69 votes

Is there an aviation career where I would help design an entire aircraft and its systems?

You were born 100 years too late. In order to be an improvement over existing designs, airplanes become ever more complex and every detail is optimised over years and years. The days when someone like ...
Peter Kämpf's user avatar
67 votes

Is it practical to become an airline pilot in order to travel internationally?

No, this is not a good idea, and No, it is not possible finish your education at 23, and then get employed as an intercontinental airline pilot. It seems you have a distorted idea of what an airline ...
Mike Sowsun's user avatar
  • 37.7k
36 votes

Is there an aviation career where I would help design an entire aircraft and its systems?

Rather than being concerned with titles, let's take a look what's involved in designing/analyzing/certifying a modern airplane: External aerodynamics: deduce the aerodynamic characteristics and ...
JZYL's user avatar
  • 11.1k
29 votes

Is it practical to become an airline pilot in order to travel internationally?

Even once you get a job as a commercial pilot, you're not going to be starting intercontinental routes immediately. For starters (in the US at least), you're probably only going to be able to start ...
bogardpd's user avatar
  • 646
27 votes
Accepted

Is training and pay different for cargo and airline pilots?

Do cargo pilots receive different training than airline pilots? First, cargo carriers are airlines just as passenger carriers are airlines, and cargo pilots are airline pilots. In the U.S. there is ...
Terry's user avatar
  • 39.1k
25 votes

Is it practical to become an airline pilot in order to travel internationally?

If your intention is to travel the world, then don't be a pilot. Instead, be a flight attendant. In addition to the possibility of being on international flights relatively early in your career, you ...
dotancohen's user avatar
  • 6,357
22 votes

How does a U.S. military air traffic controller become a civilian air traffic controller?

Wasabi's answer is not correct, or at least not fully correct. You actually ask two questions: does a military controller need to take additional tests and training to get hired, and do they need ...
randomhead's user avatar
  • 15.1k
21 votes

Does a long time to solo hurt your chances of becoming an airline pilot?

It depends on the final product presented to the airline. If an airline had two candidates, one of whom soloed in 10 hours and did well in a Sim Eval but was self absorbed, didn't like to follow ...
John K's user avatar
  • 131k
20 votes

Is it practical to become an airline pilot in order to travel internationally?

"...a year or two"? Seriously don't even think about it. But ignoring your lack of commitment, here are some ideas. Instead of traveling the world, try living and working in a foreign country. This ...
D_Bester's user avatar
  • 425
20 votes
Accepted

Does a 709 ride mean the end of my career?

Depends on the reasons the FAA had to justify the need for a 709 ride. If it was some kind of bureaucratic maneuver without justification for doing so and you pass the ride with flying colors, ...
Romeo_4808N's user avatar
  • 73.6k
20 votes

What unique challenges/limitations will I face if I start a career as a pilot at 45 years old?

Time All other things aside all commercial part 121 pilots have a finite end date, starting at 45 means you are going to be ~20 years behind the young guys. Since the FAA mandates retirement from ...
Dave's user avatar
  • 101k
20 votes
Accepted

What unique challenges/limitations will I face if I start a career as a pilot at 45 years old?

You aren't crazy. People have started later than you and been successful. However, age does bring additional challenges, which one could argue is an ageist bias of sorts. The first is age itself. ...
StephenS's user avatar
  • 27.7k
17 votes

Is there an aviation career where I would help design an entire aircraft and its systems?

I'll address the question in the title: how to get into actually designing an entire aircraft. Not every component, but making the major, visible decisions. Such jobs do exist, but they aren't easy to ...
Therac's user avatar
  • 26.2k
17 votes

What department does an airline pilot fall under?

Airline pilots do not work for airports, they work for the airline companies that use airports. They would not appear, or be counted in airport employee rosters or organizational charts.
Michael Hall's user avatar
  • 25.9k
16 votes
Accepted

Does a long time to solo hurt your chances of becoming an airline pilot?

The honest answer: nobody cares or would even ask you that question during a professional pilot interview. Aside from a military pilot job where they can wash you out during pre-solo training, it ...
Romeo_4808N's user avatar
  • 73.6k
15 votes

Is flying as a post-retirement occupation possible?

It depends on your jurisdiction. A lot of places mandate a retirement age of 65 for scheduled commercial pilots (part 121 here in the USA). You are allowed to fly 91 and 135 (charter) operations over ...
Dave's user avatar
  • 101k
13 votes

What part-time opportunities are available for low hours pilots?

With an NPPL, you have no option to earn money from flying. Upgrading to a PPL would allow you very limited opportunity to earn money. The first step is possibly a Class Rating Instructor which allows ...
Jamiec's user avatar
  • 32.9k
13 votes

Is 40+ too old to start a Commercial Pilot career?

There are a lot of careers in aviation where you can fly an airplane and not be at an airline. Airlines have an age restriction, these options do not. Fly charter under Part 135. Always get to fly ...
wbeard52's user avatar
  • 12.6k
10 votes

Who pays airline pilots?

Professional airline pilots are paid by the airline for their flight hours, similarly to other transportation workers. Time spent in preparation for flight or even preflighting the plane itself is ...
Cody P's user avatar
  • 6,773
9 votes

How do I become a flight test engineer?

Go to college and get an engineering degree, preferably in Aerospace Engineering or Mechanical Engineering with an Aerospace emphasis. You may also want to pursue a Masters in this area after your ...
Romeo_4808N's user avatar
  • 73.6k
8 votes

Is it practical to become an airline pilot in order to travel internationally?

Is it possible to learn to fly and become an airline pilot within about 3 years (let's say age 20-23), then immediately get employed as an airline pilot and fly intercontinental routes (even as a ...
Burhan Khalid's user avatar
7 votes
Accepted

What do de-icers do during summer?

Most de-icers are run by the airport FBO so the people who work on de-icing in the winter work on other FBO duties such as refueling and the like when there is no de-icing to do. Some de-icers are ...
SMS von der Tann's user avatar
7 votes

Does a 709 ride mean the end of my career?

A 49 U.S.C. 44709 ride is typically given when the FAA has reason to believe the applicant does not have the minimum pilot standards for their certificate or rating. As Pondlife pointed out, this ...
wbeard52's user avatar
  • 12.6k
7 votes

How do PPL, CPL, and ATPL compare?

Nobody has mentioned experience specifics. You can get a PPL in about 35 flying hours. It is really a licence to learn how to fly, but without being paid to do so. You can get a CPL in about 250 ...
Jim Lynch's user avatar
7 votes
Accepted

How do ATCs choose between Tower, Approach, and Enroute facilities?

The initial assignment has been made when you're hired, and you'll be sent to either Enroute or Terminal training. The split there occurs as they're hiring to fill a class, or just sending out names ...
slookabill's user avatar
  • 6,339
7 votes

Does a long time to solo hurt your chances of becoming an airline pilot?

Great question as it illustrates how the job applicant can improve their chances of employment by knowing what the employer wants. Years ago some flying schools were advertising 10 hours to solo ...
Robert DiGiovanni's user avatar
7 votes
Accepted

Is a 40-year-old person too old to start an ATC career?

Some years ago (in the 80s) I tried out for ATC in Canada and took the preliminary screening test, which was a series of 25 diagrams representing radar displays with targets moving around different ...
John K's user avatar
  • 131k
6 votes

How do PPL, CPL, and ATPL compare?

PPL is a "Private Pilots License" and is a qualification which allows you to act as Pilot in Command in an aeroplane [PPL(A)] or Helicopter [PPL(H)] without remuneration. It is the most common license ...
Jamiec's user avatar
  • 32.9k

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