Naval Versus Civilian Pilot

Introduction

In general, the term ‘pilot’ refers to a person who has undertaken formal training and certification to fly an aircraft. Depending on the type of training received by pilots, they can be categorized as either naval (military) or civilian pilots. A naval pilot is a military officer who receives specialized flying training within the naval forces (See Reference 1). A civilian pilot receives non specialized military aviation training in a non military training institution.

Naval Pilots

As a minimum requirement for acceptance into the naval pilot training program, the person must be the holder of a four year minimum college or university degree. The program considers both academic and physical strengths of potential candidates. Naval pilots undertake specialized responsibilities while on duty which require a lot of skillfulness. Some of these responsibilities include: obtaining surveillance material such as photographs from the enemy location; locating and neutralizing enemy targets and weapons such as submarines and carrying out rescue and escort operations (See Reference 1).

Civilian Pilots

The process of becoming a civilian pilot is less complicated. The applicant gets to decide the type of aircraft they will train for. The type of flying civilian pilots undertake upon successful completion of training is a choice they get to make. The pilot licensing procedure by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides civilian pilots options ranging from student pilots to more advanced levels such as airline pilots (See Reference 2). Civilian pilots transport cargo and people while others may fly aircrafts as a recreational activity.

Differences

The training naval pilots receive is of a more strategic and tactical nature. It is more intense and specialized on defensive flying in line with the duties the pilots are expected to carry out while on missions. Naval pilot training aims at making the pilot ready to handle any number of situations arising while flying to maintain safety from the skies. Civilian pilot training is not specialized. The safety risks and considerations are lower unlike those required for combative and defensive scenarios likely to be encountered by naval pilots.

Similarities

There are basic responsibilities of pilots irrespective of their training. Pilots are responsible for the safety of the cargo and persons they are transporting at all times. In the airspace, they are subjected to the same conditions. They are responsible for making critical decisions while in the air. This calls for adequate basic training which both naval and civilian pilots undertake during training (See Reference 3). Pilots in both categories are subject to the same basic rules and regulation from the FAA governing aviation in the United States.

Career Opportunities

Making a career change from one category to the other is possible after some training. However the Bureau of Labor Statistics explains that most civilian commercial pilots are former military trained personnel (See Reference 3).

Key Concepts

Aviation Training

Federal Aviation Administration

Aviation Careers

References

United States Navy: Naval Aviators

http://www.navy.com/careers/aviation.htmlFederal Aviation Administration: Become A Pilot

http://www.faa.gov/pilots/become/United States Department of Transportation: Pilots

http://www.dot.gov/careers/veterans/pilots