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REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A PILOT

 

Since you were a kid you want to be a pilot? You have worked for several years and now you are considering a career change toward aviation? In any case, we will explain you what set of skills and Requirements to become a pilot

 

First, there are a number of essential requirements, without which you will not be able to start your training:

Is there an age limit in order to become a pilot?
What English level do you need?
Is a university degree a requirement to become a pilot?
Medical condition
What is the cost of becoming a pilot?
Pilot personality skills – requirements

 

Is there an age requirement in order to become a pilot?

You need to be at least 18 years old when applying for the issuance of a CPL licence, so provided you fulfil the rest of the requirements below, you could start your pilot training when you’re still 17.

Keep in mind, however, that both the pilot training and the job itself are very demanding.

 

“In order to succeed, You need a high level of commitment, maturity and some technical knowledge”

 

It is possible to have all this at a very early age, but it is more challenging.

As a general rule, 20 to 35 years old is a good range of ages to start your training. Don’t be immediately discouraged though if you are older, there are many success stories from pilots starting past their 40s.

Make an assessment of your personal situation and capabilities and go ahead if you are confident.

 

What English level do you need?

Prior to finishing your course, you need to get an ICAO 4 certificate for the issuance of your licence. althought this is the minimum requirement to become a pilot, we strongly advise you to aim for higher grade, as some airlines may straight out require a level 5, or even 6.

 

“At Quality Fly, 100% of the pilot training is performed in English”

 

Complete this questionnaire to quickly assess your approximate English level:

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Created on By Quality Fly

English self-assessment

1 / 15

I was _____ if we could meet next week.

2 / 15

Restaurants in your city are very cheap, _____ ?

3 / 15

I don't think Tokyo is ______ London

4 / 15

Did you have any problems _______ our house?

5 / 15

I'll help you with your project _______ you promise to do the same for me sometime.

6 / 15

The toddler ____ asleep quickly.

7 / 15

Life is not always easy. Deal ____ it.

8 / 15

I came ____ this wallet yesterday while I was walking my dog.

9 / 15

____ we start working together, we will never achieve it.

10 / 15

I am not used ____ this kind of food.

11 / 15

I am sure he would have more friends if he ____ more talkative.

12 / 15

The more I have to wait, ____ annoyed I am.

13 / 15

If you don't study, you are ____ to get bad results on your tests.

14 / 15

If _____ you were coming, I would have baked a cake!

15 / 15

I had never seen it before, and ____ I knew exactly what to do.

Your score is

The average score is 75%

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0%

 

Is a university degree a requirement to become a pilot?

Secondary/High school must be completed, but  Airlines will value a higher degree such as a Bachelor’s Degree.

Also, regardless of the qualifications, having a technical background is also a good idea, since much of the knowledge you will need to acquire is related to maths and physics.

Like for the English level, Quality Fly offers a free self-assessment questionnaire to help you determine how close you are to having the requirements to become a pilot. You don’t need to get 100%, but a mark below about 70% means that you should probably focus on improving this area before starting the course.

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Created on By Quality Fly

Maths & Physics self-assessment

1 / 31

The angle formed by the needles of a clock at time 16:30 is:

2 / 31

What percentage of 3600 is 180?

3 / 31

1 cubic meter of water weighs:

4 / 31

Which one of these is a unit of pressure?

5 / 31

What is the area of a rectangle with side lengths of 8 m and 2.5 m?

6 / 31

A wheel turns 3500 times in 12 minutes. How many times will it turn in 7 hours?

7 / 31

How many Equator lines are there on the Earth?

8 / 31

What is the area of a circle with a radius of 5 m?

9 / 31

My height equals 90 cm plus half my height. How tall am I?

10 / 31

A Sectional VFR Chart has a scale of 1:500,000. How long will a leg of 30 km be on the chart?

11 / 31

What is 40% of 150?

12 / 31

JET A fuel has increased its price by 25%. How much will the price need to be reduced afterwards to bring it back to its original price?

13 / 31

What is 16% of 400?

14 / 31

What is the area of a triangle with base length of 60 cm and height of 1.1 m?

15 / 31

1600 cm equals:

16 / 31

Convert -26ºC to Kelvin:

17 / 31

You fly with a heading of 270 for 10 minutes and then with a heading of 360 for another 10 minutes. What is the required heading to go back to your original position, assuming no wind?

18 / 31

Two years ago, I was three times as old as my brother was. In three years’ time, I will be twice as old as my brother. How old am I?

19 / 31

How long is a quarter of a ninth of a day?

20 / 31

When water is cooled down from 80ºC to 20ºC, its volume:

21 / 31

You fly Southbound for 18 minutes and then Northbound for another 18 minutes. If the aircraft speed is constant at 120 kt and the wind is coming from the South at 30 kt, where are you? (1 kt = 1 NM/h)

22 / 31

While flying a single-engine aircraft at 8,000 ft of altitude above mean sea level, the engine quits. If the elevation of the surrounding area is 2,000 ft and the best glide ratio is 12:1, how far will you be able to glide? (1 m = 3.28 ft)

23 / 31

An aircraft burns 15 L/h of fuel at 1800 rpm and 23 L/h at 2200 rpm. How much will it burn at 1900 rpm? (Assume a linear progression)

24 / 31

The sum of all three angles of a triangle equals:

25 / 31

Convert 90 m/s to mph (1 mph = 1.609 km):

26 / 31

What is the distance travelled in 12 minutes by an aircraft flying at 180 kt?

27 / 31

What percentage of 85 is 17?

28 / 31

1000 € invested at a compound average growth rate of 6% annual during 10 years will become (the use of a calculator is allowed):

29 / 31

Which one of these is a unit of energy?

30 / 31

Air density in the atmosphere:

31 / 31

Pressure is:

Your score is

The average score is 61%

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0%

 

Medical condition

Before start flying, and during the rest of your career as a pilot, you will need to have a valid medical certificate and renew it periodically. This is a mandatory requirement to become a pilot.

 

“A commercial pilot requires a Class 1 Medical Certificate”.

 

Having medical conditions may or may not prevent you from getting a Class 1 Medical. Since it is a very broad and complex topic, if you have any doubts about a particular illness or problem you suffer, it is advisable to ask an Aeronautical Medical Examiner (AME) before enrolling in an ATPL course.

 

What is the cost of becoming a pilot?

Becoming a pilot is unfortunately expensive; the complexity of the machines, the infrastructure needed, the level of regulation and training required makes it costly.

Most aspiring pilots get their funding in one of two ways: either they get support from their family, or they work and save for some time until they can afford the training on their own.

Some countries, such as France or Sweden, offer scholarships or Government-funded training for their citizens. However, competition is fierce and only a few lucky and skilled people are able to get them.

In summary, as a general rule, you need one of the first two options:

  • Personal savings
  • Family support

…and there is little or no way around it.

 

Pilot personality skills – requirements.

No two pilots are the same. However, there are a number of character skills every good pilot should have.

From the moment you start training to become a pilot, you need to see yourself as a future captain. Your actions today will influence how good you are in the future.

You need to be resilient and level-headed, as you will face challenges constantly, like:

  • Your exams as a student pilot.
  • The constant one-to-one feedback you will get during every flight, briefing and debriefing.
  • The type rating.
  • Your first flights in an airline.
  • Become a captain.

 

The key to success is to work hard, accept constructive criticism and strive to be better every day.

When things in the cockpit don’t go as expected, it’s crucial to stay calm and make a rational assessment of the situation.

 

Pilots at work on Thai Smile Airbus A320

 

It´s also important to have communication and leadership skills, as well as an easy-going personality – you don’t need to be excellent before you start your training, but you need to start working on from the very beginning.

Pilots spend their whole careers in a small, closed space, mere centimetres away from each other, interacting between them for hours every day. You need to be the person other people would like to work with, and this is a mandatory requirement to become a pilot nowadays.

 

“Great captains show confidence, but they also listen to the other crewmembers, inspire them and make them feel part of a team”

 

Finally, you must have good decision-making and multitasking skills. You will notice early on in your training that flying is a multidisciplinary task that combines:

  • Good handling.
  • Constant communication.
  • Situational awareness.
  • Mental calculations.

There is a well-known rule called “Aviate-Navigate-Communicate”, which tells you the priorities you must absolutely follow at all times. Nevertheless, a proficient pilot needs to do all these three things, and more, at the same time during a normal situation.

The bottom line

You should consider several requirements to become a pilot if you are thinking to start your training; while some of them can be acquired over time, others need to be present before starting your training.

This career is a life dream for many, but it also requires great commitment and an important investment. So, before jumping in blindly:

  • Make an honest assessment of your situation,
  • Analyse your skills
  • Understand your attitude
  • Know your capabilities.

If you believe you are a good candidate and you fullfill the necessary requirements to become a pilot, come to us for a personal interview and our team at Quality Fly will gladly help you.