Career roadmap · United States · airplanes
How to become an airline pilot.
Where are you now?
Select your stage, then follow the next step. Scroll the rail to explore the full path.
Before you choose a training route: Part 61 or Part 141?
Two FAA frameworks for training. A Part 141 school trains under an FAA-approved syllabus with structured stage checks; Part 61 training is more flexible in how and when material is covered. Each framework has its own eligibility and aeronautical-experience requirements, and neither is automatically better — the right one depends on your schedule, your budget, and how you learn.
Compare training providers ↗Stage 1 of 11
Choose a training path
You are gathering information. The FAA does not require a student pilot certificate merely to take flight lessons, so you can legally begin instruction while you are still deciding. You are choosing between training environments — a Part 141 school follows an FAA-approved syllabus, while Part 61 training is more flexible — and getting a feel for whether you enjoy the flying itself.
What you need to accomplish
You have flown a discovery/introductory flight and chosen a school and instructor you intend to train with.
Source for this stage
What to do next
- 01Read the free First Steps Guide end to end so the vocabulary stops being a barrier.
- 02Visit two nearby flight schools, ask how instructors are assigned and when aircraft are actually available, and ask whether they train under Part 61, Part 141, or both.
- 03Book one discovery flight and treat it as information rather than a commitment.
Tools for this stage
- Free First Steps Guide
A plain-language guide to training, medical certification, IACRA, and the first flight lesson.
- School directory
Search FAA Part 141 schools by state, city or school name.
- Pilot Path
Answer five questions and receive a starting point matched to your goal.
The words that trip people up.
- Certificate vs rating
- A certificate is the main FAA pilot credential and defines the kind of flying you may do — student, private, commercial, ATP. A rating is added to a certificate and adds specific privileges, such as the instrument rating or a multiengine class rating. You do not replace a certificate when you add a rating.
- Ground knowledge vs flight training
- Ground knowledge is the classroom and self-study side: weather, regulations, systems, aerodynamics, and planning. Flight training is instruction in the airplane with an instructor. Both are required, and they normally run in parallel rather than one after the other.
- Knowledge test vs practical test
- The knowledge test is the multiple-choice exam taken at an authorised testing centre — often called 'the written'. The practical test is the checkride: an oral portion on the ground followed by a flight, conducted by an examiner against the FAA Airman Certification Standards. Passing the practical test is how a certificate or rating is issued.
- FAA minimums vs your real timeline
- The regulations state minimums. Very few people finish at the minimum. Your actual time and cost depend on how often you fly, weather, aircraft and instructor availability, how well the ground work is going, and where you train. Employer requirements are a third, separate thing and can exceed the FAA minimum in both hours and kind.
- FAA requirements vs employer requirements
- The FAA decides what certificates and ratings you may hold. An employer decides who it hires. An airline may require more total time than the FAA minimum and may add its own conditions — work authorisation, background checks, assessments, education preferences, and training agreements. Meeting FAA minimums does not entitle anyone to a job.
Printable checklist.
Print it, write on it, take it to the airport. Nothing is submitted and nothing is saved.
Before you spend money
- Read the free First Steps Guide.
- Visit two schools and ask how instructors and aircraft are assigned.
- Ask each school whether it trains under Part 61, Part 141, or both.
- Fly one discovery flight.
Before you commit to a career path
- Discuss first-class medical eligibility with an AME.
- Get hourly aircraft, instructor, and cancellation rates in writing.
- Write down the flying you actually want to do, and check the path still matches it.
During training
- Apply for the student pilot certificate before you need to solo.
- Keep the logbook accurate as you go, including each subcategory of time.
- Read the applicable ACS with your instructor before scheduling any practical test.
Toward the airline goal
- Check 61.153, 61.159, and 61.160 yourself to confirm which ATP route you qualify for.
- Confirm ATP-CTP sequencing against the current rules before booking a knowledge test.
- Compare each employer's published requirements to your record, line by line.
- Read every training agreement's repayment and service terms before signing.
Start with the first certificate
Make your Private Pilot plan.
Official sources and qualifications
Official sources · reviewed 2026-09-04
- FAA — Become a Pilot
- FAA — Student Pilot Certificate
- FAA — Get a Medical Certificate
- FAA AME Guide — Classes of Medical Certificates
- FAA — Airline Transport Pilot
- FAA — Airman Certification Standards
- 14 CFR 61.56 — Flight review
- 14 CFR 61.57 — Recent flight experience
- 14 CFR 61.63 — Additional aircraft ratings
- 14 CFR 61.65 — Instrument rating requirements
- 14 CFR 61.103 — Private pilot eligibility
- 14 CFR 61.109 — Private pilot aeronautical experience
- 14 CFR 61.123 — Commercial pilot eligibility
- 14 CFR 61.129 — Commercial pilot aeronautical experience
- 14 CFR 61.153 — ATP eligibility
- 14 CFR 61.159 — Aeronautical experience, airplane ATP
- 14 CFR 61.160 — Restricted-privileges ATP
Use this roadmap to plan your training and career milestones. Our ground-school students can request knowledge-test endorsement review by an authorized instructor. Medical eligibility is determined through the applicable AME or FAA process, practical-test results by the examiner, and hiring by the employer. Check the linked official sources for the current requirements.
Sources and methodology
- Who it is for
- Anyone deciding whether to pursue a U.S. airline career, from no experience through the ATP.
- What you finish with
- See the whole certificate sequence in order, locate your own stage, and print a checklist for the next stage only.
- Included
- 11 stages from first flight through employer training, each with its FAA or eCFR source
- A stage selector that places you in the sequence
- A printable checklist for the stage you selected
- Try it first
- Select your stage and read the actual requirements and sources for it.
- Primary sources
- Version
- airline-roadmap-v1.0 · last reviewed 2026-08-31
- Who reviewed it
- Compiled in-house from Part 61 and FAA published material on the review date. No airline, academy or employer is affiliated with this page.
- Limits
- FAA certificate requirements are not employer hiring requirements; we make no hiring or timeline claim.
- Eligibility for reduced-hour ATP privileges is individual and determined by the FAA, not by this page.
- Found an error?
- Tell us and we will correct it or say why we disagree: fly@pilotmethodaviation.com