Admission to the Aviation Academy – Everything You Need To Know
Becoming a pilot in the United States is the dream of many students around the world. Indeed, what could be better than traveling across the endless sky while receiving a high salary? In addition, Airbus has estimated the need for 450,000 pilots by 2035, which means that you will always have a stable job. However, only a few manage to get a pilot’s education. In this article, we will tell you what you need to do to study in this area.
Finish High School With Good Grades In Geography, Mathematics, Physics
The pilot’s specialty is exclusively technical. There is no place for creativity. You need to strictly and without thinking about the consequences to follow orders, but at the same time be able to think logically and systematically. Any deviation from the rules is a risk to the life and health of not only yourself but also the goals of the whole country, which, however sad it may sound, is much more important than yourself. Therefore, your grades should be high in the following subjects:
- Geography. The pilot must know geography to understand the markings on the map. You will also need to enter coordinates: latitude, longitude, azimuth, minutes. Skills in using globes and maps will come in handy. Rotating the globe around its axis allows you to study the change of night and day. Geographic maps are an excellent help for you in planning a route.
- Mathematics. There are many mathematics-related parameters in modern aviation. These are aircraft dimensions, altitude, distance, flight speed, cargo and passengers, refueling. None of the aircraft flights can do without mathematics: calculating durability, reliability, resource, etc. For example, knowing the fuel tank’s capacity, you can return or fly to the next receiving airport in the event of minor violations of the flight.
- Physics. Aviation is closely intertwined with physics: piloting of most modern aircraft is based on its laws. Many aviation instruments operate based on physical phenomena that surround us everywhere. Physics is also responsible for technological literacy and understanding the processes’ essence to quickly and adequately respond in flight.
Therefore, if you are not strong in these sciences, try to master all the key points a year before admission. To do this, you can contact a tutor or teacher at the school.
Take the SAT Exam
The SAT is a standardized exam that tests critical thinking skills. The SAT also assesses knowledge from the American school curriculum and the general intellectual level of the applicant. Applicants who decide to enter colleges, academies, universities must certainly pass the SAT.
The points received show how ready you are to move to the next stage of the educational process. The student’s academic achievements undoubtedly make it possible to determine whether you have the knowledge base useful in aviation. The academy will tell you more accurate information about flying and the profession since the school does not provide the necessary skills. Basically, it’s like learning to drive a car.
The SAT exam consists of the SAT 1 or Reasoning Test and a special SAT 2 or Subjects Test. The first part of the test is the same for all applicants. It consists of three modules: Reading Test, Writing and Language Test, and Mathematics. The fourth module is optional – the SAT subsection involves writing an essay. Let’s consider all modules in more detail:
- The Reading Test consists of five short texts on history, social sciences, and science. SAT takers need to answer 52 questions on the passages they read in 65 minutes. Applicants must demonstrate an understanding of the general meaning, the meaning of individual words, context, and cause and effect relationships.
- During the 35-minute Writing and Language Test, applicants also read passages of text. However, in this case, their task is to identify grammatical and stylistic errors and inaccuracies. In the answers to 44 questions, test participants are expected to have clarity of thought and reasoning, understand the text structure, punctuation, and select words and expressions appropriate in meaning.
- For the next 80 minutes, SAT participants answer 58 math questions. The assignments test knowledge of algebra, data analysis, and advanced mathematics. A small part of the tasks cover topics from geometry and trigonometry.
- The essay is an optional part of the test, which many educational institutions nevertheless require. In the paper, the applicant must defend the correctness of his position based on arguments. Therefore, before entering, check if you need to pass this part of the exam. If so, ask an expert for help – he can create paper online and write content: to do this, say, “please, take up writing my papers.” As a result, you will receive templates that you can then use in the exam. If not, you’re lucky!
As you can see, there are no special requirements for exams. You do not need to pass only the standard test provided by the Ministry of Education.
Get Physical Training, Psychological Test And Medical Examination
You must have not only good academic knowledge but also excellent physical fitness, health. The aviation industry is highly competitive. Therefore, academies select only those students who have the best indicators of health and physical fitness.
You will need to undergo physical training based on an educational institution. Each academy has its selection criteria. For example, you have to do jogging, pull-ups, push-ups. You will also need to undergo a medical examination. The future pilot should have ideal performance for the following body systems:
- Cardiovascular.
- Nervous, in particular the vestibular apparatus.
- Respiratory.
- Auditory.
- Significant.
In addition, you must pass specialized psychological tests. Thanks to this, the academy identifies unbalanced applicants for the pilot’s place. This is important because pilots experience air pressure, stress, and more. Only a strong organism can withstand them regularly and have a quick enough reaction to get out of difficult situations successfully.
Write Motivation Letter
A motivation letter is an essay in which you should discuss why you want to study aviation. Your task is to convince the selection committee to choose you among other candidates. Max Malak, business consultant, shared secrets of successfully creating a motivational essay:
- Be unconventional. Do not use template phrases. You can use samples of motivation letters, but only to understand the logic of composing the text. The motivation letter should reflect your educational experience, beliefs, and accomplishments.
- Think over your image. Your success depends on self-presentation. Work out the details of your look. According to your letter, the commission should understand what kind of person you are, why you are interested in this profession, and how it relates to your plans for the future.
- Do not forget about the consistency of information presentation. While you need to fit a lot of information into a relatively small piece of text, remember that it shouldn’t be a list of facts about you. This should be a consistent presentation.
