i strongly second what you say dude..the reason why pilots are so highly paid is because this is a very specialized profession and the level of responsibility the pilot has..i think there is already enough said about the level of responsibility the pilot has on the lives of everyone on board..'pilot is not hard'? just need to push the autopilot button after take off?well why didn't you mention about the stress on getting your aircraft on time,runway and wind conditions for take off,different take off technique on take off roll and rotation in the event of a crosswind condition,weather on departure,long and complicated ATC clearences,terrain awareness on take off,flight in busy TMA...then i think you will have a second opinion on this..autopilot is to take care of the 'grunt' work needed to hand-fly the aircraft..and in the business of airline flying,that is only a small part of what we do overall..

well,ok SPM CAN get you into the academy..but i can assure you that the ground exams and flight tests that you have to endure in the academy is no easy feat..even if flying academies require a degree first before u join the school,what difference does it make? if you don't meet up to the required standards,you still won't make the cut..and anyway,do you really think you need 'high iq' to get a degree?