Fly Like An Eagle
Being an airline pilot is one of the most challenging, rewarding, dangerous, and fun things you can aspire to do. Piloting most certainly takes a certain constitution though. You spend your work day thousands of feet in the air; you spend elongated stretches away from home and family, you must remain alert at all times, your own and the lives of hundreds of others depends on it; your work ethic must be, in short, perfect.

There have been many myths about what makes a pilot breed. To dispel some myths though, if you’re a woman you do NOT have to be a stewardess. You may in fact be a pilot. Just because you were not in the military, does not mean you can’t be a pilot. Just because you were glasses (as long as your vision is correctable to 20/20) you can still be a pilot. Pilots come from every gender, every ethnicity, every race, and every nation.

In terms of training, you need a commercial pilot certificate which is earned through pilot school and 250 flight hours. You need to pass a check-ride, sort of the driving test for pilots. You need second class medical certificate, instrument rating, and a multi engine rating. It’s also helpful if you get an airline transport pilot certificate.

In terms of the things you need, you also need the right attitude. If you’re just some hot shot who thinks they’ll be grandfathered into the pilots seat, you’re mistaken. Plane flyers can be found anywhere; pilots are a breed.

Finally, you need experience. Your experience is being evaluated constantly. You always need to look professional, you always need to respond, and when you’re in the aircraft you always need to be the pilot. There are plenty of other people who can do the same as you AND they act like they deserve it. Not SMUG, but professional.

But being a pilot certainly does have its perks as well: You get to visit a different city whenever you fly, once you’ve achieved a status in terms of longevity, you get preferential scheduling and primo pay, and you get to bring people together. There is nothing more heartwarming than uniting two people, lovers, family, friends; who haven’t seen each other in a while. For that reward, there is no equal.