Aircraft pilot facts for kids
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. They control the plane by using its flight controls. Some other people who work on planes, like navigators or flight engineers, are also called aviators because they help operate the aircraft's systems. However, people like drone operators, flight attendants, or ground crew are not usually called aviators.
Pilots often receive special aviator badges from militaries and airlines. These badges show their skills and important responsibilities.
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What is a Pilot?
The word aviator first appeared in 1887. It came from aviation, which means "air navigation." This word was created in 1863 from the Latin word avis, meaning "bird." In the past, aviatrix was used for a female pilot, and aviator for a male pilot. Today, people who fly planes get a pilot license. The rules for flying always refer to "pilots." These terms were popular when airplanes were new and flying seemed very brave and exciting.
A Brief History of Pilots
To keep everyone safe, flying soon required that aircraft always be controlled by a trained and certified pilot. This pilot is responsible for flying safely and following all rules. The first pilot certificate was given to Louis Blériot in France in 1908. Other countries soon followed, like Britain in 1910 and the United States in 1911.
Civilian Pilots
Civilian pilots fly many different types of aircraft. Some fly for fun or for charity. Others fly for businesses, like carrying passengers or cargo for airlines. They also fly for corporate companies, in agriculture (like crop dusting), or for law enforcement. When flying for an airline, pilots are often called airline pilots. The main pilot in charge is usually called the captain.
Airline Pilots and Their Future
In 2017, there were about 290,000 airline pilots worldwide. Experts believe that many more pilots will be needed in the coming years. This is because more people are flying, and many current pilots will retire. For example, Boeing expects about 790,000 new pilots will be needed over 20 years from 2018. Most of these will be for commercial airlines.
Sometimes, there aren't enough qualified pilots. This can lead to pilots moving between different types of flying jobs, like from corporate jets to airlines. Pilots for large business jets can earn very good salaries. Smaller airlines might hire new pilots who need more flight hours to join bigger airlines.
How Automation Might Change Flying
The number of airline pilots might change as technology improves. Some people think that automation could reduce the need for copilots, and even pilots, in the future. For example, some experts believe that planes could be controlled mostly from the ground. The pilot in the plane would only need to step in if there was a problem. This could happen for cargo planes first.
Financial companies have suggested that pilotless airliners could be possible around 2025. This could save a lot of money, mainly from pilot salaries. It could also lower training and insurance costs because flights might be safer. However, rules would need to change, and people would need to feel comfortable flying in planes without pilots. Many people are not yet ready for this idea.
Aviation experts say that pilotless aircraft are appealing to airlines. This is because airlines need to hire many new pilots soon. Pilot wages and training costs have been increasing. However, current automated systems still need pilots to watch them. Replacing pilots completely would need very advanced artificial intelligence. Pilot groups like the Air Line Pilots Association believe that removing pilots would make flying less safe.
Pilot Training Around the World
In some countries, like Pakistan or some African nations, many airline pilots come from the military. However, this is less common in the United States and Western Europe. While some ex-military pilots do fly for airlines there, many civilian pilots are trained from the start in civilian schools. Military training is different from civilian training because of the different aircraft and flight goals. But many military pilots do become civilian pilots after leaving the military.
In the United States, there were about 691,691 active pilot certificates in 2020. This number has gone down since 1980. The Air Commerce Act of 1930 set up the rules for pilot licenses in the U.S. Commercial airline pilots in the U.S. must retire at age 65.
Military Pilots
Military pilots fly for a government's armed forces, usually the air force. They fly missions that can involve fighting or supporting operations. This includes flying fighter pilots, bomber pilots, transport pilots, and test pilots. Military pilots get special training, often including how to use weapons. Their training is different from civilian pilots because they fly different aircraft and have different goals.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Drones)
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as "drones," fly without a pilot on board. There are two types:
- Autonomous aircraft fly on their own without human control during the flight.
- Remotely piloted UAVs are controlled by one or more people from a distance. The person controlling a remotely piloted UAV is often called its pilot or operator.
Even though they don't fly in the aircraft, drone operators might need special training or certification. However, their rules are usually different from those for pilots of planes with people inside. Most places have rules that limit where drones can fly, especially near airports. Drones are mostly used by the military or for hobbies right now. But if rules change, there could be many more drones flying, and a high demand for people to operate them.
Space Pilots
The idea of a pilot also applies to space travel. A spacecraft pilot is an astronaut who directly controls how a spacecraft operates. This term comes directly from how "pilot" is used in aviation.
How Pilots Get Certified
Pilots must complete many hours of flight training and study. The exact requirements depend on the country. The first step is usually getting a Private Pilot License (PPL). In the United States, this means at least 35 to 40 hours of flight training, mostly with a Certified Flight Instructor. For a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) license, it takes at least 20 hours of flight time.
After the PPL, pilots can get an Instrument Rating (IR) or a Multi-Engine Rating (MEP). If someone wants to fly professionally, they need a Commercial Pilot License (CPL). To become a captain for an airline, a pilot must get an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL). In the U.S., since 2013, even a first officer (co-pilot) on an airliner needs an ATPL. Some countries also require a multi-crew cooperation (MCC) certificate.
See also
In Spanish: Piloto de aviación para niños
- Airline pilot uniforms
- Air safety
- IMSAFE (mnemonic for pilot's fitness to fly)
- List of aerospace engineers
- List of aviators
- Pilot fatigue
- Pilot logbook
Images for kids
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U.S. Army Air Forces test pilot Lt. F.W. "Mike" Hunter wearing a flight suit in October 1942.
