Airline Pilot

5 stops · self-paced · a common path, not the only one

1. 📍

   You are here

   Today — wherever you're starting from

2. 📜
   Get certifiedNext stop →

   Earn your Private Pilot License (PPL) at a flight school to learn the fundamentals

   Start with the Private Pilot License at a flight school — this is where you find out if you love actually flying. Training costs add up, so plan the money.

   ⏱ weeks–months of prep · 💵 exam & license fees

3. 📜
   Get certified

   Add an Instrument Rating and your Commercial Pilot License (CPL)

   The Instrument Rating and Commercial license let you fly for pay in tougher conditions — the step from hobbyist to professional.

   ⏱ weeks–months of prep · 💵 exam & license fees

4. 🔨
   Build skills

   Build flight hours — many pilots work as flight instructors to reach the required total

   Building the required hours is the real grind and expense. Most pilots work as flight instructors — you get paid to fly while your hours climb.

   ⏱ self-paced · 💵 free–low cost

5. 📜
   Get certified

   Earn the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate (1,500 hours in the U.S.)

   The ATP certificate (1,500 hours in the U.S.) is the big gate to an airline cockpit. Everything before it is really about reaching this number.

   ⏱ weeks–months · 💵 program fees vary

6. 🎓
   Education

   Get hired by a regional airline, then move up to a major carrier with seniority

   You start at a regional airline, then move to a major as seniority builds. Seniority controls your pay, schedule, and routes — it's everything in this career.

7. 🏁

   Airline Pilot

   Your destination