To Be An Airline Pilot

Andrew Cook

• Editore: Airlife
• Anno: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781847974105
• Argomento: Tecnología e ingeniería
• Categoria: Aviación

If your dream is to be an airline pilot, or you would like to know what it takes, this book reflects the experiences, thoughts and findings of a trainee pilot throughout the journey that took him into the right-hand seat of a jet airliner. The book covers everything that you need to consider before and during the training process, including where to train and how to raise funds. The flying course structure and ground school subjects are detailed, and many sample exam questions are included to give a flavour of what lies ahead. The book also looks behind the scenes, at life on a training campus, and considers all the important practicalities before going on to look at how to find that dream job.

CHAPTER 1

WHAT IS THE ATPL?

Understanding flying licences and their privileges can be quite complicated. Unfortunately, achieving your goal of becoming an airline pilot is not as simple as paying a fee and studying for the licence; there are many hurdles and difficulties to overcome before you can sit in the right-hand seat as second-in-command of a commercial aircraft. With persistence and a little careful planning, however, you can make the process easier, and the following chapters of this book should help you do that.

Every flying qualification comprises a basic licence, to which you can add ‘ratings’ that will allow you to expand the privileges of that licence, such as flying in low visibility and cloud – known as Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). Among the flying licences you can obtain are:

• National Private Pilot’s Licence (NPPL)
• Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL)
• Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL)
• Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL)

To all of these licences, except the NPPL, you can add the following ratings:

• Night Rating
• IMC Rating
• Instrument Rating
• Multi-Engine Rating
• Instructor’s Rating

If you wanted to fly purely for recreational purposes and had no intention of obtaining a commercial qualification, an NPPL could be suitable. This licence restricts the holder to flight in basic lightweight aircraft in the UK and during the day only. Ratings can be added to the NPPL to match the type of aircraft you want to fly, such as Microlight, Self-Launching Motor Glider (SLMG) and Single-Engine Piston (SEP). The licence has lower medical requirements than other licences and does not require as much training as the PPL. The latter is also suitable as a recreational licence, but has much greater possibilities, allowing you to fly in Joint Aviation Authority (JAA) states during the day and offering a wider choice of ratings. It requires a Class 2 medical certificate. The PPL can be the first rung on the ladder to a commercial qualification. For this, you also need to obtain a CPL or ATPL.

A STEP-BY-STEP PROGRAMME

When training to become an airline pilot, typically you would go through a programme that consists of obtaining the following licences and ratings in the approximate order shown, depending on the training provider:

1. Private Pilot’s Licence
2. Multi-Engine Rating
3. Night Rating
4. Commercial Pilot’s Licence
5. Instrument Rating
6. Frozen Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence
7. Type Rating

In most cases, your first flight right through to the Instrument Rating will be achieved at your flying school, resulting in the award of a Multi-Engine Commercial Pilot’s Licence and Instrument Rating. These, along with passes in all of the ground-school exams, make up a frozen ATPL. If you are successful in gaining employment with an airline, the company will provide specific training on the aircraft you will fly so that you can gain the necessary type rating and begin to earn your keep.

TOWARD THE CAPTAIN’S SEAT

Of course, you may be dreaming of the ultimate goal – to become a captain. For this, you need to unfreeze your ATPL by amassing 1,500 hours of flying experience.

An ATPL for aircraft allows you to exercise all of the privileges of a PPL, a CPL and an Instrument Rating as the pilot in command or co-pilot of any aircraft type included on the licence. The minimum age for holding an ATPL is twenty-one years, and its period of validity is five years. Upon reaching sixty-five, the holder cannot pilot a public transport flight.

To obtain an ATPL, you will need:

• 1,500 hours of flight time (of which 100 hours can be gained on a simulator), including:
• 500 hours of multi-crew flight time
• 250 hours of pilot-in-command (PIC) time (of which 150 can be as pilot in command under supervision – PICUS)
• 200 hours of cross-country flight time (of which 100 must be as PIC or PICUS)
• 75 hours of instrument flight time (of which 30 hours can be instrument ground time)
• 100 hours of night flight time
• Passes in all fourteen ATPL theory examinations
• Completion of an approved Multi-Crew Co-operation course
• A pass in the ATPL skills test

So how long will it take to reach 1,500 hours? The most important task after you finish at the flying school is to obtain a type rating with an airline, and start flying as a co-pilot to build up your hours and experience. As a young first or second officer, you will probably fly about 900 hours a year. Given that you will already hold 200 hours or so, you can see that it will take only around one-and-a-half years to reach the 1,500 hours. Most airlines, however, will not be willing to promote you to captain until you have acquired sufficient experience, which may take as long as twelve years.

CHAPTER 2

WHEN TO TRAIN AND HOW TO FUND

Choosing a time to train is an important decision. You need to ensure that you are up to the task, that you are prepared financially and that the industry is ready for you. It may be that as much as you want to become a pilot, the job simply is not for you; there are ways of checking this for yourself. If you are certain that a career in flying is the right path to follow, then you need to maximize your chance of success.

APTITUDE TESTING

No matter what type of selection process you go through, at some point, it is likely that you will have to face a number of aptitude tests. In aviation, these are designed to demonstrate your ability to deal with problems, numbers, words, lateral thinking and, often, mechanical reasoning. There are psychometric tests as well, which are designed to give an insight into your personality. These are similar to the aptitude tests, but are easier and of greater variety. Rather than determining your aptitude, they place you into personality groups to indicate if you are the right kind of person for the job. There are many books and websites that give examples of such tests, allowing you to familiarize yourself with them, which can only be to the good when taking them for real.

Before committing yourself to any training, it would be of great benefit to know whether or not you do have the aptitude to be an airline pilot. This can be done by taking a test for real, which can be achieved in a number of ways. Many universities and higher-education centres run practice psychometric tests for those seeking employment. Although not aimed specifically at potential pilots, such tests will give you valuable experience in answering similar questions. I think the best way of ensuring that you have airline-pilot aptitude, however, is to take the aptitude test designed for Royal Air Force aircrew applicants. In 1996, the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators negotiated with the RAF for the right to use its system, which since has been very successful. The scheme consists of a battery of tests that examine your co-ordination, memory, numeracy, verbal reasoning, and mechanical, planning and reaction skills. On completion, you are given your results and discuss your performance with a member of GAPAN, all of whom have a strong airline pilot training background. Although there is a charge for the tests, do not be put off by this, as it could prevent you from wasting a large amount of money if you are not a suitable candidate.

If you have already applied to join the RAF or have been in a University Air Squadron, you will have taken this test already and know if you met the requirements for a pilot. In this case, however, you will not have been given your score, as it is confidential to the RAF. If you reached the requirements for an RAF pilot, you would have achieved the score that GAPAN recommends for a good chance of success.

The following multiple-choice questions are similar to those I have faced in aptitude tests for various airlines, which will give you an idea of what to expect. Try to complete each question within fifteen seconds.

1) All employees should ___________ from such a reward scheme.
Result, Credit, Succeed, Enrol, Benefit?

2) What is 0.8 divided by 0.2?
0.16, 0.25, 0.4, 4.0, 16.0

3) Which of the following lines is the odd one out?
----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------

4) If 1500 balls cost £42.50, how much would 2500 cost?
£25.50, £56.67, £70.83, £106.25, £78.80

5) What is 35.8+2.41?
38.13, 33.39, 32.81, 33.11, 38.21

MEDICAL STANDARD

A possible setback for the potential airline pilot is his or her medical condition. The Civil Aviation Authority has differing requirements for private and commercial licences. If you are aiming to be an airline pilot, however, it is worth ensuring that you reach the correct medical standard from the outset. In fact, most training organizations will insist on this before you begin the course. A PPL requires a Class 2 medical certificate, but any commercial qualification requires a Class 1 certificate, which has many more criteria.

The initial Class 1 medical comprises many tests and is the most expensive. It is conducted at the UK CAA Aero Medical Centre at Gatwick Airport. As with aptitude testing, it is advisable to take the Class 1 medical before you spend time and money pursuing your career. Although you may feel well and healthy, and have no previous medical conditions, you may not meet the standard set by the CAA. This could be because you have a condition that does not affect everyday life or that shows no symptoms, but which may affect you when flying.

Your first Class 1 medical will take a few hours and consist of hearing and sight tests, a general examination, cholesterol and haemoglobin tests, a urine sample and chest X-ray. If you have any doubt about the quality of your eyesight, it may be worth seeking the advice of an optician before taking the Class 1. This could prevent any disappointment and save you the large cost of the medical.

The medical certificate needs revalidating every year, but subsequent medicals are less comprehensive and cost less. That said, since you are embarking on a career as an airline pilot, it is advisable to look after your body by maintaining a healthy diet and doing plenty of exercise from the outset. This could prevent troubles in the future and ease any concern about future medical certificate renewals.

START FLYING

If you have never had a flying lesson, yet you believe you were born to be an airline pilot, then the only way to be sure is to start flying. There are people who embark on airline pilot courses without ever having placed a foot in a light aircraft, but this has the potential to be a very costly mistake. Although flying lessons are expensive, an initial lesson is a priority. In addition to providing valuable experience, it...