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How Long Does It Take To Become A Pilot?

How to spend time in aviation school until you become a pilot
Earth in the shape of clock with a plane on it to refer to the duration in the flight school

العربية English :يمكنك قراءة هذا المقال باللغة

It’s OK if you don’t know how to become a pilot, or how much time you need in the aviation school you entered. And it’s OK if you want to move from being an ambitious person with zero experience into being a real airline pilot with all the experience!

Because we’re here to help you and provide you with the essential knowledge you need.

And now, we’ll discuss something that probably comes into your mind often when you think about being a pilot: Do you need so much time and many years to eventually become a pilot?

How much time do you need to shift from aviation school to an aviation job?

Basically, you’ll need 3 months in aviation school to become a private pilot, and only 2 years to become an actual airline pilot!

See how easy it is?

But wait… what is the difference between a private pilot and an airline pilot? And are there other licenses? And what will I do in these 3 months or 2 years? Well, here’s everything you need to know.

Private Pilot License

It’s the first flight program you will register in. After getting your medical license, this license will be the first step you take to ensure you belong to that outstanding field: the aviation field. In addition to that, you probably won’t be able to do anything in this whole flying career without it, and you will see that clearly in this article.

What can private pilots do?

When you’re a private pilot, you can fly with a group of people, usually a small one.

These people could be footballers, celebrities, or businessmen, and that’s why it is called a private pilot. You can also teach other aspiring individuals the basics of aviation! All you need to do is pass some exams.

However, your level of knowledge in this field will be much higher after this program.

But wait! What is that knowledge that you will learn in this program? Well, let’s see…

What will you learn in a private pilot license?

The license contains a theoretical part where you study 8 subjects that give you the basic fundamentals of aviation and information about the flying process with low or high airspeed.

As for the practical part, you fly for a total of 40 hours, 15 hours of them are solo flying. So, the total hours of this license with its two parts would be 60 hours.

When can you do the solo?

Well, it depends on you and your ability to grasp all the information you’ve learned.

You begin to fly solo when the instructor makes sure that you are able to actually fly alone while understanding all the basics and instructions of the pilot training.

To know more about this program, read here. And if you’re ready to join, register here.

Night Rating Program

After you get your private pilot license, you join this night rating license. This license already explains itself; it teaches you how to fly at night, as there are some differences between day flying and night flying.

But sharing a little secret, most of the pilots do enjoy night flying!

What will you learn in this program?

In this program, you will spend 5 hours in the theoretical part with the instructor. This instructor must have experience of 20 hours at least flying at night.

You will also spend 14 hours or more flying, including 14 landings and takeoffs. And we note that this program doesn’t request any theoretical or practical tests, you only get assessed upon your skills and your instructor’s opinion.

What is the license’s duration?

It could only take 3 days! Because it depends essentially on your learning time.

But the most important thing is to complete 20 hours of training both in studying and flying. After you get that license, and before it the private pilot license, you only have to take another medical license and then you can officially fly at night!

Instrument Rating License

On your way to becoming a great pilot, you have to receive that instrument rating license.

But why exactly that license? And why is it one of the most important licenses you get from a flight academy? Let’s find out now…

What are this license’s requirements?

First of all, you have to be at least 17 years old. Secondly, you should have earned the private pilot license. And finally, you should have good English knowledge and understanding.

What will you learn from this license?

In this license, you will find every essential piece of information about the aircraft’s equipment and technologies. It will increase your understanding of every part of the aircraft, which will contribute to the most essential principle in aviation: Safety.

How much time do you need to finish this license?

It varies from one month to 3 months because it counts on your ability to be trained. For example, if you practice everyday, then you can finish it in one month. But if you can’t, then it will take two or three months. It’s up to you!

Read also: Is It a Good Idea to Become an Airline Pilot Now?

Multi-Engine training

You’re now halfway through the journey in aviation school. And this license will speed up that process by learning to fly on aircraft with more than one engine.

What can you do with this license?

If you want to fly higher and faster than before, then this license is your ticket!

You can’t be an airline pilot without this license as it teaches you way more information you need in that type of aircraft, ones that are bigger than one engine aircraft and also fly higher. That’s why you will learn to understand more complex equipment in this program.

What is this program’s duration?

You can finish this program in 5 days, but you have to complete 10 hours of training with 6 hours of them flying. After that, you will have to do a final practical test to make sure you completely understand and you can fly efficiently.

Commercial Pilot License

Finally, you arrived at this program to become an official commercial pilot that gets paid for doing what they love: flying!

And for this license, you need to have already obtained the private pilot license to be able to join. And now, you will know some major details about the license.

What do you need for this training?

As we’ve said before, you need your private license and it is preferred to have an instrument rating one also, plus 250 hours of flying. After that, you will take a theoretical test before the practical one, to refresh all what you have learned.

And now, you will find out how this type of flying differs from the others.

What will you learn from?

As you were training on simpler aircraft in the private pilot program, this time you will learn on bigger, more complex ones. Also, you will learn 9 essential subjects.

And after this inspiring journey, you can achieve that big dream and become an airline pilot after you complete 1500 hours of flying, so you can experience the exciting nature of that job.

And now, why not take a glimpse on what essential skills an airline pilot should have acquired by now?

Key skills an airline pilot needs:

1- Leadership

You may notice that pilots don’t seem helpless or even unclear in their instructions.

Rather, they are able to convey them in a clear, decisive way, whether these instructions are for crew or passengers.

2- Speed thinking

As a pilot, you won’t take so much time to think about what to say or do, because these hours of training already teach you how to think faster and more accurately.

Read also: 9 Steps to Be a Successful Pilot

3- Understanding technical information

Of course, you will learn in these two years a huge amount of information in the aviation field generally, and about aircraft specifically. By the time you become an airline pilot, you will be working with this knowledge.

4- Situational awareness

And this means to understand everything going on around you. As a pilot, you should be aware of all the equipment around you, the aircraft itself, the schedule, and even your geographical location. You process all of this information and it makes you grasp the entire aviation process faster and better.

5- Calmness

You will notice that when the pilots give any instructions to the crew or the passengers, they aren’t only clear, but also calm!

This is a simple but essential skill you learn in aviation training, and you continue developing it through working as a pilot.

6- Multi-Tasking

And here you understand that flying isn’t the only task you do as a pilot, but there are other responsibilities and tasks you do, like checking engines and fuel, and others that you can do in a specific time and with high accuracy.

7- Self-confidence

Did you ever see a scared, shy pilot? Of course not, because the aviation field teaches you how to be confident in yourself and your decisions that you’ve made with adequate speed and focus.

Read also: How Much Is the Actual Salary of Airline Pilots?

At the end of this article, you can only imagine how remarkable it is to be a pilot, and how easy it is! So, don’t limit yourself with those wrong thoughts about how the road is hard to reach this position. Avoid these thoughts, ignore them, especially when you have corrected them by reading this article. Begin your journey now, and then tell us: How is it after you have become an actual pilot?