My Education
So how will my "path to the skies" take form?
If you had asked me this a couple of years ago I would probably have answered that I would take my education exclusively in the Unites States and get a job there. As it stands now I have chosen the Norwegian alternative which means I will go to the US for 2 years to get my education, and hours as a flying instructor, before returning home and getting my European licenses.
Pilot Requirements
Contrary to popular belief (at least from my point of view) you don't need any superhuman abilities to be able to operate an airplane, any human being with normal health can in theory get a private pilots licence.
To be able to operate a small aircraft you basically only need to pass a medical checkup, which you will, if you are of normal health. Other than that it's like getting a car's licence, just with a few more buttons and things to consider.
My Path and Progress
My current education plan is as I've stated before separated into two stages (three if you count the time before traveling to the US).
The first stage takes part at Phoenix East Aviation (Florida) and here I will take the following licenses:
- Private Pilots License(PPL) *Completed*
- Instrument Rating (IR) *Completed*
- Multi Engine Rating (ME) *Completed*
- Commercial Pilots License Multi-Engine (CPL) *Completed*
- Multi Engine Instructor (MEI) *Completed*
- Single-Engine Commercial Add-On (CPL) *Completed*
- Certified Flight Instructor Add-On (CFI) *Completed*
- Certified Flight Instructor Instrument Add-On (CFII) *Completed*
When my days of being a student pilot is over I will then try to find a job as a flight instructor (preferably at Phoenix East) and get as many hours as I can before returning to Norway. This is the top selling point of taking your education this way, and it leaves you with as much as 4 times the hours you would've gotten if you took just the pilots education in Norway. These hours are critical when it comes to getting a job in the industry.
When my Visa has expired, and I (hopefully) have the hours I need, it's time for the second stage, back home in Norway.
The licenses you take in the US are just valid for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). In Europe we have another system, JAA (Joint Aviation Authorities), and therefore you have to get licenses that work over here. I'm not planning on working as a flying instructor in Norway, so when I get home I will take:
- Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) *In Progress*
- Modular Course: CPL/IR ("conversion of licenses")
- Multi Crew Cooperation Course (MCC)
ATPL is the highest license in the industry, and is needed to operate as a Captain of an airliner, therefore most airlines require you to have one. I'm going to start working on this license before I go back to Norway, and will hopefully be more or less ready by the time I get back home.
The MCC course is to prepare you to work with different kinds of people and different leader types in a cockpit environment, so that communication does not falter.
When all of this is done I'm hoping to land an entry-level job at an airline, or any other flying job that would be of interest.
Wish me luck!
- Jon