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"To some, the sky is the limit. To a lucky few, the sky is home." Anon.

Flying is one of the world's most exciting and challenging career choices. The sights and thoughts of aircraft invoke such feelings of passion that men and women alike, of all ages and backgrounds, choose it as a pastime, with many progressing to pursue it as their life's work.



Researching a career in aviation can be difficult as some colleges and schools simply don't have the information about it, nor someone they can refer to for advice. Here at Jetscreen we aim to solve this problem by providing budding aviators with the information they need to explore and understand flying careers.

We suggest that if you are considering a career as a pilot that you download the Prospects 'Airline Pilot' guide, and then read the Royal Aeronautical Society's excellent guide "So you want to be a pilot", and BALPA's "How to become a pilot" booklet. These guides explain the entire process in depth, and give you much more information than we could reproduce here. However, in a nutshell let's look at how you could go from being an aspiring pilot..to an airline pilot:

Decide that this career really is for you - There is something about becoming a pilot that is almost infectious. The bug itself can be caught in lots of places: on holiday, on a business trip, at the airport, under a flight path, at an airshow. However you catch it though, it truly is tough to shift. There is a unique kind of satisfaction to be had in actually piloting an aircraft, without any assistance from take-off through a smooth flight to a safe landing. It is, however, not all so rosy, but then what in life is? You need to make sure that before you start down the road of training to be an airline pilot that you are absolutely sure this is what you want to do. The training is tough and expensive, the job is sometimes tiring, and you must submit yourself to regular exams for the rest of your professional career. If anything is giving you the shivers yet, then best look away and seek other career options. However, if you can balance waking up early in the morning with the thought of spending the next four days exploring Barbados, or are happy to be jet-lagged in order to climb the Great Wall of China then this could be for you. So..before you move on to the next stage, read as many books, magazines and websites as you can get your hands on. Go to your local flying club and talk to the pilots there. Take a trial flying lesson, or two, or five.. Seek out airline pilots through the club and ask them what it's like. When you are sure it's for you, move on.

Gain the best education you can - This step is of particular importance. You do not have to be a genius to become a pilot, but knowing this is not an excuse not to secure a solid education wherever possible. Our advice is that all potential pilots should secure as strong a set of A-Levels, Advanced Highers or IB as they can (substitute your local equivalent here). Your subjects should really include: English (the international language of aviation), Mathematics, Physics, a further language, and other subjects that interest you. When restricted to only a few, Physics really is a must-have. The education you gain helps to mature you when young, broaden your horizons (no pun intended!) and finally provide you with a solid foundation on which you can fall back on should you ever decide, or be compelled, to leave the piloting career. Higher and further education is becoming increasingly popular and steadily more and more available. It is our opinion that if you have the opportunity to study at a further or higher level to Degree, Diploma, BTEC etc level, that you should do so. The choice of whether to study areas directly related to aviation is up to you - it is certainly not a requirement. So, armed with your education, let's move on.

Take the plunge, and arrange a medical appointment - You may, or may not, know that in order to become and remain an airline pilot that you must obtain and maintain a Medical Certificate from an Aviation Authority. The certificate is designed to screen out candidates that have medical conditions that make them unsuitable, either temporarily or permanently, for a flying career. The initial exam is quite in-depth, and is followed by regular, but less intensive, renewals for the duration of your career. It would seem most sensible to make sure that there is nothing stopping you holding this medical certificate before you proceed any further down our road, so if you are still serious, get on it!

Choose your training path - Now you must choose your method of gaining the coveted license that will allow you to join an airline as a First Officer. In the UK, it is unofficially known as the 'Blue Book', but is correctly a CPL/IR or Commercial Pilot's License with Instrument Rating. It used to be the case that several airlines sponsored large numbers of trainee pilots through flying school. However, these opportunities are now rarer, though not impossible to grasp. See our Inside Track page for links to sponsorship schemes. If you are unsuccessful in gaining sponsorship, then you will need to choose between a military flying career (perhaps followed by a civilian one) or to pay for your own training. Don't panic when you see this, but it could cost up to £70,000/€100,000, and perhaps even more to pay for the entire training scheme yourself. Obviously it can be done for less than this, but whatever the final figure it will be significant. Your principle choice is whether to take the Modular Route (has some resemblance to a part-time model of learning) or the Integrated Route (which has similarities to full-time education); it is fair to say that the Modular route is generally cheaper than the Integrated one. Picking the flying school you go to is much like picking an expensive item from a selection of shops in that you must like what you are buying, and choose carefully. It is also like selecting a college or university, in that you must feel comfortable studying there for some time. There will be many factors that affect your choice, but make sure you DO YOUR RESEARCH. Don't act on a whim, or just one recommendation - it's YOUR money and YOUR career, so select wisely. For UK flight training, start here: Oxford Aviation Academy, CTC Aviation and Cabair's Career Pilot site.

Give the training all you've got - It might sound ridiculous, but you need to give this training all the effort and energy you can possibly muster. It takes a great deal of effort to pass the exams and flight tests, but the standards for airline entry are high and you will need to score as highly as you possible can to give yourself the best chance of success when it comes to hunting for that first job. Slip-ups and set-backs are commonplace, just get back on the wagon as quickly as you can and view them not as a failure, but as a success that you have recovered and are still going!

Get that job - When you finally get the Blue Book in your hand, celebrate! Congratulate yourself on a job well done, and thank all your family and friends who have supported you on your journey. Maybe buy them a little present. Certainly have some Champagne, but save the Dom Perignon for when you've landed that first job. To land the first job (another unintentional pun, oh dear) you must prepare yourself and your employment package with much gusto. Personally, read about interview technique and dress code, and mentally prepare yourself. Study CV preparation, and hone your CV and covering letter (applying for professional advice if need be) so that it reflects just how sharp and employable you are. Be positive here, and don't be disheartened if it takes even a few months to find your first job as a First Officer. Keep working at it, until that wonderful envelope flops through your door that begin "Congratulations!"

Don't forget - You've come a long way, and you have a fantastic career ahead of you. Don't forget that every day is a school day in this job, and you'll be learning until you hang up your stripes on your last day of flying. The responsibilities of a pilot are great, and you must give them your respect. Treat every day as seriously as the next, and be safe. Don't allow yourself to become complacent, or despondent. If you do, it's time for a career change.

ENJOY IT - Go now and travel the world, flying multi-million dollar aircraft for a living. Enjoy those 'greaser' landings, and try to smile when passengers disembark and comment on your somewhat heavier ones. Meet exciting people, and never forget how fortunate you are that your office window provides the greatest views in the world.

If a career in aviation is your goal, but you are not sure in which field you are interested, then again the Royal Aeronautical Society should be your first port of call; the RAeS website has a 'Career' section that has a wide range of information, links and FAQs. Click here to link directly to the RAeS Career pages. Career options available other than pilot include: engineer, Air Traffic Controller, Cabin Crew, Route Planner, Linguist, Business Analyst, Customer Service Officer, Dispatcher..and so many more!

The armed forces are also an exciting and attractive prospect for many aspiring aviators, with all four of the UK forces employing pilots and aircrew. The Royal Air Force employs the greatest number of pilots, followed by the British Army and Royal Navy, who also have pilots assigned to the Royal Marines. All four services offer varied, exciting flying, and often the opportunity to become involved in the service of your choice from a young age. For a lucky few, there are bursaries and other financial incentives, although the competition for these sought after places is obviously intensive. To find out more about flying in the British military, click here:
Royal Air Force
Royal Navy
British Army

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