| Mary Wells was wrong. She was the head of a | | | | an airplane type rating to fly it. In other words, you |
| trendy New York advertising agency back in the 1970 | | | | need a type rating to fly a 737 but that rating will not |
| era and she once said...advertising is the most fun you | | | | let you fly a 747 or a Learjet. |
| can have with your clothes on. | | | | The FED's, or pilots they appoint, check you out to |
| Yes, advertising is fun, but compared to flying, | | | | make sure you can fly that equipment. That little |
| advertising is just a little snuggle .I am often asked by | | | | demonstration is called a check-ride. Today, most |
| dads and sometimes young folks, what do you have | | | | check-rides are given in simulators at the airline level |
| to do to become a pilot? | | | | and in the airplane at the little plane level. So, to sum up |
| The journey can be a tough one. You have to get | | | | so far, in order to be a pilot, you will need: |
| through lots of tests and ratings and frankly, you have | | | | 1. A current medical certificate. |
| to have some luck. I had my share. | | | | 2. Rated for the category, class, and type of plane you |
| I came out of the general aviation ranks. That means I | | | | want to fly. |
| went out to the airport, paid the nice folks $25 for a | | | | Congrats. You can fly on nice sunny days! But what |
| test flight, and $10,000 later, I was in the front end of a | | | | happens if it is cloudy and foggy? Well, you will need |
| Learjet. Trust me, I got lucky. I had no business being in | | | | an instrument rating. You will have to learn how to fly |
| the front end of a Learjet at that time in my career. | | | | using the information presented to you in the airplane |
| Baby Pilot, one of my dearest friends, went to school | | | | without any benefit of outside such as where the sky |
| to become a pilot...a pilot college if you will. He went | | | | is and where the ground is. Ground school, flight training |
| about it just like you would go about becoming a | | | | and check-ride required. This rating makes a pilot a |
| teacher or a business person. He went to class and | | | | pilot. |
| his classes were in the air. He is zooming around the | | | | Now you have: |
| skies in a 747 somewhere and was one of the | | | | 1. A current medical certificate. |
| youngest guys to ever become a 747 left seat driver. | | | | 2. Rated for the category, class, and type of plane you |
| (Left seat is the captain. Right seat is the copilot. | | | | want to fly. |
| Sideways is the flight engineer.) Not all planes have | | | | 3. An instrument rating. |
| engineers anymore. There role has been replaced by | | | | Pretty big stuff! Now do you want to make a living at |
| computers and demands by airlines to cut cost by | | | | it? Well if you do, you will need a commercial pilot |
| cutting the engineer.) | | | | rating. The FED's want to know if you can fly the |
| Baby Pilot went to Emery-Riddle Aviation University. | | | | plane smoothly and with exact precision. That is import |
| There is no guarantee you will get that cushy airline job | | | | if you don't want to spill your coffee. Flight training and |
| just because you went to an aviation university! | | | | Check-ride required. Now you have: |
| Aviation is a brutal lover. It is about supply and demand | | | | 1. A current medical certificate. |
| and standards are very high. It is a popular career, too. | | | | 2. Rated for the category, class, and type of plane you |
| If you want to check, just ask five of your friend if | | | | want to fly. |
| they would like to know how to fly a plane? Then ask | | | | 3. An instrument rating. |
| the same group if they would like to become a bridge | | | | 4. A commercial rating. |
| designer. You will get the idea. | | | | Plenty neat. Now you really are hot stuff. You can fly |
| The government is the biggest supplier of pilots. The | | | | a single engine land plane in the clouds smoothly and |
| Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines turn out tons of | | | | be paid for it. But how many single engine airliners are |
| them and these pilots are popular with the airlines. | | | | there? |
| Delta loves them! If you want to become a pilot and | | | | The FED's want to see more from you and the more |
| serve your country, why not check out the services? | | | | is called a multi-engine rating. Can you safely fly |
| Most of the service pilots will come out of the officer | | | | something with one or more motors going or one of |
| corps so you should check into the service academies | | | | those motors not going? Flight training and check-ride |
| and use some congressional pull to help get you in. | | | | required. Now you have: |
| Frankly, having some pull is another big part of aviation. | | | | 1. A current medical certificate. |
| You will need some. Make pilot friends. Go to the | | | | 2. Rated for the category, class, and type of plane you |
| airport and say hello. | | | | want to fly. |
| You also have to be healthy. In fact, everything | | | | 3. An instrument rating. |
| revolves around you being healthy. A pilot's license is | | | | 4. A commercial rating. |
| good for life but you have to have a current medical | | | | 5. Multi-engine rating. |
| certificate before you can get in a plane and fly it. | | | | Now comes the toughest test of all and the FED's |
| There are three medical classes. | | | | have nothing to do with it. The insurance companies |
| Third Class Medical. Your heart is beating. You can | | | | call this one. Those folks want to see some |
| hear fairly well. You can see. Get this and you can fly | | | | experience before you go zooming off into the clouds |
| but not for hire. In other words, you can fly but not be | | | | and pay-for-play skies. 1,500 hours of flying experience |
| paid for it--no career potential. The certificate is good | | | | would be dandy! |
| for three years and you have to be examined by a | | | | But not many people have the bucks to fly around for |
| doctor certified by the Federal Aviation Administration | | | | another 1,000 or so hours at $75 an hour to build the |
| (known as the FED's). | | | | time to reach that magic 1,500 hour mark. What do |
| Second Class Medical. This one is a little more | | | | young pilots do? |
| complex. It's usually reserved for pilots who get paid to | | | | Back to the ratings. Pilots teach other pilots how to fly |
| fly but who are not airline captains. It's good for one | | | | and it is often the young 500 hour pilots that become |
| year. | | | | the teachers. They are called flight instructors There is |
| First Class Medical. Any pilot sitting in the left front of a | | | | ground school to take and a check ride from the right |
| commercial airliner has to have this medical certificate. | | | | seat. That will allow them to teach new pilots how to |
| It's a much more complex exam and is only good for | | | | fly on sunny days. Get an instrument instructor rating |
| six months. | | | | and you can teach new pilots how to fly in clouds. Get |
| If you are wondering what it will take to become an | | | | a multi-instructor rating; and you can teach them how |
| airline pilot, here's a great place to start. Find an | | | | to fly multi engine airplanes. |
| approved FAA doctor--the pilots at the airport can | | | | Get the picture? You can log the needed time sitting in |
| help you with that or ask your family doctor--and get a | | | | the right seat and nagging a young pilot in the left seat |
| first class medical exam. If you pass, you have a shot | | | | like an ex-wfie at a son's wedding. Plus, the student |
| at being an airline captain if you stay healthy. If you | | | | pilot pays and you get paid to teach. |
| don't pass, get passionate about something else and | | | | Last but not least, the ATP or Airline Transport Rating. |
| save yourself tons of money and frustration! Plus, you | | | | You need 1,500 hours of experience to get this one. It's |
| get a cheap physical. | | | | the master's degree of aviation. The ATP will help you |
| On to the business of learning how to fly. | | | | get a better job. |
| Category. Class. Type. Those are important words to | | | | Hopefully, you will, but always remember, there are a |
| the FED's and you! It's how the FED's sort things out | | | | lot of pilots out there and as fuel prices go up and |
| and see who is qualified to fly what. Category refers | | | | airlines merge and fold, the number of jobs is getting |
| to stuff in the air...plane, airship, balloon yada. Class | | | | tighter. It's a tough business. It demands perfection. And |
| refers to single engine, multi-engine. Type refers to the | | | | it takes luck to get in. |
| type of airplane. Think Ford...Pickup...F-150. | | | | But once you do, sorry Mary Wells, it's the most fun |
| If an airplane is over 12,500 pounds in weight, you need | | | | you can have with your clothes on! |