What is the proper career route to become a commercial passenger plane captain?

Ok. There are 3 ways to become an airline pilot.

-Flight School (recommended)

-Aeronautical College/University (not recommended, because it's way too expensive)

-US air force (be prepared to devote 10 years in Air Force. Only about 30% gets to fly aircraft.)

I''ll answer your question first.

How much does it cost? - If you go to flight school, you'll spend about $40000 to $50000 depending on aircraft you fly.

What are the steps? - I'll explain.

Are there age limitations? -NO. Actually, airlines prefer "mature" pilots than just rich young pilots.

Now,

Flight school route: There are thousands of flight school in USA. There are some big ones and small and local ones. You choose. Personally, I recommend local ones because they usually cost less that big ones.

Now first, you have to obtain PPL license. PPL stands for private pilot license. You'll pay, attend ground school, and finally, fly with instructor/yourself.

To get PPL license, you have to rack about 40~50 hours. It usually costs &60000 or up.

Then, you qualify to go for CPL- commercial pilot license. Wait! you need 250 flying hours to be eligible. receiving CPL will cost you about $12000 or up.

You are not done yet. To apply for regional airlines, you need to have at LEAST 500 or 600 flying hours.

Of course you can rent airplane and fly, but It will cost you A LOT. So student pilots usually become CFI- Certified flight instructor. What CFI does is once you have CFI, you can INSTRUCT student pilots and get paid! - usually $30-40 . How awesome is that! you get paid to fly!

Oh by the way, CFI program will cost you like $3000 or more.

Keep instructing until you reach 1000 flying hours. To be competitive, you need to have 1000 flying hours. Around 600 to 1000 is a good estimate.

So, let's suppose you accumulated 1000 hours. Now, you can definitely apply for REAL PILOT JOB!

You'll apply for regional airlines. However, pay sucks. But.. don't worry. As you gain seniority, you'll definitely earn more.

OH, and make sure you at least have 4 year bachelor's degree in any kind. It's better for you to major field that you are interested,, besides aviation. It's VERY important to receive a degree because when aviation industry busts, you might get furloughed specially if you are first officer.

After you have several thousands flying hours, you can apply for major airlines. But remember this, it's VERY VERY VERY COMPETITIVE.

Start your flight training when you are 18 or 19. That's the ideal age because you become more mature. Trust me. You don't need to rush. If you are freshmen or sophomore in highschool, secure math and science skills rather than flying. Math skills definitely help. And don't forget to work part-time job. Don't rely on your parents entirely.

hope it helps!

1) You need a college education. While it isn't an absolute requirement about 95% of all airline applicants hold at least a BS degree. You won't be competetive without a degree.

2) You go through civilian flight training courses. At a minimum you'll need to go through private pilot, commercial pilot, instrument and multi-engine training. Most civilian pilots also take instructor training because flight instructing is one of the easier jobs to get after flight school. Depending on where you train, what aircraft you train in, flight school to attain these ratings in the USA costs anywhere from about $35,000 to $80,000. A typical average is around $50k. Flight courses are described here: http://www.pilotratings.com/

3) After graduating flight school, the vast majority of pilots end up building flight time in low paying flying jobs such as instructing. A typical entry-level wage isaround $20,000. With enough experience they typically move up to flying for a charter operation or regional airline. Even a new-hire regional airline copilot starts out making about $20,000 per year. After several years of flying for a regional airline, or in some job that allows them to get captain experience in turbine powered multi-engine aircraft, they may start getting interviews with the major airlines.

4) On average, including college, the typical pilot has invested 10 to 15 years into getting a job with a major airline. The average age range of new-hires is 28-40 and the median age of most pilots who finally make it into a major airline is 34.

5) Most corporate flying jobs, particularly the better paying ones, are equally as difficult to get. In fact, the minimum experience requirements for the company I fly for are much stricter than the airlines.

6) Becoming an airline pilot takes a lot of time, money, and dedication. It is an extremely competitive field and one of the more difficult professions to succeed in that you could choose if you go the civilian route. About 60% of all airline pilots are ex-military and only half of all pilots who earn a commercial pilot certificate ever make it to a major airline.

If you're serious and have what it takes, don't be put off by these daunting statistics, but be prepared for a long, difficult journey. These links will help you get started:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&c...

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&c...

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&c...

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&c...