Where to train to be a civil aviation pilot. Learn to become a civil aviation pilot - sharing experiences

Many people in love with the sky are trying to conquer its vast expanses. How to become a professional pilot? It is not simple. However, endurance, willpower and a great desire to move forward will allow anyone to learn this difficult profession.

Russian legislation gives the right to issue flight permits in three categories:

amateur pilot;
commercial pilot;
line pilot.

How to become a pilot? This question haunts many amateurs and beginners in the field of aviation. To realize your dream, you need to accurately understand and realize all the difficulties and problems that a pilot may encounter. Learning to fly is a long and labor-intensive process that includes the following:

obtaining special education at a university;
training at a flying club;
obtaining a pilot's license.

Studying at a university

How to become an airplane pilot? Complete training at a flight school or university. This process is the longest and most labor-intensive, on average it takes five years. In Russia there are two state flight schools, which are located in St. Petersburg and Ulyanovka, the rest of the institutions are branches.

To enter such institutions, a potential pilot must have exceptional health and endurance, so the first step on the path to training is passing sports standards: timed running (100 m and 1000 m), pull-ups on the horizontal bar. If the commission is satisfied with the student’s results, then he enters. It is important to note that if health deteriorates during training, a potential pilot may be expelled from the university.

Mostly in schools they study theory, which is taught in various areas: aircraft design, flight manual, aircraft navigation, aviation medicine and others. Upon completion of the course, the pilot is issued a diploma.

Having received the necessary knowledge, a person begins to practice. To get a job as a pilot, a graduate needs to fly about two hundred hours.

Training at the flying club

How to become a pilot? Any specialist must constantly improve and improve their skills. This is where various courses organized in flying clubs come to the rescue, where experienced teachers will talk about new products in the field of aviation and supervise test flights.

If a person intends to become an amateur pilot, then he only needs to complete a full course at a flying club without initial training at the Civil Aviation Academy. However, the Federal Air Transport Agency requires a large amount of practical and theoretical knowledge from flying club pilots.

At the very first lesson, the beginner will be asked to make a test flight together with the instructor and will be told about the operation of the main instruments on the aircraft control panel.

The pilot will have to master theoretical training on his own, since training in flying clubs is largely aimed at practice and flying hours.

At the end of the course, the newly qualified pilot undergoes a medical commission of VLEK GA (medical flight expert commission) for professional suitability.

It is important to know that only flying clubs that have all the necessary certificates and licenses are granted the right to carry out professional activities within the framework of the current law.

Documentation

An amateur pilot who has completed training at a flying club receives a corresponding certificate, which gives him the right to fly independently on light aircraft, but limits him to work for hire.

A flight academy graduate receives a commercial pilot certificate, which allows him to become the pilot of single-engine and multi-engine aircraft.

The most difficult thing for a line pilot is to obtain a flight license of the appropriate level. The total flight time must be one and a half thousand hours, and the health requirements are increased.

Commercial and line pilots are divided into classes, of which the third is the lowest, the second is the middle, and the first is the highest.

How to become a civil aviation pilot?

A specialist with a commercial flight certificate has the right to apply for work. How to become a civil aviation pilot is explained to him at the airline where he is going to work. The procedure for recruiting a pilot into the workforce in most cases does not undergo changes.

After training at a flight school, a newly minted specialist can only apply for the role of co-pilot of a crew.

How to become a civil pilot:

A commercial pilot license is required;
passing exams: theory and practice;
medical examination;
availability of the required hours of flight time.
To become a line pilot, achieve the highest category and get a job with major airlines, you must have extensive experience in flying commercial flights as both a co-pilot and a crew chief.
How to become an Aeroflot pilot?
Aeroflot is the largest airline and national carrier of Russia, operating domestic and international flights around the world. It is prestigious and honorable to work there. The airline strictly selects its employees, as it requires only highly professional personnel.
How to become an airplane pilot? Aeroflot has established its own flight schools and developed personnel retraining programs. When starting a job, a pilot must have a commercial license with him.
The first stage of the one-and-a-half-year training takes place at the Ulyanovsk School of Civil Aviation. Aeroflot's school then spends six months preparing the pilot to obtain a Commercial Pilot License or Multi-crew Pilot License.
The cost of training in the amount of twenty-seven thousand dollars is paid by the pilot himself. Aeroflot provides its employee with a loan for this amount on the condition that he must work for the airline for five years. An amount of $450 will be withheld from his monthly salary to repay the loan.
To save money, the company decided to train its cadets on a light twin-engine Diamond Aircraft aircraft of Austrian origin. Also, the Aeroflot school is equipped with the latest simulators, which allows you to carry out many manipulations on the ground.
The airline offers accelerated retraining courses worth $100,000. The initial payment in the amount of 55 thousand dollars is paid by the cadet himself, and Aeroflot provides a loan for the remaining amount.
Helicopter flights
How to become a helicopter pilot? In many cities of Russia there are centers for training pilots to work with various brands of helicopters. Almost everyone dreams of flying a rotorcraft, but not everyone succeeds in becoming a professional pilot.
Anyone who enrolls in such courses masters a theoretical and practical knowledge base. Helicopter control training takes place individually with an experienced instructor.
The pricing policy for rotorcraft pilot training courses consists of a number of factors:
- presence or absence of primary aviation education;
- preferred type of helicopter (Robinson R44, Eurocopter, Bell, Agusta and others);
- number of practical lessons and total flying time.
Several teaching methods have been developed in schools: for beginners and virtuoso professionals who want to take an advanced training course.
Upon successful completion of training, the cadet is issued a state-issued civil aviation amateur pilot certificate.
Fighter piloting
How to become a fighter pilot? Currently, the most popular Russian fighters are the MIG-31 and Su-27. They are also where pilots are trained.
Fighter pilot is a very risky and adrenaline-filled profession. At the flight school, cadets practice techniques and methods of correct and accurate flight. On average, each pilot must fly one hundred hours during the year.
The practical training course includes the following:
- flights according to the combat training plan;
- restoration of lost skills of flight personnel;
- performing various types of tasks from the military crew;
- a program for refueling aircraft in the air during the day and at night.
It is very important to master the technique of refueling fighters in the sky, since it is quite difficult to do: at a speed of 600 km/h you need to get into the fuel tanker hose. With the help of refueling, the flight duration increases to five hours.
All tricks and interception methods are practiced on the latest simulators
Fighters that accurately repeat all tactics and movements.
After five years of hard work, professional first-class fighter pilots graduate. They join the Air Force.
Military pilot
How to become a military pilot? It is necessary to graduate from the civil flight school, and then from the Air Force Academy. Yu. Gagarin.
It is important to know that working as a military pilot is a service in the Russian Air Force, and it includes all government benefits and programs.
Young people over 18 years of age, after a full medical examination, can begin military service. In addition to a medical examination by doctors, the cadet will have to undergo a neurological and psychological examination. If he fails to meet at least one of the criteria, he will not be accepted into the Air Force.
Any potential military pilot must have the following qualities:
- bravery;
- responsibility;
- endurance;
- high intelligence;
- stable psyche.
Undoubtedly, the profession of a pilot is prestigious and honorable. You can learn about how to become a pilot and a truly professional in your field at specialized institutions, having discussed all the conditions and rules for admission. The most important thing is that the pilot must be truly in love with the sky, constantly develop, improve and go towards his goal in spite of all the difficulties that arise.

I am a light aviation pilot.

Nikolay Batrakov

received a pilot's license

In less than a year, I went from an aerophobe to a private pilot license holder in the United States. To achieve my goal, I moved to Florida for 2.5 months, went to aviation school every day and passed all the exams.

This is my path.

Why I decided to study to be a pilot

At the age of 30, I realized that I was an aerophobe. Choking, a racing heart, sweaty palms, squeezing the arms of the seats - this condition haunted me during every flight.

I began to feed my illness through the media and the Internet. My favorite series was not Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, but Air Crash Investigation.

A side effect of this hobby was a good knowledge of aviation. I understood the structure of the aircraft, aerodynamics and the influence of weather conditions. At the beginning of each episode of “Investigation,” my wife and I even began to place bets on the possible causes of the disaster.

5000 R

it costs half an hour to fly on a flight simulator

The turning point was a gift from my wife - a flight on a flight simulator. The flight cost 5000 RUR for half an hour. The simulator completely simulates the flight of a real airplane, with takeoff and landing at any airport in the world, in any weather conditions.

Instructor Mikhail said that he has a CPL - US commercial pilot license. He learned to fly for six months in Florida, and it was the best time of his life.

A few days later I decided to overcome my aerophobia and become a pilot.

Preparation

There are two types of pilot license: private PPL, private pilot license, and commercial CPL, commercial private license. I didn’t intend to build a career in aviation after training, so I immediately decided that I wanted to get a private pilot’s license. It's faster and several times cheaper.

According to my preliminary estimate, in 2015, a PPL license cost about $10,000, and a CPL cost $40,000.

There are three training options: in training centers in Russia, in schools in Europe or in the USA.

I did not consider studying in Europe: firstly, becoming a pilot there costs on average 20-30% more than even in the USA. For example, a PPL course at the Aerotours school in Germany would cost 10,000 €. Secondly, I did not have a suitable European visa, but my American one was still valid.

How I chose where to study to become a pilot

	In Russia	IN THE USA
Price	About 500,000 R	About 350,000 R
Studying time	6-8 months	2-3 months
Moving	Not needed	Needed
Accommodation	You live at home	Need to book
Car	You drive yours	Need to book
Weather	Bad, you can only fly on rare sunny days	Excellent, you can fly every day
Job	Normally	Remotely
Logistics	You need to go to the Moscow region	Airport within the city
Infrastructure	Poor, rare airfields with unpaved runways	The best in the world, thousands of paved airfields
English	A basic level of	At least Upper Intermediate

I made this table in February 2015. I bought dollars even earlier, in 2014. Then 1 dollar cost 35 rubles

Price

About 500,000 R

About 350,000 R

Studying time

6-8 months

2-3 months

Moving

Accommodation

You live at home

Need to book

Car

You drive yours

Need to book

Weather

Bad, you can only fly on rare sunny days

Excellent, you can fly every day

Job

Normally

Remotely

Logistics

You need to go to the Moscow region

Airport within the city

Infrastructure

Poor, rare airfields with unpaved runways

The best in the world, thousands of paved airfields

English

A basic level of

At least Upper Intermediate

I managed to buy dollars just before the exchange rate increased - in 2014, at 35 rubles per dollar. This means that studying in the USA will cost me 30% less than in Russia. Yes, you will need to spend money every month on housing, a car and food, but you can divide these costs between two. And if we rent out a Moscow apartment, then we will be quite capable of living in this mode for several months.

It was February 2015. We discussed all the details with my wife and decided that it would be best to leave in the fall. This means I have about six months to prepare and resolve all issues.

I made a sign with a to-do list. It turned out to be about 25 points. Here are the main ones:

Agree with your manager about remote work.
Find an aviation school.
Book your accommodation.
Find an apartment tenant who will agree to care for our cat.
Expand your knowledge in areas related to aviation.

My work is related to Internet projects, and I can easily work remotely. The difference with the US east coast is +7 hours. We decided to structure my work process like this: early in the morning I do all the urgent tasks and leave for school, and after returning I resolve the remaining issues.

School search

I studied all Russian aviation forums and blogs of people who underwent training in the USA. I checked with instructor Mikhail and his friends where they studied. I accidentally saw an article about former media manager Andrei Borisevich, who bought the Skyeagle aviation school in the USA.

In the US, the best states for training to become a pilot are Florida, California and Texas. The weather there is excellent, you can fly 365 days a year. There are also a lot of airfields and high competition among schools - that’s why tuition prices are low.

I chose Florida because I wanted to live near the warm Atlantic Ocean.

I compiled a list of schools and began sending letters with prepared questions:

What visa can I use to study?
How much does the PPL course cost and how long will it take?
How much does it cost to rent an aircraft and instructor per hour?
Can they help you rent housing and a car?
What month is best to start training?

In total, I wrote to five schools, and received responses from only three of them. Prices did not differ much: a full course of training with 40 hours of flight time cost from 8 to 10 thousand dollars. An additional hour of flight cost $150 for the plane rental and $50 for the instructor.

Renting apartments in Florida cost from $1,200 per month. From November to April is the most comfortable time to live and train as a pilot. The average temperature is 20-25 °C and there is little precipitation. You can fly every day.

Visa

While I was corresponding with schools, I discovered an interesting nuance. US immigration regulations state that an M1 student visa is required if the study process takes more than 18 hours per week. In this case, the student cannot change the chosen school during the learning process.

A B1/B2 tourist visa allows you to study under a shortened program - less than 18 hours per week. Some schools claimed that their programs were structured this way, and you could safely come to study on a tourist visa.

Preparation of documents

After several weeks of correspondence, I chose the Sky Eagle school. Its director Andrey showed the greatest patience and attention to my questions. The school is located in the resort town of Fort Lauderdale, 37 km from Miami. The cost of training to become a private pilot is $8,685.

A future pilot in the United States must undergo TSA screening, the Transportation Security Agency. The TSA is dedicated to protecting airports and preventing aircraft hijackings. In order to prevent potential terrorists from taking the helm of a training aircraft, the agency checks all flight school students: collects fingerprints and asks them to fill out a large form with personal information.

Andrey explained the further procedure:

Create a login and fill out a form on the TSA website - the transport security agency.
Ask the school to confirm this request.
Pay $130 to TSA for application processing fee.
Obtain pre-authorization from TSA.
Come to the USA.
Immediately upon arrival, submit your fingerprints at one of the TSA offices.
Wait until your fingerprints are entered into the TSA database and receive permission to fly.
Pass a medical examination at one of the US clinics and receive a certificate of fitness to fly.
You can fly!

Finding housing in the USA and renting an apartment in Moscow

The school was unable to offer us suitable housing options, so we started searching on our own. The largest real estate database in the USA is the site Craigslist.org, but everything there is rented only to residents and for a long time.

To begin with, we booked an apartment for a week through Airbnb.com - we paid about 30,000 RUR for them. The plan was this: we’ll come to the place, look around and find housing for the entire period.

Renting an apartment in Moscow turned out to be more difficult. We were looking for someone who would not only agree to rent for just three months, but also be able to care for our cat. I decided to make a good discount and set a low price.

I posted an ad in real estate groups on social networks. By the evening of the same day I received a dozen messages from cat lovers. We held a casting, chose the right one, drew up a lease agreement, which spelled out all the conditions for caring for our cat, and shook hands.

Preliminary training

The school did not impose any additional requirements regarding prior preparation. But I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to prepare for the classes on my own, because I would only have two months to study locally.

I installed the Microsoft Flight Simulator on my computer. It has a virtual piloting course, almost similar to the real one. I bought a special joystick for 3000 R and practiced every evening. A month later I passed the virtual exam.

Then I decided that it was time to move from theory to practice and fly on a real plane. I went to the flying club at the Vatulino airfield in the Moscow region. A flight on the lightest plane from their fleet costs 5,000 RUR for half an hour.

There were two seats on the plane; I took the seat to the right of the pilot. After a short briefing and checking the on-board systems, we received permission to take off and took off. It was May, and spring is a time of unstable atmosphere, when the earth heats up and air masses mix, creating turbulent currents. Due to turbulence, the plane was thrown in all directions. The pilot was completely calm, but I felt uneasy.

Having gained altitude, the pilot handed over control to me. I performed a few maneuvers - this reduced the tension a little. After half an hour of flying over fields, forests and a river, we landed.

Aviation English

I know English well, but it’s one thing to talk to a teacher in class, and quite another to talk on the radio with strangers in a stressful state, when any misunderstanding can lead to unpleasant consequences.

English is the international language of communication in aviation. Pilots and controllers communicate with each other over the radio in a language other than normal spoken language. Instead, they use a special phraseology called aviation English.

For each situation - taxiing around the airfield, takeoff, landing, weather forecast - there is a standard set of phrases. Each aircraft is assigned a unique number. It is communicated to the other party on every radio contact using the “aviation alphabet.”

I studied aviation English from the illustrations of the military navigator, Colonel P.V. Iskratov. On YouTube you can find many videos with recordings of radio conversations in different situations, from normal to catastrophic. In aviation, like nowhere else, the principle applies: it is better to learn from the mistakes of others than from your own.

There is also a service for broadcasting airport radio broadcasts in real time - “Radioscanner”. You can open the Flight Tracker app or the Flightradar24.com website, find the aircraft that is negotiating, and follow its actions on the map. In my experience, this has been very helpful for learning.

Moving to Florida

To estimate the costs of living in Florida without taking into account school, we have compiled a rough budget. That came out to $2,100 per person per month. This amount could have been reduced. For example, go to the USA alone, rent a room rather than an apartment, travel by public transport, give up all entertainment and eat the cheapest foods. But we decided to enjoy life and not save much.

Tickets to Miami with a transfer in Paris cost 54,000 RUR.

We flew to Florida at the end of October 2015. I spent the first few days on bureaucratic formalities: getting fingerprinted at the TSA, getting permission to fly, going through a medical examination - it lasts 10 minutes and costs $100.

Approximate living expenses per month - $4200

Spending

Price

Life in eternal summer

Fort Lauderdale isn't as busy as Miami, but has the same long promenades and waterways throughout the city, earning it the nickname the Venice of America.

Public transport is very poorly developed, so a car is vital. Fortunately, there are no problems with rent.

Housing is getting more complicated. Florida is a rich state with a wonderful climate; both Americans and tourists from all over the world come here to relax. Good accommodation options are booked months in advance. Therefore, our initial plan that we would quickly find an apartment failed.

1600 $

We paid rent a month

We spent the first week driving around town looking at options we found on Air BBC and Craigslist. The apartment stock was very old; I didn’t want to live in such conditions. Finally, luck smiled on us: an American couple rented out their small guest house for $1,600 a month.

Our hosts turned out to be very friendly people, we talked a lot on various topics, including political ones. We were even invited to a Christmas party.

We tried to eat at home. Several times a week we shopped at the local supermarket and cooked on the stove or grill. On average, we spent about $1,500 per month on food, as planned.

Fort Lauderdale is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, so in the evenings after school and work we came to the half-empty beaches, walked and admired the sunsets.

Demonstration flight

I arrived at the school and on the first day took a demonstration flight with chief instructor Scott Leach in a Cessna 172. During a demo flight, the student does not take part in piloting, but only observes the actions of the pilot.

The teacher decided to show me everything this old plane was capable of. He made deep turns, rollercoasters - and then threw the car into a dive so that I felt weightless for several seconds. After landing, I was barely alive - but it was too late to retreat.

Preparation for classes

According to the training plan, I had to take a theoretical course, fly the required 40 hours according to the regulator's rules, and pass theoretical and practical exams.

The school has a large office with several classrooms for classes, computers for checking the weather and taking exams, and a flight simulator. The classes were taught by teachers with extensive experience and the necessary ratings for pilot instructors. Greg Feiss became my instructor pilot.

Greg and I immediately went to the aircraft store and purchased the necessary training materials:

Guide for private pilots.
Collection of Federal Aviation Regulations FAR/AIM.
USA Airport Directory.
Florida aviation map.
Recommendations for passing exams.
Mechanical computer E6-B.
Ruler.
Flight book, where information about all completed flights is entered.

I paid $300 for all these materials.

Greg recommended that I install the ForeFlight mobile navigation app. It helps the pilot plan a flight, shows the weather anywhere in the USA, contains detailed maps and guides the plane along the desired course - like Yandex Navigator, but instead of traffic jams there is bad weather. A 3-month license costs $50.

Our group of students was small - only 3 people. In the mornings there were joint theoretical classes for several hours, and in the afternoons there were flights: each student with his own instructor.

Theory training is divided into five large sections:

Fundamental principles of flight - on-board systems and aircraft design, principles of aerodynamics.
Air operations - airports, maps, airspace, radio traffic, ground services.
Weather - meteorology, data interpretation.
Navigation and operation of the aircraft.
Application of skills in practice - psychology, decision making, flight planning.

The structure of education is very different from the Russian “academic school”. Teachers usually provide only the most basic knowledge, leaving a wide scope for self-study. The main emphasis is on practice.

Payment is made according to any scheme convenient for the student. You can pay for the entire course at once and get a good discount from the school. I decided that I was more comfortable paying for services rendered. On the first day I deposited $2,000 into the school account. When they came to an end, I paid for each flight separately with a bank card.

Airfield training

You can't just take off and take off. Any takeoffs and landings, even on small and private planes, are permitted only at airfields. They can be “controlled” - with a control tower, and “uncontrolled” - only with runways and without a tower. On uncontrolled ones, pilots broadcast their intentions on a designated common frequency.

Fort Lauderdale Commercial Airfield is an ideal training location. It has two solid long runways, the control tower operates 24 hours a day, and aviation traffic is not as dense as at the main airport, where civilian airliners arrive.

The airfield code is KFXE.

First flights

The first training flight with an instructor takes place almost immediately after the introductory lessons, during which they talk about the structure of the aircraft. This knowledge is necessary to carry out the pre-flight check.

The pilot checks the plane using a checklist. It describes in detail all the steps: first you need to check the external condition of the aircraft, main components, fuel, oil. After this, the pilot sits in the cockpit, starts the engine and checks the on-board systems. Then he finds out the weather, contacts the controller on the tower and informs him of his intentions: where he is going to fly.

The pilot receives permission to take off from the tower, takes the plane onto the taxiway and moves along it to the desired runway. He stops before the runway, checks the aircraft systems again, and again contacts the dispatcher. If the runway is busy, the pilot waits until the path is clear. Finally, permission to take off was received - acceleration along the airfield began.

The first flights take place along the so-called airfield circle. The student takes off, makes a circle around the airfield, lands and immediately takes off again. Takeoff and landing are the most difficult and critical stages of flight, so these elements are repeated many times during training.

At the same time, the student conducts radio conversations, reports his position and the next step, and the dispatcher confirms his intentions or asks them to change them in connection with the actions of other aircraft.

A week after the start of classes and 10 hours of flying in this mode, Greg asked me to return to the hangar after landing. Suddenly he got off the plane and announced that it was time for my first “solo” - an independent flight.

Trying to calm my excitement, I contacted the dispatcher and said that I was planning to make my first flight, to which the dispatcher wished me good luck. I made three normal takeoffs and landings and returned to the hangar. It was an amazing moment, I was overwhelmed with emotions.

A little later I went through the initiation ceremony. Students who perform their first “solo” have part of their jersey cut out. This tradition dates back to the times when airplanes did not yet have walkie-talkies. Then the student and the instructor sat next to each other on the plane, in tandem. To give the student commands on where to point the plane, the instructor would pull on the side of his jersey. After a successful first flight, this part of the shirt is cut off - now the pilot can independently decide where to fly.

Maneuver training

The next stage of training takes place in the training area above the Everglades swamps. Students are trained to perform standard maneuvers - climb, descent, turns - as well as monitor the environment and the position of the aircraft, and use navigation instruments.

The most difficult thing is the training simulation of abnormal and emergency situations, such as stalling, engine shutdown, and fire on board. After several such lessons with an instructor, the student makes such flights with emergency situations independently.

Long distance flights

The final test for the student is long-distance flights between multiple locations. They are also called cross-country flights.

This is the pinnacle of piloting skill. They use all the knowledge about the aircraft and its capabilities, skills in piloting, navigation, radio communications, and analysis of weather conditions.

You need to thoroughly prepare for a cross-country flight:

Plan your own route.
Check the weather along the entire route and consider what to do if the weather worsens.
Calculate the required amount of fuel and the weight of the aircraft.
Determine takeoff, landing and altitude speeds, as well as the effect of wind on speed.

For my first XC flight, I took the scenic route to Key West. The route of such a flight passes at low altitude, first over the beaches of Miami, then over a winding road in the ocean. During this flight, I experienced tremendous joy and realized that it was not all in vain.

After the first cross-country flight, the student makes several more similar flights, including at night.

Exam

After 40 hours of flights, the student is allowed to take the exams. Usually the training takes 2-2.5 months, but due to excellent weather and daily practice, I completed it in 42 days.

The first stage of the exam is a computer test. You need to answer 60 questions and score 80% correct answers. This stage costs $165.

The second stage is an oral examination and a practical flight with a certified examiner. The examiner is a private person, so he must be paid separately. The second stage of the exam costs $500.

I passed the test and did well on the oral exam, but during the flight I had a bad landing. The examiner took control. This meant that I had failed.

I had to take extra classes with an instructor. It cost me $600 for 3 hours. I had to pay again for the re-exam, but the examiner agreed to reduce my payment by half - to $250, since I had successfully passed the oral part before.

A week later, a repeat practical exam took place. This time I made no mistakes. Having received congratulations from the examiner, the first thing I did was go to the store and buy the well-deserved pilot stripes for $20.

That same day, I received a temporary certificate that allowed me to fly solo with passengers on board. I took my wife, rented a plane, and we flew over Miami, the Everglades and the azure ocean.

Renting a plane for 2 hours cost me $300.

Looking back

A little more than two months passed from the time I first appeared at school until I passed the exam. I went over my budget because I couldn't pass the exam the first time. Well, that's okay.

In total, I spent $10,730 on my studies.

Two months after returning to Moscow, they sent me an envelope in the mail with my “rights” - a valid US private pilot certificate. Russian legislation does not recognize foreign certificates. But you can go through the validation procedure: submit to the Federal Air Transport Agency a package of documents about the training completed abroad and pass a difficult medical commission (VLEK).

Even with a Russian pilot's license, in Russia it is impossible to simply come to the airfield and rent a plane. To do this, you need to join one of the flying clubs and pay membership fees.

I set myself the goal of defeating aerophobia and achieved it. But I didn’t plan to plunge into the Russian bureaucracy. I decided that I would fly the next time I was in the USA.

The sky beckons many people. After all, what romance is hidden in the vocation of a pilot - this profession is prestigious, well paid and rarely boring. But it is associated with huge risks, so the selection of candidates is quite tough. It’s not enough to just take a course or read literature. If you want to know how to become a civil aviation pilot, you must understand that there are many requirements that need to be met, including those related to physical fitness. It is impossible to become a pilot without practice. This is a difficult path, so you need to be aware that the childhood dream of conquering the sky is not suitable for everyone, and the responsibility here is very big.

The situation in the country is difficult. On the one hand, there is a noticeable shortage of pilots in the labor market. On the other hand, it is not enough to graduate from a specialized university to be hired. So how to become a pilot? It's worth looking into it in more detail.

Basically, most places at universities are provided on a budgetary basis, but getting there is not so easy. The reasons for this are the strict medical commission. It is important to take into account that the following systems should be in order:

Heart.
Lungs.
Vessels.
Normal blood pressure.
The vestibular apparatus is normal.
Excellent vision.

The commission should be held constantly, at every course. At the slightest deviation you may be expelled. If you decide to become a passenger aircraft pilot, then you need to understand that commissions will be held even after graduation, before almost every flight. The pilot is responsible not only for his own health, but also for the lives of passengers, so it is important that a person prepares for the flight with full responsibility.

How is the training going?

Of course, future students are interested in how their education will proceed. Civil aviation pilot training begins with studying the structure and configuration of aircraft. The following courses also take place:

studying the methods and possibilities of operating aircraft;
theory and practice of aircraft control;
routing and understanding maps;
aerodynamics;
meteorology;
engine design;
Skydiving;
first aid and medical skills;
foreign language for working on foreign flights.

The practice also includes training on special simulators that simulate real flights and the cockpit.

What awaits graduates?

Not every company will hire graduates who have just received their diploma. It's all about high responsibility and lack of experience. However, in this way you can become an Aeroflot pilot from scratch. But this option is not always realistic. Graduates must begin to accumulate flight hours, as well as obtain special pilot licenses. It is believed that the more hours a cadet spends in the air, the better for him. Many companies are willing to hire people who have been practicing this way for at least two years.

Of course, this is a problem for young professionals. Not every one of them has their own plane and runway so they can just practice. Therefore, there are special training organizations that provide private small training grounds and aircraft for a fee. All this requires quite a significant capital, because fuel for aircraft alone will not be cheap. But this also includes equipment care and repairs if something happens.

What does it take to become a pilot without education?

Of course, not every person will go to study at a university, because after studying for 6 years, you will then have to build up your experience for a long time. This question is also interesting for people who already have higher education and want to fly, even if they are well over 30 years old. There are special flying clubs that provide a license on a commercial basis after training. There are stages of training here:

At the first stage, an amateur pilot certificate is issued; you can fly with it, but it is prohibited to work. You can fly, for example, on your own small plane with friends or family;
After the first stage, the rank of commercial pilot is available. This license allows you to operate light aircraft, participate in commercial flights on a ship with one engine, and fly short distances;
at the last level, the rank of line pilot is available with all the ensuing consequences in the form of permission to fly any aircraft.

It is noteworthy that, compared to university graduates, such specialists have three times or even more flight hours, so they are much more often hired by large airlines.

Any pilot knows perfectly well what each button does.

Such training to become a Russian civil aviation pilot is quite expensive, but it is justified if you definitely want to get a job immediately after receiving your license. There is a real struggle on the part of large companies for such specialists, because so far in the country every year twice as many pilots retire as are employed. This causes a severe shortage of personnel. Therefore, having completed all three stages, you can quickly recoup the cost of training.

Courses abroad are also available for young people. The education system there is somewhat different from the domestic one. After receiving a commercial pilot's license, a specialist may not spend money on paying for the next level, but rather earn it by receiving additional flight hours. In the USA, the practice of working as an instructor is widespread, because here airplanes are very popular and you can buy them freely. It is fair to say that such a situation is gradually being established in Russia, but so far not every person can afford such a means of transportation.

How to get a job as a pilot at Aeroflot

This company is a leading Russian air carrier. Getting a job there is not only prestigious, but also profitable, since the management pays excellent salaries to its employees. However, at the same time, extremely stringent criteria for selecting specialists apply, and not every pilot has a chance of getting on Aeroflot’s staff.

The airline itself has its own flight schools, where training is carried out according to a specially developed specialist training program. In order to become a full-time pilot, you must have a commercial license. The initial stage of requalification takes place at the Ulyanovsk School, then the candidate is prepared for the issuance of an international certificate.

The training lasts one and a half years, and it is paid. It costs 27 thousand dollars to undergo training at Aeroflot. The company can provide a loan for training, but in this case it is necessary to work off the debt to Aeroflot within five years after hiring. To do this, an amount of $450 will be debited every month. There is also an accelerated retraining course, but its cost is even higher - $100 thousand. The cadet must pay the initial contribution of 55 thousand on his own, and the company provides a loan for the remainder. Light aircraft with two engines are used for training. Aeroflot currently provides Austrian Diamond Aircraft models for training its future pilots. In addition, modern simulators are used to practice all possible techniques and develop the necessary skills.

In contact with

Many children and teenagers dream of piloting civil and military aircraft. High wages, prestige, and the romance of flying, combined with the opportunity to travel around the world, are the main reasons for the high relevance of this profession. Candidates for admission to the flight academy are subject to strict requirements. In addition to a large amount of theoretical knowledge, these people must have proper physical training. In order to become a pilot, you will need to go a long way and endure many different tests. To get a position at a prestigious airline, it is not enough to be a graduate of a flight school. In our article we propose to consider the question of how to become a civil aviation pilot.

The profession of a pilot is very difficult in its essence.

How to become a pilot in Russia

People who want to become representatives of this profession are subject to the most stringent requirements compared to other vacancies on the labor market. The learning process itself takes several stages. Those who want to learn to fly must receive a fundamental theoretical basis and undergo many practical tests. At the first stage, a person who wants to pilot airplanes in the future needs to undergo training at a special academy or university. This step will allow you to get good theoretical training. As a rule, most specialized lectures are devoted to the structure of the airliner, the rules for using the main components and instruments, as well as first aid. Upon graduation, the graduate receives a document confirming access to commercial flights.

A commercial pilot certificate is the first document you will need to get started in the aviation industry.

Becoming a civil aviation representative will require practical experience and advanced training. As a rule, specialists from this industry have to spend several hundred hours on training flights. Before joining an airline, a flight school graduate will need to undergo a medical examination. The presence of any diseases associated with vision, motor reactions and coordination may result in refusal of further employment. It is important to note that for several years the graduate can only count on the position of co-pilot.

Becoming a passenger aircraft pilot or crew commander is possible only after gaining certain practical experience. Here you need to pay attention to the fact that even graduates of special courses can obtain a pilot’s license. However, this document will not be enough to get a job at a large airline. Many people who want to become representatives of this vacancy are interested in the question of where future pilots are trained. The largest aviation institute is located in the capital. In addition, there is a higher aviation school located in the city of Ulyanovsk. Residents of the Northern capital can submit their documents to the University of Civil Aviation.

Selection process

As a rule, most students study on a budget basis. It is important to understand that becoming a student at one of the above institutions is quite difficult. O. Each applicant must undergo a strict medical examination. Specialists conducting a medical examination pay increased attention to the condition of internal organs, among which the following should be highlighted:

Vascular system.
Heart muscle.
Respiratory system.
Visual organs.

The pilot's profession requires enormous endurance and emotional stress.

Some medical specialists pay attention to the condition of the vestibular apparatus and blood pressure indicators. Flight school students undergo similar examinations at each stage of training.. Training to become a civil aviation pilot in Russia may end if doctors identify diseases that interfere with the control of air transport. It should be understood that every pilot undergoes a similar medical examination before the next flight. This requirement is explained by the fact that a representative of the profession in question is responsible not only for his own life, but also for the lives of the airline’s clients.

Training Details

As we said above, the educational process consists of two stages: theory and practice. At the first stage, students master the structure and configuration of passenger airliners. Particular attention is paid to studying the capabilities of this category of vehicles. University students are required to master the basic principles of meteorology, aerodynamics and engine design. A separate part of the theoretical training is devoted to driving a vehicle. The practical part of the educational process includes the following stages:

Training on special simulators.
Skydiving.
First aid rules.

In addition, students will study foreign languages. This is necessary in order to operate on international flights.

Can girls enroll in flight school?

The percentage of representatives of the fair sex who want to master this profession is significantly lower than the number of male applicants . It should be noted here that girls are subject to more stringent requirements. Some of the above institutions refuse to admit women to their courses. If you are unable to enroll in a flight school, it is recommended that you try to enroll in a flight school. Attention should be paid to the fact that the final result depends on the personal qualities, level of theoretical training and determination of a particular person.

Pilots regularly undergo medical examinations. commission, and are also examined by a doctor before the flight

What should graduates do?

Training civil aviation pilots is a long and complex process. Not all students who enroll in flight school receive a professional diploma. It should be noted that university graduates are in low demand in the labor market. This is explained by the fact that young people rarely approach the fulfillment of their professional obligations with due responsibility. In addition, practical experience is required, which graduates lack. At this stage, a person can only get a position as a co-pilot in a low-cost airline. To obtain this position, you will need to go through a competitive selection process, which involves hundreds of applicants.

Many experts in the field in question recommend that flight school graduates not rush into finding employment. At this stage, it is more advisable to improve your own qualifications. First of all, you will need to pass all the tests required to obtain a flight license. Free time must be spent accumulating flight hours. As a rule, large airlines select those applicants who have at least two years of practical experience in their baggage.

The most difficult stage for young specialists is gaining practical experience. Not every person has their own airfield and aircraft for training flights. Those wishing to gain practical experience should contact special companies that will provide a small aircraft on a rental basis. It is important to understand that this process requires capital investment of funds. The lessee must pay not only for the process of using the aircraft, but also for its maintenance.

Is it possible to become a pilot without education?

Many people are interested in the question of how to become an Aeroflot pilot from scratch. In order to obtain the position of aircraft crew chief, you will need to spend at least ten years of training. Most of this period of time will be spent studying at the university. However, the above method is not the only option to become a civil aviation pilot. N In Russia there are several flying clubs where you can get training on a commercial basis. Students of such institutions go through several stages of training.

At the first stage, the applicant needs to familiarize himself with the theory and pass several practical tests. People who complete this level of training receive a certificate as an amateur pilot. Having this certificate allows you to fly on small aircraft. At the next stage, graduates receive permission to fly commercially. This type of license allows you to operate small aircraft that fly short distances. In order to obtain a license allowing you to fly any aircraft, you must complete the third stage of training.

Quite interesting is the fact that flight school students have more practical experience compared to university students. That is why these specialists are more in demand among large airlines. It is important to understand that training at a flying club and obtaining all licenses will require large financial expenses.. Choosing this option is more appropriate if a person plans to get a job immediately after receiving all the documents. Graduates of such institutions are in demand both in low-cost and large airlines. This fact is explained by statistics that indicate that the number of pilots retiring significantly exceeds the number of people who are employed by the airline. The lack of professionals in the labor market leads to an increased demand for graduates of private educational institutions.

Excellent vision and hearing, excellent eye, impeccable mental health, good vestibular apparatus - this is not a complete list of requirements for pilots

How to become an Aeroflot pilot

When considering what it takes to become a pilot, you need to pay attention to the learning process at Aeroflot school. This organization is the largest domestic air carrier that has opened its own school. The airline's employees independently developed a training program. Only those applicants who have a commercial license can become a student of this school. The first stage of training takes place on the basis of the Ulyanovsk school. After this, you will need to pass several tests to obtain an international document.

The average duration of training at an Aeroflot school is about eighteen months. The cost of such courses is about two hundred thousand rubles. Students can take advantage of a special loan. In this case, the graduate will have to complete his studies for five years. About thirty thousand rubles will be debited from the employee’s salary every month.

Wealthy citizens can take an accelerated vocational training course, the cost of which is about seven hundred thousand rubles. The pilot must pay approximately half of this amount himself. Next, you can use a special loan from the airline. The flight school uses Diamond Aircraft aircraft, which are light aircraft with two engines. Before starting real flights, students will have to spend a lot of time in special simulators.

Conclusion

In this article we looked at the question of how to become a pilot. The standard training process takes about ten years. In order to take an accelerated course of study, you will need to spend a fairly large sum on tuition at a private school. However, the final result allows you to recoup all financial investments within a short period of time.

There are many Earthlings, and we are all very different. But among all people, some are distinguished by a special character - an ineradicable desire for the sky, a thirst for flight. It is from them that the best civil and military aviation pilots emerge. But other applicants also come to the admissions committees of flight schools. Some people were simply drawn to romance, others saw lucrative prospects in a pilot’s license, others go along with a friend who is obsessed with the sky.

In any case, it is better for each of the future cadets to know in advance what awaits them upon admission to flight school and after graduation. Many points that should be thought about before sending documents to the school admissions committee may be important for a subsequent successful career.

Military or civilian?

The first thing a future pilot has to decide is which school to prefer, civilian or military. Military schools have stricter requirements, including disciplinary ones. They pay a small stipend, provide uniforms and housing (in the barracks). Upon completion, you will receive not only a higher military specialized education, but in addition the civilian specialty “Aircraft Operation”. The main problem in obtaining the specialty of a military pilot is that in Russia today there is only one higher military aviation educational institution left in Krasnodar, and enrollment there does not happen every year. Accordingly, the competition is high and becoming a cadet is not easy. Education at a military school is free, a referral can be issued by the military registration and enlistment office. There, applicants will be able to get up-to-date answers to all questions related to the career of a military pilot.

There are much more opportunities to get the coveted civil aviation pilot qualifications. But here you should first decide why these very crusts are needed, what are your career aspirations and ambitions. To fly a light sports aircraft you do not need a higher education, but to work on large civil aviation airliners you need not only a higher education and a diploma as a line pilot, but also many hours of flight time.

Training in civil aviation educational institutions can be either budgetary or paid. There will be other costs associated with your studies. However, studying in a civilian school is a little easier, and the health requirements are a little more relaxed than in a military school.

What is needed for admission

Good physical fitness and impeccable health. Applicants undergo a thorough medical examination, and even with excellent grades in the certificate and a high chance of passing the exams with “excellent” marks, they may fail due to health reasons. Moreover, if the student’s health worsens during his studies, the student may well be expelled.
Age from 18 years
Pass exams in the Russian language (exposition) and mathematics; for some specialties they also take physics
Conclusion on professional suitability, which is issued after an interview with psychologists

What awaits a flight school graduate: career and prospects for professional growth

Like a driver's license, pilot certificates can be of different categories, and the opportunities that open up directly depend on the category. But not only the category is important: for example, graduates of higher educational institutions of civil aviation immediately receive a commercial pilot certificate, but this only gives them the right to fly as a co-pilot on most aircraft, and there are restrictions. This is due to the small number of flight hours.

And in order to become a line pilot and get the opportunity to fly on large airliners as an aircraft commander, according to Russian rules, at least 1,500 flight hours are required. Abroad, the requirements for the highest category of pilots are somewhat lower, and it is a little easier to get the coveted qualifications there.

However, the situation in Russian aviation is currently changing. Most pilots who received their specialty in Soviet times retire, and today's flight school graduates have much fewer opportunities to obtain the necessary flight hours. Therefore, many airlines are forced to reduce the requirements for the number of hours flown. Moreover, airlines are literally queuing up for graduates who have proven themselves well. Such pilots receive additional flight hours at the company’s training centers.

If you have no desire to make a career in the sky, and you only need certificates for flying for your own pleasure, you don’t have to waste time studying at a flight school. It’s easier to take courses at the nearest flying club. After fulfilling a number of standards and passing exams, you will be given a certificate as an amateur pilot, which will be quite enough to fly light airplanes and helicopters for your pleasure and join the “Flight Brotherhood” with a light heart.

Flight fraternity: what is it?

According to official sources, the “Flight Brotherhood” is a public organization created by graduates of the Kharkov Air Force Academy. In fact, the “fraternity of flight” refers to a special relationship that binds everyone involved in aviation. These relationships are based on friendship and mutual assistance. For example, in the old days, a pilot, finding himself in a hopeless situation in any city, could approach any unfamiliar colleague and ask for help - money, accommodation, etc. And get what you ask for. The debt was repaid strictly - by simple postal order or by mutual favor. “Flight brotherhood” meant exactly this - trust, readiness to come to the rescue of a fellow winger.

Unfortunately, all this is now a thing of the past. Some schools and flying clubs have their own traditions of “initiation into the Flight Brotherhood,” but these are rather exceptions than a widespread custom. “Flyers” simply communicate in their environment, helping their own as best they can - as happens in other communities united by a common passion, one hobby.

What about the girls?

But no one covers the girls’ path to aviation with roses. Until recently, no civil aviation academy accepted women into flight professions, until in 2007 one of the applicants sued the educational institution and won the case. Today, girls can also enter the flying profession, but airlines still prefer to hire men.

However, the growing shortage of personnel is forcing airline management to treat female pilots with increasing reverence. The leaders of the Sasovo Flight School even say that their graduates can outshine any male pilot.

The Last Frontier: How to Convince Your Parents

If parents believe that the pilot’s profession is too dangerous and not promising enough, and that it is better to choose more mundane and less adrenaline-fuelled professions, they need to be worked with and convinced. And you need to start as early as possible. The conversation should be conducted not on emotions, but with facts at the ready. For every argument of worried parents, there should be a whole volley of counterarguments, with facts, statistics and mathematical calculations.

The list of common objections is always approximately the same:

“The profession is unpromising.” Nothing like that - very promising! In recent years, the country's aircraft fleet has been increasing annually by several dozen (or even hundreds) of aircraft, which will soon have no one to fly. Soviet-era pilots are retiring, and there are few new ones. The annual demand for pilots is about 2 thousand people, and flight schools graduate no more than 500 people.
“Low salary” is not true! Pilots' salaries are more than decent, and increase in proportion to professional growth. Even a co-pilot can receive about 200 thousand rubles soon after graduating from school. In addition, there are pleasant bonuses: long vacations, early retirement, a good social package and big discounts on air tickets for the family. There are also excellent opportunities to work abroad: many airlines are happy to hire Russian pilots.
“Planes crash, it’s dangerous” - what if we compare it with car accidents? There are countless more accidents on the roads and while driving cars on earth. Driving a car is much more dangerous than driving an airplane, but no one stops driving a car because of this.

In addition, many flight academies have military departments, which saves the graduate from military service.

How do cadets live?

For those who are admitted to government-funded places, the state provides full support: uniforms, food, hostel for visitors, and a stipend. Cadets are also provided with all teaching aids and materials. Cadets of paid groups provide themselves with everything.

Discipline is strict inside the campus and within the walls of the school or academy. However, it is not as strict as in a military school, and with good motivation, cadets do not experience negative consequences from disciplinary requirements. And slobs and slobs have nothing to do in the sky.

Living conditions depend on each specific educational institution, as well as internal regulations.

Duration of training and cost

The training time for a flight specialty on the basis of secondary education (11 years) is 34 months (basic level)..

The cost of paid education is determined by each educational institution independently. For example, at the UVAU GA in the current academic year, training in the specialty “Flight Operation of Aircraft” will cost almost 90 thousand rubles for the theory. Correspondence education is noticeably cheaper: 35,500 rubles. As for the cost of practical flights for future pilots, for those studying on a commercial basis the amount starts from $140,000.