How to become a pilot step by step?

How do you become a professional pilot in Asia (preferably in Hong Kong)? please describe each step in detail.

• Answer:

  Typically, people in many Asian countries go about becoming a professional pilot quite differently than we do over in the US.  I have not taught anyone from over there in pursuit of a professional aviation career but I am peripherally aware of how it's typically done. One of the biggest differences is that most Asian airlines will hire people who have not received any pilot training at all.  Learning to fly is accomplished after the company hires the pilot-to-be.  I understand the process of getting hired is quite rigorous.  Getting the attention of the airline and having them hire you would likely be the most difficult part of this whole thing.  Once you're on board, things are on rails, so to speak.  Getting their attention and making yourself an attractive hire are subjects of many books and websites so I'll leave it to them to cover that part.  In short: be as absolutely professional as you can possibly be in both manner and appearance.  I'm not familiar with writing about how they do it in Hong Kong or other Asian airlines, but here's an example of a book offered for US pilots (who have completed their pilot training on their own dime):  http://www.amazon.com/Checklist-Success-Successful-Interview-Professional/dp/1560275065/ref=pd_sim_b_4  Once the hiring has been done, many Asian airlines send their new employees to the US for pilot training.  There are a number of schools available for this and many airline companies will have a contract with one school or another.  The main quality they all share is that they're able to operate under CFR part 141 (often shortened to "141" or "141 school").  This is a form of federal accreditation that allows the school to train pilots with slightly relaxed requirements and also to issue I-20 forms so the student may get a visa. The future airline pilot is then sent over to the US and will undergo a very rigorous bout of training.  I'm not entirely certain about how much time they spend over here, but I'd suspect it's about a year or so to get all their training in. They eat, sleep, and breathe aviation and those pilots I've known are very dedicated to doing a good job. Once all the required training has been done and their licenses earned, the pilots then head back to their home for another bout of rigorous training at the airline.  They learn all the ins and outs of their company as well as the specifics of the aircraft they'll be flying. I realize this isn't as thorough as you asked for but hopefully it's a start.  Good luck!