Aside from a stable, well-paying career, being an airline pilot gives you the chance to travel all over the world for work. Despite news about airplanes crashing from time to time, in reality, it is safer than driving on roads since the likelihood of dying from a car crash is higher than the likelihood of dying from a plane crash. So, just how much can you earn from working as an airline pilot?
Requirements
The minimum qualifications to be accepted is a GCE ‘A’ – level, Polytechnic Diploma or Degree. In addition to this, the candidate must be proficient in English, Mathematics and Science (with a preference for Physics).
Aside from this, candidates must not have a myopia of more than 600 degrees, and astigmatism of more than 200 degrees per eye.
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Trainee Pilot
Perhaps the toughest part (financially) about becoming a pilot is the trainee phase. For those lucky enough to be selected by SIA, the traineeship phase is paid for, and the trainee is paid a stipend of $600-800 per month depending on which phase of the training they’re at, and trainees need to serve a bond after they have completed their training.
How fast the training phase concludes depends a lot on the availability of simulators, aircraft, instructors, as well as suitable weather. Typically, the traineeship lasts for about 2-3 years. At this point according to SIA’s website, they are not taking in trainees.
Other than SIA, there may be other airlines in the region, which may be willing to take in cadets. Unlike SIA, the training is paid for mostly by the cadet, and this could cost as much as $180,000 for the Commercial Pilot Licence. It is typical for cadets to take loans to pay for this training cost.
After obtaining the Commercial Pilot Licence, you have to get a Type Rating, which is a licence to fly with the specific aircraft you will be flying for the airline. This training lasts for a few months and costs about $50,000. The airline co-pays for the Type Rating, and the cadet pays $8,000 – $10,000 upfront, and the remainder is deducted from the cadet’s monthly salary over their bond period.
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First Officer
How quickly one reaches First Officer differs from airline to airline. Some airlines may require trainees to undergo a Junior First Officer or a Second Officer phase. This phase involves being on revenue flights, and typically pays stipend, and may include flight allowances, and roughly works out to $2,500 – $3,000 depending on airline. This phase may last for about 2-3 years depending on how long it takes to accumulate the necessary flight hours. Regardless, the responsibilities in this phase are not much different from that of a First Officer.
As a First Officer, the pilot is now deployed to fly the aircraft, usually alongside a more senior pilot such as a Captain. This may involve the First Officer to manage the controls of the aircraft directly or may involve the First Officer helping the Captain by managing the radios and other flight systems on the aircraft.
Depending on airline, the starting pay for a First officer may be between $5,500 and $10,000. Nevertheless, for most pilots, part of their salary will be deducted to pay for type training co-payment for some years.
Captain
Most pilots are expected to receive a command upgrade later on in their career. This allows them to be in command of an aircraft such as an airliner. The Captain, being the ranking pilot on board, typically is in charge of making decisions on the aircraft, especially in situations where the aircraft may be in a risky situation due to weather. Depending on airline, a Captain could draw between $9,000 – $20,000.
How quickly one promotes to Captain is also partly dependent on flight hours. This differs from airline to airline, since each airline services different routes.
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Conversion For Air Force Pilots
One of the career options for pilots in the air force is to work as a pilot with an airline after some time working with the Air Force. This is a great career option for Air Force pilots who may be becoming too old to fly fighter jets, or who wish to seek a career progression outside the military. Many airlines all over the world convert an air force pilot’s flight hours and peg them to various ranks after a conversion course.
It’s Not Easy
Most people pay attention to the fact that airline pilots are paid well, but few realise the amount of sacrifice that goes into it. As covered in previous sections, some trainee pilots are lucky enough to have their training sponsored by the airline, but many trainee pilots end up having to foot the bill themselves. This is by no means a guarantee that they will be hired by any of the airlines operating within the region, and it also means significant financial loss should they fail the course.
Despite the perks, pilots tend to spend days away from their families depending on the routes they service. Short-distance routes tend to allow pilots to be home by the evening or the next day, but longer flight routes may require pilots to be away from home for up to a couple of weeks at a time. This may make it difficult for pilots to spend time with their families or fulfil parental responsibilities.
Aside from this, piloting a passenger airliner is a huge responsibility, with the lives of a few hundred passengers in your hands. There are many things that could go wrong on an aircraft, and a pilot needs to be deeply familiar with the aircraft and its systems to be able to react appropriately to the necessary emergency, and this necessitates frequent training and familiarisation.
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