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How to Become a Pilot in 2026: The Truth About Flight School & Interviews
29 Plays14 days ago
Is becoming a pilot just about flying skills? Absolutely not.
In this episode of the A-Z Jobs Podcast, I sit down with Umair, the Assistant Program Director at HKPAPA. We strip away the glamour of the uniform to talk about the grit required to actually get into the cockpit.
From the financial reality of flight training to the fiercely competitive cadet programs in Hong Kong, Umair shares exactly what separates the dreamers from the employed pilots.
In this episode, we cover:
- ✈️ The Entry Barriers: Why passion isn't enough to get hired.
- 🤝 The Power of Networking: Why "who you know" matters as much as your logbook.
- 🗣️ The Interview Gap: Where most aspiring pilots fail before they even touch a simulator.
Are you an aspiring pilot struggling with the interview? Getting the license is one thing; getting the job is another. If you need to polish your Aviation English and master the behavioral interview questions that airlines ask, I can help. 👉 Book your Aviation Interview Strategy Session here: https://coachingbynate.com/aviation-essentials-airline-interview-preparation/
#pilotlife #aviationcareer #flightschool #cadetpilot #futurepilot #aviationdaily #studentpilot #pilotinterview #flighttraining #aviationenglish #careergoals #dreamjob #aviationlovers #pilotsofinstagram #avgeek
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Transcript
Intro
Umair's Career Beginnings and Aspirations
00:01:11
Nate
Umair, thank you for joining us on the A to Z jobs podcast. How are you?
00:01:17
Umair
I'm great, Nate. Thanks for inviting me here.
00:01:20
Nate
So let's dive straight in. Tell me a bit about yourself. What's your career and and what inspired you to get to get started?
00:01:27
Umair
Well, my my career is going to be something interesting because i haven't really started my career yet.
HK Papa Flight School's Unique Role and Vision
00:01:34
Umair
So currently, I'm an assistant program director at HK Papa, which is a flight school, a brand new flight school that operates in Hong Kong and the greater Bay Area.
00:01:47
Umair
My main career goal is to become an airline pilot here in Hong Kong. And I'm just doing everything I can possibly do to get my career started, which is why I pretty much help run HKPAPA, which is the only flight school here in Hong Kong.
00:02:05
Umair
Previously, if any local Hong Kongers want to become a pilot, they would go overseas, either Australia, Canada, America, or whatever. But they wouldn't stay in Hong Kong or China because of some restrictions.
Inspiration and Evolution of HK Papa Flight School
00:02:20
Umair
And now that we've operated, we started running HK Papa, we are the only flight school and
00:02:32
Umair
We're heavily inspiring the next generation of aviators here in Hong Kong.
00:02:40
Umair
Well, the way I started was actually interesting. is with It started off as an internship at HK Papa when we were not even a flight school. We were pretty much a an educational center type where we would give tours and invite the young, from youngest being each seven years old all the way to those who are even studying university, to pretty much give a glimpse of what aviation is.
00:03:09
Umair
We would rent planes in Zhuhai, which is a city right next to Hong Kong. And this is the this how aviators in Hong Kong would pretty much start their passion in aviation.
00:03:23
Umair
And now that we've grown and then I've started pushing this and decided that we do want to grow, we don't want to just stick to tours and stay into children.
Licensing and Training Opportunities at HK Papa
00:03:34
Umair
we So we've started a licensing program with CAAC approved, which is a Chinese Aviation Government body. and pretty much helping Hong Kongers to get their license closer to home.
00:03:49
Umair
They don't have to spend thousands of dollars to go to Australia or America, but instead they could just take a car ride away just to the city next door. This saves them lots of money and helps build up their career.
00:04:05
Nate
Fantastic. so back to yeah So back to your inspiration. So why this industry?
00:04:13
Umair
Why this industry?
Umair's Passion for Aviation and Early Education
00:04:14
Umair
Well, for me, I've been living in the city right next to Hong Kong International Airport since I was five. So was pretty much brought up with planes around me.
00:04:24
Umair
When I'm going to school, I would hear airplanes roaring. I would be just hanging out with my friends, just doing a casual so stroll. I'll be like, oh, look at that plane.
00:04:35
Umair
Is that a Boeing or is it an Airbus? So it started off with that little glimpses. And then it just sparked into a passion where all I ever talk about is aviation.
00:04:48
Umair
So it definitely started from where I was brought up.
00:04:49
Nate
so how
00:04:53
Nate
So what happened what happened next then? So you said you want to be a pilot. what What steps have you taken so far and how does working at the flight school help with that journey? It seems a bit of a roundabout way, but it's a very fascinating path to take. Tell me more about the journey that you sort of envisioned.
Impact of COVID on Umair's Career Path
00:05:11
Umair
but So basically, initially, went out my formal education or training started when I was in Form 5, when I was like 16 years old or something, where I had something called a Applied Learning Program with a college where I would go to their college every Saturdays and pretty much get to know the basics about aviation and relearn the physics behind how an airplane flies.
00:05:42
Umair
After this course, I realized that this is definitely something I want to do and want to pursue for a future. So it after that, I found out about a Cathay Pacific's cadet pilot program.
00:05:53
Nate
Yeah.
00:05:55
Umair
So I got into Cathay Pacific's... I found out about Cathay Pacific's Cadet Pilot Program, where it is a sponsored program, and I would not need to pay anything upfront, and I would get the job that I really, really want.
00:06:08
Nate
and
00:06:10
Umair
And the entry barrier, the requirement they're looking for was really simple. It was 18-year-old, being Hong Kong resident, having good grades in your exams, and being physically fit.
00:06:22
Nate
Mm-hmm. Yep.
00:06:27
Umair
I was certain that after I turned 18, after I'm done with my exam, I would just go apply straight for the cadet pilot program. But unfortunately, COVID happened.
00:06:40
Umair
And I, Kathy just stopped the whole operation. They've decided to hold back, cut costs, which was fair. And I guess it's a blessing in disguise because I decided to further my studies and get a bachelor's degree.
00:06:55
Umair
So I went through HQ Space's high diploma in aviation and piloting. which was two years long. And I topped up for a bachelor's degree in PolyU, which is one of the most competitive degree in their aviation and aeronautical engineering department.
00:07:11
Umair
So that really opened lots of doors for me. Like the internship I got initially, I got an email from my university and was like, this is perfect. I'll definitely join this.
00:07:22
Umair
I've dropped my other internship just to get into this internship.
00:07:30
Nate
And it's the networks you make through those programs as well. You get to meet so many interesting people and they all have such different connections to the industry. So like a lot of people say, oh, university, it's dead. You don't need university. But at the same time, it's a world of knowledge and and connections that you make that going to last the rest of your life. So, you know, you don't like the internship, you would never have if you hadn't done the university and I've heard of, I've had a few clients and a few pilots that i've I've had as clients and they've they've done the same course and they've ended up on WhatsApp groups where they now have access to some really experienced pilots pilots are in this group and they can ask questions and learn from each other and share that knowledge. And it's it's a real sense of community that you don't really get from from other industries.
00:08:21
Umair
I mean, absolutely.
Mentorship and Challenges in the Aviation Industry
00:08:22
Umair
Like, for me, the biggest problem, I think, in this industry is the entry barrier.
00:08:22
Nate
So tell us,
00:08:29
Umair
Because there isn't much information out there unless you really are in the industry. And it's the mentors you meet along the way. While I was still in a university, I desperately needed mentorship because yes, I had the information, but do I really know enough about the industry to start and really know that this is what I really want? Yes, I've done all the educational thing, the theory bit, but thiss every job has a bad side.
00:08:58
Umair
So really getting to know people does help. My mentors, they've guided me throughout all steps. And they're the ones who suggested me to go through university and actually get a degree.
00:09:10
Umair
Because during COVID, those who did not, pilots, current pilots who did not have a degree, they were also laid off because airlines were running slower or they were getting unpaid leave.
00:09:17
Nate
Yeah.
00:09:23
Umair
So they had to find other jobs. And if they did not have a degree, it was a lot difficult for them. So that mentorship definitely did help me and the connection I made along the way does help.
00:09:37
Nate
covid COVID really gave the whole airline industry such a shake up. I was in Australia at the time and Qantas, every airline, every airline globally went through such such a challenging time and and they all had to make some really tough and very questionable questionable decisions. And it's been interesting to see how they've all ramped up again post COVID in the in the new the new look industry.
Aviation Industry Perceptions and Work-Life Balance
00:10:04
Umair
I mean, I have lots of peers who've completely dropped this whole plan because they they thought or they started thinking that aviation might not be a very stable career that they thought because the moment something happens like COVID, health virus or financial tsunami, anything,
00:10:18
Nate
Mm-hmm.
00:10:23
Umair
Like it's not as stable as people think. Whatever is happening one side of the world can really affect the other side. So that's something I learned because of COVID.
00:10:37
Nate
And it's also very taxing on the body. Like if you go down the path of wanting to be, you know commercial pilot, the schedules and the the time zones, it's it's a a career that you need to either thrive in in that environment or it might not be such a long term and you need to prepare for, you know, what are other roles in the industry that this
Umair's Fulfillment in Teaching and Student Experiences
00:10:56
Nate
might lead to? Like it might might be fun to be a pilot or cabin crew for for a number of years, but then, you know, you're away from the family a lot and, you know,
00:11:06
Nate
you're a different hotel every other night. it can be It needs to be a career that you're quite confident to to to get started in.
00:11:14
Umair
Yeah, I mean, career is perfect and sleep really is something that everyone needs. But this career does make you think about, do you really need it all that much or do you want the career?
00:11:28
Umair
And I've pretty much made my peace with it.
00:11:31
Nate
Yeah. So current job, let's go back to the flight school. Tell me about what's the best thing about being on this, on this I suppose, it's almost like a startup, a startup with the flight school. What's been the best part of this journey so far for you?
00:11:48
Umair
Honestly, the best part is just seeing the glow in people's eyes. The moment they step on a plane and take flight, take control with their own hands, they really feel empowered.
00:12:00
Umair
Like,
00:12:01
Nate
Hmm.
00:12:01
Umair
They might be as young as eight years old, seven years old, and they're literally flexing in all of their friends that I've flown a plane. They're like, I've flown in a plane, but did you fly a plane?
00:12:12
Umair
So that glow I see and really does bring out the passion because initially might not be the kids that were interested in aviation.
00:12:14
Nate
Yeah.
00:12:22
Umair
The parents might think this job is glorified and they're like, I want my son to do this as well. So they come in, they're like it's a cool job, I'd get to travel. But then after they really fly, they're like, whoa.
00:12:35
Umair
And that is what finds fascinates me, like really getting to see actual change in a person's life just by little hard work.
00:12:47
Nate
Yeah, that people connection, it must be, it's a very unique role you have where you get to see that because most pilote most pilots wouldn't. They would go through the program, they would be working with people who are already passionate and they just sort of go through, going to go through the motions, but more it's more than that obviously, but you know they go through the training program and they they get the hours up, but they don't they don't have that moment, I suppose, of inspiration that you get the insight to so so often.
00:13:16
Umair
Yeah, I literally see the seed being planted in front of my eyes. I'm literally watering the plant at this point.
00:13:25
Nate
Fantastic.
Challenges and Resilience in Aviation Careers
00:13:27
Nate
And what's the most challenging part for you? Obviously COVID came in and caused havoc, but what's what's been any other challenging parts or the the worst parts of your your career journey so far?
00:13:38
Umair
Well, I guess the worst part about getting into this industry is that it really might seem really closed off because there's not much information. Yes, there's information online, but gives you need to know where to look for it. It's not a simple Google search.
00:13:53
Umair
Whatever question you have, it might make you go different places, asking people personally and the financial barrier that comes with this career.
00:13:54
Nate
Hmm.
00:14:03
Umair
Like it is a hefty sum that you have to start to start your training with. And it's not easy for everyone. Many people might see it and they're like, they'll run away because it does look intimidating at first and might make you double think of whether this
00:14:14
Nate
Hmm.
00:14:19
Umair
feeling this happiness that you get is it really passion or is it just temporary so i would say these two things are the biggest challenge especially with this career in this industry like other industries like say doctors for example everyone knows you get into university go through med school and eventually get a job in the hospital But for pilots, especially pilots in Hong Kong, it's different because when you're researching, you're looking at flight schools and you might have you might think that you would need to go to need to go through university because in the past, university was a big thing.
00:14:59
Umair
And every airline do look at degrees, but that's not necessary anymore. So it does start off with that and schools, they might not really be able to help you because they don't have the information themselves.
00:15:11
Umair
So you kind of have to go on your own unless you know someone who's in the industry, it's very hard for you to really find out about this industry.
00:15:23
Nate
and you You raise a really important point there about the cost because if you're not going through like a paid cadet program and you're looking at, you're purchasing your own flight hours, your own training and you go through that whole process and you still might not get a job.
00:15:40
Nate
Or you might you might sign up, you might even if you get the cadet program, you've invested in, you've now moved to another country to do your cadet program and you might fail that and then get sent home. It's it's a tough it's a tough pill to swallow, I would imagine, and a quite a a challenge a challenge to to accept that you might not be pilot material. And look And there's this there's nothing wrong with that. i've I've had clients I've coached where, you know, they they've got through three rounds of interviews and then they've been told, sorry, you're not the right fit.
00:16:13
Nate
And my advice to them is just, you know, head up, take the feedback. You know, we can keep working towards the goal. One of my other podcast guests, he got declined, I think, three or four times to get a job with Qantas, but now he's been there for 30 years. So it does happen. Like you just keep chipping away at it and keep improving.
00:16:31
Nate
Or you look at other areas of the industry. You're a great example here of of flight schools. like There's so many different aspects of the industry that you could get involved in and be around the the passion that you have without actually only being that one particular role that you you had an interest in.
00:16:52
Umair
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, like many jobs, there might be one really big job, but then it can be further divided into different fields. And every single bit has their own advantages.
00:17:05
Umair
Like me in a fly school, I get to sleep in my bed every day. I don't have to live in hotels every now
Comparing Flight School Roles and Airline Pilots
00:17:12
Umair
and then. I don't have to sacrifice my sleep. And... I wake up in the morning, come back at night.
00:17:18
Umair
Like, that's not something airline pilots per se can do. But there are other advantages because as an airline pilot, you get to travel the world. It is a glamorous job and you really do live up to that.
00:17:32
Umair
So it's two sides, but you still get to fly and really fulfill your dreams. Flying really is what you want. And failure, I mean, lots of people do fail.
00:17:45
Umair
Like that is just life. Like for me, I think as long as you're moving, whether it's going up or down, as long as you're moving, that really is all that matters.
00:17:58
Nate
Absolutely.
Advice for Aspiring Pilots
00:17:59
Nate
That's my number. of It must be the number one piece of advice to anyone in any career is just get started. You know, you're not going to get anywhere unless you just start. So it's one of those processes, I think. Just get your get your teeth into it a little bit.
00:18:15
Nate
Okay, next question is two parts because I want to know a bit more about pilot becoming a pilot, but then also the flight school stuff as well. So if someone wanted to follow your footsteps either towards becoming a pilot or becoming involved in a flight school, with what would you say is a quicker path to get involved into either of these directions?
00:18:37
Nate
The quickest way possible.
00:18:40
Umair
I guess quickest way possible...
00:18:45
Umair
To get... The first one was to become a pilot, an airline pilot, and the second one is to get started in a flight school, right?
00:18:51
Nate
Yeah.
00:18:53
Umair
For becoming an airline pilot, essentially all you really need is hours and licenses.
00:18:53
Nate
Yes.
00:18:59
Umair
Once you have hours, licenses, and kill your interview... and impress your interviewers, you would get the job. Like, no matter what, yeah, as easy as that.
00:19:10
Nate
As easy as that.
00:19:14
Umair
You don't have to go through a university like I did, although I would say it's highly recommended because anything happen can happen in the future, like just like COVID, without but a degree, you might be stuck.
00:19:27
Umair
but the fastest possible way, because you can always go back to university, you can always do part-time degrees just to get the the degree itself. If you really want to become a pilot, to really fly and get your licenses ready.
00:19:39
Umair
The moment those are done, you're in. The second way is the flight school way. So for flight school, similarly, you do need hours, you need licenses, but you don't really need to go look for a job because most flight school,
00:19:55
Umair
always do need instructors as well. And they would be happy to help er get their own to help lead the next generation basically. So if you do do training in flight school and the flight school usually are always hiring, once you're done with your licenses, you can literally talk to them and they'll do an initial interview and usually they will say, yes, absolutely, we love you and you can become an instructor with us.
00:20:20
Umair
That's exactly what we do at HK Papa. The moment you get a your license, you can start teaching a ground school from day one and you can build your hours up and start teaching the flight bit as well.
00:20:32
Umair
And for airlines, there's cadet pilot program if the cost barrier is a thing. So cadet pilot program is very competitive and they really do need the best of the best.
00:20:44
Umair
So for that, you just have to be the best version of yourself. I wouldn't say that would be the fastest way. On theory, that might be the fastest because you don't have to do any, you don't have to build up hours or anything. You just have to build yourself and get technical knowledge about this industry that you want, that you're really interested in.
00:21:04
Umair
So Cadet Way would be the most structured way because it does get you the job at the airline and it helps you build the connection and really train in the world-class industry.
00:21:19
Umair
So if you're in a big airline, in their cadet pilot program, usually the flight training is top-notch. They literally cover everything and down to like the human factors of flying.
00:21:32
Umair
How to survive jet lags. How do you deal with jet lags? That's something that not every flight school would say and research.
00:21:43
Umair
But you could do it yourself, but airlines will literally tell that the pilots exactly how other people deal with it. So you don't really have to do your own research because everything is structured.
00:21:53
Umair
Now you do this, you do this, you do this. If you don't make it here, you're out. So that is a struggle.
Importance of Networking and Industry Fit
00:22:00
Umair
But other than that, it is fast. And yeah, everything's structured.
00:22:06
Umair
That's the advantage of Cadet Pilot Program.
00:22:10
Nate
If you had to give one tip one one or two tips for the cadet interview, from what you know about the industry and the interview, what are the things that might surprise people through a cadet interview?
00:22:23
Umair
Hmm. Might surprise people. I mean, there's lots of things. Like, to start off with, cadet interview, everyone do know it is really difficult.
00:22:37
Umair
And everyone does know that it is challenging. But then most people do think like the moment you're in, you're pretty much done. Like there's no hard work. But then the real challenge starts after the training, after he after the interview.
00:22:51
Umair
Because after you're done, the interview is challenging. It might be threatening. But then the training is going to be even harsher because they hired the best of the best.
00:23:03
Umair
And they expect you to pretty much be Tom Cruise at this point. be Maverick and just fly your way and get the get your trainings done in minimal hours.
00:23:13
Umair
They will literally set like hours whether or not you can complete this training at this stage, at this stage, at this stage. If you don't meet those hours, you're out. And the closer you are towards the end, it starts becoming more and more of a challenge.
00:23:29
Umair
But then you're just seeing that you're almost done with your license and you just work even harder and harder and harder. And once you do get into the job, then you think you can start relaxing.
00:23:40
Umair
But then the captains are always criticizing you. They're like, oh, you're from Cadet, right? You must be the best of the best. So what will you do in this situation? So it's always, it's constant growing.
00:23:51
Nate
quiz
00:23:53
Umair
Yeah, this oh constant growing. And you might think like, oh, this stage is the hardest. After it's going to be easy. Then no, this stage is the hardest. Surely the next stage would be easier. But it just it just never ends.
00:24:04
Umair
You're just growing and growing and growing and growing.
00:24:08
Nate
So the so what what I'm taking from this is the the cadet program interview is challenging, but it sounds like it's designed like that on purpose because they know how gruelling the training is going to be, and they know how how how competitive the industry is. So it might be it might seem over-the-top stressful interview process, but it's really designed to help protect you as well because if if they if they can see for some reason that you aren't the right the rights fit for the role, you know that's some honest feedback that you need to take on board and really process that because they're not doing it to be nasty. They're doing it because they want to know that you are the right person and you can handle everything that's going to be thrown at you in this career.
00:24:56
Umair
Exactly. That's literally the whole point of any interviews, I would say. They do need to make sure you are the right fit. And after you're the right fit, they do need to see whether or not you can actually pull through the whole job or training or whatever.
00:25:09
Umair
In any industry, would say.
00:25:13
Nate
I think more so for for this industry because it so the the safety factor is so huge. I think that plays a massive, a massive part.
00:25:24
Nate
What about tools and resources? Do you have a book or a podcast or a YouTube channel or something that you just rely on for for inspiration or for for knowledge? Is there any resources you recommend?
00:25:39
Umair
I mean, for me, I've been going through university and the main resource that I would say does help me the most would be the people.
00:25:49
Umair
Because this industry really is shut. So if you do know people, and when you do know people, they're very kind. They would 100% help you in any question you have.
00:26:02
Umair
And I would say that's the best resource because in the airline, we have this thing called CRM, crew resource management, which essentially says that people are also resources.
00:26:13
Umair
And I would say that's the one number one resource that every person would need. Really having a mentor, someone you could ask no matter what you have. And that's what I've been going through right now.
00:26:26
Nate
So network, network and network. Get in there and just meet people.
00:26:29
Umair
Yeah.
00:26:30
Nate
Ask the questions. Just be brave. Get out there and just just start meeting people.
00:26:38
Umair
And then there's also the theory bit.
00:26:39
Nate
What about...
00:26:40
Umair
For theory bit, there's lots of books, whether you can look into... like FAA's PHAK book, which is very technical focused, but I don't think that's something you could just do by self-revision.
00:26:55
Umair
You would need someone who is trained to really teach you.
00:26:57
Nate
Yeah.
00:27:00
Umair
So there are some resources that you look at, but you have to do it the self-revision yourself, but you would also need someone to explain it to you so that the moment you're done with that research, the moment you have a question, you can ask. It's not something you could just ask ChatGPT.
00:27:16
Umair
Because yes, it might give you the answer, but it might not give you a perfect answer. Or it might not explain it the way us something that pilots would practically think.
00:27:28
Umair
So yeah, people definitely is the tool I would recommend.
00:27:31
Nate
at home
00:27:34
Nate
And to finish up, I always like to ask, is there a quote or a mantra that you
Embracing Growth and Learning in Aviation
00:27:37
Nate
rely on in your life? Is there something you sort of fall back on? It's a tough day or something that inspires you?
00:27:47
Umair
A mantra? I guess something I just said before, just growing. Like don't stop, keep on moving. And even growing 1% every day is you growing the year.
00:28:02
Umair
So that means you're three times better than what you were at the start of the year. And simply moving around and trying new things will help you open more doors and be more open-minded to different things, honestly.
00:28:19
Umair
You get to see different aspects of whether it's an industry or anything in life, really. So just keep on moving. Don't stay still. The moment you stay still, you're very lost.
00:28:33
Nate
Yeah, love it. I agree completely. 1% each day and it doesn't have to be a big move. It could be simply doing a different audio book or watching a different YouTube channel just keep expanding the horizons because you never know you never know what that's going to spark and and takes you in many different journeys. So 1% every day is is fantastic.
00:28:55
Umair
Yeah.
00:28:56
Nate
Lastly, where can people reach out to you? So do a bit of a plug for your flight school for me.
Connecting with HK Papa Flight School
00:29:02
Umair
All Absolutely. So for us, you could either find us on Instagram or our website. So the full name of my flight school is the Hong Kong Professional Airline Pilots Association.
00:29:14
Umair
And our Instagram handle is HKG Pilots. That's HKG Pilots.
00:29:24
Nate
Fantastic. Umair, thank you very much for joining us. It's been great hearing about your journey.
00:29:30
Umair
Yeah, thank you for having me, Nate. It was great being here.