Ideally, becoming a pilot should only take 3 to 4 years, the time it takes to get your Bachelor of Science in Professional Flight. Most notably, a recreational license allows you to lift many restrictions through instructor endorsement. When you graduate, you will have earned your private and commercial pilots licenses along with your certified flight instructor (CFI) and multi-engine ratings. To become an airline pilot, it takes just over two years to gain the required 1,500 hours flight time. Even though a student may not have their certificate for 6 months, they’ll feel like a pilot right away as they take the controls with their instructor within the first week of training, especially when they take that first solo flight around month 2. Finally, some pilots receive their education courtesy of the military. It’s because of the pilot license we talk about next. This is when you’ll look at beginning your career at a regional airline like SkyWest. You can complete a private pilot certification course in about a month. Well, the extremely lucrative pilot salary and outstanding benefits don’t hurt! That’s right, working as a flight instructor makes for a great way to accrue hours while constantly honing your aeronautical knowledge and pilot skills. With just a little extra investment of time and money, a private license grants you far more privileges than a recreational one. However, it takes many years and a lot of dedication to land a job at a major airline. Welcome to our newest Sandboxx series: Air Force Fighter Pilots with U.S. Air Force F-35 pilot instructor and Sandboxx News contributor, Major Justin “Hasard” Lee. It takes ground and flight training to know how to operate an aircraft safely, though, and that takes time. Some first officers have waited decades to become a captain while others can upgrade in just a few years, but we’ll set an average range of 5-12 years from first officer to captain at a major airline. From zero to fully trained commercial pilot with ratings such as instructor, multi-engine, etc. Yet again, you get to pick between a standard and a fast-track programs to become a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). A student’s private pilot license curriculum will vary depending on their flight school and whether or not they do part 61 or part 141 private pilot license requirements, but all in all they should expect to have the PPL done in about 6 months. But how long does it take to become a pilot? You must also meet the age requirement for ATPL issuance, which is 23 years. Luckily, you only need 25 hours of training time (at a minimum) to become a certified flight instructor, or CFI, on airplanes. If you’re looking for an alternative, you could opt for a recreational pilot certificate, which offers access to bigger aircraft and more privileges. Well, nothing in life is ever guaranteed, but we’ll take a look at what’s possible. That means you’ll have to complete a four-year degree before attending officer training of some sort (there are multiple routes, ranging from ROTC to Officer Training School). Most budding pilots dream of an airline career. Assuming you’re taking four lessons per week, you’re looking at one to nearly seven weeks until your first solo. Getting the license, though, is a bit more complex than that for a sport or recreational pilot license. Every time you start an airline, you’ll start as a First Officer and have to work your way up, and how fast you do that will depend on pilot seniority. Posted: March 02, 2020 ... You don't need any prerequisites or previous experience in order to become a pilot. You see, the FAA allows pilot schools to operate under either Part 61 or Part 141, which are sections of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). So, how long does it take to get a pilot's license at this level? 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