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Pro Track: Finding Your Way to an Airline Pilot Career

If you can picture yourself in the left seat of an Airbus, or Embraer, then you have the first step necessary to becoming a professional pilot.

With diligence, preparation, and making connections, Pia Bergqvist says the path to the left seat at a major airline opens up to you. [Courtesy: Pia Bergqvist]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Becoming a professional airline pilot requires cultivating leadership and complementary professional skills beyond just obtaining a pilot certificate.
  • The career path involves strategic time-building, thorough interview preparation (including networking, recommendations, and professional coaching), and diligent, repetitive practice of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for successful training.
  • Pilots must maintain professionalism, continuously stay current with aviation knowledge, and actively network to stand out and successfully navigate the progression from regional to major airlines, noting evolving industry standards and training environments.
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If you can picture yourself in the left seat of an Airbus, Boeing, or Embraer—or whatever transport category jet technology comes up with next—then you have the first necessary step complete on your way to becoming a professional pilot. However, the path you take—as we noted in the first feature in this section—requires more of you than simply obtaining a pilot certificate. While many focus on that narrow goal at first, it soon becomes clear that in order to successfully secure an airline pilot position with a regional, and then a major, you need to develop other skills to complement the fact you’re a decent stick.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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FLYING Staff

FLYING Magazine is a one-stop resource for everything aviation, including news, training, aircraft, gear, careers, photos, videos, and more.

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