High School Students

Do you love to fly and want an exciting, rewarding, and challenging career with great travel benefits?

Join the club! Every day, more than 5 million people travel by air. Helping them reach their destinations safely and securely are professional airline pilots. You can join them by becoming a professional airline pilot, traveling the world to connect people and goods!

Here are some activities you can do to see if it’s the right career for you:

1. Request a pilot visit at your school or club event.
2. Talk with the pilot on your next flight.
3. Take a discovery flight.
4. Visit your local airport.
5. Join the aviation program at your school or in your community. (Or start one!)
6. Take an aviation class.
7. Build and fly model airplanes.
8. Visit your local aviation museum.
9. Become a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol.

Take it a step further and learn about:

• The theory of flight.
• Aircraft systems.
• A day in the life of a pilot.
• Navigation and developing a flight plan.
• Meteorology.
• Air traffic control.
• Federal aviation rules and regulations.

These are growing lists of activities and information for high school students. Send your ideas to Education@alpa.org.

There are several paths that you can take to become a professional airline pilot. One of the most common ways is by attending a university with an aviation/flight training program. There, you can learn to fly, build flight-time hours, and earn your degree. You can also learn to fly through standalone flight training programs and the military. Each path has pros and cons.