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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: 

https://www.caa.co.uk/general-aviation/learning-to-fly/ppl-flying-schools-and-organisations/

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 around £700 for the initial issue that usually is done by the CAA Medical Centre in London):  https://www.caa.co.uk/commercial-industry/pilot-licences/medical/apply-for-a-class-1-medical-certificate/

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 or four modules. This can be done as a Residential (full-time) course or by Distance Learning (DL) with mandatory crammer revision weeks in the classroom immediately before each exam sitting.  You must take all 13 exams in a maximum of 6 sittings 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 Path2Pilot are one of the very few UK schools that 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 some 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 usually involves more than one school for each of the 4 stages:  PPL licence; ATPL ground school; flight school for CPL and Multi-engine Instrument Rating (MEIR); simulator MCC/APS 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 much less than an Integrated course and delivers exacly the same qualifications.  The drop-out rate is much lower as you can progress at your own pace and it offers much more flexibility than the Integrated route.  The ability to choose your own timing and school for each of the 5 major elements of the course also considerably 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 on a single engine piston aircaft (SEP) – 3 months minimum. 
  • Commercial pilot (ATPL) ground school studies and passing 13 CAA or EASA set exams.  
    • (takes 6-8 months residential or at least one year distance learning course). 
  • Flight hours building if needed (minimum 150 hours with 100 hours pilot in command) 
  • Commercial flight training, comprising:  
    • Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL) - 15 hours in 6 weeks. Usually on SEP.
    • Multi-Engine (ME) Type Rating – 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/APS Course in flight simulator of commercial jet transport type of aircraft. - 2 weeks in full flight sim of modern commercial jet (e.g. B737, A320, Turboprop).   

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 8 months of intense classroom study (6 months of which is full time at Rosyth near Edinburgh Airport)  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 £8150 plus local accommodation costs if required (about £400-£500 per month for 6 months).  The DL option costs £2995 (incl VAT for UK residents) or from Euros 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 or EASA 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 teaching staff here are all very experienced aviation professionals and have delivered a well proven and highly effective programme for several years.  Path2pilot delivers outstsanding results for the students who almost always secure good airline jobs.  There is good and low cost accommodation available on site or nearby for the 6 months full time in class needed for the Residential option.  

Overall, you should budget from around £130,000 for a leading Integrated course or a total of £86,000 to complete your commercial licence training using the Modular route (from zero to frozen ATPL). This Modular route total cost for a fATPL licence quoted of £86k includes our ATPL ground school course costs mentioned above and a PPL costing £12.5k. It excludes accomodation costs and the costs of the 13 CAA or EASA ATPL exams and Flight Tests needed that are paid directly to the CAA or the EASA NAA involved. Due to the current acute shortage of pilots wordwide, there are now a few sponsored places offered by some airlines, but these are highly competitive and are often loans that are paid back during the early years of your bonded employment with the airline.   

Financial assistance is also available 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.