Become A Pilot

Become A Pilot

A simple guide to getting qualified

About This Guide
The decision to begin pilot training is not one to take lightly, and can be one of the best decisions you ever make.

But the route to becoming a pilot can be complicated and confusing, so this guide aims to demystify the process.  Through the course of my own training, friends and family have frequently asked me to explain the process, so I’ve written this guide with non-pilots in mind.  I’m hoping it will be useful to those thinking about beginning the process of their own training, and for those already embarked upon training this might be something you can share with your non-pilot family and friends to help those outside the industry understand what’s involved.

Please be aware that this is a guide to help understand the process, and the process can be slightly different for different licensing authorities.  Always double check requirements with your country’s licensing authority!

In This Guide

Before doing anything:  What’s the ambition?

There are different types of pilot license which allow different permissions, so an early decision to consider is what your level of ambition is.  Do you want a pilot’s license for fun, recreational flying, or do you want to be able to earn money from being a pilot?  How you answer that question will have a profound affect on the amount of training you’ll need to undertake, and how much money you’ll need to invest in the process.  This guide is predominantly for those wanting to become Commercial Pilots – that is, a pilot who has met the training, medical and licensing requirements to be able to fly an aircraft for money.

Medical Certificates

Regardless of whether you want to fly for fun or as a Commercial pilot, you must hold a valid medical certificate.  A Commercial Pilot will require a Class 1 medical, while a Private Pilot will only need to maintain a Class 2 medical certificate.

Different Training Methods

Modular

The Modular route treats each component of training separately, allowing pilots greater flexibility in how and where they study.

  • Fits around existing comittments
  • Total autonomy in where you study
  • Can be as quick (or quicker) than an Integrated course
  • Can be much cheaper than an integrated course, but requires much more research and planning
  • Can have long waiting lists between modules
Integrated

The Integrated route takes pilots from zero experience to fully qualified along a set pathway, staying with one training provider.

  • Fast-paced training method that's often quicker than a Modular course
  • Well-trodden training route
  • No flexibility in how or where you train
  • Can be excessively expensive
  • Large schools can feel like you're just a number
MPL

The MPL route bypasses certain licenses and ratings, to go straight to a First Officer job in an airline, with certain restrictions.

  • The quickest possible method
  • Airline sponsorship leads straight to a First Officer job
  • Very high risk! If the airline don't need you your training becomes void - and you're left without a license
Military

The military creates pilots who are highly skilled and disciplined, and who are highly sough after in the commercial world.

  • Totally unique and varied experience
  • Looks great on the CV when applying for other pilot roles later in your career
  • The military is not for everybody
  • Conversion to civilian can be costly

Modular Route to the Commercial Pilot License

1. Class 1 Medical

As mentioned above, anybody with the ambition to become a Commercial Pilot will need to hold a Class 1 medical certificate.  So before investing in any training, I highly advise going for a Class 1 Initial Medical Examination.  If you can't pass the medical, it's better to find out before spending lots of money on training.

2. Private Pilot License

The Private Pilot License (PPL) is actually the main license for Recreational pilots.  It consists of a minimum of 45 hours of flight time, of which 25 are flown with an instructor and 20 hours are flown solo.  There are also 12 theoretical exams and an oral radiotelephony exam that must be taken before the PPL skills test can be taken.

3. Night Rating

The Night Rating is normally the first add-on rating pilots gain after achieving their Private Pilot License and consists of a minimum of 5 hours of training.

4a. Hour Building

Most people take between 45 & 55 hours of flight to get their Private Pilot License.  But a Commercial Pilot License cannot be issued to anybody with less than 150 hours of total flight time.  This leaves a gap of hours and experience that needs to be filled before starting a CPL course.  Hour Building can be carried out at the same time as studying for ATPL exams.

4b. ATPL Theory

In order to qualify for a Commercial Pilot License, you have to pass 13 theoretical exams.  They cover a range of topics, and have a pass mark of 75%.  Study can be done full time in a classroom, or individually through distance learning.  It's important to get as high a mark as possible because employers will often set a minimum average ATPL theory score on their job listings.  Studying for the ATPL exams can happen at the same time as hour building.

5. Commercial Pilot License

This is the license that gives a pilot the permission to be paid for their flight time.  In practice, it still limits pilots to flying in a single engine aircraft, and only in good weather conditions under Visual Flight Rules (VFR).  In order to become employable, a pilot will need to add other ratings and endorsements to their CPL.  Be aware that the CPL is often offered as a package with the Multi-Engine & Instrument Ratings too.

Holding a CPL is what makes a pilot employable, but they must add components to it according to what prospective employers are looking for.

After the Commercial Pilot License

After gaining a Commercial Pilot License, pilots effectively have a blank canvas on which to add ratings and endorsements allowing them to tailor their training to the type of aviation career that interests them.  Outlined below is the route many pilots take to become ready to fly for either a passenger or cargo airline.

The Common Route To Be Airline-Ready

The Multi Engine Rating, as it suggests, gives pilots the training required to fly an aircraft with more than one engine. 

The Instrument Rating is an in-depth rating that gives pilots a couple of key skills and permissions.  Firstly, it gives pilots the training they need to fly without using any visual reference outside the aircraft, in other words flying purely based on the instrumentation available to them in the cockpit.  The other key skill unlocked by the Instrument Rating is the training to fly under a more strict set of regulations called Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).  The ME & IR are often taught with the CPL as one course.

I’ve written a more comprehensive explanation of these courses HERE, but here is a short summary.  Up until this point in a pilot’s training, everything will have been flown in an aircraft with a piston engine.  But no large commercial aircraft are powered by piston engines, and this led to a fairly large training gap between the inexperienced pilots applying for jobs, and the level at which jet operators require their new recruits to be.  To that end, the Jet Orientation Course was designed to fill the gap, and became a requirement that employers put on their job adverts.

Also, to this point in a pilot’s training, they’ve only ever flown in an aircraft that requires a crew of one.  They’ve either flown solo as the Pilot in Command, or they’ve been sat next to an instructor who’s been training them how to operate as a single pilot.  Similarly to the JOC described above, the Multi Crew Co-operation course was developed to teach how new Commercial Pilots to work together, operating aircraft much more complex than they have done any training in to this point.  The MCC is often combined with the JOC because, by their very nature, many of the multi-crew aircraft are also jets.  As a result the MCC/JOC will frequently be carried out in a simulator for a Boeing 737 or another small jet.

The Airline Pilot Standard (APS) MCC takes the training to another level again, giving students a much richer experience with much more of a focus on real-world airline Standard Operating Procedures and aircraft system operations.

From December 2019 it became mandatory for new Commercial Pilots who had not yet carried out type rating training to complete the Advanced Upset Recovery Training, as set out in FCL.745.A.  The AUPRT  gives pilots exposure to some very unusual states of upset, including spins.  Some students find this to be their highlight, others find it to be the least enjoyable aspect of their training.  This training consists of:

  • 5 hours theoretical ground instruction
  • 3 hours dual flight instruction
Other Routes To Consider
Flight Instructor Rating
Aerial Survey Pilot
Banner Towing
Parachute Drop Pilot

Realistic Early Career Expectations

Pilots in Europe who gain the above licenses and ratings (CPL, MEP, MEIR, APS/MCC/JOC, and AUPRT) will generally have around 200 hours of total flight time, and 60 – 80 hours of time spent in a simulator.

Airlines will generally consider a pilot at this level of training a “Cadet”, and treat them as a different type of candidate to an experienced First Officer.  Example of cadet-specific jobs include:

  • Self-funded Cadet programmes where the individual pays for a type rating and training with a specific airline in the expectation the airline will then pick them up at the end of their training (Eg Ryanair’s Cadet Pilot Program).
  • Apprenticeship programmes where an individual will spend time (6 – 24 months) working across a range of departments within an airline to gain a strong understanding of that company before moving into a pilot position at the end of the apprenticeship (Eg Jet2.com’s Pilot Apprenticeship program, AirX’s Apprenticeship program).

What is a Type Rating?

Commercial aircraft are incredibly complex pieces of machinery, while training aircraft are often incredibly basic.  In order to fly such complex aircraft, a pilot must carry out training beyond the scope of their license in order for the licensing authority to be satisfied they have the skill to fly that particular aircraft.  This training is called a Type Rating.

Type Ratings are normally required for aircraft above a certain weight, and are sometimes shared across a couple of similar types, for example the Boeing 777 and 787, or all members of the Airbus A320 family.

Historically an employer would bear the cost of a type rating, then bond the pilot, meaning an amount would be taken from their monthly salary payment for a period of time.  However, some employers now pass this cost directly on to the pilot.

A Note About Costs

There’s no sugar-coating this fact:  Pilot training is expensive.  Also, the cost of training can vary drastically depending on a number of factors.  To that end I’m avoiding going into too much detail about the cost of each aspect of training.  Instead, I’ll provide an indication of my training process and roughly how much each component cost to give you an idea of what to expect.

As a VERY broad example, a modular student could expect to pay £60,000-£80,000, while an Integrated course can cost well over £100,000, even though the advertised price might look similar to the modular price (read the small print about what’s NOT included!!).

How and Where I Trained

I completed pilot training via the modular route.  In hindsight I would do certain things differently, especially through the early part of training – however, I spent approximately £65,000, and this is the how I did it:

 

Initial Class 1 Medical. Heathrow Medical Services1%
Private Pilot License. Aviation Southwest17.5%
Night Rating. Aviation Southwest1.5%
ATPL Theory (Full Time Ground School). Aviation Southwest6%
Hour Building in South Africa.13.7%
CPL MEIR (All-In-One Course). Diamond Flight Academy, Scandinavia48.5%
APS/MCC. Simtech, Dublin.10%
Advanced Upset Recovery Training. British Aerobatic Academy, Fowlemere.2%