Education · 1 of 4

The path

The certificate is the easy half. The hours are the wall.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Physics and math. Get medically checked early: if you cannot hold a medical certificate, you need to know that before you spend anything.

2. 2

   Private pilot certificate, helicopter

   4 to 8 months

   Your first certificate. Solo flight, navigation, radio work, and a checkride with an examiner.

3. 3

   Commercial pilot certificate

   12 to 18 months in total

   Federal rules require at least 150 hours of flight time, including 50 hours in helicopters, 35 hours as pilot in command in helicopters, and a cross-country flight of more than 300 nautical miles.

4. 4

   Instrument rating and flight instructor certificate

   6 to 12 months

   Not legally required to fly commercially, but the combination is how you get hired and how you build hours while being paid.

5. 5

   Build hours, then get a real job

   2 to 4 years

   Instruct or fly tours until you reach the hour minimums operators insist on, commonly around 1,000 hours or more. Then air ambulance, utility, offshore or corporate flying opens up.