Flight School Questions & Answers

Before you decide whether the flying is really your dream job, there are a few questions you may want to have an answer for.

For many, it's the idea of being able to just hop in and fly. As a hobby pilot or corporate aviator, that's possible. 

However, commercial aviation is not quite like that.

There's a saying that goes along with commercial aviation "It’s hours of boredom, with occasional moments of sheer terror." Still intrigued? Then click the “read more” button below and read through the entire Q&A.

Job Outlook: Pilots

Regional airlines and low-cost carriers will present the best opportunities; Flight school graduates attempting to get jobs at the major airlines will face strong competition. Employment of aircraft pilots is projected to grow 13 percent from 2006 to 2016, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

Job prospects. Job opportunities are expected to continue to be better with the regional airlines and low-cost carriers, which are growing faster than the major airlines. Opportunities with air cargo carriers also should rise. Business, corporate, and on-demand air taxi travel also should provide some new jobs for pilots.

Pilots attempting to get jobs at the major airlines will face strong competition, as those firms tend to attract many more applicants than the number of job openings.

Earnings of aircraft pilots vary greatly depending whether they work as airline or commercial pilots. Earnings of airline pilots are among the highest in the Nation, and depend on factors such as the type, size, and maximum speed of the plane and the number of hours and miles flown. In May 2006, median annual earnings of airline pilots, and copilots, were $141,090.

Median annual earnings of commercial pilots were $57,480 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $40,780 and $83,760. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $28,450, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $115,220.

For more info - Aircraft Pilots Stats

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?" 

A snapshot of a Pilot's Life: How to get from having a dream to having a career. 

Flying a fixed wing aircraft is definitely fun. Getting paid to do it is even better. For some people, it's their dream come true. Others refer to it as an office that travels, a view that's constantly changing and challenges that are exhilarating.

A person who takes a multimillion dollar machine, takes it off the ground and then safely returns it - it's a fascinating accomplishment and admired by many people.

Some wonder what it's like to be responsible for hundreds of lives or transport cargo that's worth millions. When passengers peek inside a cockpit, they are usually amazed by thousands of switches the multitude of dials and endless lights that indicate different things across the cockpit. 

Many people wonder whether all these switches, lights and dials are all really needed and whether every pilot knows exactly what each little switch does.