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Airplane Pilot Licensing

In the early history of flight, there were no regulations, and pilots flew without licenses. Neither planes nor flight schools were certified, and those interested in learning to fly could do so for around $100. The Air Commerce Act of 1926 required aircraft to be inspected and those who flew them to be tested for aeronautical knowledge and physical fitness. By October 1928, 3,659 licenses had been issued in three categories: air transport, industrial, and private. The highest level required only 100 hours of solo flight. More than three-quarters of a century later, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there are more than 618,000 certified pilots in the United States. Air Transport Pilot certification requires a minimum of 1,500 hours as a pilot.

The Beginning of Licensed Pilots

William P. MacCracken, Jr., assistant secretary of commerce for aeronautics, received the first pilot's license issued by a civilian agency of the U.S. government on April 6, 1927. Orville Wright refused the honor, saying that he no longer flew and indicating that a federal license was unnecessary to show that he had been the first man to fly. Unlicensed pilots were given until May 1, 1927, to apply for a license. The new air regulations stated that after that date it would be illegal to fly “any aircraft registered as an aircraft of the United States” without a certificate. Charles Lindbergh was issued license no. 69 in time for his historic solo flight across the Atlantic on May 20–21, 1927. Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie received transport license no. 199 on June 30, 1927, probably the first woman granted a pilot license by a civilian agency of the U.S. government.

MacCracken was licensed as a private pilot. Although he had experience as an Army pilot in World War I, regulations required only 10 hours of solo flight, two of which must have been within 60 days immediately preceding application, to license a private pilot. Air transport pilots were initially required to have 100 hours of solo flight, double the number required of industrial pilots, and to pass a physical examination every six months, but within five years, technological advances led to new requirements. On May 16, 1932, the official Air Commerce Bulletin announced that, effective January 1, 1933, all pilots on scheduled interstate passenger service must secure a new rating for transport pilots. The new rating would be awarded only after pilots demonstrated their ability to use airway navigation aids and to fly specified maneuvers guided entirely by instruments. By the end of 1932, 330 pilots had received the new rating. Fifty years later, the estimated number of certified airline transport pilots was 73,741.

Pilot Training

Some pilots receive their training from accredited, degree-granting, postsecondary institutions that range from technical schools to universities. For example, students at top-ranked Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which offers 35 degrees, including a Ph.D. in aviation, pay more than $30,000 a year to attend the largest and oldest aviation school in the world. Some pilots receive their training while in the military, but most pilots are trained by flight instructors at flight schools approved by the FAA where basic flying lessons, ground instruction, and related fees run around $10,000.

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