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How much education is needed to fly a plane?

This topic comes up from time to time…

As we all know, no specific education (e.g. a BSc) is needed.

But as with everything else in flying, having a basic “connection” with the physical world helps hugely with understanding principles of flight, and aircraft systems.
IMHO, accidents like AF447 show a near-total lack of aircraft systems understanding, despite the pilots having had 1000s of hours. And GA avionics are not much simpler; I find most Skydemon users only just understand it, and I am sure that most people flying behind a GTN/IFD/etc understand them only superficially. It is therefore no surprise that most IR pilots have tech/IT backgrounds.

If you do get into flying, either GA or commercial, the likely result is that you end up doing a job which you hate, because everything is a struggle. The exceptions may be aerobatics and gliding, or basic VFR on nice days and local flights.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

It is therefore no surprise that most IR pilots have tech/IT backgrounds.

Interesting hypothesis. Not sure if it is true, if you correct for the fact that in the last 30 years the IT/tech sector might have been one of the best places to earn the right funding/free time level required for flying.
Before that I had the impression that most GA pilots had a medical background (again because 30 years ago being a physician was the best way to get the money/free time combo you need for flying).

Germany

What is often forgotten is the use of the English Language. Personally, I regard that as a absolutely vital skill if you want to be in aviation, no matter in what capacity.

Geography is an important knowledge base.
Meteorology is very important.
Basic Physics and Aerodynamics.
A healthy computer and technology talent is of advantage.
And a good foundation in let’s call it engineering, but in fact basic knowledge which knows user level understanding of complex machines such as airplanes, cars, e.t.c.

What education depends strongly what your interests are. More important than actual schooling and diplomas is the will and ability to learn, to suck up information and digest it, to be willing to learn more and to get the skills you may lack on your own accord.

And finally, talent. Personally I find it difficult to train someone who has no talent at all in what he has to be trained. Not that this is rare, it happens at school all the time. And as we know, lack of talent can be overcome to an extent, but exactly that, an extent. Beyond that, you can gain the knowledge but whether you will ever be able to be comfortable and safe in what you do if you lack talent is questionable.

For aviation, I think you need to be able to combine a thorough feel for the machinery you are using with the knowledge how that machine does the things you feel, for a lack of better explanation. You need an “ear” for the engine sounds which will hear if something sounds wrong, an “eye” for something which looks wrong and a general awareness when dealing with a machine. Then it does not matter if you work a plane, a car or a heating boiler or nuclear power plant.

I used to do simulator flying lessons on airliners for people who have their first exposure to the “real thing” (or as real as it gets). Most have never touched airplane controls in their lifes, others are simmers and think they have, occasionally GA pilots. The sims were variable types, MD80, A320 and 777 in recent years. It usually doesn’t take long to know those who have that talent from the rest. Luckily, those with talent are much more common than those without. My goal has always been to have these people handfly the plane to a landing after the usual 2 hour session. I’d say 80% did it with more or less help (and got the kick of their lifetimes out of it) and 10 % needed massive help and 10% were hopeless.

So education, by all means, and it is needed to understand all the topics anyway. (And, those with higher education are more likely to afford flying).

AF447 was a case of lack of basic flying skills combined with unsuitable procedures by the manufacturer. The basic flying part hurt. The procedure part was a harsh message to those who would love to eliminate pilots altogether. Both factors were a brutal wake up call to the industry.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Actors, film technicians, musicians and French pilots will be happy you don’t control GA in Europe @Mooney_Driver:))

France

Peter wrote:

It is therefore no surprise that most IR pilots have tech/IT backgrounds

That will be about right if you mean PPL+EASA IR (with EASA TK exams)? but also some of it could be explained by Malibuflyer point?

I am sure on FAA IR you get more diverse backgrounds, one instrument pilot I met in Florida (loaned us Raft & PLB) was a farmer and “high tech drag chute driver” (I let you guess the type )

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

I’ve seen no real connection between education and flying, except as mentioned by others that you may need some level of education to make the money to do it. I think flying takes a reasonable level of aptitude and motivation but nothing special in terms of education and intelligence.

My neighbor was pre-pandemic flying a G5 and 737 BBJ internationally, making a really good living doing
It, having left school at 18. Mostly he got there through a reputation for careful, conservative decisions and making contacts. He’s just doing contract flying now but his reputation continues to send work his way.

Another guy I know has probably a 95 IQ, worked predictably enough in a government job, now retired, but that gave him time off enough to have flown his own planes to every state in the US over the course of 40 years starting with getting his first at age 17. A huge amount of experience.

I do think having significant experience with hands-on work, whether as a surgeon or truck mechanic (I know excellent pilots who are both of those) is more helpful background for flying than spending time on highly focused analytical tasks.

Last Edited by Silvaire at 19 Jul 15:14

gallois wrote:

Actors, film technicians, musicians and French pilots will be happy you don’t control GA in Europe @Mooney_Driver:))

Don’t know why. Quite a few actors fly and most of them are quite intelligent people. I know some musicians who fly as well, they certainly have the ear and feel for machinery, better than some high level managers I’ve come across. Or have a look at Vangelis’ synthesizer…. that guy is both a musical and technical genius…

And btw, I have no intention and no interest running anything other than myself. That is quite enough stress thank you very much :)

The question was

How much education is needed to fly a plane?

Needed not how much is required. I listed what I find useful. I could have added French too if you want to fly French airplanes. As a matter of fact, I’ve done a whole type rating in French (SE210-10B3) and it was great fun and VERY interesting. I recall flying a sim session with a guy from Geneva about 2 years ago and it was fun how the wordings came back. Love it.

I know why you are saying the French: English: Yes, ATC. But not only. I am a bookworm and LOTS of aviation books, manuals, e.t.c. are in English. Not my fault, not theirs,simply a fact of life that this many of them are in English. People who snub English miss out on I’d think 3/4 of airplane literature. Which is not to say that I don’t enjoy reading other stuff too. I liked Andre Turcat’s Concorde. Essais et batailles. very much and I’ve got Charles Jaquat’s “Le Gout du Risque” signed as a prized possession. Lots of interesting stuff in German too. BTW, most French pilots I ever worked with or came across knew English very well. Some times they annoyed me by speaking English to me instead of French… or worse, German.

Am I good at all this? No. But I try to learn as I go along and I love doing it. The day I stop learning I will stop living most probably.

I’d love to know Italian and Russian (their flying literature and manuals are amazing!) Italian for the Operas and I have some friends who are Italian. But I think I reached my limit with 4 languages…. ah well.

Last Edited by Mooney_Driver at 19 Jul 14:59
LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Maybe add ‘character’ to the mix? You need to be a reasonably calm and disciplined person who’s able to multi-task a little at times.

Private field, Mallorca, Spain

I have flown with many pilots and I think a statistical analysis might show an inverse correlation within a certain IQ range between airmanship and IQ. In terms of handling skills there is probably a weak correlation.

Professional flying is not too different from other forms of heavy machinery operations, requiring well learned SOPs and situational awareness. An average IQ is probably ideal! (there is an element of self rationalisation in my thesis :))

An interesting example of a high IQ pilot was a certain gentleman who was a bulge bracket options trader, well versed in Greeks and Brownian motion distributions. I might suggest his flying was average, and he had a PPL/IR. His IQ was certainly well above average, but his airmanship was distinctly in question. I can think of other data points where there is an inverse correlation between high IQ and weak airmanship. Conversely, I also know pilots from the Test Pilot community, who combine high IQ with exemplary airmanship. I suspect they are outliers and the weak inverse correlation prevails.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

Academic achievement in some fields is the result of acceptance of the heirarchy opinions. At school level, teaching teenagers rated as non-academic, some were sharper than many at higher academic levels. They just were not motivated. If able to read, write, and count they had everything they wanted ( and needed) for a successful life.
IQ tests were dropped for school selection in the early 70s. Some chosen for higher education were failures.
For the last 2 years before selection stopped, we were allowed to offer certificate courses to IQ test failures. Several were successful to graduate level, and one started a company employing graduate engineers. That’s out of a total of about 240 “failures” sent to a school not supposed to offer certificate education

Maoraigh
EGPE, United Kingdom
103 Posts
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