| For flight professionals and pilots alike, one of the most | | | | only allowed to fly solo under special circumstances. |
| important aspects of their professional lives is | | | | Flight students must spend a number of hours in the |
| maintaining proper certification in their job area. | | | | classroom before setting foot in the cockpit. |
| Whether it is a flight attendant, mechanic, or First | | | | The next level of certification is private flight |
| Officer, everyone involved in the daily transit of the | | | | certification. Those with a private piloting license can fly |
| public by airplane must maintain a certain level of | | | | for recreation or alone but cannot take any |
| certification in order to remain airline staff. The problem | | | | compensation during flight except in extreme |
| for many pilots, especially on international airlines or | | | | circumstances. Pilots who earn a private certification |
| regular international flights, is keeping track of the | | | | must spend 40 hours in the air before completing their |
| hodgepodge of certification standards across the | | | | license requirements. |
| world. | | | | For pilots who want to work for hire while flying, |
| The United States offers a particularly strong model | | | | acquiring a commercial pilot's license is paramount. |
| for flight certification and a quick study of their | | | | Commercial pilots can work for pay in a number of |
| certification process can help flight professionals learn | | | | capacities, including cargo flights, charters, and |
| what questions to ask in their jobs. The number of | | | | contracting out to government agencies. Pilots who |
| certified pilots in the United States has decreased over | | | | want to earn a commercial license must learn about |
| the last 25 years, lowering from 825,000 licensed pilots | | | | FAA commercial regulations, pass a test, and spend |
| in 1980 to 618,000 active pilots in 2004. There are also | | | | 250 hours in air to fulfill their certification requirements. |
| hundreds of thousands of flight dispatchers, attendants, | | | | The final level of certification in civilian aviation is Airline |
| mechanics, and others who are licensed by the federal | | | | Transport licensing. This level of certification allows |
| government to work aboard airline flights. | | | | pilots to attain the level of captain for major airlines and |
| Pilots in the United States must receive a certification | | | | regularly schedule commercial flights. The standards |
| from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before | | | | are extremely high for Airline Transport licensees, with |
| taking off. Four different types of certification are | | | | 1,500 hours in the air required to meet federal |
| available for American pilots looking to get in the air. | | | | regulations. As well, there are a number of tests, |
| Student certifications allow young aviation enthusiasts | | | | evaluations, and other obligations that need to be met |
| the opportunity to learn how to fly with the help of a | | | | to acquire an Airline Transport license. |
| qualified and experienced flight trainer. Students are | | | | |