be amazed how many wannabes fall at that hurdle. Glasses aren't a problem as long as you're within the tolerances alllowed. I don't know them off the top of my head. I wear glasses and have no problems and never have done (touch wood!).The next thing to do is find a local flying club and find out if you can actually fly or not. Although Micorosoft's flightsim is a fantastic program for teaching the basics of flight/instrument flying/procedural training with PMDG's aircraft....it's nothing like real life, purely because it lacks feel. There isn't sensation of movement/inertia. The real aeroplane responds to your control inputs in a variety of ways...almost like it's talking to you. You don't get that flying a computer.The next step is choosing a training organisation. I highly recommend going to a flight school that gives you the 'Integrated' route to getting a Frozen ATPL(A). Some of you may be asking what that is. It's a CPL/IR for (Aeroplanes) with all the exams done at an Air Transport Pilot Licence level and the Multi Crew Cooperation training to fly in a modern airliner enviroment. The only thing missing is the total hours to grant a full ATPL. This route is more expensive but the airlines much prefer it because all the training is done from a known training provider. ie. They're not getting cowboys. These schools don't like guys turning up with previous flying experience because of 'bad habits' that you may learn. Personally, considering how much this is going to cost, I wouldn't waste my money on a PPL.If the school offers a Multi Pilot Licence don't take it. Politics aside, the only airlines that recognise it are the ones running sponsorship schemes for it. A lot of cadets that worked for Sterling.de were MPL cadets and when the airline went bust last year these same cadets had to go back to flight school to get a traditional CPL/IR despite having almost a thousand hours on the 737.Another tip is ignore everybody that says do your training in America/Australia because it's cheaper. Where do you want to be based? Who do you want to fly for? If you get an FAA licence, it's worth next to nothing in Europe until you convert it to the JAA standard. Whereas getting a JAA licence means you can fly any of the JAA member states aircraft. ie. Pretty much any European registered aircraft. eg. Britian, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark......etc. Makes it easier looking for work because your not restricted to your own country.You're right about the industry. We're struggling at the moment with the recssion and so on, so my advice continues and don't start your training until the industry picks up. What a lot of people forget is the number of experienced pilots kicking around at the moment looking for jobs. eg. There is an A320 job going. You have a Frozen ATPL and little else. The guy next to you has been out of work for two years but has thousands of hours on the A320. Guess who's gonna get the job? Whereas if you wait, by the time you're done at flight school the airlines will be screaming for pilots (again).When it does come to job time take whatever you can get. A lot of people put turboprops down, and somebody on this thread actually stated what's the point when your paid so little? Thing is everybody has to start somewhere, and it's always better somebody pays you to fly (doesn't matter how little) than the other way around. It took me a year and a half to get my first flying job! Also, the experience you get flying turboprops you will never get flying jets. As for myself, I went to BAE Systems Flight Training (Europe) in Spain, think it's just called Flight Training (Europe) now. I'm about five years into my career which started with flying Dash 8-300s. My company got bought by another regional airline and I moved onto the Q400s. Now I fly 737-700s and I can honestly say hand over heart the most fun I've had so far is flying the -300s (despite being the worst paid. I think bus drivers got then me!!).Last bit of advice. Stay determined. Flight school is hard work, finding a job is even harder and when you get it you have to work to keep it....but I tell you what, it's the best job on the planet!! Good luck fella.Regards,Amman.