Roger Boone, age 16, of White Plains, N.Y. for his question:
HOW CAN YOU BECOME AN AIRPLANE PILOT?
An airplane pilot is any person who is trained to fly an airplane and trained to be in charge of that plane while it is in flight. In the United States, a man or woman can obtain a license to pilot an airplane by meeting the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The U.S. government issues licenses to pilots in four main groups: private pilots, commercial pilots, instructor pilots and airline transport pilots.
Private pilots are able to fly for pleasure or on personal business, but they cannot carry cargo or passengers for pay. To obtain a private pilot license, a person must pass a physical examination and a written test, take 20 hours of flight instruction and have at least 20 hours of solo flying time.
In addition, a person obtaining a private pilot license must also know basic meteorology and navigation and the federal air traffic regulations.
A person with a commercial pilot license may fly cargo and passengers for pay. Most pilots with this type of license work for businesses or operate their onw carrier services. Commercial pilots must pass much harder written and physical examinations than are required of private pilots.
A pilot may qualify for special ratings. An instrument rating, for example, allows a pilot to fly in bad weather by using navigation insturments.
Instructor pilots train private, commercial and airline pilots. Most instructor pilots have had special training and have also earned several ratings.
Airline transport pilots fly passenger planes. To become an airline transport pilot, a person may attend a private flying school or receive training from an airline. Most airlines require an applicant for pilot training to have a commercial pilots license, an instrument rating and a permit to use a radiotelephone.
Most airlines also require that an applicant for a pilot's job be at least 23 years old and have at least 1,500 hours of flight time as a pilot. His height must be between five feet six inches and six feet four inches and his weight must be in proportion to his height. He must also have 20/20 vision without glasses and must pass an extremely difficult physical exam.
Most airline pilots start their airline career as flight engineers. With several years experience, they may advance to copilot and then to pilot, or captain.
An airline pilot is responsible for carrying out a safe, comfortable take off, flight and landing. Before each flight, he must prepare a flight plan that includes a weather analysis for his route, his planned speed and altitude, and the amount of fuel that will be needed for the flight.
In Canada, pilot licenses are issued by the Civil Aviation Branch of the Ministry of Transport.