If you pull random kids from crowds and ask them what they’d like to become in the future, many will say they want to be pilots. Of course, these children are usually fascinated by the thought of cruising above the clouds. But what they don’t know is that there is more to it than just flying across the sky.
Pilots undergo a rigorous training before they can be allowed to fly a plane. They are tasked with ferrying passengers to various destinations across the globe. In commercial airplanes, there are usually two pilots. While one does the paperwork and constantly communicates with air traffic control, the other is in charge of the controls.
Why Become a Pilot?
Here are some reasons why you’d want your kid to become a pilot:
- A Hugely Rewarding Career
Just like any other career, being a pilot has its challenges. It starts with the training where students are nervous about flying aircraft. However, with time the fear goes away. Next, new pilots have to experience their first takeoff, landing, or flying to new places.
The ability to overcome these challenges and go on to fly airplanes for many years is what makes pilots content. Who wouldn’t go to bed joyful after safely moving hundreds of passengers from point A to B?
- Aviation is a Career that Allows for Substantial Growth Opportunities
Pilots earn high salaries. According to SalaryExplorer, the average yearly salary of a pilot in Canada is 205,000 CAD. Salaries range from 98,400 CAD to 322,000 CAD, inclusive of transport, housing, life, dental insurance, and other perks. Note that a pilot’s monthly payment is dependent on factors such as location and age.
Pilots who have more experience typically earn higher than their counterparts who haven’t been flying for long. Pilots can also offer private flying services to high-end clients, and this means they have an opportunity to increase their paychecks significantly. Aside from that, pilots can make extra money working as flight instructors in aviation schools.
- Travel Discounts
One thing that makes flying airplanes such a rewarding career is that friends and family get huge travel discounts. Many people have to save for weeks to afford plane tickets to various destinations of their choice.
If you have a pilot as a friend or family member, it means spending less on flight tickets and using the cash saved for other purposes. Keep in mind that pilots still retain these benefits even after they retire. So this means a lifetime of reduced air ticket prices. Who wouldn’t love this?
- Meet a lot of New People
We are normally confined to one region/country for most of our lives and don’t venture across the borders to see what’s beyond. Pilots are lucky enough because their flights take them to numerous places across the world.
The first group of people a pilot gets to meet is the passengers. These travellers come from different backgrounds and are usually travelling for various purposes. Layovers provide another opportunity for pilots to meet and make new friends.
Not many professions will give your kid the opportunity to meet and make friends with thousands of people of different languages, races, and tribes. Cultural diversity is what makes this world such a beautiful place to live in.
- Build Leadership Skills
Piloting also enables one to build leadership skills. Everyone knows that a captain is in charge of a flight. When passengers enter a plane, they know that the pilot will ensure their safety, and they will arrive at their destination in one piece.
Captains do not just command the planes; they are in charge of the crew and make sure that everything is running smoothly. Whenever there is a hitch, the crew and passengers always look up to the pilot to keep for guidance and to steer the plane to safety. Thus, pilots usually end up possessing exceptional leadership skills.
We can all agree that the pros of flying planes far outweigh the cons. Perhaps one of the major benefits of being a pilot is that you don’t have to work anymore once you are out of the plane. The plane is your office, and this makes it so much better than careers where people have to work both at the office and at home. If your kid wants to become a pilot, you need to take them to the best aviation school. Air Richelieu College is Canada’s only ATO-certified pilot school. It’s a reputable college and training center that has successfully trained pilots who work for prestigious airlines around the world.