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How to Become a Pilot

For those with no flying experience wishing some general careers advice on becoming a commercial pilot - what it involves, the training courses needed for a licence and the overall costs involved, please see below our guide on becoming a commercial pilot.

 

First Steps (toe in the water…) 

1. Take a trial flying lesson at a local flying club to see if you like flying and are suited to it.  

2. Gain a Private Pilot Licence (PPL) from a local flying school (must be ICAO approved). This consists of a minimum of 45 flying hours and can be completed within three months (full time). A list of approved training organisations in the UK can be found in the following CAA link:  http://www.caa.co.uk/General-aviation/Learning-to-fly/Finding-a-flight-school/

If Being a Commercial Pilot is for You (yes, I love it…) 

3. You are strongly advised to obtain a Class 1 Medical Certificate from the CAA to make sure you are medically fit to be a pilot before committing your considerable time and money to commercial pilot training (cost is from £650 for the initial issue that must be done by a CAA Medical Centre in London):  http://www.caa.co.uk/medical/ 

4.  It is also advisable to take an aptitude test for potential pilots before committing yourself to the expense of commercial pilot training. This can be done by your intended flight school or the Honourable Company of Air Pilots : https://www.airpilots.org/career-matters/careers-information/aptitude-tests/

5.  Enrol in an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) theoretical knowledge ground school course and sit the mandatory 13 ATPL exams. This usually takes at least 8 months to complete and is often divided into three modules. This can be done as a Residential (full-time) course or by Distance Learning (DL) with crammer revision weeks in the classroom immediately before each exam sitting.  You must take all 13 exams in 6 sessions and within 18 months of your first sitting.  For those new to aviation, we strongly recommend a full-time residential course as a solid foundation on which to build your aviation career.  Due to safety concerns, the examiners are changing the exam format and adding new questions. So, to pass the exams, a thorough understanding of the subjects will be required which only a full-time course can provide. We at Path 2 Pilot can provide this important phase of your training:  

Modular vs Integrated Flight Training. (Now it is serious….) 

There are two different routes to becoming a commercial pilot; an Integrated course and the Modular route.   Airlines now recruit pilots from both types of schools as long as the schools involved are recognised by them as delivering a well-trained pilot. The qualification you need to become an airline pilot is commonly known as a frozen Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (fATPL)].  A fATPL is simply a CPL/IR license issued to a pilot who has completed all the necessary qualifications for a full ATPL, but does not yet have 1500 flying hours in his/her logbook. These hours would normally be completed in your first job as a commercial pilot or as a flight instructor. 

Integrated schools offer a complete package for your training and are generally good, but very regimented and expensive and you may have to pay large sums in advance. Also, it is a full-time course and there is little flexibility about the timing of your training which leads to a significant drop-out rate if you are not able to keep up with the high demands of their training courses. Integrated schools can be brutal and have no hesitation in dis-enrolling students who fall behind with their training.  However, the upside is that many have good contacts with one or more major airlines (although a job with these airlines can never be guaranteed).   

The Modular route delivers the same training more progressively and can involve more than one school if required (e.g.mPPL flying school, ATPL ground school, CPL/IR flying school, MCC course). The main advantage is cost – it is by far the cheaper option that leads to exactly the same qualifications needed to becoming an airline pilot – a frozen ATPL.  

The Modular route costs about half of the price of an Integrated course.  The drop-out rate is much lower as you can progress at your own pace and it offers more flexibility and flight experience than the Integrated route.  The ability to choose your own timing for each major element of the course helps the financial outlay.   The Modular route to a frozen ATPL is summarised as follows: 

  • Private Pilot's Licence (PPL)  - usually about 50 to 60 flying hours – 3 months minimum. 
  • Commercial pilot (ATPL) ground school studies and 13 CAA set exams.  
  • (6-10  months residential or at least one year distance learning course). 
  • Flight hours building (minimum 150 hours with 100 hours pilot in command) 
  • Commercial flight training, comprising:  
  • Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL) - 15 hours in 6 weeks. 
  • Multi-Engine Type Rating (ME) – 6 hours in 2 weeks on light twin.  
  • Instrument Rating (IR) test prep on a ME aircraft / simulator- about 50 hours and 8 weeks. 
  • Instrument Rating (IR) flight test by CAA or EASA Examiner on light twin. 
  • MCC/JOC/APS  Course in flight sim of commercial jet transport type of aircraft. - 2 weeks in full flight sim of modern commercial jet (e.g. B737, A320, Emb 190).  Costs extra after CPL/IR licence completed. 

Costs Involved 

After completing a PPL locally at any EASA approved Flying Club where costs of lessons vary according to location, you could come to Scotland to us for 6 months of intense classroom study for the 13 ground school ATPL Theory exams. You have to pass these before starting any commercial pilot flight training. The cost of our Residential ground school course is typical and is currently £6495 plus local accommodation costs if required (about £400 per month).  The DL option costs £3200 (incl VAT for UK residents) or £2700 for those abroad (no VAT). A DL course can now be completed almost entirely on line. After this course with us and passing all your CAA exams, you can go to any flight training school of your choice (Integrated or Modular) and we have established links to reputable flight schools in the UK and abroad to suit your needs. 

Regarding the ground school studies, there are numerous options including our own DL course (self-study on your own), but, for those new to aviation, we would always recommend the full-time Residential course where the student is taught by fully qualified and experienced pilots and instructors. Our staff here are all highly experienced and have delivered a highly effective programme for several years with very good results for the students.  There is good and low cost accommodation available on site or nearby.  

Overall, you should budget from around £120,000 for an Integrated course or a total of £65,000 to complete your commercial licence training using the Modular route (from zero to CPL/IR). This modular route cost of £65k includes our ATPL ground school course costs mentioned above and a PPL costing £10k. At times, there have been a few sponsored places offered by some airlines, but these are highly competitive and are generally loans that are paid back during the early years of your employment.   

Financial assistance is also available for flight instruction to cover the above costs from commercial lending brokers such as Pegasus Finance.  Guarantees are usually required on the assets of a third party.  See link: https://www.pegasuspersonalfinance.co.uk/path2pilot/?introducer_contact_id=7392 

If we can be of further assistance, do not hesitate to get in touch. Whichever route you choose or can afford, good luck with your flying – it’s a great career.