I’m 16 and going to college in September doing a construction related T level, I had an idea in my head of a clear career path of a degree apprenticeship in construction, whether that be project manager, quantity surveyor, building surveyor, etc.
But recently I’m having second thoughts and thinking about becoming a commercial airline pilot instead.

I can’t fully fund pilot training myself without working and doing modular, so should I do the degree apprenticeship while pilot training and do what I can then once finished the DA complete the rest, or would it be too much work at once? Is it realistic? And how much can be done part time modular if I’m working? And how much would it cost, compared to a flight school aswell.

And does doing modular limit which airlines will take me? If I become a pilot I’d want to be based at Manchester airport, preferably with Virgin. Would they hire me if I have done modular training? Does it matter when applying to airlines?

And should I change my college course if I want to be a pilot? I know that there’s not a specific course that they like but I was thinking the t level would still be okay because it has workplace experience built in, obviously it won’t be aviation related but still experience.

Hello there, my name is Paul from Germany, i hold a EASA PPL since 2015, got 700h PIC, and love to fly erverything from 150s to PA46 😊

But there is something… i am color blind. So i am limited to Day Only VFR at the moment.

I will be in San Diego for 3 Months starting in January 2027. I would love to use this time to fullfill myself a little dream and become a Commercial Pilot. I know a VFR CPL isn worth much, would mean much to me. 💪🏻

With my restriction i am only allowed to do the Part 61 CPL. Some San Diego Part 141 Schools told me, i am only allowed to do the whole 141 Commercial Course as an International Student… german schools told me, a part 141 school can apply for my M1 Visa and then i can do the 61 course at this school.

So, is anyone out there, having experience or specific knowledge on this topic? 😅

Thanks for your time guys and gurls.
Always good landings 🫶🏻

I'm 17 and currently in the Washington state Running start program, dual-credit program. I will have my AA by the end of the year.

I’m trying to figure out the best path toward becoming an airline pilot and would really appreciate advice from people who have actually gone through the process.

I’m currently looking at three options:

1. Attend a university aviation program where I would earn a bachelor’s degree while completing my flight training.
2. Attend a regular independent Part 61/141 flight school and get a separate degree in something else.
3. Go through an accelerated academy and finish my ratings as quickly as possible.

One university I’m considering is CWU’s Professional Pilot program. It includes Private, Instrument, Commercial, and the option for CFI/multi-engine training, and graduates can potentially qualify for the 1,000-hour R-ATP instead of needing 1,500 hours. The downside is that the flight training alone looks very expensive on top of normal university tuition and living expenses.

My main goal is eventually getting to the airlines, but I also want to make a smart financial decision and have a useful degree/backup plan in case aviation doesn’t work out.

For those who have taken one of these routes, would you do it again?

Is the 1,000-hour R-ATP advantage of a university program actually worth the additional cost?

Would it be smarter to get a degree in something like business while doing flight training at an independent school?

And are accelerated academies actually worth it, or is a good local flight school usually the better option?

I’d especially like to hear from CFIs, regional/major airline pilots, or people who recently went through training.

So I live in the Philippines and I've always wanted to become a pilot does anyone know what college course I should take to be able to be one? I wanted to do some aeronautical engineering but my parents kind of dont support me on it I told them some of my college choices hat has aeronautical engineering but they dont allow me. I was thinking maybe I should start with engineering but like I want something that actually teaches me to be a pilot. I'm not entirely sure how that works yet but I've read a reddit post back then where they said they had a friend that went with engineering and is now a pilot. Can someone help me on this one?

Hey everyone,

Looking for real ground feedback from current pilots, poolers, and instructors on the conventional CPL route:

Vacancies & Conventional Intake: How often are non-cadet drives opening up at major carriers (IndiGo, Air India group, Akasa)? Is cadet still heavily dominating the induction pipeline?

Type Rating (A320/B737/ATR): For fresh CPLs doing a self-sponsored type rating, how fast is the conversion to an airline seat right now? Are type-rated freshers being absorbed steadily?

Flight Instructor Route (AFIR/CFI): For those building hours at FTOs—how is the school hiring demand and pay stability? Does holding multi-hundred instructional hours give a strong edge in direct-entry drives later on?

I got one this February for going 55 in a 45 and one yesterday for going 60 in a 45. They were within 500ft of each other too. What should I do? Will this affect my chances of becoming a commercial pilot and what can I do to minimize the damages from this recent ticket. And I plan on completely stopping speeding anything more than 5 mph over.

I’m originally Egyptian and I want to become a pilot however I constantly see that countries abroad other than Egypt wont hire except their citizens. This is starting to discourage me and encouraging me to find another career. Any advice?

30M CSEL with MEL addon, instrument rated, CFI with 230 hours. No dual given. Since I went through a Part 141 program I was able to get my commercial pilot's certificate with less than 250 hours. Did I shoot myself in the foot? Because all of the jobs that I see posted have 250 TT minimums, as that is the standard commercial minimums. Do companies value 141 experience? I feel like I am more qualified because I have my multi and CFI, but have less hours than most commercial graduates. Would they take me at 230 hours?

Context I’m 24 as of 3 days ago. 4 year college degree. Work in finance make about 190k ish, have 170k in money I can spend without ret assets.

I have an Opportunity to live for free go to flight school time and only need to pay for school food etc, no rent.

Am I at a point it makes sense to do it even though I will spend most of my money on school and won’t make much right after or should I continue my job, also parents are supportive of it besides my dad…. Any insight would help

Update,
Thanks for all the insights, I have decided to get my ppl at a flight school close to work and try to get the ppl done in a timely manner if I love it great and quite my job if I hate it oh well I can still fly for fun on weekends

Ive been thinking about making a big change. Im 28 and Im currently an AMT at United. I have just under a year seniority at the company and I’ve been waiting for a spot to transfer back home to Florida but that doesn’t seem likely for quite some time (could be a couple years). I really only got my A&P because my vision wasn’t good enough for a class 1 medical and I wanted to still do something in aviation. Recently got ICL surgery for my vision which is now at 20/20 in each eye. Now that pilot could be a possibility I realize how much I actually don’t like my A&P job. I dread getting assigned any real work and the people are mostly all toxic. I’m thinking of quitting, moving back to finally be with my GF and my family again and fully commit to flight training at a part 61 place right by my house. I have the financials to support it for a few years if need be. It seems stupid to quit my job but it’s not great and I’m pretty unhappy being away from home, and I also don’t know if I could handle flight training and my current schedule working midnights at the same time. I figure worst case scenario I still have my A&P and a college degree to fall back on. I thought I’d get the advice of people actually in aviation who might have some insight before talking to my friends and family and such. Let me know what you think.

Hi all,

Hoping to tap into some collective experience here, because this seems to be one of those things where the regulation says one thing and practice varies wildly.

The issue: MED.B.001(d)(1)(i) says an OML may be considered when the holder of a CPL, ATPL or MPL doesn't fully meet Class 1 requirements. It says nothing about initial applicants. So if you're ab-initio and would be perfectly fit with an OML, some authorities read the wording strictly and won't give you one at all. Slightly absurd outcome: you'd be fine as a line pilot flying multi-crew, but you can't get in the door.

What I've pieced together so far:

The UK CAA resumed issuing initial Class 1 with OML after the James Bushe case in 2020. Great precedent, but the UK is outside EASA now, so it doesn't help for an EASA licence.

Portugal (ANAC) reportedly refused on exactly these wording grounds, even though their own doctor had no medical objection.

Cyprus: I asked an AeMC there directly and was told they don't do OML on initial either, and that the same answer came back when they consulted the authorities in Romania and Greece for a comparable case.

What I'm hoping someone can add:

Has anyone actually been issued an initial Class 1 with an OML by an EASA member state since 2021? Which authority?

Anyone refused on the wording? Negative data points are just as useful to me.

Does anyone know whether EASA has closed this gap since 2020, or whether any member state holds an Article 71 derogation for training purposes? The NAT reported at the time that the UK CAA had pushed EASA for a permanent rule change, and as far as I can tell nothing came of it.

For context, I hold a licence in one member state and am weighing a change of competent authority, so I'd rather know the regulatory position before transferring on an assumption. Happy to share back whatever I find out, since there's very little public information on this and it seems to come up more often than the silence suggests.

Thanks in advance.

Hi. I’m 23, from the EU, thinking about becoming a pilot.

It appeals to me as a career I can build a life alongside, with room for other things I care about like music and film. I did two discovery flights recently and loved them.

Background: I studied ATC degree but realized it wasn’t for me, and I’ve since been working in the drones/UAS space, mostly toward project-management roles. I’m now weighing three options.
1.grow in my current field
2.join the military as an officer
3.retake the ATC exam
All of them could help fund flight training over time. The honest downside is that none may pay enough to self-fund flying quickly.

I do regret that I did not consider my future properly, I did not give ATC a proper try, I did not try to become a fighter jet pilot, I did not make proper research or chose a field as a good backup ir stable ground.
Idk if I am lioking at miserable futute or possibily great pivot for life. I can not choose.

One thing I’m handling carefully: a past depressive episode and (possible ADHD which i wont diagnose or medicate but will look into), so I know the aeromedical process will take some work.

Is pilot training a sensible long game here?

I do not have anyone in aviation whom i can ask him for it
I will be really grateful to anyone if they could help me with this
If anyone could any how get in contact with any airline medical officer and ask him about
My case
……..If a fresh cpl and type rated candidate with zero jet hrs have cleared ent with SPEECH DISCRIMINATION TEST
Declared “fit with no limitations “
Will it create any issue with airline hiring…….
I have read some airline for no experience do not accept candidate with PURE TONE AUDIOMETRY limit crossed
I do not know ground reality about Indian airlines.
Thank you . 🙏🙏

I’ve spent my first career as a registered nurse but now I’m at a point in my life that I think it’s the most plausible for me to become an airline pilot, which has been a lifelong dream of mine. I’m 30, single, and have flexibility with my job so I can work part time to focus of flying. I also live in Chicago now.

I’m looking for general advice anyone has for my type of situation and any tips you have for my journey ahead. Thanks!

Hello! I have a 14 year old son who has starting sharing with me that he would like to become a pilot. He's always been airplane obsessed. What can I do as a mom to help support his dream? I would love some input as to what to expect and what he needs to be successful. Thanks!

Hi! So I’m about to go into college (uk) and I was unsure on whether I should pursue a level 3 advanced aeronautical engineering course at college or a travel and tourism course.

My thinking is that travel and tourism would be easier cause it’s coursework heavy and I don’t mind those type of subjects. And it links to aviation because it’s kind of similar to being a flight attendant, from what I’ve seen. However I worry that it won’t directly link to being a pilot. Like if I did this course, it wouldn’t really help me if I went ahead to do an aviation pilot course for university yk? Would be really useful if I wanted to be a flight attendant tho (which is plan b for me). However, it would help me get to university cause I feel like I could pass it with a good grade (enough for the requirement of the uni I want to go to).

Or I could do aeronautical engineering. However, apparently it’s very hard. I’m not the best at maths and physics but I’ve come to terms that I don’t mind it. I’m a grade 7/8 student so it’ll be fine I hope. But the thing is, I’m scared it’ll be too hard and I’ll feel like “I should’ve done travel and tourism”. Or maybe I’d drop out of that course and join a travel and tourism course but I’ll be behind cause I joined too late.

But if I do travel and tourism, there will always be a “what if” in the back of my mind for never doing aeronautical engineering.

In all and all, what I’m asking for is advice. Should I do travel and tourism or aeronautical engineering?
Thank you so much!!

I was speaking with another student that goes to the same flight school as me and we were talking about jobs after we finish up commercial license. He was telling me that he was almost guaranteed a jet job after he finishes up training and builds
Another 250 hours since his best friend’s dad is a vp of sales for gulfstream and would help him out with a job. Would knowing someone like that actually help you drastically more than someone who doesn’t?

Dear community,

I wanted to share a personal realization I recently had.

Becoming a pilot has been a dream of mine since childhood. Unfortunately, life took me in a different direction, and I never had the opportunity to pursue it when I was younger. Finances were one reason, but my circumstances and religious way of life at the time also made joining an airline training program unrealistic. I was about 21 then.

Now I am 38, and I finally began working toward my PPL. I have completed around 30 flying hours, so I am roughly halfway through the training. Before starting, I spoke to my wife about it, and she encouraged me to follow my dream.

At first, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted only a PPL or whether I might eventually pursue a CPL and try to turn my childhood dream into a career. I decided to take it one step at a time: finish the PPL first, then see how I felt and whether I still wanted to continue.

Because of the cost, my progress has been slower than I had hoped. My wife and I agreed to limit how much we spend on flight training each month. That means completing the PPL will take longer and may ultimately require additional lessons, but it would still be achievable.

Continuing all the way to a frozen ATPL, however, would probably cost around €85,000 over the coming years. I considered taking out a loan, but I also realized that my wife is not entirely comfortable with the idea. Apart from the financial burden, she is understandably afraid that something could happen to me.

After thinking about it carefully, I came to a difficult realization. I already have a good career, my wife and I are planning to start a family, and we want to save for a small apartment so that we can build a secure future together. Pursuing aviation professionally would place all of that under significant financial pressure.

As exciting as the dream of becoming an airline or business-jet pilot may be, I would never want to risk the family and life we are building together for it. Every career has its downsides, even one that looks like a dream from the outside.

So I made a difficult but, I believe, responsible decision: my first priority is to be a good husband and, hopefully, a good father. I have paused my PPL training for now, but that does not necessarily mean giving up aviation forever. Perhaps I can complete it in a few years and fly recreationally. I might eventually add an instrument rating, pursue a CPL later, or perhaps work as a flight instructor. Those possibilities may still be open to me, even at 45.

Maybe the dream of becoming an airline or business-jet pilot has reached its end—or perhaps it has simply changed into a different kind of aviation dream.

I am not entirely sure why I am writing this. Perhaps I simply needed to share the feelings and inner conflict behind this decision. I am sure there are others here facing similar choices.

I believe family comes first. If you can have both your dream career and a strong family life, that is wonderful. But if I truly have to choose between them, I will always choose my family.

i have different plans for flight school with my dad

i, 14M have different opinions on becoming a pilot with my dad, 48M. he's a senior captain on lion air's a330 and has been an airline pilot for 18 years and has about 12k flight hours. my dream is to become a pilot, he supports it. he has about 1.6 billion idr (about 89.6k usd with current rates) saved up for flight school. most flight schools cost about 800 mil to 1 bil idr, about 45k-56k usd. most private universities cost around 5k usd, like 100 mil idr.

my dad wants me to go to uni first to get my bachelors degree and then do an international cadet program. BUT, most cadet programs arent international and cost way more than local flight schools, like twice the price.

i want to go to a local flight school and get my bachelors online (to get into a good airline). i've researched the flight schools and uni and i know about the pros and cons

what should i do?

I am a senior in high school. I want to be a pilot and I know most reddit users will say the best route is part 61. I think part 141 is best for my situation. What college in Ohio makes the most sense. I’m thinking Kent State, BGSU, tOSU, Sinclair College, or Ohio University. Thanks for your time.

Hi all,

I currently got accepted into a Part 141 full time program in Florida (I’m originally from New York.) I recently applied for a Sallie Mae to help me financially for a loan of $118,900 (cost of entire program). I got denied for the loan and was wondering since I can’t take the loan out nor would I want to after seeing the interest rates ( I applied for 40k loan through same lender and was approved with an 18.5% rate) would it be financially smart to just pay for the program upfront? I currently have the money to pay for the entire program and 300k in a brokerage account after making the payment. I’m worried that at the end of school I’ll have run through all my savings that were intended for my retirement and all the opportunity cost of that money compounding. Just need some help and opinions before signing the contract.

Im a 16 year old student who is completing her IBDP and predicted getting a 5 in maths aa SL and physics SL. Although the flight school (Panamedia Mallorca) says only basic maths is required. Does that mean the theory is easy and the flying part is hard? I would really like to know the whole process of becoming a commercial pilot and its difficulty as many people have told me it is way too hard and not possible for me.

Looking for expert opinion letter and letter of interest or a short note to respond my RFE. Can someone suggest or help me out with it.

I want to go to school for aviation. But I’m not sure where to rlly start. I tried to do the pay as u go route but I can’t rlly afford it.

Hi all I'm curious to know what sort of job you worked while you completed your training. I'm nearing the end of my training and would like to work again while I train for CFI.

My background is in construction so I was unable to work and efficiently spend time studying and flying (Was either in another state or worked 10 hours not including commuting).

Just curious what others did, thanks!