Do you have to attend flight school, or can you just hire a trainer? For commercial

I’m in the civil air patrol also, I’m 16

Ray,

Welcome to the forums. You could here a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) to take you all the way through training, many people chose to train in this manner. However, a large amount of future pilots chose to attend the large flight academies as this route tends to be more economical and provides a faster path to the airlines.

Chris

Thank you,
The civil air patrol offers a free flight academy , and after I graduate it I will have my student pilot license with a solo(, 16 hrs of flight time) . I have 1 1/2hrs in a Cessna 182 with an instructor ,and do major airlines acknowledge tech schools besides college?

Hi Ray,

I was a Capt, Mission, Instructor and Transport pilot for the CAP years ago. Great organization and it also looks great on a resume. Any flight time you log will count but the Majors do not acknowledge Trade or Tech schools. The majority of Majors require a college degree. Not having one will limit your options.

Adam

Ray,

The Civil Air Patrol sounds like a great way to get your feet wet, especially given your age. I say go for it and go through that program, but keep in mind that if you want to get all of your licenses you will need to attend a more traditional flight school at some point.

I am not sure exactly what you are asking about tech schools. Certainly you can go to a flight school to get your pilots licenses, but the majors are also going to want to see a four year degree from an accredited college on your resume.

Chris