The life of a pilot, whether private or commercial, is a very unique career which offers a wide range of experiences and growth opportunities. With each flight, one has the opportunity to learn, grow, persevere over challenges, and travel to new places. Additionally, the office is located in the cockpit of a plane which travels hundreds of miles per hour and can get the pilot nearly anywhere. Whether you’re on course to earn your license or you’re in the sky navigating, earning the title of being a pilot is very difficult but rewarding. For student pilots, obtaining a private pilot’s license is one of the most significant achievements possible to earn because it opens up so many new opportunities.

An example of what proper time management, commitment, and perseverance can do is senior Chase Turner, who recently obtained his private pilot’s license on November 8. “I’ve just always had a passion for aviation ever since I can remember,” Turner stated. Turner is a student at Louisville Aviation and is accompanied by certified flight instructor Yayha Hasan. “One of the main reasons I was so successful in getting my license is because I had a supportive instructor like he was,” Turner recalled. Turner has hopes of going into the military to pursue his career in aviation, but outside of the military his dream airlines are Delta Airlines and the United Parcel Services airline. In addition to Certified Flight Instructor Hasan, Turner is also thankful for his father, who served 20 years in the Air Force as a fighter pilot, operating both F-16 and F-35 aircraft. Additionally, Turner mentioned his grandfather who he believes to be the most supportive individual. “My grandfather helped fund my lessons there and gifted me a really nice headset. He has always been a supporter there and rooted for me…put a lot of trust…and invested a lot of money in me knowing that I could do it,” Turner recalled.

How can students at Trinity High School take their first step to get involved in aviation? Turner explains that the “first steps would be reaching out for a discovery flight, calling Louisville Aviation or Flight Club 502” and explaining that you are brand new to aviation and would like to go on a discovery flight. As student pilot you will go through a variety of different training to better adapt you to being a student-pilot and to get you closer to obtaining your private pilot’s license (PPL). You usually will begin by performing maneuvers such as steep turns, S-Turns, moving around a point, and more. You’ll work your way from there to taking off and landing an aircraft and eventually taking your solo. As a student, you’ll not only learn how to directly fly and operate an aircraft, but also how to communicate, navigate, and eventually work up to a solo flight at your own airport, followed by soloing an aircraft to other airports. Eventually when you have all requirements met, you can complete the final steps to obtaining your PPL. This requires the applicant to pass a written examination, oral examination, and a ride check. Though this may feel like a lot, Turner says that it is special to have a PPL because unlike the average individual where “anybody can have their driver’s license. It takes a lot of hard work to say, ‘I’m a pilot.’”

For students interested in becoming a student pilot it is important to know that it will be very difficult and costly. To obtain a PPL you are required to:

· Be 17 years of age

· Hold US student pilot certificate

· Read, speak, write, and understand the English language

· Pass the written knowledge test

· Two logbook endorsements

o Complete a knowledge test

o Complete the operations area 87-10 form

· Fly 40 hours total

o 20 hours with a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)

o 10 hours solo

In addition to the required flight time and required knowledge, it is important to note that obtaining a PPL can cost around $8,000 to $20,000, and up to $75,000 to $100,000 if you are looking to become an airline pilot. There are pros and cons to this process.

Some of the negatives of being a pilot is the cost of flight training, the stress one may endure in difficult situations, a difficult schedule which can change depending on when the flights are, and the long hours. To elaborate on long flights, you won’t have to worry about excessively long flights if you are remaining national, but if you are going international, then flights could be as long as 10 hours or more.

There are also many positives to being a pilot, starting with the payment. Although the investment that is required of an individual to become an airline pilot can be as much as $100,000, and even more if you’re going to college, an individual can expect to make up to $14-17 million dollars as a pilot which makes the investment very rewarding. Looking into Delta Airlines, which is one of Turner’s dream airlines, Delta Pilot Salary – How Much You Could Earn – Thrust Flight defines the salary of a Delta pilot as such: “A First Officer typically earns between $100,000 and $230,000 annually. While a Delta Captain can expect to earn between $300,000 and $400,000 per year.” In addition to the salary, pilots are also given the opportunity to travel around the world and throughout their country. Pilots are often given the ability to spend time at each destination before getting on te next flight. Being a pilot is also a very exciting experience and now more than ever the world need pilots, which means that the chance of becoming a pilot is greater.

A few pathways a student can take post-graduation to become an airline pilot is through the military, going through college, or becoming a flight instructor and earning hours from that (in addition to any additional courses needed to become an airline pilot). Going into the military will allow an individual to become a pilot for free, in a sense, and even could allow for free college through a GI bill. If the military doesn’t sound right, then the civilian route would be best. A student pilot could go through a flight school and get their hours from there as well as take additional courses or go through college. Typically, a Part 141 college would be best as it has specific courses that are approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. One perk to a Part 141 college compared to a part 61 flight school is that through a part 141 university, your 1500-hour requirement to join an airline is reduced to 1000 hours, which could be the difference between around $15,000 to $30,000 in flight training costs.

Being a pilot is much more than just being able to fly: it is knowing how to react when a situation goes wrong, knowing how to navigate in the skies, communicate with airports and other pilots, and being able to control an aircraft in difficult situations. Being a pilot is also about responsibility, working as a team, persevering through challenges, and committing oneself to a passion seen through aviation. Whether you aspire to fly a military or civilian aircraft, the journey requires dedication, continuous learning, and personal growth. As graduation approaches, remember that your potential is limitless. Take the first step toward your dream and schedule your discovery flight today!