If you or a teen child of yours is considering going to school to become a pilot, and you aren't sure what to do, you want to know what you are up against. It isn't an easy choice to get into a school to become a pilot, and it's important to know that the programs at different flight schools can be very competitive. Here are some of the things that you want to look into to see if your grades, physical health, and current activities will meet the requirements.
Top Academic Ratings
Being a pilot takes a lot of discipline and intelligence, and you want to show all of the flight schools that you have what it takes. You want to get the best academic grades that you can possibly receive, and do as well as you can with all standardized tests. Without the best grades, they won't even look at the rest of your application.
Military Options
There are different programs for both high schoolers and high school graduates for those who are interested in becoming pilots. You can do things like:
- Reserve Officers Training Course
- United States Army Cadet Course
- Enlist
You will want to talk with the counselors at your high school, the colleges you want to get into, and the air force, army or another branch of the military and a recruiting officer from those branches. This could help increase your chances of getting into a flight school.
Physical Standards
There are physical standards that you also have to meet if you want to be a pilot. You have to pass physical endurance testing, vision testing, reaction screenings and more. Make sure that you find out the details in advance, so you can train and be sure that you are physically capability of pursuing this type of career option.
It's best to start planning as soon as you've decided you want to go into pilot school because the more preparations that are taken, the better the chances are. You don't want to be caught off-guard to find out that you don't have good enough grades, or that your child didn't do enough to get into a good school, after they are ready to graduate high school and start their post high school education. Talk these things over with a representative from schools like the Institute of Aviation at Parkland College and start to prep so becoming a pilot is a dream they can achieve.