Commercial Pilot

The job of a commercial pilot is highly specialized which requires knowledge of air navigation, interpretation of meteorological reports, operations of sophisticated electronic and mechanical controls, leading the aircraft under adverse circumstances, and being a leader to the flight crew and passengers under climatic and other emergency situations.

A Commercial Pilot License (CPL) is a qualification that permits the holder to act as the pilot of an aircraft. The basic requirements to obtain the license and the privileges it confers are agreed internationally by International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, however the actual implementation varies quite widely from country to country. According to ICAO, it is obtained by successfully completing a course of flight training, passing a number of theory exams, and successfully demonstrating flying skills to an examiner during a flight test or check-ride.

Different types of CPL are issued for the major categories of aircraft: Airplanes, helicopters, gyro-planes, balloons, and airships. A license will contain a number of sub-qualifications or ratings. These specify in more detail the actual privileges of the license, including the types of aircraft that can be flown.

From pre-take off to actual landing and signing off, pilot must be highly responsible. They have to do complex calculations of take-off and landing and have to check fuel needed for the particular distance to be traveled and height and weight to be maintained. During the flight too pilot must be constantly alert, ensuring there are no mechanical snags, maintaining contact with air traffic controls and cabin crew through-out the flight. He also has to keep a record of flight details.

Commercial Pilot Courses offer the students a perfect platform to prepare for a challenging career in the aviation sector. These courses involve extensive training and comprise of several steps before one can become a certified commercial pilot. At present there are quite a number of institutes that offer commercial pilot training courses.

CAREER OPTIONS

With globalization, economic liberalization and a boom in the aviation industry, jobs as commercial pilots are available in airline companies throughout the world. A commercial pilot license holder can start as a trainee pilot followed by a co-pilot for which you would need to achieve a minimum of an Airline Transport Pilot's License (ATPL). This is known as a 'frozen' ATPL until you have completed enough flying hours to apply for a full ATPL and qualify as an airline captain. After this he or she becomes the first officer on board based on ones seniority. Seniority is determined by hours of flying experience and successful completion of various programs. Then one becomes a Commander or Captain and thereafter a Senior Commander. With the privatization, lot of avenues has opened for CPL holders. They can find employment opportunities in both government as well as private domestic and international airlines. Even large corporate houses with their own aircraft require the services of pilots.

As a pilot, you could also work in other areas of aviation, such as crop spraying, flight testing and flight training. If you are a qualified pilot from the armed forces, you can take a conversion course to gain a commercial pilot's license. There is strong competition for pilot training in the forces and you must serve a minimum term before taking up employment with an airline.

FAMOUS PERSONALITIES

CAPT. EMILY HOWELL WARNER

Capt. Emily Howell Warner, who, in 1973, became the first female pilot hired by a U.S. scheduled airline. Emily Howell was born on Oct. 30, 1939, and attended Holy Family High School in Colorado. She started flying in 1958; and after amassing her private, commercial, and flight instructor certificates, and instrument and multiengine ratings, she went to work for Clinton Aviation Company as a flight instructor. She rose to the positions of chief pilot, flight school manager, and FAA pilot examiner, racking up more than 7,000 hours of flight time in a period of less than 12 years.

Frontier Airlines hired Emily Howell in 1973; she flew the DHC-3 Twin Otter, CV 580, and B-737. After she flew a short stint with Continental Airlines, United Parcel Service hired her as a B-727 captain. In 1990, she quit UPS to work for the FAA as an aviation safety inspector. Capt. Warner is now the B-737 aircrew program manager for United Airlines.

KAREM M.KHAN

Kahn has been actively involved in the aviation industry for 40 years. Prior to starting her airline career in 1977, she instructed at the Sierra Academy in Northern California, and operated her own weekend ground school teaching Private, Commercial and Instrument courses. As a professional speaker, Kahn has presented numerous career workshops and professional aviation events helping audiences of all ages reach their personal career goals. She also provides professional advice, personal resource management, and airline interview coaching through her firm Aviation Career Counseling (www.aviationcareercounseling.com).

She holds ratings through Airline Training Programs (ATP), including type ratings on the Boeing 757/767and McDonnell-Douglas MD-80. She was the first woman to be type-rated in a Lockheed JetStar. Her other ratings include CFII MEI, Flight Engineer, Turbojet, Seaplane, Helicopter, and the coveted Master CFI (MCFI) designation from the National Association of Flight Instructors. For Captain Karen Kahn, one of the nation's first female commercial airline pilots and one of the few still working.

AMELIA EARHART - FIRST FEMALE TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT

In 1932, when Amelia Earhart piloted her plane across the Atlantic to Ireland, she became the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She began her aviation career in California as a student of Neta Snook Southern, another pioneer female aviation hero. Due to her untimely disappearance while on an around-the -world flight in 1937 we will never know what heights she could have achieved had she lived. Amelia Earhart has been honored by the United States Postal Service with the creation of an eight cent airmail stamp.

Horoscope - Career for Zodiac Signs

Do you consider yourself to be a sharp, energetic, well-rounded person with the drive and tenacity to make your way as a commercial pilot then check if these sun signs are your's,which is in favour for this career

Aries

Leo

Libra

Scorpio

Eligibility : Click here for more information

Institutes : Some of the prominent institutions offering courses in Commercial pilot can be had from the following links.. Click here for more information