Step 1.) call a local flight school and set up a discovery flight. If you enjoyed it proceed to step 2

Step 2.) ask the instructor what it takes to become a pilot

Look at zero to hero programs from flying schools, they are roughly 60.000$ if you can afford that. Then also you need to pass a level 1 medical. And study a lot.

Look at zero to hero programs from flying schools, they are roughly 60.000$ if you can afford that. Then also you need to pass a level 1 medical. And study a lot.

here is some advice from a student pilot who is about to get their privates. it takes a lot of money, my flight instructor is $50000 in debt and that’s considered good. it’s definitely a lot of hard work.. tons learning, memorizing, studying, and flying. i’m currently at 55 hours and a rough average (from everyone i have asked) that it takes to get your privates license is 65-80 hours or so. next step is a instrument rating, commercial license, a multi engine rating, and then you can go to cfi. my flight instructor had about 300 once she actually became a flight instructor (it took her roughly 2 years to go from privates-cfi). in all honesty making flying a career is a 5-10 year game plan but it’s definitely worth it.

I’m surprised someone has not already mentioned this, but head to the r/flying wiki for more information on how to become a pilot

Go to a flight school, spend a bunch of money, pass your checkride. Done

Flight school, hrs, test. Or af academy good luck lots of money and time at play

Google it! Its the best way to know 😌

Got mine in high school. Parents didn’t make much money so it took me around two years. I flew every other week at a mom and pop part 61.

My dad worked weekends and even laid tile in my CFIs house to pay for hours so I could—at times—fly more frequently.

The guy running the flight school was a real gem and even let me grade washing an airplane for a rental flight hour, which I happily obliged, being more than smitten to spend my weekends out at the airport

The first thing is get your Class 1 medical certificate done ASAP.

Have rich parents and don’t have any ADHD or depression.

Don’t do drugs, don’t get a DUI

Have money

There's a major college in E Texas called LeTourneau college, people come from world around to go there. They concentrate on the aviation fields and you can get your pilot's license there while there.

You need $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Money, lots of money. You’ll need about $65k all in before you’re done, that includes cost of living for the duration if you maintain a 2 year schedule to CFI; that and the ability to pass your medical exams without a deferral. Medicals can get really expensive, or block you entirely, depending on the issue.

Money, grit, and a clean bill of health. Start with the medical, there's no point in throwing away money if you can't get your third class or higher medical.

If you have any record of mental illness or were ever prescribed medication for depression or ADHD then you can expect to spend thousands of dollars and many months trying to get a medical certificate and you may not get it in the end.

Use google my dude.

A better resource is to go to the /r/flying subreddit, and check their FAQ wiki. All the questions you have about becoming a pilot have been asked hundreds of times and are all linked for you to read and understand.

get a licence --- buy some sort of Cessna 172 --- fly wherever you want to --- BHAUT EXPENSIVE HOGA YE KARNA WAISE

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Had me till 20 ( unemployed )

I think 2 guys did world tour using solar plane. It's cheap and less maintenance.

Not with an Indian passport bhai. Visa application me you will loose half year. Jokes aside great stuff bhai! Hope it works out for you!

1. I hate saying this sort of thing but did you google these questions before asking on Reddit? This is an incredibly broad question that gets asked all the time and there are a thousand articles and answers on Reddit on the various ways to go about becoming a pilot for a career. You should absolutely do it!
2. Have lots of money. Most people recommend against any sort of loans for flight training. At a college program you might be able to do student loans to pay for the flight portion. But bear in mind flying is on top of tuition, not included.
3. Work at an FBO as a ramper. Fueling planes, washing, customer service. You’ll make connections.
4. Being a good student in general is what you should do. Be a well rounded person. But having a strong understanding of math and physics is good, but certainly not an end all be all. Being a great communicator is probably the most important skill of all.
5. How short are you? Unless you’re like 4’9” you shouldn’t have an issue. Worst case you carry around a booster pad with you, it’s not as uncommon as you’d think. I’m 5’8” and there’s a couple planes at my flight school where I’d like a booster as with the seat all the way up I still can’t see the cowling.
6. Again, Google is your friend here. Everyone’s situation is different. Money is the biggest factor.
7. Wearing glasses is totally fine as long as it’s correctable. Do NOT get diagnosed with ANY sort of mental thing. Depression, anxiety, adhd, etc. and do NOT take any sort of medications that could even be contrived as being a medication for a mental condition. If you want to be a professional pilot, read up on the medical requirements for a first class medical. FAA puts out information on it, same with AOPA.

it’s a really cool career that has the potential to be very low paying but also could be very high paying. Depends on your timing and luck and effort.

Before you commit, go do a discovery flight!

The best careers are when you know what you want at a young age.

Just do ROTC or a military academy. That’s an easy way to get flight hours, then transition out or stay.

I did a million careers and am 40. When I got out of active duty enlisted at 20, I joined ROTC at 22 and later became a lieutenant through that program. While I was in, 1 guy became a dentist, 2 lawyers through JAG and 3 pilots. All friends, we’d go drinking and chasing girls.

It happens fast, it’s not that hard, you can do it. If you want to be a pilot, surgeon, sniper, attorney. It’s all pretty easy and debt free via the military. That’s advise I’d give my son too.

Something I wish I did was join the Air Force right out of high school so after those 4 years the military will pay for my flight training. There’s no reason to go in debt or take a loan when those 4 years go by so quick. Get a simple job in the Air Force like an office job. After those 4 years you’ll be 22 and plenty of time to have an amazing career in aviation.

-Get a medical first -Fly some before joining any school strictly for aviation. I would recommend getting a PPL during college. -The fork in the road starts in college — military or civilian route? ROTC? OCS? ANG or Reserve slot (I recommend this route). With glasses, the mil route is probably a no go however. -Do well in school and finish college -pursue Mil or Civ route. -there are many opportunities to have something block you from becoming a commercial pilot, health mainly but also attitude and ability, so have a back up career in mind if possible and be ready to shift because the economic cycle with airlines can be brutal.

1. lifelong fascination with flying and airplanes / too much disposable income
2. not to my knowledge. The regs spell out the requirements quite plainly. A lot of flight schools post their syllabus online, which may be more aligned with what you're looking for. The CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) conducting your disco flight will also be a good resource.
3. Pay out of pocket as you go. Figure out how often you want to fly and budget monthly for it. If you can afford an extra $1000 a month, you can probably afford to earn your private pilot cert in 1-2 years flying once a week. That doesn't include peripheral costs like study materials (pro-tip: the home study courses are just prettier versions of the free FAA publications), headset, exam fees, etc. I have no idea what a 172 rents for these days. I see a lot of instructors commanding $75-150/hr though.
4. I think most new private pilots rent. Once you get sick of the expense and inconvenience, look into a flying club. You say you're in Maryland, but not where in Maryland - Gaithersburg has a few big clubs which will get you access to a fleet of pipers or cessnas for maybe less than renting. The advantage is being part of a club and having access to nice airplanes to take on trips when you want (within reason). Partnerships are another economical way to share fixed costs with others. And if you really want to commit to the bit, and you intend to fly more than 100 hours a year, buying a cheap C150/152 to get your ratings in might actually save you money in the end.
5. There are tons of small GA airports in MD where you can take a discovery flight. Give us your approximate location and I'm sure someone will chime in. I'm in Virginia and the greater DMV area has a lot GA activity. It's a small world and everyone knows everyone.

okay cool have fun.

I've always wanted to fly, and I've reached a point in my life where I have both the time and money to do it. I fly single engine pistons purely for fun. I'll take my wife to dinner, take friends to sightsee, and just this last weekend flew my daughter a few states away for some college tours. I'm heading to another region of the country next week to ride bikes with some friends, and I'll fly an airplane to do that. None of this makes financial sense, but it's a ton of fun and is fulfilling a passion.

I continue to rent aircraft from the flight school that I trained at. And I'm still training there, working toward my instrument rating and commercial certificate. Benefits of renting are that, with enough notice and planning, you've always got multiple planes available to you. The downside is that it tends to be pretty expensive. But, another upside is that if the plane breaks, it's not your problem. Nor is storing it, insuring it, maintaining it, and all that stuff. At some point I'll look into a partnership with some other like-minded folks to acquire an aircraft that meets our collective needs and that'll reduce the expenses of flying. But having a backup plan, such as club membership and the ability to rent aircraft from a local flight school is something that I think I'll always have available to me.

Pro tip on starting this out to save you some time and money: Go get your medical right away to make sure that you can get one and hold one. Then go sign up for an online course like Sporty's or King School study up, and then Go take and pass the written exam. Show up to the flight school with your medical and passing score in hand. That shows people, including you, that you're serious about this and that you've already knocked out some of the requirements to get the private pilot certificate. Especially if you're working a full-time job and have other life and family responsibilities, having those things out of the way will accelerate your flight training and obtaining your certificate.

Rules

#1

• Read the FAQ before posting

Certain questions, such as "how do I become a pilot" and the like have been asked repeatedly in the past.

1. For fun.
2. See the sub's FAQ.
3. Out of pocket. I was fortunate to have a job for a company that paid me well enough to afford this.
4. All of the above, depends on each person's situation and what's available nearby. I joined a club.

I'm still a student, but I'll chime in!

1. My wife knew I had a bit of an interest, so as a gift she bought me a discovery flight, and the bug bit hard. I have several goals: $100 dollar burger date nights for the two of us. Ease/convenience seeing family out of state. And, eventually, I'd like to earn my instrument rating and accumulate enough hours that I can be in a position to do free medical transport flights. Or, I know a guy who flies puppies from kill shelters to safe havens in other states. That would be awesome too!

2. Yes, here are the steps: 1) Get your medical. I admit I haven't taken this advice yet, but I'm a pretty healthy guy in my 30s so I'm assuming I'll be fine. Watch that bite me in the ass though. 2) Register with King or Sportys Ground School and begin independent study. Supplement with CFI ground training if you want, and this is a good idea because my CFI always adds a lot of color to King's instruction, but there are enough resources out there to get you prepped up. 3) Start practical instruction with a CFI. Frankly, I find this to be the easy part as I find ground harder just given the depth of knowledge you need. 4) Pass your written and oral exams, and your check ride.

3. My flight club does hourly rentals and my CFI has an hourly rate, so I pay per flight.

4. Flying clubs are all over the place and can help you stay in the sky, but they're not practical really for actual travel - ownership is the only way to really do that. You're almost certainly going to be looking at used planes (I've been hearing there's a 7-year waitlist for new 172s? And they're like $500k anyway), and if you're looking to stay on a budget and have the ability to split costs with other pilots, you can look at fractional ownership.

5. Yes, just head over to the old Google machine! Keep in mind that you should 1000% read reviews of the flight school - you'd be amazed at some of the stories I've heard in the relatively short time as a (student) pilot. Cutting corners on critical maintenance, for example, Or the flight school in my area that was started by a convicted pedophile. There's a bunch of wild shit out there, so just make sure to do your research.

Search for flight schools in the area - go visit and talk to some different instructors. They can explain everything that goes into it. Find the place that fits and get to it.

Good luck!

I watched a married with children episode and these two sisters got into being stewardesses so they could work their way up to pilot ��‍♂️

Probably should start on the ground

just keep in mind that the 40 hours is a minimum amount required, and most people require more. You could slow roll the process, and if you do, it might actually take more time to complete it. You are training yourself and looking to build up good habits. If you wait too long between flights then you might need more time to build up those good habits

Once you get your license, you’ll want to go up flying periodically to maintain your currency. Any place you rent a plane from Will want you to have a current set of skills. It’s all based off of those good habits you built up during flight training. If you wait too long to fly once you have your license, you really do start to forget what you learned in training.

Hi. Local pilot here. I highly recommend sunshine flyers. The folks there are excellent pilots and teachers. I rent their airplanes, and they’re pretty decent. I fly the sport star of theirs.

I don’t recommend that you slow roll because it will end up costing you way more. Flying is a perishable skill. You will have to re learn maneuvers and skills as you go, resulting in more time spent.

Flying for fun is very common. That’s what I do. I fly every other day. I’m building hours. I’m in Air Force ROTC with the intent on obtaining a pilot slot in the Air Force to fly heavies.

There’s a bi annual flight review that you need to take to stay current. If you are going for private pilot, you will also need a medical to fly. The license itself is good forever, just not your currency requirements.