PASCO, Wash. – Despite the number of jobs available, getting to the point of being hired as a commercial pilot can be expensive. There is a demand for more air travel and a national shortage of pilots. Flight schools are looking to teach more people how to fly. Pilot shortages have been seen everywhere across the country. Malin Bergstrom of Bergstrom Aircraft says you can do it right here in the Tri-Cities if you want to fly.
The Federal Aviation Administration mandates that commercial pilots cannot fly commercial aircraft after age 65. Bergstrom says her company has a flight school where you can learn at your own pace. The course includes ground school and aircraft you can rent to gain flight time with a certified flight instructor.
“You can get your pilot’s license in less than a year if you stick to it steady,” said Bergstrom. “From start to finish, the average cost is running around 12 $13,000 for a private pilot license.”
Bergstrom said some colleges, such as Big Bend Community College, Walla Walla University, and Central Washington University, offer classes to become a pilot.
Ian Goban, a mechanic at Bergstrom Aircraft and pilot himself, attended school at Big Bend Community College to learn to fly and fix airplanes. Goban said being a pilot is something he has wanted to do for years.
Goban said he grew up near a private airstrip and always looked to the sky to see the planes flying over him. He said that he had always wanted to get into the aviation industry. Goban said he currently has over 400 hours of flight time, and he’s seen airlines hiring more pilots in the last five years because veteran pilots are aging out.
“The federal government created a regulation that says that all airline pilots have to retire on their 65th birthday or sooner,” Goban said. “That has to do with medical, essentially, belief and what healthy individuals are capable of doing to continue to fly.”
Bergstrom said the FAA requires 40 hours of flight time to get a private pilot’s license. She says very few people are prepared for that number of hours. The national average is closer to 70, along with ground school. You’ll have to pass an FAA written and oral exam as well as a check ride before taking the next steps towards getting a commercial license.
Airlines require over a thousand flight hours to become a first officer. You must also be instrument-rated, have multi-engine flight time, night flying time, and more.
The FAA requires a minimum of 250 hours of flight time to get a commercial pilot license. However, depending on the airline, they may require more than 1,000 hours.
