Where are my wings? Admission to flight school.

Every day I receive a lot of letters in the mail with the same question: "how can I become a pilot at 35 (36, 42, 54 ...).?"
as far as possible, I try to answer everyone or give links and contacts of those people who have already gone this way.
Here is another example of how dreams are achieved:

Original taken from fokindima in Aerodrome flights (Base Flight)

Brief history reference how in this life there is a place for a dream to come true:

• August 2011 - a thought, an idea, a DREAM was born in my head!!! I clearly remember where, when and how it was, and from memory it will never go away!


• From August 2011 to August 2012, he surfed the Internet, forums, LiveJournal of active pilots and students for pilots (namely, understanding the complexity, at that time, of searching for bits of information about studies and options studying to be a pilot and prompted me to conduct this LiveJournal and, if possible, describe in detail what is happening on my way - for those who follow and as a token of gratitude to those who helped me in realizing my dream with their help, texts, photos, comments, advice) in the search for information.


• On March 17, 2012, he posted on LiveJournal the first one-sentence entry “How to become a pilot at 32?” (the correct answer, in relation to me, as it turned out, was simple - “at 32 there’s no way, but by 34 you can have time”)


• On May 20, 2012, he took the first step - he flew to Barcelona to pass the European Aviation Medical Commission and get acquainted with two flight schools in Catalonia


• On September 11, 2012, he took the second step - he flew to New York to begin his studies as a commercial pilot at the AcePilot Inc. school. in Pennsylvania, USA


• On October 09, 2012 he made his first independent (solo) flight


• November 20, 2012 became a Private Pilot (Amateur Pilot)


• December 31, 2012 received IFR approval (for instrument flight in adverse weather conditions)


• February 28, 2013 became Commercial Pilot SE (Commercial pilot of a single-engine land aircraft)


• March 01, 2013 became Commercial Pilot ME (Commercial pilot of a multi-engine land aircraft)


• From March to September 2013 spent on: passing VLEK, admission to the 1st year of the correspondence faculty of the second higher education in St. Petersburg State University of Aviation at the Faculty of Flight Operation of Civil Aircraft, studying Russian FAPs and the theory of Soviet textbooks, passing English to the IV level of ICAO, passing various courses and obtaining permits, pilot validation, constant search jobs and interviews and endless study, study, study...


• In September 2013, he successfully passed the professional selection in Airlines "Moskovia" and from October 28, 2013 began his studies at the Training Center SuperJet International in Zhukovsky by plane Sukhoi Superjet 100(RRJ-95B) .


• On December 19, I passed the exam on the FFS simulator and successfully completed my studies, having received a type rating. Before receiving the RRJ-95B pilot's certificate, there was one step left - airfield flights.


• On January 15, 2014 at 10.53 am Moscow time, I took off a Sukhoi Superjet 100 (RRJ-95B) jet passenger aircraft from runway 32L of Domodedovo Airport (UUDD) and headed for Zhukovsky Airport (Ramenskoye - UUBW) to perform training airfield flights.

DREAM COME TRUE!!!



And now about the flight itself. Its goal is to acquaint the pilot with a real aircraft (although once again I note that there is practically no difference between flying on an FFS and on a “live” aircraft), to see how he is ready to transfer the acquired skills on the simulator to the cockpit, is able to fly in real airspace and just get used to (or "feel" it) the aircraft.
The departure of the first group was scheduled for Monday, 01/13/14. 4 pilots were supposed to fly, I was in reserve. We arrived at Domodedovo at 8 am, but the road "there" clearly spoke of the illusory chances of flying off today. It was snowing, visibility was very poor, and the edge of the clouds hung low above the ground. For the first time in our lives, we passed through the service entrance of Domodedovo "For Crews"

We stood near the checkpoint, waited about an hour for the weather to improve, but in the end, since the weather in Domodedovo was below the required minimum for departure and the Ramenskoye airport (UUBW) in Zhukovsky was closed due to bad weather, the instructors made the final decision "We do not fly." Since airfield flights consist for the most part of visual flights around the airfield, appropriate weather is needed - visibility of at least 2000 meters and cloudiness (vertically to the bottom of the clouds at least 150 meters, horizontally - at least 1000 meters).

On Tuesday, January 14, 2014, I was told that I could not come to Domodedovo, because all those who arrived on Monday are alive and well, and on Tuesday they should arrive in full force. As a result, the guys successfully flew off and I began to look forward to Wednesday, 15.01. On Tuesday evening, the exact list of 4 pilots who will fly on Wednesday became known.

On the morning of January 15, 2014, I woke up at 5:45. Left Khimki at 6.45. At 8.00 I was in Domodedovo. At 8.30 gathering. All pilots have arrived. Very experienced instructor pilots were supposed to fly with us as instructors. SuperJet International - Kurov Andrey Vasilievich who is also a test pilot CJSC Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, and Kirpichenko Oleg Georgievich. The instructors have arrived. We went through security control (checked the pilots, the presence of us in the mission for the flight, personal search), then we went through a medical examination (they measured the pulse and wrote down the full name and a / c, pulse, date of the last flight in some journal), went to the briefing rum. There, PICs and co-pilots prepare for the flight - they watch weather reports, NOTAMs, study their flight plans for the upcoming flight, receive collections of aviation charts and diagrams, balance and load calculations for the flight, hold briefings with senior flight attendants.

The instructors received the necessary documentation from the dispatchers and let us familiarize ourselves with it. What he noted - loading fuel almost "to the brim" - 12200 kg. Otherwise, nothing particularly remarkable. After reviewing the documents, we waited for the Ramenskoye airport to approve our flight and went to the platform. The weather was frosty - about -10. Immediately after leaving the building there is a parking lot for minibuses that take pilots to planes that do not stand at gates with "sleeves", but in open parking lots (like our plane). The driver took us to our handsome c registration number RA-89021 "Yuri Sheffer" (board Airlines "Moskovia").

First of all, the instructors showed us how to conduct an external visual inspection of the aircraft, what to pay attention to when doing this.

After that, we boarded, and the instructors took the plane from the mechanics for the flight. We determined the order (I asked to fly first, because it gave a chance to take off from Domodedovo), said goodbye to the mechanics, closed, took our seats and began to prepare the plane for flight. We prepared the cockpit, FMS, listened to the current weather, the instructor gave a briefing, requested permission to fly, then a request for towing, towing to stand 20 to start the engines (aircraft from their stands are first towed to specially marked places on the airfield map where they are allowed to start engines, and from where they will then start to move along the taxiways under their own power), starting the engines at stand 20, request to taxi to RWY 32 left, taxiing. On taxiing, before the last taxiway, the escort car left us and the instructor handed over control of the aircraft to me, after which I taxied to the runway. At the end of the taxiing, the dispatcher gave us permission to take an executive start and take off at a heading of 316, climb to 900 meters. After reading the before take-off checklist, I taxied to the runway in the center, took the ore out for 50%, received the instructor's confirmation of the stabilization of the speed, released the brakes, set the takeoff mode and we started the takeoff run:

- Take Off, Time(Pilot Flying command to initiate takeoff and to set the Pilot Non-Flying timing)
- Thrust set(confirmation by PNF that the engines are in takeoff mode)
- Flight Director, Take Off(PF reads current FMA status on display)
- Checked!(PNF confirmation)
- one hundred(PNF command to reach 100 knots)
- Checked!(PF confirmation)
- V1 Rotate(PNF command to reach speed V1 and almost immediately command to start take-off from the runway)
And I began to take off the nose landing gear from the runway, the plane confidently took off from the runway and began to climb. The ground below us went lower and lower. We retracted the landing gear, I turned on the autopilot, climbed to the allowed altitude, turned on the autothrottle and, having accelerated the speed, we retracted the flaps, after which we received the dispatcher's permission to enter the course to Zhukovsky.

I made my first takeoff on a Sukhoi Superjet 100 jetfrom Domodedovo Airport!
The clock was 10.53 (6.53 UTC) - 01/15/2014

I will make a small comment about seating in the cockpit during training flights. On the left, in the position of the PIC, one instructor is sitting (in our flight, Andrey Vasilievich Kurov was sitting on the left), on the right, in the position of the co-pilot - a trainee pilot, in the middle / behind, in the position of the “observer”, the second instructor is sitting (he helps to follow the first instructor for radio communications, as well as very carefully following the entire flight, the actions of the trainee pilot, if necessary, commenting on them or issuing recommendations). The instructor on the left - conducts all radio communications, gives instructions to the trainee pilot, on landing changes the configuration of the aircraft before the next takeoff, monitors the actions of the trainee pilot, conducts a briefing of each lap, in which he reminds of the task and its features on each lap.

In total, the trainee pilot needs to fly 8 laps.

First lap - instrumental approach on autopilot with autothrottle on ILS with touchdown. After touchdown, on the run, the trainee pilot keeps the rolling aircraft on the runway centerline, and the instructor changes the flap configuration from landing to takeoff, sets the desired value for the horizontal stabilizer and gives the “Ready” command, which is an instruction for the trainee pilot to give takeoff mode and start takeoff. With this landing, the pilot does not use the brakes, reverse and speed break (air brake).
The second circle is an instrumental approach in manual ILS mode by directors (i.e. without autopilot and autothrottle, but the directors' bars show “where” to fly to the pilot), with VLOOKUP (decision-making height) - going around.

The remaining six laps are all visual and only “on hand” (without autopilot and autothrottle). Circle flying at an altitude of 600 or 300 meters. The last 2 laps - with an imitation of a failure of 1 engine (but the engine does not turn off, but simply the ore of this engine is set to "low throttle", the trainee pilot controls the ore of the "serviceable" engine). In these 6 laps, two landings are made to a complete stop (including on the last lap - to change the trainee pilot), one go-around and 3 touch-n-gos.

My part of the flight took place with heavy traffic of the military, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and flight test pilots CJSC GSS next, new, side Sukhoi Superjet 100. Therefore, I was lucky to fly for a long time - the entire flight lasted an hour and a half (instead of the usual 50-60 minutes) - I had to “cut” circles of 360 degrees in the region of 3 turns (sometimes several circles in a row), sometimes “lengthen” the downwind to miss the next incoming to land on board, but I was only happy about it! When else will you be so lucky to fly visually and on your hands? As a result, I flew off my “norm” and went to the salon to rest (again, a rare opportunity to fly in luxurious business class seats!) And watch what was happening out the window.

During the flight of the third trainee pilot, the Ramenskoye airfield was closed for half an hour for test flights, and we had to sit down to wait. After the opening, the third pilot flew his program, but the fourth one did not have enough fuel for its complete “departure” and he managed to make only 4 laps out of 8. There were 2.5 tons of fuel left, but it is not known how long we would have to wait for landing at Domodedovo even after changing on the runway trainee pilot to instructor, we headed for DMD. Oleg Georgiyevich Kirpichenko took us to Domodedovo, and we sat down almost "on the spot" without any waiting areas and long arrival schemes. There are still more than 2 tons of fuel left and, in principle, it could be enough “to spare” for 4 laps, but because the risk in aviation is unacceptable, so the fourth pilot will have to fly his 4 laps next time. The entire flight took about 5.5 hours (they took off at almost 11 am, landed around 5 pm, plus stood in Ramenskoye for half an hour).

We landed on the runway, taxied to the parking lot, waited for the towing by a tractor to the parking lot, the instructors completed all the necessary procedures after the flight and handed over the plane to the technicians. After that, a minibus was called, which brought us back to the terminal. While waiting for the driver, I managed to take photos with the instructors:

Photo with Andrey Kurov

Photo fromKirpichenko Oleg Georgievich

At the air traffic control office they handed over the suitcase with aeronautical manuals and at about 17.50 we all went home.
Now we have to wait until SuperJet International arrange everything Required documents and issue a certificate of mastered aircraft type. Then it will be approved by the Federal Air Transport Agency and you can expect your observation flights (most likely there should be six of them). In the meantime, study, study, study! J

P.S. Thanks a lot:
P.P.S. Don't give up on your dreams and they can come true!

P.P.P.S. Moskovia Airlines flies

Thanks to Mikhail Polyakov ( michaeldec ) for providing photos of our airfield flights!

P.S.
And once again I apologize for the delay in posting in the diary. Really not enough time! Today I am already in Phuket, in five hours I will fly home, and then ... And then I don’t know yet.

In childhood, many boys dream of becoming pilots and conquering the airspace. This profession carries a certain amount of romance and is available only to real men.

But in order to sit at the helm of an aircraft, you need to go through a rigorous selection and receive a flight certificate, which confirms the passage of special training. Where is a pilot's license issued? And what qualities should a pilot have?

Any young man who decides to take flight training after school must understand that controlling a multi-ton machine in the air is not an easy task. A pilot must not only have a perfect knowledge of air navigation and aircraft design, but also have a quick reaction, excellent physical fitness, inner concentration, remain calm even in critical situations and be able to strictly follow all instructions.

Punctuality, responsibility, advanced thinking- also important qualities that a pilot needs during flights.

To realize his desire and master the flying profession, a young person needs to undergo a long and painstaking training.


Today in Russia there are three categories of certificates that are issued sequentially in the course of study. The first is an amateur pilot, who allows flying “for himself”, that is, for his own pleasure.

To work on commercial flights, you need to get the second category - a commercial pilot. It allows you to fly a small aircraft or work as a co-pilot as part of the crew. To operate large liners in large airlines, a third category will be required - a line pilot, which indicates great experience and good skills in air navigation.

If the first category can be obtained in ordinary flying clubs, then the second and third are issued only after training at flight schools and institutes. Educational institutions are civil and military, therefore, before entering the young man, it is necessary to more accurately determine the choice of profession.

In any case, enrollment is possible only after passing the medical examination and confirmation. There are aviation universities in many cities and regions of Russia - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ulyanovsk, Omsk, Ryazan and Saratov regions. One of the best is the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), offering students a wide range of programs and training areas.

A civil aviation pilot is a very responsible profession, because during the flight he is responsible not only for himself, but also for the lives of tens or hundreds of people.


To be able to fly the liner, after completing your studies at the aviation institute, you need to complete an internship and fly a certain number of hours. But even if you get a airline pilot's license, this does not mean at all that you will have access to all types of flights.

Flights are divided into many categories, such as long-haul flights or overnight flights. Admission to certain types of flights can be obtained only after passing internships or retraining with an appropriate mark in the flight license.

A military pilot is not only a responsible profession, but also quite dangerous. Young people who want to enroll in military service, you need to understand that, perhaps in the future, they will have to take part in hostilities or fly in extreme conditions.

The first step on the way to service in the Air Force is to enter a military educational institution, and then - a long practical training. After that, the pilot is given a referral to a military unit, where he can conclude a contract and start working.

If you want to become a test pilot, then you can only be trained at special flight schools located in Akhtubinsk and Zhukovsky.

Young people have several ways to get the profession of a pilot-cosmonaut.

The first is admission to a military aviation university, followed by a rigorous selection for medical and legal reasons.


The second is the development of a technical specialty in one of the aviation institutes with further admission to work at the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation. In it, you can learn all the intricacies of rocket science, and then apply to the commission responsible for the training of astronauts.

No matter how much time passes, no matter how many generations change, the desire to fly, to be a pilot or an astronaut, has not gone away. There are several ways to become a pilot. Firstly, to get an education in a flight university, the second - to undergo practical training in an aero club. How to become a pilot is up to you, but in order to make it easier to choose, we will dwell on these options in more detail.

How to become a real pilot

The first possibility involves studying at a university. As we know, it lasts five years. But after receiving a diploma, you can try to get a job as a pilot in an airline. Of course, in order to take a good place, you will have to fly additional hours, since, on average, a graduate of a school and academy has 150 hours of flight time, these indicators are often not enough.

In addition, before deciding how to become a pilot, you should study the requirements for it. To assess it, you will have to pass a run for 1000 meters, 100 meters, pull-ups. Only after passing this test, the commission will decide: “recommended for training”, or “not recommended”. The advantages of studying at a university are obvious: good theoretical training, the opportunity to study free of charge. However, if for some reason health deteriorates during the training process, then there is a chance that you will never learn how to become an airplane pilot.

The second option is connected directly with the flying club. You can make your first flight

To do it already in the first lesson, however, in the role of a passenger. Various legal acts stipulate that pilots, in such conditions, have a large amount of not only theoretical, but also practical knowledge. At the same time, most often students are engaged in theoretical training themselves, and they pass a medical examination only at the end of training.

Pilot certificate

In order to be able to fly the aircraft on your own, you must obtain a pilot's license. It confirms that the person knows how to become a pilot and has been fully trained.

The license is issued in three categories: private, linear, commercial pilot. Studying at a university makes it possible to obtain a commercial pilot certificate. In the future, they can be commanders of single-engine or multi-engine aircraft, but on the condition that they are not used for commercial purposes.

In the event that a person has completed the usual courses, then at the end he becomes a private pilot (amateur). In this case, there is the right to independently fly a light aircraft, but without the possibility of employment.

Only those who have a flight time of more than 1500 hours become linear. Moreover, the requirements for pilots in this category are higher.

In order to find out, you also need to know that line and commercial pilots are still divided into classes. The first one is considered to be the highest. In the event that you are thinking about how to become a helicopter pilot, you must at least obtain a private pilot's license.

In any case, if you have a serious intention to master this profession, and your health is on highest level, hold on! All in your hands!

What profession is it - a pilot, where you can get a document certifying your belonging to it, what you should know before making a choice. What is needed to lift the plane into the sky? ? Will there be enough certain baggage of knowledge, which is obtained in flight colleges or universities. These and many other questions are of interest to the young male generation.

To the great regret of applicants and airlines, everything is not so simple. Moreover, the situation in the profession is extremely confusing - on the one hand, there is a shortage of pilots, on the other hand, graduates are not hired. But, everything is in order.

Selection criteria.

Educational institutions of such a plan mainly exist on the basis of budget places, but not everyone who wants to get into them. The reason is the passage of a medical examination, any deviation from the norm may be a reason for refusal.

The future pilot must have a healthy heart, blood vessels, lungs, normal blood pressure, and the vestibular apparatus without disturbances. During educational process, students, or rather, cadets, will repeatedly undergo a commission, with any health problem, you can part with the profession.

Pilots undergo medical examinations not only during training, but also throughout their working life, they pass carefully, looking ahead with a bias. Probably, for this reason, in our time, much fewer representatives of this profession are graduating than just a couple of decades ago, this leads to the fact that, for example, over a five-year period of time, twice as many pilots retire as they enter the service.

What do pilots learn?

The life of a flight student is very interesting and eventful. To begin with, he gets acquainted with the device of aircraft various kinds. It studies the methods and possibilities of operating and managing a ship, in professional language it is called navigation, which includes the theory and practice of how to control an air vehicle, as well as routing - orienting it in an optimally chosen spatial path.

They study the design of aircraft and their engines, meteorology, aerodynamics. They learn to provide first aid, parachute jump, master the skills of a rescuer. And every pilot must know English language, to work on international flights.

Practice usually takes place in training complexes on special simulators.

What awaits graduates.

But, despite the lack of specialists in this profession, not every company opens its doors to young graduates, or rather, they will not open it at all. After release from educational institution, where cadets acquire a small number of hours spent at the helm, they should improve their skills: increase flight hours and obtain a license to fly. The more hours a graduate flies, the more favorable he will appear before the future employer

And this is where the graduate pilot runs into a big problem. Even in the last century, all this was very easy and simple, but educational organizations, which issued a license and helped to fly hours, were closed or transferred to private management. Because, all this is incredibly expensive - fuel, equipment, repairs and simple maintenance.

How to become a pilot without an educational institution.

As mentioned above, there are flying clubs that provide piloting courses and flying hours, mostly commercial, where there is a staggered training system.

The first stage - upon completion, you get a certificate of an amateur pilot, with which you can fly, but you will not be able to get a job, so to speak - a pilot yourself.

The second stage is a commercial pilot. Prior to obtaining a certificate of this level, they are allowed only if they have a certificate of the previous level. The pilot already has the right to work, drive light aircraft, go on commercial flights on aircraft that have only one engine. These commercial pilots are usually hired by smaller airlines for short haul flights.

The third step is line pilots. A certificate of this category also cannot be obtained without the first two or a pilot's diploma, from any educational institution. A line pilot has ten times more flight hours than a university graduate and the right to fly all aircraft, exactly the kind of pilots airline employers are looking for. And not just looking, but literally, tracking and waiting.

To help the future applicant, a list of the main Higher and secondary educational institutions has been compiled.

Sky. Its boundless blue beckons and calls us. Poets write poems about it, artists paint pictures, romantics admire its mysterious beauty and infinite depth for a long time, make wishes when they see a white stripe from an airplane. But there is a category of people who are especially in love with the sky, for whom it is a dream, life and work - these are pilots.

Which school to choose - military or civilian?

Almost every boy dreams of becoming a pilot in childhood, but as they grow older, their views change, new preferences appear, and by the time they graduate from school, many guys already know exactly what education and future profession they will choose. There remains a considerable part of those who have not betrayed their childhood dream, planning to devote their future to aviation, and enter a flight school after school. For each of them, natural questions arise:

1. With which aviation to connect your life - military or civil?
2. In what area are there more prospects for development and career growth?
3. Which educational institution to choose for training?
4. How to enter the flight school?
5. What are the main conditions for applicants?

The first is the choice between military and civil aviation. Each direction has its own advantages and certain disadvantages.

For those who have dreamed of blue shoulder straps all their lives, understand perfectly well what "iron discipline" is and are ready to connect their lives with the army - it is worth choosing to enter a military flight school. At the same time, it must be borne in mind that a military man is a person who obeys an order, so one must be prepared for constant changes in the place of service and residence, as well as for the strict fulfillment of any task.

Another significant problem for future military pilots will be big competition, because in Russia today there is only one educational institution of this specialization - the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots named after Hero Soviet Union A.K. Serov. After graduating from the college, graduates receive the rank of lieutenant and the qualification of a pilot according to the specification, as well as the civilian specialty of an aircraft operation engineer.

Where to apply for a pilot?

It is much easier to enroll in a flight school for the acquisition of civil aviation, this can be done in one of the five operating in Russian Federation schools:

All of them provide free education, a high educational level and obtaining the specialty of a pilot. Some schools provide an opportunity to get the coveted profession "Flight Operation of Aircraft" on a commercial basis. When choosing a school, the main determining factor is territorial affiliation - applicants traditionally choose what is closer to home.

What is required for admission?

After determining the choice of an educational institution, questions arise: how to prepare for admission, what are the selection criteria, and what documents are needed for this?

The main requirement for future pilots is health. They must be in excellent physical shape, have one hundred percent vision, strong nervous system and stress resistance. Moreover, if a cadet's health suddenly deteriorates during the course of study, he can be expelled.

Upon admission, you must:

• provide medical certificates prescribed by law;
• undergo a special medical examination at the educational institution itself;
• pass an interview with psychologists to determine professional suitability;
• pass the standards for physical fitness.

An applicant for a flight school must pass the following exams:

• Russian language,
• mathematics,
• physics.

From you need to provide:

For military pilots, more stringent requirements are put forward than for civilian ones. They are provided for by special order No. 455 of the Russian Ministry of Defense, here is a short list of them:

• 100% vision and correct color perception;
• blood pressure in the range of 105-130 per 60-80 mm Hg. Art.;
• body weight with an index of at least 19;
• height within 160-186 cm;
• leg length from 80 cm;
• arm length from 76 cm;
• in a sitting position, height should be in the range of 80-97 cm.

As you can see, the requirements are quite strict not only for the state of health, but also for physical parameters, which greatly complicates admission to the military flight school.

What are the prospects for a flight school graduate?

After entering the flight school and successfully completing it, the cadets receive the coveted profession - "Flight Operation of Aircraft" or another, no less popular specialty "Flight Operation Engineer". Both professions are prestigious and highly paid. The flight crew enjoys a number of advantages:

• provided with a full social package;
• preferential (extended) leave;
• the possibility of early retirement;
• large discounts for the family on air services.

Graduates of Russian flight schools enjoy the well-deserved respect of foreign airlines and they have every chance to get a job abroad.