How to Become a Pilot: Learn if Aviation is the Right Career for You

Do you dream of becoming a pilot? Do you crave the thrill of flying through the skies while getting paid for the job of your dreams? I’ll answer your most common questions below to help you decide on your next steps.

How Long Does It Take To Become a Pilot?

The amount of time depends on the level of certifications and overall career goal you hope to obtain. You will find a wide range of timeframes across the Internet and from various flight schools. I have included a chart below that provides a guideline for the minimum and average timeframes for obtaining each certification to simplify the process.

How Hard Is It To Become a Pilot?

Becoming a pilot is quite challenging but definitely possible to achieve. For most certifications, you must complete the following:

  • Complete “ground school” (usually online videos today)

  • Pass appropriate FAA Knowledge Test

  • Complete flight lessons

  • Work with Flight Instructor to verify you understand ground lessons and flight lessons

  • Complete practical test (called “check ride”) that consists of two segments

    • Oral exam

    • Flight exam

You’ll follow this process through each certification and a similar path for each rating. It will take more time and energy than you expect but can be achieved with dedication and hard work.

What Is the Best Age To Become a Pilot?

Right now at your current age! Seriously!

I always dreamed of being a pilot but never pursued flying until I was 56 years old. I earned all my certifications from private pilot through CFII in 7 months. You can start training early, solo at 16, obtain your private pilot certificate at 17 and your commercial certification at 18. The earlier you start, the greater your potential to earn significant money with the commercial airlines resulting in nice retirement opportunities. Or you can start late like it did and still have multiple opportunities to supplement your previous career tracks while having fun.

What Qualifications Do You Need To Become a Pilot?

To become a pilot you must meet age, medical, knowledge and experience requirements.

  1. Medical. Start here before you spend money on training. This is one of the major stumbling blocks for many people so I would recommend getting your medical certificate first before you spend thousands of dollars on training. If you can’t pass the medical exam, you can’t obtain a pilot certificate.

  2. Age. As I mentioned above, you need to be

    • Solo - 16 years old

    • Private pilot - 17 years old

    • Commercial pilot - 18 years old

  3. English. You must be able to read, write, speak and understand English.

Is It Expensive To Become a Pilot?

Yes. I’m going to be honest from the start and make sure you know it can be expensive to learn to fly. The average cost for just the private pilot certification is $10k-$15k. Going from Private Pilot through Flight Instructor (CFI and CFII) at a large flight school like ATP will cost you roughly $120k+. You can find cheaper and faster alternatives but they are often hard to find. These smaller flight schools could potentially get you through for around $60k in an accelerated program but these schools are hard to find plus require you to fly 2-3 times per day 6-7 days a week. Its a grind.