Professional Pilot Training Programs

Professional Pilot Training - Get The Low Down On Reaching For The Skies Through Commercial Pilot Training.

Professional pilot training, successfully taught and studied will enable students with no prior flight training to achieve their Commercial Pilot License (CPL). The best courses allow all areas of certification to be achieved in one continuous and coherent course, so research into which aviation school to go with is critical to success. Commercial pilot school programs must meet the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration, commonly known as he FAA. This means that when one is looking for programs of study, one must ensure that the program enrolled in is accredited, because in order to get sit for license requirements, the school must be recognized by the FAA. Also important to keep in mind is the fact that each commercial employer or airline company would also have in-house that is on-going, and especially when there is a change in procedures or the company purchases new aircrafts.

Commercial Pilot Education and Training

The importance of ensuring all commercial pilots have received appropriate professional pilot training is clear of course. In the current environment, where air transportation is so important to modern life, it is essential that standards are not only maintained, but consistently improved upon. Commercial pilot flight schools may offer a variety of courses including all those that are mandated by the FAA. Commercial flight training courses may include:

• Aerodynamics
• Flight Instrumentation
• Aviation Weather
• Navigation
• Flight Operations

As such, commercial pilot courses should cover everything necessary that will lead students on the path to not only forging successful careers, but with confidence to handle every eventuality. As such, requirements for entry onto courses are getting ever more challenging. As a minimum, candidates need to be 18 years of age, fluent in English and with a high standard of general education.

More than this though, many of the larger carriers are now required degree level education for their pilots. In answer to these growing requirements, the leading flight schools are offering all entrants in their professional pilot training courses the chance to study subjects to meet this need.

This is in addition to the standard training, which comprises the achievement of CPL, and full Instrument Rating. Professional pilot training throughout the courses can vary, although minimum levels of training dictates between 150 and 250 hours of flight time under tuition and solo flying, in both single engine and multi engine airplanes.

This practical training is to be supplemented by hours of simulator training, alongside study into the dynamics of how airplanes work, the aviation industry, meteorological study and all other factors necessary. As such, courses are designed to be as challenging as possible. Only once all exams have been passed and authorized by the Federal Aviation Authority can pilots take up their wings.

Commercial and Professional Pilot Careers

Upon achieving a CPL, entry-level jobs in domestic carriers will be the next step. However, many choose to take a sideways step into flight instruction themselves. The career as a pilot is one of constant learning, and many professionals suggest that teaching others is the best way to learn. It also helps validate your own confidence, when you get that positive feedback from other students. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists some of the responsibilities of pilots as:

• Following a checklist of preflight checks on engines, hydraulics, etc
• Ensuring that cargo has been loaded and that the aircraft weight is balanced
• Checking fuel, weather conditions, and flight schedules
• Contacting the control tower for instructions
• Monitoring engines and fuel consumption
• Navigating the aircraft using cockpit instruments

From regional flights, it is natural to move onto international haul. This is achieved through gaining flight time, experience and, importantly, building a strong network. Depending on the carrier of course, there may be opportunities to progress internally, though with many job boards online now, there is always the opportunity to apply externally.

Estimated Income and Projected Career Outlook

Salaries vary as they do in any other career, though experience and flight hours are the real attraction for the high levels. Instructors can expect to be paid as low as $25,000, though the scale continues right up to the 100s of thousands of dollars for international pilots for major carriers.

In 2010, the median annual income of airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers was $103,210, and median annual wages of commercial pilots were $67,500. The employment of airline and commercial pilots is projected to grow 11% between 2010 and 2020 (BLS). Whichever route is taken however, professional pilot training is certainly the first step on one of the most exciting career paths.

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