How to become a pilot:
How do I become a pilot? – A question asked numerous times!
-
What do flight schools and airlines look for?
-
What grades do I need?
-
How much does it cost?
-
How old do I need to be?
These are just a few of a large number of questions that everyone seems to ask before deciding on a career as a commercial airline pilot. This page should outline the main information that you should know.
How old do I need to be to start training?
To commence commercial flight training with any Flight Training Organisation (FTO), you need to be at least 18 years old. Which would mean you could apply while aged 17. For Private Pilot studies, you can start at pretty much any age, however are required to be 16 to fly solo.
What grades do I need?
Most FTO’s require evidence that you have successfully completed secondary education (Secondary/High School in the UK) with at least C grades in subjects including Maths, Science and English. This is the basic and minimum requirements grade wise to become a pilot.
For airline mentored programmes such as the Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme and British Airways Future Pilot Programme, A levels will be required and specific grades will be needed. These are generally in the area of a BBC, however the easyJet programme requires at least 2 A level passes at grade C or above. A university degree is a bonus, however is not necessary so do not feel that you must attend University before flight training. Some flight schools offer the option of completing a degree alongside your flight training. Obviously, this will increase training costs, but does allow you to gain access to the student loan options otherwise unavailable.
For more information on the degree available with CTC use the following links:
What are my options?
My number 1 top tip is to do your homework before applying to any flight school or airline programme. Make sure you know what the pro’s and cons are for each FTO and have a clear reason as to why you are choosing that flight school in particular. (You will be asked this in the interview). Lastly, its important to be aware of the various routes into the flight deck – these range from the following:
-
‘White tail’ Integrated route – ATPL (Airline Transport Pilots License)
-
MPL – Multi-Crew Pilots License
-
Modular
For more information regarding these course's refer to the FTO websites directly, links can be found at the bottom of the page.
How much does it cost?
This topic will generally vary depending on you as a person with regards to personal living expenses, your chosen FTO and what airline you end up completing you Type Rating (TR) with. Rough prices are as follows, based on data from websites – this may have changed at the time you read this:
‘White Tail Route’ –
-
Integrated ATPL – £89,000 + Living expenses
-
Type rating – can be around £20,000-£30,000
Rough total – £120,000
‘Multi-Crew Pilots’ License –
-
£100,500 or £109,000 depending on FTO – this includes your Type Rating. (based on easyJet MPL course. Some MPL schemes may be different in price, this just acts as a rough guide. Both routes listed here do not include the cost of a degree should you wish to do that alongside your flight training).
Funding Options:
Now, most people do not have a spare £120,000 lying around, so how on earth will you be able to fund your flight training. You do have a couple of options... most of you will probably be faced with option 3.
-
Win the lottery :P
-
Check your bank account and pray!
-
Loans
Yes, so most people who complete their flight training use loans from a bank. I wont go into this too much as it can become quite confusing and is a personal topic to the individual, however, there are funding options available through the BBVA or other banks. I would strongly recommend checking current interest rates and repayment figures before deciding on bank.
What do FTO’s look for at selection?
This question has many answers and lots of detailed information can be found online on this topic. Refer to the 'Downloads' page in the CR Community for a free document containing a number of interview questions and activities that you can do to help you stand out from the crowd.
The FTO’s are looking for candidates who are capable of successfully completing an intense 18 month course and someone who will one day become a Captain. Ground school lasts roughly 6 months and you may be no where near an actual aircraft so they are looking for people who can firstly complete the arduous ground exams but also people who carry an abundance of motivation and passion. Subsequently, they will be checking your ability in numerous tasks including numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning and a mixture of basic and advance aptitude testing. This is to see whether or not you have any of the skills required. The assessment staff want you to pass as much as you do, however, being a pilot is a serious job and with hundreds of people's lives in your hands daily they will be checking thoroughly that you are suitable for this career.
The first time I attended a FTO assessment, I was so convinced that I would fail the Pilapt (Aptitude tests), I spent a number of weeks using LatestPilotsJobs to practice (which I would definitely recommend). Turns out, I passed the Pilapt first time but due to my concentration being mostly directed at the Pilapt, the pressure of the day got to me and I failed the maths test. So although this was good experience, I would highly recommend distributing your focus and preparation evenly amongst the Pilapt, maths and interview sections of the day. The group exercise is relatively easy to pass, as long as you can work well in a team then you will be fine. More information about selection can be found on the 'Selection' page.
If you have any other questions then drop me a message and I will be happy to help :)
Links
Flight Training Organisations:
Recommended events:
Professional Flight Training Exhibition
Top flight simulators in London:
Airlines: