6 Comments

• #1 by crane master on February 7th, 2010

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  I don’t pay for the gasoline and it takes years to become an airline pilot.

• #2 by pa28_180flyer on February 7th, 2010

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  Yes you are paying for the “gasoline” actually it is avgas
  The manor in which you pay for it differs at each location.
  Some outfits “rent” you the aircraft “wet” that means the fee per houris based on fuel included. Others “rent ” you the plane “dry” this means that there is a fee per hour on the plane and ;you are responsible for the gas purchase.
  As far as how long to become an airline pilot, first a 4 year degree, then flight training to obtain your pilot certificates IE: Private Pilot, Instrument rating, Commercial Pilot, Certified Flight Instructor(you Could skip the cfi, but many build their hours that way) Multiple Engine etc., then “building hours”as a commercial pilot or flight instructor. different airlines will require varying amount of “total time”, “time in type”, etc. but unless you go the military route and get mucho hours, it will take YEARS!

• #3 by Melissa R on February 7th, 2010

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  You ARE paying for gasoline (avgas) but you can pay one of two ways. Sometimes it is included in the rental fee and sometimes you pay less for the rental but have to buy the gass on your own. It all depends on how the school does it.

  As far as how long it takes, it depends. For some people, it can happen in a year, some people never make it. This is one career where luck matters and you get out of it what you put in.

• #4 by Av8trxx on February 7th, 2010

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  1) “When you are traing at an aviaton school earning you hours do you have to pay for the gasoline?”

  The gas is usually included in the hourly rental proce of the airplane. That is called a “wet rate”. If you had to buy the gas, that would be a “dry rate”. Flight schools are pretty much all wet rate lessors.

  2) “How long does it take to become an airline pilot?”

  It takes as little as 18 months but more often 2-3 years to get hired by a regional airline as a First Officer (the starting point in the industry for airline pilots) .

  The usual route to the airlines is flight training for the Private license, Instrument rating, Commercial license and multi-engine rating in about 12-18 months. Quite often a person will also get their Flight Instructor certificate and teach as a way to build flight time. The regional airlines hire people with 1,000 hours of flight time. (You don’t need 1,500 hours and the Airline Transport Pilot certificate to get hired, although it makes you a better candidate.) Once a new commercial pilot with 250 hours has instructed or built up time via other small jobs, which takes another 12-18 months, they can apply at 1,000 hours and be hired by a regional airline. For about 85-90% of the industry, this is the usual route. It costs about $40,000-50,000. (Sometimes considerably more depending on where you go.)

  There are also some “academy” style programs that will train you for the PPL, Instrument, Commercial, & ME in 12-18 months, plus some airline style ground school, then offer a pilot an interview with an affiliated regional at substantially reduced flight times. This method of training often costs $60,0000-$80,000 and doesn’t guarantee a job- only an interview. If the candidate passes it successfully, they will get an airline job at around 300-400 hours of flightime in aboout 12-18 months.

  The U.S. majors require several thousand hours experience. After building that time at a regional, one can then more on to a major.

• #5 by modelplus2000 on February 7th, 2010

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  you do have to pay for the av gas but it’s usually included w/the plane rental. It depends on where you go to school,that dictates the time it takes to be working with an airline, most larger airlines want a 4 year degree and at least 3000 hours of flying time. Some smaller ones might just require 2500 hours, but your pay is very minimal, and you NEVER start out as captan you have to work for many years for that.

• #6 by f16pilottmo on February 7th, 2010

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  It depends on the school. The school I’m at pays for it. But the school your at might not. There is really no good answer for the second question. The answer depends on your motivation, ability, and dedication to become an airline pilot. My site which will be up in 2 days http://www.learningtoflyseattle.com has some links to more in depth information on flight training. I hope this helped you.