It depends on what you want to pilot. A Boeing 747: Time, a lot of money and a ride to the airport for classes. Helicopters: pretty much the same thing but you'll need some patience. They're hard to fly and take a lot of work but a little less time. An F-18: Join the Air Force, they'll pay you to learn and fly Time and money, more money than time. Private license will cost $4k. To start a pilot course, you should have about two months of checking and planning before you commit to anything. It could be a very expensive bad idea if you decide it's not for you. You also have to have a significant amount of money. Not only money for the course itself, but possibly money to live on for a few months. It all depends on the flight school you attend. Just be sure this is something you actually want before you do anything else. Have fun!