If you have firmly decided to connect your destiny with civil aviation, but do not know where to go to study to become a pilot, how much it costs and what prospects are open for young pilots, then in this article we will try to answer the questions posed.
Where to go to study to become a civil aviation pilot
Future pilots civil aviation They are trained in specialized flight schools and in specialized courses.
In Russia there are only a few universities teaching this specialty, the largest of which is the University of Civil Aviation, located in St. Petersburg. Based on St. St. Petersburg University There are 8 faculties that train both pilots directly and ground specialists in this profile.
Second major aviation university located in Ulyanovsk - Higher Aviation School of Civil Aviation, and Moscow aviation institute, which mainly specializes in aviation technician training.
Where to study to become a pilot in Belarus
There is an aviation faculty at the Military Academy, located in the Brest region of the Republic of Belarus, which teaches not only to become an aircraft pilot-engineer, but also to become a helicopter pilot, as well as a military pilot and a specialist in the control of aviation radio-electronic systems. The duration of training in all specialties is 5 years.
In addition to the military academy in Minsk there is the “Belorussian state academy Aviation" (MGVAK), where there is a faculty of civil aviation, within which there is a specialty "Aeronautics", having entered there you may be sent to study on the territory of Russia at the Ulyanovsk Higher Flight School.
In the Republic of Belarus, you can learn to fly in private helicopter clubs, where you will be individually taught all the intricacies of helicopter piloting under the supervision of instructors. To study in the club you do not need experience, training takes place “from scratch”, the main thing is that you have a secondary specialized or higher education in any specialty and your health allows you to pilot a helicopter (a special certificate is required).
The course lasts 40 hours, which includes training in the theoretical part of piloting and managing air transport and practical part(direct flights).
Upon completion of the courses, a diploma is issued.
How much does it cost to study to become a pilot?
If you are in this moment If you serve in the army, then admission to the military faculty is free for you; after studying at the Military Academy or at the Moscow State Higher Educational Institution, you will be awarded officer rank.
Admission to civil aviation may require a fee, so at MGVAK (with study in Ulyanovsk) the fee will be 119,060 Russian rubles per year. Education at the military school is free.
Prices for pilot training companies vary, as it all depends on how many hours you want to fly; an hour of flight costs from 10,000,000 BYN. Rub, theoretical part from 5,200,000 Belarusian rubles, notes from 2,500,000 Belarusian rubles.
How long does it take to study to become a pilot?
In flight schools, training lasts 5 years, in private schools 40-45 days.
Conditions for admission to flight schools
In all educational institutions The requirements for a future pilot are very high. Must have good health, you should not have any chronic diseases, and your psyche should be stable. Honey. the certificate is issued by a special medical flight commission (VLEK), accompanied by a certificate of passing a psychological examination (PO).
Without a health certificate you will not be hired even private school.
The military academy has gender and age restrictions: girls and people over 23 years old are not accepted.
Is it worth studying to be a pilot?
Due to the rarity of the profession and strict selection, already at the stage of studying at the school an employer (most likely an airline) will find you if you have entered military school and graduated from it, your entire subsequent life will most likely be associated with serving the state.
Inspired heroic biography French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, you can forever become infected with the dream of becoming a pilot. Making a dream come true is a feasible idea.
Average wage: 194,000 rubles per month
Demand
Payability
Competition
Entry barrier
Prospects
Perhaps many people in childhood dreamed of becoming a pilot - they wanted to fly a passenger, commercial and cargo, military, or even a small private two-seater aircraft. But the reality, of course, is not as cloudless as it seems to us in childhood.
Story
People have wanted to fly like birds for a very long time. In ancient Greece, many myths were created about human flight. Until now, many are confident that especially enlightened Indian yogis and Tibetan monks are able to levitate, i.e. rise into the air without any aircraft. And, of course, in fairy tales and legends of many nations there are flying characters: the Russian Baba Yaga, European witches on brooms, oriental peris. The greatest Italian scientist Leonardo da Vinci was developing a project to create artificial wings with which any person could fly.
Later, he abandoned this idea and began to develop the design of an aircraft, which, according to the description, is very reminiscent of the first airplanes. The founders of the profession of “pilot” can be considered the Montgolfier brothers, who made the first successful flight on hot-air balloon. But the first pilots in modern sense This word should be called the Wright brothers, who, after decades of testing and calculations, in 1903 made the debut airplane flight in the history of mankind.
Description and characteristics of the profession
A pilot, with the exception of racing drivers, who are also called that way, is a person who controls an aircraft for any purpose. This profession is more than responsible: situations often arise in which the pilot has no right to make a mistake, because too much depends on his actions - the integrity of the cargo, the aircraft itself vehicle, the lives of passengers and crew members. It is also considered one of the most technically difficult, since the pilot must keep the readings under control huge variety devices and, focusing on them, make decisions. At the same time, he needs to coordinate his actions with the co-pilot, the airport dispatcher and the pilots of other aircraft located nearby.
The crew usually has two pilots - a commander and an assistant. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the co-pilot must be prepared to take full control of the aircraft.
The assistant, like the commander, must know everything about the structure of the aircraft, its behavior in any conditions and safety rules during its operation. Immediately before the flight, the pilot carefully studies the route of the upcoming flight, consults with specialists, checks the results of maintenance, and sets up the operation of radio communications.
As with any profession, there are pros and cons to being a pilot. Official employment, high salaries, good social security, early retirement - these are not all the advantages of the profession. It makes childhood travel dreams come true. You are guaranteed to see many countries. Pilots flying international flights usually have time to walk around the city, see the sights, and have a good rest. Rest is a separate plus: airlines scrupulously control the physical and moral condition their pilots, because in order to receive right decisions, the pilot must feel impeccable.
The list of disadvantages is small, but they are significant:
- Firstly, pilots are extremely rarely at home. In this sense, they are like long-distance sailors.
- Secondly, constant emotional stress: to control such a huge and complex apparatus, to keep in mind a lot of numbers and data, realizing that you have passengers in the cabin, whose lives are in your hands - this requires a lot of mental effort. Therefore, pilots have to undergo comprehensive medical examinations, including communication with psychiatrists, more often than many other people.
Directions, specialties and educational institutions according to the profile of training
In the Russian Federation, you can become a professional pilot by receiving an education in flight school or one of the following universities:
- St. Petersburg State University civil aviation (UGAvSP). The duration of study is at least 5 years.
- Ulyanovsk Institute of Civil Aviation named after B.P. Bugaev (UI GA), also known as the Ulyanovsk Higher Aviation School of Civil Aviation. The duration of training is four years.
For admission you will need Unified State Exam results in physics, specialized mathematics and Russian language. In addition, applicants pass physical training standards.
Specialties that give the right to be a pilot:
- aircraft testing,
- operation of aircraft and air traffic management,
- aircraft control systems,
- use of aviation complexes and flight operation,
- air navigation.
However, becoming a pilot is not that easy. The main document that gives the right to fly an airplane is not a university diploma, but a flight certificate. Profile education is only the first stage of obtaining it. Next you will need to pass the theoretical and practical exams, pass a medical examination and fly at least 150 hours.
Professional Responsibilities
The main responsibilities of an aircraft commander are:
- Organization of crew preparation for flight;
- Ensuring flight safety;
- Flight in difficult weather conditions, in case of automatic system failures and in other non-standard situations;
- Fuel level control;
- Analysis of meteorological and ornithological conditions;
- Suppression of actions of passengers that threaten safety on board;
- Filling out documentation;
- Flight debriefing with crew members.
Duties of the co-pilot:
- Preparing for flight;
- Selection and study of flight documentation;
- Studying the flight plan and informing the crew about it;
- Checking flight and navigation equipment;
- Performing a flight using automatic systems;
- Performing the duties of a navigator in the absence of one.
Who is it suitable for?
The profession of a pilot is not suitable for any person, but only for those with the following qualities:
- iron self-control, the ability to control oneself, not to panic in any situation;
- cold, clear mind, penchant for analytical thinking;
- high intelligence and good memory;
- impeccable health, one hundred percent vision and color vision;
- attentiveness, pedantry, rationalism.
Visual acuity, depth of eye, ability to long time perform monotonous actions, emotional stability, neatness.
This work is contraindicated in cases of visual impairment, vestibular system disorders, nervous, mental and cardiovascular diseases, diseases associated with loss of consciousness, and impaired coordination of movements.
It is also not allowed to have a criminal record for intentional crimes and administrative penalties for the use of narcotic substances.
Wage
Pilots in any country are paid very well. In the USA, at Delta Air Lines - $212 per hour with a mandatory flight time of 65 hours. In the Russian Federation it is an order of magnitude less, but by our standards it is also excellent. Aeroflot pilots, net, excluding bonuses and bonuses, earn 290,000 rubles per month with a mandatory flight time of 85 hours. With excess flight hours, the pilot's salary increases significantly. Thus, for 90 hours, Aeroflot pilots are already awarded 340,000 rubles.
How to build a career
As for a career, the fate of a pilot is guaranteed to almost any graduate of the relevant university. True, straight into a serious company young pilot It is unlikely that they will not take him, since his flight hours will be minimal. You can gain experience in small companies, on commercial routes and in light aviation. No more than two years will pass, and it will be possible to apply for the position of aircraft commander. In the future, quite a lot of opportunities for promotion will open up. career ladder: from the position of chief pilot to manager structural unit airlines.
Prospects for the profession
In our country, transport as a sector of the economy for a long time was in a dilapidated state. Its restoration requires more and more new personnel, so the pilot profession has good prospects.
If you still have the slightest doubt that the profession of “Pilot” is your calling, do not rush. After all, you can spend your whole life regretting the years you lost studying and working in a specialty that simply doesn’t suit you. To find a profession in which you can maximize your talents, go through online career aptitude test or order consultation "Career vector" .
A pilot is a professional who controls an aircraft. Such a person is entrusted with an enormous responsibility: delivering the cargo safe and sound, preserving the vehicle and the lives of passengers and crew. Let's find out how to become a civil aviation pilot and what qualities a candidate should have.
The pilot profession has many advantages: it is well paid, is in high demand, but it is difficult to perform and requires serious training. Pilots control the operation of complex devices and are able to interact with colleagues flying other aircraft. If the pilot gets confused or makes a mistake in some small detail, this can lead to irreversible consequences.
The main crew members are the chief pilot and the co-pilot, who partially performs the duties of the first. The co-pilot is required to replace the chief pilot when necessary. In addition, the assistant must know the structure of the aircraft and, together with the chief pilot, study the route before the flight.
Requirements for future pilots
Most often, places in universities are not budgetary, that is, they are paid. Despite this, getting there is not at all as easy as it seems. To pass the medical examination well, the following conditions are important:
- No heart disease;
- Absence of diseases and abnormalities of the lungs;
- No problems with blood vessels;
- Absence of hypotension and hypertension;
- Normal vestibular apparatus;
- Perfect vision (unit);
A medical examination is carried out at each course and if health indicators drop, the student may be expelled. A medical examination is also organized after completion of training, before each flight on an aircraft.
Since the pilot is responsible not only for his own, but also for hundreds of other people’s lives, he must maintain his health at the maximum level, and constantly.
Civil aviation pilot training
Future pilots understand that their training will begin not with flying an airplane, but with studying “ inner world» aircraft - buildings air assets. For full study conduct courses:
- going through how to use air transport;
- theoretical and practical management by air;
- reading maps and routes;
- meteorology;
- aerodynamics;
- engine mechanism;
- skydiving training;
- learning first aid and basic medical skills;
- studying foreign language for foreign flights.
Additionally, in practice, students practice on simulators that simulate real flights.
After training, not all companies accept workers without experience. To be able to work for an airline, you need to accumulate flight hours and then obtain a special pilot license. More often they hire cadets who have practiced flying for at least a couple of years.
There are probably no people who would have their own plane and runway. But this is exactly what is needed for practice!
For such purposes there are educational organizations, which “for rent” provide airplanes and runways for use. Of course, this is not cheap, because construction and maintenance require high costs– fuel, repair and maintenance of aircraft.
How to become a pilot without getting paid special education? Not everyone wants to study at a civil aviation academy for six years and then train training grounds. This is of interest to those who have received a higher education in a different field and want to become an Aeroflot pilot from scratch, but do not have the opportunity to graduate. Special flying clubs provide a chance for money to undergo training and acquire a license (for example, aviation school Aeroflot). There are several stages in pilot training:
- First, the student receives an amateur pilot certificate, with which he can fly (for example, with family and friends), but not work;
- At the second stage, the title of “commercial pilot” is assigned, which allows you to fly short flights and fly small aircraft with a single engine;
- After completing the third stage, they are awarded the title of line pilot, who has the right to fly any aircraft.
Specialists trained in this way practice two to three times more than students, and therefore are more likely to be hired immediately after training.
Students studying different quantities time depending on the price and level of training, as well as the prestige of the educational institution. IN Lately The training period is reduced almost threefold and the goal is to teach the pilot the most important things, ignoring the unimportant. Therefore, today's pilots are becoming operators rather than civil aviation pilots.
Cost of training and salary for a civil aviation pilot in Russia
Typically, training in flying clubs usually costs about 20-30 thousand dollars, sometimes a loan is provided for training, but in this case, most often you will have to work it off at the airline. Some companies offer accelerated courses, preparation, but it costs even more: 80-100 thousand.
There are also options with a down payment, after which a loan is provided for the balance. Considering how much a civil aviation pilot earns in Russia (from 200 thousand rubles), you can close the loan quickly.
The best Russian universities
Krasnoyarsk branch of St. Petersburg State University
The university was founded in 2009 on the basis of Krasnoyarsk technical college civil aviation. Students here receive secondary specialized education in two specialties. The university offers four faculties: management air traffic, radio engineering, flight operation of aircraft and organization of air transportation.
Studying takes place both on a budget and under a contract. Students practice on special simulators that resemble air transport.
Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI)
Built in 1930, popular with “techies”. Specialists are trained for special equipment– airplanes, helicopters, missiles, avionics and radars. Future pilots practice at the airfield of the Institute of Civil Aviation (the only one among other educational institutions).
The Civil Aviation Flight School in Moscow has a low passing score (relative to other educational institutions), and budget places a sufficient number is presented.
Ulyanovsk Higher Aviation School of Civil Aviation
It was built a little earlier than the Buguruslan School, in 1935. Educational institution prepares bachelors with a specialty of co-pilot and specialists in the operation of airliners and flight management. There is a training complex.
St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation
Founded in 1955 and since then it has graduated 50 thousand pilots and other specialists. Students receive the qualification "pilot engineer". The program takes a deep dive into navigation and new ways to fly an airplane. The university also provides special simulators for navigators and air traffic controllers.
So, how to become an airplane pilot? This profession is complex and requires composure and responsibility, so only a mentally and physically healthy person can drive such a vehicle - you cannot become a pilot if you have health problems.
If a child from childhood dreams of becoming a civil aviation pilot in the future, then he must harden himself, develop his strength and endurance, study well, and then the dream will become a reality!
The priority area of activity of the Aist flying club is the training of amateur pilots (private pilots) wishing to obtain a PPL (Private Pilot License). The flight school provides training on Yak-18T training aircraft, which have given more than one thousand Russian and foreign pilots a ticket to the skies.
Theory and practice of flying
Flight training courses (FTC) take place in two main stages: theoretical and practical training.
- The study of flight theory is carried out in Moscow, at the training base of our partners - the Wingspan Aviation Training Center. Previously, we taught theory ourselves, but we were faced with the fact that it was more convenient for our cadets to attend evening classes during the week. theoretical classes in Moscow. The theoretical pilot training course includes the following subjects:
- air legislation;
- practical aerodynamics;
- aircraft design;
- aircraft navigation and navigation in the sky;
- aircraft power plant design;
- design of aviation and radio equipment;
- technical and flight operation of aircraft;
- rescue equipment, their use;
- meteorology in aviation;
- conduct and phraseology of radio communications;
- aviation security and many others. etc.
- The initial flight training program at the pilot school is conducted at the Beloomut airfield with an experienced pilot instructor. Cadets will acquire the following skills:
- ground pre-flight preparation amateur pilots;
- primary piloting skills, first solo flight;
- flight at critically low and high air speeds;
- elimination of the spin effect in flight;
- takeoffs and landings at normal conditions and in strong side winds;
- recognition of stall (initial and developed) and recovery from it;
- takeoffs/landings in limited areas;
- training to fly using instruments only;
- flying along a developed route using visual references, using dead reckoning methods and radio navigation aids;
- simulated flight emergency situation: failure of the engine, on-board equipment, etc.;
- night flights and many others. etc.
Procedure and duration of training:
- Duration theoretical course is 172 hours (approximately four months). At the end of the training, students are tested and take exams in all theoretical disciplines.
- The estimated duration of flight training is 42 hours. For effective learning To develop and maintain piloting skills, regular flight time of at least two hours per week is required. IN otherwise there will be no progress, and learning to fly an airplane and obtaining a private pilot certificate will take an indefinitely long time. After completing the course examination tests in aircraft navigation and piloting technology.
- You can start performing training flights in Moscow at the same time as attending theoretical classes.
- Upon successful passing of the theoretical and flight training exams, the registration documents are transferred to Working group Higher Qualification Commission Federal agency air transport (Rosaviation) Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation (RG VKK).
- After passing the certification, the graduate will be awarded a private pilot license PPL (Private Pilot License). With this document you have the right to fly on private aircraft.
Cost of education
- Payment full course training can be carried out in whole or in parts, in cash or by bank transfer.
- The cost of a theoretical pilot school course is 36,000 rubles. If you missed a lesson, you can easily attend a similar lecture on another day in another group.
- average cost the flight course is about 450,000 rubles. or 180 rub./min. The final price depends on several factors, among which individual psychophysiological characteristics of accounting play a special role - type nervous system, properties of temperament. However, practice shows that the most important are motivational features - interest in flying, desire to learn, as well as persistence in learning. educational material, regularity of raids. In short, pilots are not born, but made. We will help you with this!
The job of an airline pilot confidently ranks at the top of the list of the most romantic professions, and certainly at the top of the list of children’s most cherished desires. It’s just that only a few choose it as an adult. And it’s not because the dream evaporated over time. But because the idea of it has become overgrown with such a heap of myths and prejudices that it already seems unrealistic. The most unpleasant thing about this situation is that most of them are outdated long ago, or were initially devoid of any meaning. We decided to fix this unfortunate misunderstanding and prepared comprehensive material to finally prove that anyone can become a pilot.
MYTH 1. You can only enroll and study to become a pilot up to a certain age.
This is wrong. Really existed before age restrictions– Civil aviation schools accepted people up to 27 years old, DOSAAF flying clubs - up to 35. Now this is not the case. The only restriction for enrollment in aviation courses is health status.
MYTH 2. This is, of course, good, but they say that to become a pilot, you must be as healthy as an astronaut
It all depends on your decision, how and where study to be a pilot. Medical examination of flight personnel is carried out by special commission– VLEK.
VLEK requirements for pilots are divided into three groups. According to the first column, the commission is passed by cadets before entering the flight school. This is the very case when health really should be “like an astronaut” - the first column is the strictest. The third is, on the contrary, the most loyal. It is through this that future pilots undergo a medical examination before starting training to become a pilot under the “Private Pilot” program at a flight school or flying club. You don’t need to be an astronaut for this, it’s enough to know relatively healthy image life and not have serious chronic diseases.
Misconception: “I will pass the medical examination to become a civil aviation pilot, and in the future I will want to continue training to become a commercial pilot, but they will not let me in.”
We forgot about the second column. All active pilots undergo a medical examination according to it. And it is also “softer” than the first one. That is, having decided to continue your career in big aviation after training at the flying club, you will legally pass the VLEK according to the second point and the road will be open. Again, there is no need to become an astronaut. Moreover, for people who dream of working and generally becoming a civil aviation pilot, but have some health problems, this is the only possible way bypass the “space” requirements of flight schools.
MYTH 3. Flying an airplane is difficult.
Let's be honest:
Is the car easy to drive? Is it easy to work as a doctor or a builder? Any profession requires first efforts to obtain quality education and then responsibility at work. But if you have a great desire, nothing is impossible. Yes, to someone pilot training It’s easier, others take a little more time, but it’s not for nothing that throughout the civilized world the most common way of training pilots is the path from simple to complex. First, a small single-engine plane, like a Cessna 172, at the flying club. Then a medium twin-engine (for example, L-410) in “applied” aviation: air patrol, aerial photography, agricultural work, cargo delivery, etc. and so on. Well, it’s already not far from the Boeing with its passengers.
And don’t forget about such a thing as an introductory flight on an airplane with an instructor. You won't just be able to fly on an airplane, the instructor will definitely give you the opportunity to try to fly the plane yourself in order to draw your own conclusions.
MYTH 4. Pilot training is expensive.
Really not cheap. But it is not much more expensive than a quality education in other prestigious professions. One can, of course, lament this and indulge in lengthy, meaningless discussions about how good it was under the USSR, but it is much more constructive to finally realize that the USSR no longer exists and look for real ways solving the problem. Many serious flight schools, in Moscow and others major cities especially, they have lending programs.
ADVICE: try to find such an ATC (aviation The educational center), where there is an agreement with banks to provide not a regular consumer loan, but a specialized education loan. This special kind lending, which allows you to defer payments until you complete your studies.
MYTH 5. Studying to become a pilot takes a long time..
You will have to “give up” work and family for several years
The concept of “long” is different for everyone, so let’s use specific numbers. Duration of study in flight school– 3 years, at the academy – 5 years. Unfortunately, at this time you will really have to fall out of real life, because what would become a civil aviation pilot, you will have to undergo training at a flight school, it involves strict discipline and does not provide for absenteeism, absences, deferments and other external training. If this is unacceptable to you, good way out– ATC or flight school. Piloting courses in Moscow and around are offered by quite a few organizations. As a rule, theory is read in flying clubs on weekends (plus big role self-training plays a role), and you can perform training flights at any time convenient for you.
Misconception: “I will spend time becoming a private pilot, and then I will want to work as an airline pilot and will have to go to school and start all over again.”
Choose the “right” flying club. You can obtain a commercial pilot certificate by flying a certain number of flight hours and completing a special training course.
If now you want to “just