I have spent more than 13,000 hours in the flight deck of commercial jets. I fly the Boeing 737 and the 757/767. Before that it was Embraers.

I also started NAYR Foundation, and the question I get asked more than any other is some version of this one: how do I actually become a pilot?

Most answers you find online are written by schools trying to sell you a program. This one is not. This is the honest version of what the path looks like in Indiana, what it costs, and where people get stuck.

Four ways to learn to fly in Indiana

There is no single road into this career. There are four, and they cost different amounts of time and money.

A flight school

Indiana has dozens, from small operations at county airports to large academies. You show up, they assign you an instructor and an airplane, and you work through a set curriculum. This is how most pilots start, including plenty of the people I fly with.

An airport with its own program

Some Indiana airports run training directly. These are usually smaller and cheaper than a dedicated academy, and the schedule can bend around a job or school. You get less structure. For some people that is the right trade.

A university program

Indiana is one of the best states in the country for this, and I do not say that lightly. Purdue University, Indiana State University, and Vincennes University all run degree programs with flight training built in. Vincennes trains out of Eagle Creek Airpark. Purdue and Vincennes both operate from the Aviation Technology Center at Indianapolis International Airport, which is a short drive from where our students meet.

The degree itself is not the prize. The hour reduction is. Finish an approved four year aviation program and an airline can hire you at 1,000 hours instead of 1,500. An approved two year degree gets you there at 1,250. That is months of your life and a lot of money.

Do it yourself

This one surprises people, but it is completely legal and I know pilots who did it. You buy an airplane. You buy the books. You set your own pace. Then you hire a certified flight instructor to teach you, sign your logbook, and endorse you for your exams.

It takes real discipline, because nobody is calling to ask why you missed a lesson. But if you already have access to an aircraft, it can be the cheapest way through.

The licenses, in the order you earn them

Every pilot climbs the same ladder. Here is each rung and what it actually gets you.

1. Private Pilot License

Three to six months.

This is the first real certificate. It lets you fly an airplane and carry passengers, but you cannot charge anybody for it. You can solo at 16 and hold the license at 17.

Whether you finish in three months or six comes down to three things:

Weather. Indiana winters and Midwest thunderstorms cancel lessons. More than you would think.

Maintenance. If your training airplane goes down for a week, you do not fly for a week.

Money. You pay by the flight hour. Almost everybody flies as often as their budget allows, not as often as they want to.

2. Instrument Rating

Three to six months.

A private pilot can only fly in good weather. This rating changes that.

You learn to fly on instruments alone, with no view of the ground or the horizon. It is the hardest mental step in early training. It is also the one that separates a fair weather flyer from a pilot who can actually go somewhere on a schedule.

3. Commercial Pilot License

This is the certificate that lets you charge somebody to fly them from point A to point B. You have to be at least 18.

The hours depend on your school:

250 total hours under Part 61, the flexible self paced rules.

190 total hours under Part 141, an FAA approved structured curriculum.

That 60 hour gap is worth tens of thousands of dollars. It is the single biggest reason to look closely at which type of school you sign with.

4. Multiengine Rating

Ten to fifteen hours.

Short and expensive. This lets you fly aircraft with more than one engine, which is every airplane an airline operates. Training is quick because you already know how to fly. What you are learning is what changes when one engine quits.

5. Instruct, and build your hours

This is where most pilots spend the longest stretch of the journey.

After the commercial certificate you are legally able to fly for money, but you do not have close to the hours an airline wants. So you become a certified flight instructor and get paid to build them. You start teaching private students, then add instrument and commercial students, then multiengine.

I want to be clear that this is not a detour or a holding pattern.

Teaching a maneuver forces you to understand it at a level that flying it never will. The instructors I trained alongside are better pilots for it.

6. Reaching airline minimums

To be hired by a scheduled airline you need one of these:

1,500 hours, the standard minimum, at age 23.

1,250 hours, with an approved two year aviation degree, at age 21.

1,000 hours, with an approved four year aviation degree, at age 21.

750 hours for military trained pilots.

You also complete an ATP Certification Training Program before the exam. Most pilots do that as part of getting hired.

From first lesson to first airline interview, plan on about four years of steady, focused work.

7. Jet training and your first airline job

When an airline hires you, they train you on the exact aircraft you will fly. That is called a type rating, and the airline pays for it. You do not buy it beforehand.

Airlines recruit heavily through university programs and training partnerships. That is one more reason the Indiana school programs matter more than people realize.

You start as a first officer. Let me correct something people get wrong here: a first officer is a fully qualified pilot flying the airplane from the right seat. Captain is the upgrade that comes with time and seniority.

One last thing nobody warns you about. Every time you move to a different aircraft, you train again. I am type rated on the Embraer 135/145, the Embraer 170/175/190, the Boeing 737, and the Boeing 757/767. Each one of those was its own training event. Being checked out on a 737 does not let you walk over and fly a 767.

What the timeline really looks like

• Private Pilot License: three to six months.

• Instrument Rating: three to six months.

• Commercial Pilot License: twelve to eighteen months.

• Multiengine Rating: two to four weeks.

• Building hours as an instructor: twelve to twenty four months.

• Start to airline: about four years.

How much does it cost to become a pilot in Indiana

Here are real numbers, not brochure numbers.

Training through your commercial certificate runs about $50,000 to $55,000. That is the flexible Part 61 route, paying by the hour as you go.

Structured Part 141 academy packages start around $60,000 and climb from there. They cost more, but they bundle in housing and move faster, and they get you to commercial at 190 hours instead of 250.

Figure around $100,000 for the full path to an airline career. That is the number I give people when they ask me straight. It covers the licenses, the ratings, and the hour building years.

That number stops some people cold, and I understand why. But two things are worth knowing. First, you are earning while you instruct, so you are not paying all of it out of pocket at once. Second, there is more scholarship money in aviation than almost anybody applies for. Corporate, private, and nonprofit funds go unclaimed every year because students never submit.

Start before you turn 18

Nothing on this page requires you to wait until high school is over.

The students I have watched move fastest are the ones who were already around airplanes at twelve. Not because they were smarter. Because by the time everyone else was figuring out whether they liked aviation, these kids already knew, and they had spent years asking questions of people who do this for a living.

That is why I started NAYR Foundation. For 26 years we have run aviation programming in Indianapolis for K-12 students, and we have moved more than 17,000 of them into internships, trade schools, flight academies, and university programs.

Our year round program meets once a month at our facility at the airport. Two hour sessions. Drone labs, simulators, and direct conversations with working pilots, mechanics, and controllers. In May, students go out to the runway and fly a real airplane from the front seat with a certified instructor.

If you are a student reading this, or a parent of one, this is where the runway starts.

Fill out the form and sign up.

Frequently asked questions about becoming a pilot in Indiana

How long does it take to become a pilot in Indiana?

About four years of steady training from your first lesson to an airline job. The private license alone takes three to six months. Weather, aircraft maintenance, and how often you can afford to fly are what stretch the timeline.

How much does it cost to become a pilot?

Around $50,000 to $55,000 to reach your commercial certificate under Part 61. Structured academy programs start near $60,000. Plan on roughly $100,000 for the full path to an airline career, though you earn income as a flight instructor along the way.

Do I need a college degree to fly for an airline?

No. You can reach an airline through a flight school with no degree at all. But an approved aviation degree lets an airline hire you at 1,000 or 1,250 hours instead of 1,500, which saves you months and a lot of money.

What is the difference between Part 61 and Part 141?

Part 61 is flexible and self paced. Part 141 follows an FAA approved curriculum with set stages and checkpoints. Part 141 gets you to a commercial certificate at 190 hours instead of 250.

How old do I have to be?

You can solo at 16 and hold a private license at 17. Commercial requires 18. Airline hiring starts at 21 with an approved degree, or 23 without one.

Can I train without joining a flight school?

Yes. You can buy or rent an airplane, buy your own study materials, and hire a certified flight instructor to teach you and endorse your exams. It takes more self discipline and more planning, but it is a legitimate path.

Which Indiana schools have aviation programs?

Purdue University, Indiana State University, and Vincennes University all run flight degree programs. Purdue and Vincennes both operate at the Aviation Technology Center at Indianapolis International Airport.

Ryan Lynch is the founder of NAYR Foundation and a commercial airline captain with more than 13,000 flight hours. He is type rated on the Embraer 135/145, Embraer 170/175/190, Boeing 737, and Boeing 757/767.