Your Life as Every Pilot Rank

Your instructor climbs out mid-lesson and shuts the door, and the plane lifts off lighter without him. Back on the ramp, someone takes scissors to your shirt. We're calling the half-empty vending machine the real main character here: it greets a nervous student, then a broke instructor, then a new kid 35 years later, and nobody ever restocks it. 00:00 The Student Pilot 04:01 The Private Pilot 06:15 The Instrument Rated Pilot 08:29 The Commercial Pilot 10:06 The Certified Flight Instructor 12:26 The Regional Airline First Officer 14:32 The Major Airline First Officer 16:16 The Captain 18:34 The Check Airman 20:38 The Retired Captain Sources on real airline careers: Cessna 172 trainer history and production (Wikipedia) Shirttail cutting after first solo, reader letters (AOPA) Commercial pilot 250-hour requirement 14 CFR 61.129 (Cornell LII) Airline transport pilot 1,500-hour requirement 14 CFR 61.159 (Cornell LII) Check pilot qualifications at airlines 14 CFR 121.411 (Cornell LII) Water salutes for retiring airline pilots (Wikipedia) Gander Oceanic control of transatlantic flights (NAV CANADA)