Pilot education. Where are my wings? Responsibilities of a Civil Aviation Pilot

What profession is it - a pilot, where you can get a document certifying your belonging to it, what you should know before making a choice. What is needed to lift the plane into the sky? ? Will there be enough certain baggage of knowledge, which is obtained in flight colleges or universities. These and many other questions are of interest to the young male generation.

To the great regret of applicants and airlines, everything is not so simple. Moreover, the situation in the profession is extremely confusing - on the one hand, there is a shortage of pilots, on the other hand, graduates are not hired. But, everything is in order.

Selection criteria.

Educational institutions of such a plan mainly exist on the basis of budget places, but not everyone who wants to get into them. The reason is the passage of a medical examination, any deviation from the norm may be a reason for refusal.

The future pilot must have a healthy heart, blood vessels, lungs, normal blood pressure, and the vestibular apparatus without disturbances. During the educational process, students, or rather, cadets, will repeatedly undergo a commission, with any health problem, you can part with the profession.

Pilots undergo medical examinations not only during training, but also throughout their working life, they pass carefully, looking ahead with a bias. Probably, for this reason, in our time, much fewer representatives of this profession are graduating than just a couple of decades ago, this leads to the fact that, for example, over a five-year period of time, twice as many pilots retire as they enter the service.

What do pilots learn?

The life of a flight student is very interesting and eventful. To begin with, he gets acquainted with the device of various types of aircraft. It studies the methods and possibilities of operating and managing a ship, in professional language it is called navigation, which includes the theory and practice of how to control an air vehicle, as well as routing - orienting it in an optimally chosen spatial path.

They study the design of aircraft and their engines, meteorology, aerodynamics. They learn to provide first aid, parachute jump, master the skills of a rescuer. And every pilot must know English to work on international flights.

Practice usually takes place in training complexes on special simulators.

What awaits graduates.

But, despite the lack of specialists in this profession, not every company opens its doors to young graduates, or rather, they will not open it at all. After graduating from an educational institution, where cadets acquire a small number of hours spent at the helm, they should improve their skills: increase flying hours and obtain a flight license. The more hours a graduate flies, the more favorable he will appear before the future employer

And this is where the graduate pilot runs into a big problem. Even in the last century, all this was very easy and simple, but the educational organizations that issued the license and helped to fly hours were closed or transferred to private management. Because, all this is incredibly expensive - fuel, equipment, repairs and simple maintenance.

How to become a pilot without an educational institution.

As mentioned above, there are flying clubs that provide piloting courses and flying hours, mostly commercial, where there is a staggered training system.

The first stage - upon completion, you get a certificate of an amateur pilot, with which you can fly, but you will not be able to get a job, so to speak - a pilot yourself.

The second stage is a commercial pilot. Prior to obtaining a certificate of this level, they are allowed only if they have a certificate of the previous level. The pilot already has the right to work, drive light aircraft, go on commercial flights on aircraft that have only one engine. These commercial pilots are usually hired by smaller airlines for short haul flights.

The third step is line pilots. A certificate of this category also cannot be obtained without the first two or a pilot's diploma, from any educational institution. A line pilot has ten times more flight hours than a university graduate and the right to fly all aircraft, exactly the kind of pilots airline employers are looking for. And not just looking, but literally, tracking and waiting.

To help the future applicant, a list of the main Higher and secondary educational institutions has been compiled.

Pilot is a specialist who has all the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills to control aircraft. Airplanes and helicopters can serve as the latter. The words "pilot" and "pilot" are almost synonymous, but are used in slightly different contexts: pilots are usually called those who fly civil aircraft, and pilots are those who work in the military industry. There is also a specialization of a test pilot who tests new air vehicles. In any case, the profession belongs to the category of "man-technique". The profession is suitable for those who are interested in physics (see the choice of profession for interest in school subjects).

Short description: who is a pilot?

The safety, health and life of passengers and crew of the aircraft (or the safety of cargo) depends on the pilot. This is a very big responsibility, and it is rarely assigned to only one person. As a rule, there are two pilots on the vessel, and a commander, navigator, and flight engineer may also be present on it. In emergency situations, pilots can seek help from air traffic controllers on the ground. This is a profession that requires excellent physical and psychological health.

Features of the profession

It is not unreasonable to believe that a pilot is not so much a profession as a vocation. To successfully fulfill the duties of a pilot, constant concentration, regular study (since more and more new models of aircraft, helicopters and related equipment appear on the market), as well as attention to one’s health and condition, even after hours. The main scope of work that applicants for the vacancy of a pilot must master is as follows:

• Operation of aviation complexes that meets safety requirements (in peacetime and wartime).
• The use of automated systems and computer technologies in the control of aircraft.
• Interaction with services providing aircraft flights.
• Adoption and implementation of managerial decisions under time pressure and in critical situations.
• Assessment of the level of flight safety, making a decision on the possibility / impossibility of its completion.
• Performance of adjustment and testing of aviation complexes.
• Perform setup and adjustment of on-board equipment.
• Completion of supporting documents.
• Organization of work of aviation personnel.

It may seem that the answer to the question of who a pilot is can be answered with one simple phrase: the one who is responsible for the flight of an aircraft from point A to point B. However, in practice, both the preparation for this flight, and its implementation, and the successful completion dependent on a huge number of factors. In order to correctly recognize and take them into account, to make optimal decisions at every second of working time, it is necessary to have deep knowledge and impressive experience.

Pros and cons of being a pilot

pros

1. Prestigious profession (and the height of its status is equally high anywhere in the world).
2. High level of income.
3. demand in the labor market.
4. Full social package.
5. As a rule, early retirement age.

Minuses

1. Great responsibility.
2. Strict requirements (both for admission to educational institutions and for employment).
3. The need to constantly maintain their health.
4. Frequent absence, difficulty in maintaining relationships with family and friends.

Important Personal Qualities

As has been repeatedly noted, the physical and psychological state is of great importance for the pilot. Representatives of this profession should not have any chronic diseases, problems with vision, hearing, vestibular apparatus and other sensory systems. Pilots regularly undergo a medical examination, and if any ailments appear, they may simply not be allowed to fly.

In addition, responsibility, emotional stability, ability to concentrate, high reaction speed, ability to quickly switch attention, lack of fear of heights and confined spaces, certain communication and leadership skills, and analytical thinking are important for such specialists.

Where to study to be a pilot

There are two main options for where to get the profession of a pilot: it can be either colleges or universities. So, in colleges, you can pay attention to the specialty "Testing of aircraft" (code 24.02.03). In higher educational institutions that provide pilot training, the most suitable specialties are "Flight operation and the use of aviation systems" (code 25.05.05), "Aircraft control systems" (code 24.05.06) and "Operation of aircraft and organization of air movement” (code 25.05.05).

A certificate is enough for admission to a secondary school (the competition is held according to the average score), and to study at a university as a pilot, you must pass the Unified State Examination in Russian, mathematics and physics or computer science. The training of this responsible and difficult profession, in any case, will last at least 5 years (even when entering a college). Moreover, when studying at a university in correspondence or evening form, it will take 6 years to master the profession of a pilot, and when entering a secondary school after the 9th grade - 4 months more.

Courses

This specialization is quite complex and responsible, so there are no easy and quick courses where it would take only a few months to study as a pilot. There are courses, for example, at the Aeroflot flight school: they last two years and are suitable only for candidates with a higher technical education, and it is highly desirable - aviation.

The best universities for pilots

1. SPbGUGA
2. SPbGUAP
3. MSTU im. N.E. Bauman

Place of work

Pilots work for public and private airlines, they can be personal pilots of private aircraft, they can be engaged in test flights at enterprises involved in the development and production of helicopters and aircraft.

pilot salary

As a rule, pilots receive high wages even when working in state-owned aviation companies. For even higher incomes, they can exceed the monthly departure allowance, but such excesses are subject to restrictions, and it is not recommended to do this constantly due to the need for a good rest.

Salary as of 08/15/2019

Russia 30000—42300 ₽

Moscow 20000—55000 ₽

Career growth

The career of a pilot begins with work on commercial routes, in small companies, light aviation. As soon as he gains at least a couple of years of experience and enough flying hours, he can get a job in a more serious firm. Over time, the pilot may become the chief pilot, crew commander, or take one of the leading positions in the airline itself.

Every day I receive a lot of letters in the mail with the same question: "how can I become a pilot at 35 (36, 42, 54 ...).?"
as far as possible, I try to answer everyone or give links and contacts of those people who have already gone this way.
Here is another example of how dreams are achieved:

Original taken from fokindima in Aerodrome flights (Base Flight)

A brief historical background on how in this life there is a place for a dream to come true:

• August 2011 - a thought, an idea, a DREAM was born in my head!!! I clearly remember where, when and how it was, and from memory it will never go away!


• From August 2011 to August 2012, I surfed the Internet, forums, LiveJournal of active pilots and pilot students (it was the understanding of the complexity, at that time, of searching for bits of information about studies and possible options for studying to become a pilot that prompted me to conduct this LiveJournal and, if possible, describe in detail what is happening on my path - for those who follow and as a token of gratitude to those who helped me in realizing my dream with their help, texts, photos, comments, advice) in the search for information.


• On March 17, 2012, he posted on LiveJournal the first one-sentence entry “How to become a pilot at 32?” (the correct answer, in relation to me, as it turned out, was simple - “at 32 there’s no way, but by 34 you can have time”)


• On May 20, 2012, he took the first step - he flew to Barcelona to pass the European Aviation Medical Commission and get acquainted with two flight schools in Catalonia


• On September 11, 2012, he took the second step - he flew to New York to begin his studies as a commercial pilot at the AcePilot Inc. school. in Pennsylvania, USA


• On October 09, 2012 he made his first independent (solo) flight


• November 20, 2012 became a Private Pilot (Amateur Pilot)


• December 31, 2012 received IFR approval (for instrument flight in adverse weather conditions)


• February 28, 2013 became Commercial Pilot SE (Commercial pilot of a single-engine land aircraft)


• March 01, 2013 became Commercial Pilot ME (Commercial pilot of a multi-engine land aircraft)


• From March to September 2013 spent on: passing VLEK, enrolling in the 1st year of the correspondence department of the second higher education at St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation at the Faculty of Flight Operation of Civil Aircraft, studying Russian FAPs and the theory of Soviet textbooks, passing English to the IV level of ICAO, passing various courses and obtaining permits, pilot validation, constant job searches and interviews and endless study, study, study ...


• In September 2013, he successfully passed the professional selection in Airlines "Moskovia" and from October 28, 2013 began his studies at the Training Center SuperJet International in Zhukovsky by plane Sukhoi Superjet 100(RRJ-95B) .


• On December 19, I passed the exam on the FFS simulator and successfully completed my studies, having received a type rating. Before receiving the RRJ-95B pilot's certificate, there was one step left - airfield flights.


• On January 15, 2014 at 10.53 am Moscow time, I took off a Sukhoi Superjet 100 (RRJ-95B) jet passenger aircraft from runway 32L of Domodedovo Airport (UUDD) and headed for Zhukovsky Airport (Ramenskoye - UUBW) to perform training airfield flights.

DREAM COME TRUE!!!



And now about the flight itself. Its goal is to acquaint the pilot with a real aircraft (although once again I note that there is practically no difference between flying on an FFS and on a “live” aircraft), to see how he is ready to transfer the acquired skills on the simulator to the cockpit, is able to fly in real airspace and just get used to (or "feel" it) the aircraft.
The departure of the first group was scheduled for Monday, 01/13/14. 4 pilots were supposed to fly, I was in reserve. We arrived at Domodedovo at 8 am, but the road "there" clearly spoke of the illusory chances of flying off today. It was snowing, visibility was very poor, and the edge of the clouds hung low above the ground. For the first time in our lives, we passed through the service entrance of Domodedovo "For Crews"

We stood near the checkpoint, waited about an hour for the weather to improve, but in the end, since the weather in Domodedovo was below the required minimum for departure and the Ramenskoye airport (UUBW) in Zhukovsky was closed due to bad weather, the instructors made the final decision "We do not fly." Since airfield flights consist for the most part of visual flights around the airfield, appropriate weather is needed - visibility of at least 2000 meters and cloudiness (vertically to the bottom of the clouds at least 150 meters, horizontally - at least 1000 meters).

On Tuesday, January 14, 2014, I was told that I could not come to Domodedovo, because all those who arrived on Monday are alive and well, and on Tuesday they should arrive in full force. As a result, the guys successfully flew off and I began to look forward to Wednesday, 15.01. On Tuesday evening, the exact list of 4 pilots who will fly on Wednesday became known.

On the morning of January 15, 2014, I woke up at 5:45. Left Khimki at 6.45. At 8.00 I was in Domodedovo. At 8.30 gathering. All pilots have arrived. Very experienced instructor pilots were supposed to fly with us as instructors. SuperJet International - Kurov Andrey Vasilievich who is also a test pilot CJSC Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, and Kirpichenko Oleg Georgievich. The instructors have arrived. We went through security control (checked the pilots, the presence of us in the mission for the flight, personal search), then we went through a medical examination (they measured the pulse and wrote down the full name and a / c, pulse, date of the last flight in some journal), went to the briefing rum. There, PICs and co-pilots prepare for the flight - they watch weather reports, NOTAMs, study their flight plans for the upcoming flight, receive collections of aviation charts and diagrams, balance and load calculations for the flight, hold briefings with senior flight attendants.

The instructors received the necessary documentation from the dispatchers and let us familiarize ourselves with it. What he noted - loading fuel almost "to the brim" - 12200 kg. Otherwise, nothing particularly remarkable. After reviewing the documents, we waited for the Ramenskoye airport to approve our flight and went to the platform. The weather was frosty - about -10. Immediately after leaving the building there is a parking lot for minibuses that take pilots to planes that do not stand at gates with "sleeves", but in open parking lots (like our plane). The driver took us to our handsome c with registration number RA-89021 "Yuri Sheffer" (board Airlines "Moskovia").

First of all, the instructors showed us how to conduct an external visual inspection of the aircraft, what to pay attention to when doing this.

After that, we boarded, and the instructors took the plane from the mechanics for the flight. We determined the order (I asked to fly first, because it gave a chance to take off from Domodedovo), said goodbye to the mechanics, closed, took our seats and began to prepare the plane for flight. We prepared the cockpit, FMS, listened to the current weather, the instructor gave a briefing, requested permission to fly, then a request for towing, towing to stand 20 to start the engines (aircraft from their stands are first towed to specially marked places on the airfield map where they are allowed to start engines, and from where they will then start moving along the taxiways under their own power), starting the engines at stand 20, taxi request to RWY 32 left, taxiing. On taxiing, before the last taxiway, the escort car left us and the instructor handed over control of the aircraft to me, after which I taxied to the runway. At the end of the taxiing, the dispatcher gave us permission to take an executive start and take off at a heading of 316, climb to 900 meters. After reading the before take-off checklist, I taxied to the runway in the center, took out the ores for 50%, received the instructor's confirmation of the stabilization of the speed, released the brakes, set the takeoff mode and we started the takeoff run:

- Take Off, Time(Pilot Flying command to initiate takeoff and to set the Pilot Non-Flying timing)
- Thrust set(confirmation by PNF that the engines are in takeoff mode)
- Flight Director, Take Off(PF reads current FMA status on display)
- Checked!(PNF confirmation)
- one hundred(PNF command to reach 100 knots)
- Checked!(PF confirmation)
- V1 Rotate(PNF command to reach speed V1 and almost immediately command to start take-off from the runway)
And I began to take off the nose landing gear from the runway, the plane confidently took off from the runway and began to climb. The ground below us went lower and lower. We retracted the landing gear, I turned on the autopilot, climbed to the allowed altitude, turned on the autothrottle and, having accelerated the speed, we retracted the flaps, after which we received the dispatcher's permission to go on course to Zhukovsky.

I made my first takeoff on a Sukhoi Superjet 100 jetfrom Domodedovo airport!
The clock was 10.53 (6.53 UTC) - 01/15/2014

I will make a small comment about seating in the cockpit during training flights. On the left, in the position of the PIC, one instructor is sitting (in our flight, Andrey Vasilievich Kurov was sitting on the left), on the right, in the position of the co-pilot - a trainee pilot, in the middle / behind, in the position of the “observer”, the second instructor is sitting (he helps to follow the first instructor for radio communications, as well as very carefully following the entire flight, the actions of the trainee pilot, if necessary, commenting on them or issuing recommendations). The instructor on the left - conducts all radio communications, gives instructions to the trainee pilot, on landing changes the configuration of the aircraft before the next takeoff, monitors the actions of the trainee pilot, conducts a briefing of each lap, in which he reminds of the task and its features on each lap.

In total, the trainee pilot needs to fly 8 laps.

The first lap is an instrumental approach on autopilot with an ILS autothrottle with a runway touchdown. After touchdown, on the run, the trainee pilot keeps the rolling aircraft on the runway centerline, and the instructor changes the flap configuration from landing to takeoff, sets the desired value for the horizontal stabilizer and gives the “Ready” command, which is an instruction for the trainee pilot to give takeoff mode and start takeoff. With this landing, the pilot does not use the brakes, reverse and speed break (air brake).
The second lap is an instrumental approach in manual ILS mode on directors (i.e. without autopilot and autothrottle, but the directors' bars show “where” to fly to the pilot), with VLOOKUP (decision-making height) - going around.

The remaining six laps are all visual and only "on hand" (without autopilot and autothrottle). Circle flying at an altitude of 600 or 300 meters. The last 2 laps - with an imitation of a failure of 1 engine (but the engine does not turn off, but simply the ore of this engine is set to "low throttle", the trainee pilot controls the ore of the "serviceable" engine). In these 6 laps, two landings are made to a complete stop (including on the last lap - to change the trainee pilot), one go-around and 3 touch-n-gos.

My part of the flight took place with heavy traffic of the military, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and flight test pilots CJSC GSS next, new, side Sukhoi Superjet 100. Therefore, I was lucky to fly for a long time - the entire flight lasted an hour and a half (instead of the usual 50-60 minutes) - I had to “cut” circles of 360 degrees in the region of 3 turns (sometimes several circles in a row), sometimes “lengthen” the downwind to miss the next incoming to land on board, but I was only happy about it! When else will you be so lucky to fly visually and on your hands? As a result, I flew off my “norm” and went to the salon to rest (again, a rare opportunity to fly in luxurious business class seats!) And watch what was happening out the window.

During the flight of the third trainee pilot, the Ramenskoye airfield was closed for half an hour for test flights, and we had to sit down to wait. After the opening, the third pilot flew his program, but the fourth one did not have enough fuel for its complete “departure” and he managed to make only 4 laps out of 8. There were 2.5 tons of fuel left, but it is not known how long we would have to wait for landing at Domodedovo even after changing on the runway trainee pilot to instructor, we headed for DMD. Kirpichenko Oleg Georgievich “carried” us to Domodedovo and we sat down almost “right off the bat” without any waiting areas and long arrival schemes. There are still more than 2 tons of fuel left and, in principle, it could be enough “to spare” for 4 laps, but because the risk in aviation is unacceptable, so the fourth pilot will have to fly his 4 laps next time. The entire flight took about 5.5 hours (they took off at almost 11 am, landed around 5 pm, plus stood in Ramenskoye for half an hour).

We landed on the runway, taxied to the parking lot, waited for the towing by a tractor to the parking lot, the instructors completed all the necessary procedures after the flight and handed over the plane to the technicians. After that, a minibus was called, which brought us back to the terminal. While waiting for the driver, I managed to take photos with the instructors:

Photo with Andrey Kurov

Photo fromKirpichenko Oleg Georgievich

At the air traffic control office they handed over the suitcase with aeronautical manuals and at about 17.50 we all went home.
Now we have to wait until SuperJet International will issue all the necessary documents and issue a certificate of mastered aircraft type. Then it will be approved by the Federal Air Transport Agency and you can expect your observation flights (most likely there should be six of them). In the meantime, study, study, study! J

P.S. Thanks a lot:
P.P.S. Don't give up on your dreams and they can come true!

P.P.P.S. Moskovia Airlines flies

Thanks to Mikhail Polyakov ( michaeldec ) for providing photos of our airfield flights!

P.S.
And once again I apologize for the delay in posting in the diary. Really not enough time! Today I am already in Phuket, in five hours I will fly home, and then ... And then I don’t know yet.

Man has always strived for the sky. And now it is available to almost everyone. How to take the first step to fly for yourself, become a civil aviation pilot or sit at the helm of a combat fighter.

civil aviation pilot

A civil aviation pilot is not only a romantic profession, but also a very popular one. Not so long ago, a shortage of pilots forced the state to allow foreign pilots to fly airliners, which caused a serious discussion in the aviation community. Airlines begin to hunt for future captains of aircraft even in the first courses of institutes.

MS-21 / Irkut Corporation

Only three universities in the country train civilian pilots: the Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation, the St. Petersburg University of Civil Aviation and the Ulyanovsk Institute of Civil Aviation named after Chief Marshal of Aviation B. P. Bugaev. All other educational institutions of civil aviation - aviation technical colleges and flight schools, scattered in different cities of the country, are branches of the above three. It is worth noting that airlines are not always satisfied with the quality of training of young pilots and often retrain them in their training centers.

A prerequisite for training and subsequent work is good health. A future pilot must have perfect vision, a healthy heart and blood vessels, normal blood pressure and a good vestibular apparatus. And, of course, healthy lungs. If health problems are not detected during admission to the school, then during subsequent medical commissions they will definitely be detected. Considerable attention is paid to foreign languages ​​and especially English. In fact, it has already become the number one language in civil aviation. Without his knowledge, one cannot get into a large airline.

In order to fly commercially, that is, to work for an airline as a pilot for hire, you need to have a commercial pilot license or a line pilot license. The latter allows you to perform any commercial flights. It is they who are trusted by the steering wheels of Boeings and Airbuses. A commercial pilot is an intermediate stage between a private amateur pilot and a line pilot. They are allowed to operate commercial flights with some restrictions.

Boeing 737-800

Passenger aircraft that holders of air line pilot licenses are to fly are broadly divided into two categories: long haul (eg Boeing 747 and Airbus A340) and medium haul (Boeing 737, Airbus A320). The new Russian aircraft MS-21, presented to the public in June this year, just belongs to the medium-haul. Depending on the choice of aircraft, the work of the pilot also changes.

The pilot of a medium-haul aircraft flies short distances. His working day is the same as most normal people. Departure in the morning, return in the afternoon. And in the evening he is already at home with his family. But long-haul international flights allow you to see the whole world. And to see it not only under the wing of the aircraft, but also during the rest between flights in the far corners of the planet. The work of a pilot in Russia, and throughout the world, is highly paid. In our country, this is also due to their significant shortage.

Yak-130

Military pilot

The main educational institution of the country, where military pilots are trained, is the Air Force Academy named after Professor N. E. Zhukovsky and Yu. A. Gagarin. It is located in Voronezh and has two branches. The branch of the academy in Chelyabinsk trains military navigators, and the branch in Syzran trains military helicopter pilots.

But if your dream is to become a fighter pilot, to fly at the helm of a front-line bomber or attack aircraft, then you are welcome to the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation Pilot School named after Hero of the Soviet Union A. K. Serov. On August 1, 2015, the school was withdrawn from the Air Force Academy, where it had the status of a branch, and received independence. The Krasnodar School is the only educational institution in the country that trains military pilots for tactical aviation. It also trains pilots of long-range naval missile-carrying and anti-submarine aviation, as well as pilots of military transport aviation.

The term of study is 5 years. You can enter the school until you reach the age of 27. In terms of health and physical fitness, strict requirements are imposed on applicants. The exam includes pull-ups, 100m and 3000m runs. Cadets study the theory of flight and aerial shooting, aircraft navigation, the structure of aviation technology, meteorology and other disciplines. In addition to studying directly "aviation" subjects, cadets receive full combined arms training. They are engaged in drill training and study military regulations.

In Krasnodar, mainly theoretical training of cadets and their initial flight training are carried out. Direct flights are carried out at training air bases. For example, fighter pilots are being trained at the Armavir training center. Training is carried out on the latest Yak-130 training aircraft. Pilots of bomber and attack aircraft are being trained at the Borisoglebsk aviation training center, which is also equipped with Yak-130 training aircraft. The Balashov Training Center trains pilots for military transport and long-range aviation.

Before making the first solo flight, cadets fly long enough with an instructor. And only when the future pilot gets comfortable in the air, he will be entrusted with an independent take-off, flight in a circle and landing. The instructor will be behind the cadet all this time, and if he makes a gross mistake, he will take control of the machine. If the flight is successful, the cadet will be entrusted with a completely independent flight.

Education does not stop even after graduation. Service in aviation involves constant flights to improve skills. From the moment of arrival in the regiment, the formation of a young pilot as an air fighter begins. First, these are day flights in simple weather conditions, and then in difficult ones. Night flights follow. Their complexity is gradually increasing. And consequently, the class of the pilot rises. If he arrives in the regiment as a third-class pilot, he soon reaches the second, and then the first class. In addition to the military specialty, pilots also receive a civilian one, which allows them to find themselves in civilian life after the end of their service.

Tecnam P2002 Sierra

amateur pilot

If you have already found your life's work, but the dream of the sky remains, you can fly just for yourself. To do this, you need to go through training and get a license as an amateur pilot. The aircraft can be purchased as a property or rented only for flights. Passing a medical-flight expert commission for amateur pilots is also mandatory, but only a really serious illness will be an obstacle to flying.

In Russia, such training can be completed at civil aviation training centers and flying clubs. Education is free and not cheap. You will have to pay from 300,000 rubles for a course of study. The terms of training vary from 2 to 10 months. Here it should be taken into account that the theoretical part of the program is studied, as a rule, in groups, and this takes, depending on the frequency of classes, from 2.5 to 3 months. This is 306 hours of theoretical lessons. Here they study aircraft navigation and navigation, aerodynamics and aviation meteorology. This also includes the study of aviation legislation and the design of the aircraft and engine.

But practical classes are held individually. According to the Federal Aviation Regulations, a minimum of 40 hours of flight time is required to become a private pilot. At the same time, a cadet can fly at least every day, or can come to the airfield only on weekends. It should also be taken into account that students have different abilities. Sometimes even 40 hours may not be enough for a future amateur pilot to master the program. With a private pilot license, you can fly solo in light aircraft, take family and friends with you. But you will not be able to work as a pilot for hire or make transportation for money.

Yak-18

The plane is also not a cheap pleasure. An old Yak-18 in good condition can be purchased for 35,000-40,000 euros. But the base cost with VAT and customs payments of the new Italian Tecnam P2002 Sierra is 123,050 euros. Another important item of expenditure is aircraft storage. It is clear that it will not work to store it at home. As a rule, amateur pilots receive membership in flying clubs. The aircraft is attached to the flying club, where it is stored and serviced. Aircraft are stored both in the open air at the airfield and in covered hangars. If you wish, for the time being, you will not fly, you can rent the plane to the flying club. This will offset storage and maintenance costs and even generate some income. And if you don’t want to buy your own plane, then you can rent it for flights.

In addition, the certificate of a private pilot is a step into commercial aviation. Far from everyone is taken to the flight school. One of the main restrictions is the age from 18 to 23 years. If the desire to become a pilot comes after 30, then studying at the flying club is a chance to enter the profession. Naturally, with further training to a commercial pilot. Of course, this is not the easiest and rather costly way, but if the sky beckons, then not all is lost.

I am a light aviation pilot.

Nikolay Batrakov

received a pilot's license

In less than a year, I went from aerophobic to a US private pilot license. To achieve my goal, I moved to Florida for 2.5 months, studied aviation school every day and passed all the exams.

Here is my path.

Why I decided to study to be a pilot

At the age of 30, I realized that I was an aerophobe. Suffocation, palpitations, sweaty palms squeezing the arms of the chairs - this condition haunted me during each flight.

I started fueling my illness through the media and the internet. My favorite series was not Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, but Air Crash Investigation.

A good knowledge of aviation became a side effect of this hobby. I understood the structure of the aircraft, aerodynamics and the influence of weather conditions. At the beginning of each episode of Investigation, my wife and I even began to bet on the possible causes of the disaster.

5000 R

worth a half-hour flight on a flight simulator

The turning point was a gift from his wife - a flight on an aircraft simulator. The flight cost 5000 R for half an hour. The simulator completely imitates the flight of a real aircraft, with takeoff and landing at any airport in the world, in any weather conditions.

Instructor Mikhail said that he has a CPL - a US commercial pilot's license. He learned to fly in Florida for six months, and it was the best time of his life.

A few days later, I decided to overcome my aerophobia and become a pilot.

Training

There are two types of pilot license: private PPL, private pilot license, and commercial CPL, commercial private license. I did not intend to build a career in aviation after studying, so I immediately decided that I wanted to get a private pilot's license. It is faster and several times cheaper.

According to my preliminary estimate, in 2015 a PPL license cost about $10,000, and a CPL cost $40,000.

There are three options for studying: in training centers in Russia, in schools in Europe or in the USA.

I did not consider studying in Europe: firstly, becoming a pilot there costs an average of 20-30% more than even in the USA. For example, a PPL course at the Aerotours school in Germany would cost 10,000 €. Secondly, I did not have a suitable European visa, but the American one was still valid.

How I chose where to study to be a pilot

	In Russia	IN USA
Price	About 500 000 R	About 350 000 R
Studying time	6-8 months	2-3 months
moving	Not needed	Need
Residence	Do you live at home	Need to book
Car	You ride on your	Need to book
Weather	Bad, you can fly only on rare sunny days	Excellent, you can fly every day
Work	Normally	Remote
Logistics	Need to travel to the suburbs	Airport within the city
Infrastructure	Poor, rare airfields with unpaved runways	The best in the world, thousands of paved airfields
English	A basic level of	At least Upper Intermediate

I made this table in February 2015. I bought dollars even earlier, in 2014. Then 1 dollar cost 35 rubles

Price

About 500 000 R

About 350 000 R

Studying time

6-8 months

2-3 months

moving

Residence

Do you live at home

Need to book

Car

You ride on your

Need to book

Weather

Bad, you can fly only on rare sunny days

Excellent, you can fly every day

Work

Normally

Remote

Logistics

Need to travel to the suburbs

Airport within the city

Infrastructure

Poor, rare airfields with unpaved runways

The best in the world, thousands of paved airfields

English

A basic level of

At least Upper Intermediate

I managed to buy dollars just before the appreciation - in 2014, at 35 rubles per dollar. This means that studying in the USA will cost me 30% less than in Russia. Yes, you will need to spend every month on housing, a car and food, but you can divide these costs by two. And if we rent out a Moscow apartment, then we will be quite capable of living in this mode for several months.

It was February 2015. We discussed all the details with my wife and decided that it would be best to leave in the fall. This means that I have about six months to prepare and resolve all issues.

I made a to-do list. It turned out about 25 points. Here are the main ones:

1. Arrange with the manager about remote work.
2. Find an aviation school.
3. Book accommodation.
4. Find a tenant who will agree to take care of our cat.
5. Expand your knowledge in areas related to aviation.

My work is related to Internet projects, and I can easily work remotely. The difference with the US East Coast is +7 hours. We decided to build my workflow like this: early in the morning I do all the urgent tasks and go to school, and after returning I solve the rest of the issues.

School search

I have studied all the Russian aviation forums and blogs of people who have been trained in the USA. I asked the instructor Mikhail and his friends where they studied. I accidentally saw an article about the former media manager Andrey Borisevich, who bought the Skyeagle aviation school in the USA.

In the US, Florida, California and Texas are considered the best states for pilot training. The weather is great there, you can fly 365 days a year. There are also many airfields and high competition of schools - therefore, low prices for education.

I chose Florida because I wanted to live by the warm Atlantic Ocean.

I made a list of schools and started sending out letters with pre-prepared questions:

1. What visa can be used to study?
2. How much does it cost and how long will the PPL course take?
3. How much does it cost to rent a plane and an instructor per hour?
4. Can they help with renting a house and a car?
5. What is the best month to start training?

In total, I wrote to five schools, I received answers from only three of them. Prices did not differ much: a full course of study with 40 hours of flight time cost from 8 to 10 thousand dollars. An extra hour of flight cost $150 for the aircraft rental and $50 for the instructor.

Renting apartments in Florida cost from $1,200 per month. From November to April here is the most comfortable time for living and training as a pilot. The average temperature is 20-25 °C and there is little rainfall. You can fly every day.

Visa

While I was corresponding with the schools, I found out a curious nuance. US Immigration regulations say that an M1 study visa is required if the study process takes more than 18 hours per week. In this case, the student cannot change the chosen school during the learning process.

Tourist visa B1/B2 allows you to study on a reduced program - less than 18 hours per week. Some schools claimed that their programs were built that way, and you can safely come to study on a tourist visa.

Preparation of documents

After several weeks of correspondence, I chose the Sky Eagle school. Its director Andrei showed the greatest patience and attention to my questions. The school is located in the resort town of Fort Lauderdale, 37 km from Miami. The cost of training for a private pilot is $8685.

A future pilot in the United States must pass a TSA check - a transportation security agency. The TSA is dedicated to protecting airports and preventing hijackings. In order to prevent potential terrorists from flying the training aircraft, the agency checks all students of flight schools: it collects fingerprints and asks them to fill out a large questionnaire with personal information.

Andrey explained the further procedure:

1. Create a login and fill out a form on the website of the TSA - Transportation Security Agency.
2. Ask the school to confirm this request.
3. Paying $130 to TSA is the application processing fee.
4. Get TSA prior approval.
5. Come to USA.
6. Immediately upon arrival, be fingerprinted at one of the TSA offices.
7. Wait for the prints to be entered into the TSA database and get permission to fly.
8. Pass a medical examination in one of the US clinics and get a certificate of airworthiness.
9. You can fly!

Finding housing in the USA and renting an apartment in Moscow

The school was not able to offer us suitable housing options, so we started searching on our own. The largest real estate database in the United States is Craigslist.org, but everything there is rented out only to residents and for a long time.

To begin with, we booked an apartment for a week through Airbnb.com - we paid about 30,000 R for them. The plan was this: we will arrive at the place, look around and find housing for the entire period.

It turned out to be more difficult to rent an apartment in Moscow. We were looking for someone who would not only agree to a three month lease but also be able to take care of our cat. I decided to make a good discount and put a low price.

I posted the ad in real estate groups in social networks. By the evening of the same day, I received about a dozen messages from cat lovers. We held a casting, chose the right one, drew up a lease agreement, where we prescribed all the conditions for caring for our cat, and shook hands.

pre-training

The school did not impose any additional requirements regarding preliminary preparation. But I decided that it would not be superfluous to prepare for the classes on my own, because on the spot I would have only two months to study.

I installed Microsoft Flight Simulator on my computer. It has a virtual piloting course, almost similar to the real one. I bought a special joystick for 3000 R and practiced every evening. A month later, I passed the virtual exam.

Then I decided that it was time to move from theory to practice and fly a real plane. I went to the Moscow region to the flying club at the Vatulino airfield. A flight on the lightest aircraft from their fleet costs 5000 R for half an hour.

There were two seats on the plane, I took the seat to the right of the pilot. After a short briefing and checking the on-board systems, we received permission to take off and took off. It was May, and spring is a time of unstable atmosphere, when the earth heats up and the air masses mix, creating turbulent currents. Due to turbulence, the plane was thrown in all directions. The pilot was completely calm, and I was uneasy.

Having gained altitude, the pilot handed over control to me. I performed a few maneuvers - this slightly reduced the tension. After half an hour of flying over fields, forests and a river, we landed.

Aviation English

I know English well, but it's one thing to talk to a teacher in the classroom, and quite another to talk on the radio with strangers in a stressful state, when any misunderstanding can lead to unpleasant consequences.

English is the international language of communication in aviation. Pilots and controllers communicate with each other over the radio in a way other than the usual spoken language. Instead, they use a special phraseology, the so-called aviation English.

For each situation - taxiing on the airfield, takeoff, landing, weather forecast - there is a standard set of phrases. Each aircraft is assigned a unique number. It is communicated to the other party on every radio contact using the "aviation alphabet".

I studied aviation English from the illustrations of a military navigator, Colonel P. V. Iskratov. On YouTube, you can find many videos with recordings of radio communications in various situations, from regular to catastrophic. In aviation, as nowhere else, the principle applies: it is better to learn from the mistakes of others than from your own.

And there is also a service for broadcasting airport radio broadcasts in real time - "Radioscanner". You can open the Flight Tracker app or the Flightradar24.com website, find the aircraft that is negotiating, and follow its activity on the map. In my experience, this has proven to be very helpful for learning.

Moving to Florida

To estimate the cost of living in Florida without studying, we have compiled a rough budget. It came out at $ 2,100 per person per month. This amount could be reduced. For example, to go to the USA alone, rent a room, not an apartment, travel by public transport, give up all entertainment and eat the cheapest products. But we decided to enjoy life and not save much.

Tickets to Miami with a transfer in Paris cost 54,000 R.

We flew to Florida at the end of October 2015. The first few days I spent on bureaucratic formalities: I passed my fingerprints to the TSA, received permission to fly, passed a medical examination - it lasts 10 minutes and costs $ 100.

Approximate living expenses per month - $ 4200

Spending

Price

Life in eternal summer

Fort Lauderdale is not as busy as Miami, but with the same long embankments and water channels throughout the city, which even earned it the nickname American Venice.

Public transport is very poorly developed, so a car is vital. Fortunately, there are no problems with rent.

Housing is more difficult. Florida is a rich state with a wonderful climate, both Americans and tourists from all over the world come here to relax. Good lodging options book months in advance. Therefore, our original plan, that we would quickly find an apartment, failed.

1600 $

per month we paid rent

For the first week, we drove around the city and looked at the options that we found on Airbnb and Craigslist. The housing fund was very old, I did not want to live in such conditions. Finally, luck smiled upon us: an American couple rented out their small guest house for $1,600 a month.

Our hosts turned out to be very friendly people, we talked a lot on various topics, including political ones. We were even invited to a Christmas party.

We tried to eat at home. Several times a week we shopped at the local supermarket, cooked on the stove or grilled. On average, we spent about $1,500 per month on food, as planned.

Fort Lauderdale is located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, so in the evenings after school and work, we came to half-empty beaches, walked and admired the sunsets.

demonstration flight

I arrived at the school and on the first day I did a demonstration flight with Chief Instructor Scott Leach in a Cessna-172. During the demo flight, the student does not take part in piloting, but only observes the actions of the pilot.

The teacher decided to show me everything that this old plane is capable of. He made deep turns, slides - and immediately threw the car at the peak so that for a few seconds I felt weightless. After landing, I was a little alive - but it was too late to retreat.

Preparing for classes

According to the training plan, I had to take a theoretical course, fly the required 40 hours according to the rules of the regulator, and pass the theoretical and practical exams.

The school has a large office with several classrooms for classes, computers for checking the weather and taking exams, and a flight simulator. Classes were taught by teachers with great experience and the necessary ratings for instructor pilots. Greg Feiss became my flight instructor.

Greg and I immediately went to the aircraft store and bought the necessary training materials:

1. Guide for private pilots.
2. Collection of Federal Aviation Regulations FAR/AIM.
3. United States Airport Directory.
4. Aviation map of Florida.
5. Exam recommendations.
6. Mechanical computer E6-B.
7. Ruler.
8. Flight book, which contains information about all flights performed.

I paid $300 for all these materials.

Greg recommended that I install the ForeFlight navigation mobile app. It helps the pilot to plan a flight, shows the weather anywhere in the United States, contains detailed maps and guides the plane on the desired course - like Yandex Navigator, only instead of traffic jams - bad weather. A 3 month license costs $50.

Our group of students was small - only 3 people. In the mornings, there were joint theoretical classes for several hours, and in the afternoon - flights: each student with his own instructor.

Teaching theory is divided into five major sections:

1. The fundamental principles of flight are on-board systems and aircraft design, the principles of aerodynamics.
2. Air operations - airports, maps, airspace, radio traffic, ground services.
3. Weather - meteorology, data interpretation.
4. Navigation and operation of the aircraft.
5. Putting skills into practice - psychology, decision making, flight planning.

The structure of education is very different from the Russian "academic school". Teachers usually give only the most basic knowledge, leaving a wide front for self-training. The main focus is on practice.

Payment is made according to any scheme convenient for the student. You can immediately pay for the entire course and get a good discount from the school. I decided that I was more comfortable paying for services rendered. On the first day, I deposited $2,000 into the school account. When they came to an end, I paid for each flight separately from a bank card.

Aerodrome training

You can't just pick up and fly. Any takeoffs and landings, even on small and private aircraft, are only allowed at airfields. They are "controlled" - with a control tower, and "uncontrolled" - only with runways and without a tower. On uncontrolled pilots report their intentions on a dedicated common frequency.

The Fort Lauderdale Commercial Airfield is the perfect training option. It has two solid long lanes, the control tower is open 24 hours a day, and the air traffic is not as dense as at the main airport where civilian airliners arrive.

The airfield code is KFXE.

First flights

The first training flight with an instructor takes place almost immediately after the introductory classes, where they talk about the design of the aircraft. This knowledge is necessary to carry out a pre-flight check.

The pilot checks the plane according to the checklist. It describes in detail all the steps: first you need to check the external condition of the aircraft, the main components, fuel, oil. After that, the pilot gets into the cockpit, starts the engine and checks the on-board systems. Then he finds out the weather, contacts the controller on the tower and tells his intentions: where he is going to fly.

The pilot receives permission to take off from the "tower", displays the aircraft on the taxiway and moves along it to the desired lane. He stops before the runway, once again checks the aircraft systems - and again contacts the dispatcher. If the lane is busy, the pilot waits until the path is clear. Finally, permission to take off was received - acceleration along the airfield strip begins.

The first flights take place on the so-called airfield circle. The student takes off, makes a circle around the airfield, sits down and immediately takes off again. Takeoff and landing are the most difficult and critical stages of flight, so these elements are repeated many times during training.

In parallel, the student conducts radio communications, reports his position and the next step, and the controller confirms his intentions or asks to change them in connection with the actions of other aircraft.

A week after the start of classes and 10 hours of flying in this mode, Greg asked me to return to the hangar after landing. Suddenly, he got off the plane and announced that it was time for my first "solo" - solo flight.

Trying to calm my excitement, I contacted the controller and said that I was planning to make my first flight, to which the controller wished me good luck. I routinely made three takeoffs and landings and returned to the hangar. It was an amazing moment, I was overwhelmed with emotions.

A little later, I went through the initiation ceremony. Students who have made their first "solo" have part of their jersey cut out. This tradition is connected with the times when there were no walkie-talkies in airplanes. Then the student and the instructor in the plane sat one after another, in tandem. To give instructions to the student where to fly the plane, the instructor pulled him by the side of the jersey. After a successful first flight, this part of the shirt is cut off - now the pilot can decide for himself where to fly.

Maneuver training

The next stage of training takes place already in the training area above the Everglades swamps. Students are taught to perform regular maneuvers - climb, descend, turns - and also monitor the environment and the position of the aircraft, use navigation devices.

The most difficult thing is the training simulation of emergency and emergency situations, such as stalling, engine shutdown, fire on board. After several such lessons with an instructor, the student makes such flights with emergency situations on his own.

Long distance flights

The last test for the student is long-distance flights between several points. They are also called cross-country flights.

This is the pinnacle of piloting. They apply all the knowledge about the aircraft and its capabilities, piloting skills, navigation, radio communications, weather analysis.

You need to thoroughly prepare for a cross-country flight:

1. Plan your own itinerary.
2. Find out the weather along the entire route and consider what to do if the weather worsens.
3. Calculate the required amount of fuel and the weight of the aircraft.
4. Determine the speed at takeoff, landing and altitude, as well as the effect of wind on speed.

For my first cross-country flight, I took the scenic route towards Key West. The route of such a flight passes at a low altitude, first over the beaches of Miami, then over a winding road in the ocean. During this flight, I experienced tremendous joy and realized that it was not in vain.

After the first cross-country flight, the student makes several more similar flights, including at night.

Exam

After 40 hours of flying, the student is allowed to take exams. Usually training takes 2-2.5 months, because of the excellent weather and daily practice, I completed it in 42 days.

The first stage of the exam is a computer test. You need to answer 60 questions and score 80% of the correct answers. This stage costs $165.

The second stage is an oral exam and a practical flight with a certified examiner. The examiner is a private person, so he must be paid separately. The second stage of the exam costs $500.

I successfully passed the test and held up well on the oral exam, but in flight I had an unsuccessful landing. The examiner took control. This meant that I failed.

I had to take extra classes with an instructor. It cost me $600 for 3 hours. I had to pay again for the second exam, but the examiner agreed to cut my payment in half - to $ 250, since before that I had successfully passed the oral part.

A week later, a second practical exam took place. This time I made no mistakes. Having received congratulations from the examiner, the first thing I did was go to the store and for $ 20 I bought the well-deserved pilot's stripes.

On the same day, I received a temporary certificate that allowed me to fly solo with passengers on board. I took my wife, rented a plane - and we went flying over Miami, the Everglades swamps and the azure ocean.

Renting a plane for 2 hours cost me $300.

looking back

A little more than two months passed from the moment I first appeared at school to passing the exam. I went over my budget because I couldn't pass the exam the first time. Well, no big deal.

In total, I spent $10,730 on my studies

Two months after returning to Moscow, they sent me an envelope by mail with my "rights" - a valid US private pilot certificate. Russian legislation does not recognize foreign certificates. But you can go through the validation procedure: submit to the Federal Air Transport Agency a package of documents on training completed abroad and go through a difficult medical commission (VLEK).

Even with a Russian pilot's license, in Russia it is impossible to just come to the airfield and rent a plane. To do this, you must join one of the flying clubs and pay membership fees.

I set myself the goal of defeating aerophobia and achieved it. But I did not plan to plunge into the Russian bureaucracy. I decided that I would fly the next time I was in the US.