Pilot Magdy Ali ( Instagram A/c : pilotmagdyali) from Cairo, Egypt, is an airline pilot for a U.S. carrier as well as a flight instructor. In less than six months he completed his flight training and flew to Miami Florida to become a flight Instructor at the age of 21. After a few months, he received a gold flight instructor license which was his big achievement. He trained many students who are flying foreign and local airlines. He became an airline pilot at the age of 23 and has been flying for almost ten years now.

Q: Which subjects are necessary to be chosen in school to become a pilot in the future?

Pilot Magdy: To become a pilot there is no specific subject necessary to be chosen in school, as long as you have a high school diploma; you’re good to go.

 Q: What are the steps to become a pilot?

Pilot Magdy: There are some requirements the applicant must meet to be able to join a flight school.

1.)  To be 17 years old or older.

2.)  Be able to read, speak, write and understand the English language.

3.)  Be able to pass the required medical exam. 

4.)  Be able to pass a knowledge/practical exam for the license you’re obtaining.

 Q: Can someone with weak eyesight become a pilot?

Pilot Magdy: That’s actually a very common question, I get on a daily basis, Even if you have bad eyesight, as long as you wear corrective lenses/ glasses you’re fine. The authority will just have to add that as a limitation on your license saying that you cannot fly without your glasses/ lenses.

 Q: What are the things a person should keep in mind while selecting a flight school?

Pilot Magdy: There are some factors to keep in mind when selecting a flight school, such as the PLACE; the applicant has to make sure that he/she is going to train in a place where the weather is good enough for flight training, places with very bad weather throughout the year isn’t a great idea. SCHOOL REPUTATION; it’s usually easy to find out about the school reputation by asking students/pilots who graduated from that school or by going to the flight school and asking the students about their experience. PAYMENT METHODS; This is one of the most important factors, make sure the flight school doesn’t ask you for a big amount of money at first; it’s usually a red flag. DON’T pay so much money at first unless you know that flight school very well or you have started your training already and feel comfortable doing that.

 Q: How many languages should a pilot know, and is it required to be fluent in English ?

Pilot Magdy: The only language a pilot is required to be fluent in is English; however some countries require their pilots to speak more than one language.

 Q: Does age matter in the profession of a pilot? At what age a person should enter into this profession

Pilot Magdy: Depending on the country you’re in, age might be a kicker, for example in the United States age isn’t a problem at all, you can join the airlines at the age of sixty, but the majority of the airlines prefer the younger generation. Because the airline invests a lot of money training the new pilots, they want them to stay as long as they can. 

So the younger you are the better and longer you will stay with the company. 

I usually recommend starting flight training right after high school; you will have way more opportunities in the industry.

 Q: What advice would you like to share with the young aspirants to become successful pilots?

Pilot Magdy: They need to fight for their dreams. I know it’s not easy, but I did it and many other pilots did it, so you definitely can too. Just stay positive and focused and keep working on what you have right now and in the end, if you can see it you definitely can achieve it.

Thank you Pilot Magdy Ali for giving your interview for Kidoz Times Newspaper.