Civil aviation pilots: training, profession features and responsibilities

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Civil aviation pilots are specialists who have devoted themselves entirely to life in the sky. These are fearless people who have challenged fate and have gone through many trials. Therefore, everyone who dreams of such a profession should be aware that his life path will become just as difficult and thorny.

And if such a fate does not scare you, then let's talk about how to become a civil aviation pilot in Russia. Where should you go to study? How long will it take, and how then to look for a job?

The start of a long journey

First of all, you should be aware of the fact that it will take quite a long time to study as a civil aviation pilot. Indeed, unlike a car, flying an aircraft requires extensive knowledge: from its structure to the features of flying in bad weather.

Therefore, it is worth preparing for the fact that you will have to study "tons" of educational material. At the same time, it is not just to memorize all the information, but to be able to competentlyuse it while flying. Especially if in the future you have plans to get a job in a commercial structure.

Flying licenses

Today, all civil aviation pilots are divided into three broad categories. This happens because of the strict licensing system that absolutely all pilots must pass. It is she who subsequently determines what kind of winged machines a person can control.

So, there are the following types of licenses:

1. PPL or private pilot. Possession of this document grants the right to fly small aircraft not intended for cargo transportation. Simply put, a person can fly as much as he likes for his own pleasure, but at the same time no one will hire him.
2. CPL or commercial pilot. This type of license allows a person to deliver small loads, make tourist overflights and lift paratroopers into the sky.
3. ATPL or Airline Pilot. What can I say, this is the highest category of pilots, allowing you to fly multi-ton passenger airliners.

How to become a civil aviation pilot

As soon as a person decides to embark on this path, he will immediately face a choice: apply to a flight school or limit himself to an aviation school? Oddly enough, both options have their pros and cons, so let's look at them separately.

Let's start with flight schools. The quality of education is higher here, as much more time is allocated for pilot training. In addition, studentsthey teach not only piloting, but also other disciplines - physics, advanced mathematics and law. This allows you to bring up comprehensively developed pilots who are able to perform their duties with high quality.

As for the cons, flight schools and academies recruit based on the state order. This leads to the fact that from 10 to 12 applicants apply for one place. In addition, many accomplished civil aviation pilots say that the technical base of our educational institutions is noticeably outdated. Because of this, their graduates have to take additional courses in order to understand the peculiarities of piloting new aircraft.

But everyone can go to flight school. Here, more important is whether a person has money for education. The quality of education here is slightly lower, although it largely depends on the school itself and what kind of teachers work there. At the same time, it is worth noting that it is much easier to get a PPL category certificate at an aviation school, since here you can take extracurricular classes.

Move from one category to another

Both male and female civil aviation pilots in Russia pass the same standards to obtain a license. They are different for each document type, so let's look at them:

1. PPL type certificate can be obtained by candidates over 16 years of age. To do this, they need to learn 155 hours of theoretical material, as well as fly 47 hours on a Cessna 172 aircraft. On average, training in this category takes fromseveral months to one year, depending on the intensity of the classes and the type of educational institution.
2. CPL type certificate can be obtained by candidates over 18 years of age. To do this, they need to have a PPL type license or complete this training course from scratch. In addition, they will have to study more than 600 hours of theory, as well as fly 152 hours in a single-engine aircraft. And at the end of the training, complete another 30 hours of flight in a navigation simulator and 12 hours in a multi-engine airplane.
3. The ATPL type certificate is a more sophisticated version of the CPL license. That is, you will need to learn everything that is in the previous categories, only with a greater depth in practice. In addition, you will have to work out flight simulations on passenger and cargo airliners.

Passing the medical board

All civil aviation pilots undergo strict medical checks. At the same time, it is carried out both before the start of training and after its completion. Also, the medical commission will have to pass annually after getting a job, otherwise the pilot will simply not be allowed to fly.

The difficulty lies in the fact that any defect or illness can become a reason for a negative conclusion. If we talk about commercial flights, then doctors can ban flights even because a person does not have a couple of teeth. This is due to the fact that such a defect distorts speech, and this, in turn, makes it difficult to communicate with the tower controller.

Finding a suitable job

Blooking for a job, of course, all civil aviation pilots in Russia are based on what kind of license they have. So, if you have a CPL, you should try to get a job with a small airline that provides travel services. Alternatively, you can consider the vacancies of instructors in flight schools, but then you will have to complete additional courses.

Where more prospects open up for those who own the ATPL license. In this case, it is likely that a large airline will offer you a job. But there is only one thing - most likely you will have to enroll in special courses that allow you to master the control of an airliner.

The trouble is that their cost is quite high. Consequently, it will be necessary to conclude a special agreement, according to which the pilot will deduct part of his salary in order to pay off the debt to the airline. In addition, initially a novice is allowed only to the position of a 2nd pilot, since the captain's position requires experience in flying large aircraft (over 1.5 thousand hours).

Responsibilities of a Civil Aviation Pilot

Airlines often disagree on the finer points of domestic politics. However, there is something that unites them all - the rigidity of the requirements in relation to their pilots. After all, not only the safety of the aircraft, but also the life of its passengers depends on it.

Therefore, all pilots must comply with the following five points:

1. Professional piloting.
2. Always follow safety guidelines.
3. Be aware of the meteorological services ahead of time.
4. Check the condition of the ship before flying.
5. Using the air traffic controller's commands and prompts dutifully.

Women civil aviation pilots in Russia

Most people are used to the fact that the pilot is a man. Therefore, for them, a female civil aviation pilot is something out of the ordinary. However, the reality is that both men and the fairer sex can fly the plane. That's just for some reason, even today they are approached by large airliners with caution. And yet in Russia there are examples of women running such giants.

So, Olga Kirsanova has been piloting a passenger plane weighing more than a hundred tons for several years. She is sure that everyone can get a seat in the cockpit of a winged car - the main thing is to want it with all your heart. What is true, Olga herself had to sweat a lot to achieve her position, since the leadership of her airline could not decide on this appointment for a very long time.