Become A Pilot

Light Aircraft Pilot Licence (LAPL)

The Light Aircraft Pilot Licence (LAPL), allows a pilot to fly a light aircraft carrying a maximum of 3 passengers on private daytime flights. With a LAPL you are permitted to fly Single Engine Pistol (SEP) aircraft with a limit of 2 metric tons of take-off weight. In order to obtain a LAPL you must complete the following:

• Complete a minimum of 30 hours of flying, including 15 hours with an instructor and 6 hours solo flying.
• Fly a Solo Cross Country flight of at least 80nm which must include a full stop landing at an aerodrome different from the aerodrome of departure.
• Alongside your practical experience, you will be required to undertake 9 theoretical exams with a 75% pass mark.

Additionally, you are required to undertake a Skills Test demonstrating your competence and ability to act as a Pilot-In-Command (PIC) and a Radiotelephony Practical Exam. Once these requirements are met you must fly 10 hours as PIC before being able to carry passenger and obtain a medical certificate.

UK Private Pilot Licence (PPL)

To become a qualified private pilot, you are required to get a UK Private Pilot Licence (PPL). This licence allows you to fly privately and for pleasure as a PIC of a SEP, alongside bringing you closer to getting a commercial licence. The UK PPL is recognised in the UK and throughout Europe and can easily be used as the basis of conversion for licences in other countries such as America.

To obtain a UK PPL you must:

• Complete a minimum of 45 hours of flight training, consisting of at least 25 hours of dual flight with an instructor and 10 hours of supervised solo flying.
• Complete a solo cross country flight of at least 150nm including full stop landings at two aerodromes different from the aerodrome of departure.
• You will also be required to undertake 9 theoretical exams with a pass of 75%.

During your training you will be required to undertake a Radiotelephony practical exam. Once training as been completed you are required to undergo a skills test with a flight examiner. Once all these exams are passed you will need a Class 2 (Private Pilot) Medical Certificate, from a CAA authorised medical examiner.

Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL)

To be able to commence your airline academy training, you will need to have specific qualifications and meet certain requirements, such as being at least 17 years of age and fluent in English (verbal and written). Once you have met the requirements and been accepted to train as a pilot, you will need an Airline transport Pilot license (ATPL) and a Class 1 Medical Certificate to become a commercial airline pilot.

As you prepare to start your journey towards a commercial airline pilot career, you need to know:

• You will be issued a ‘frozen ATPL’ at the end of your commercial pilot training, this enables you to apply for jobs as a First Officer
• To ‘unfreeze’ your ATPL, you will need to complete 1,500 flying hours
• You have the choice to obtain a UKCAA or an EASA pilot licence, which enables you to operate a UK-registered or an EASA-registered commercial aircraft respectively
• It takes an average of 70 weeks to complete your flight school training before cadets embark on their rewarding careers

Where can I undertake pilot training?

If you've decided to train through a flying school or flight training organisation (FTO), the CAA offers advice on finding a flight school, it also lists approved flying schools.

An example of a leading provider is FTA (Flying Time Aviation), a commercial flight academy based at Brighton City Airport. You could also consider L3Harris Airline Academy, a flight school with UK academies in Bournemouth, Cranfield and Crawley.

Consider the type of course on offer, aircraft types used, the location of the school, whether all training can be completed in the UK and the cost required. Before making a decision it's best to visit the school. Ask plenty of questions and use this visit to get an overall feeling of the school.

What are the routes to becoming a pilot?

Pilot training schools, otherwise known as flying schools, typically offer three types of professional flight training - integrated, modular and multi-crew pilot license (MPL). Integrated and modular lead to the same licence, while the MPL results in a frozen ATPL.

Integrated courses enable trainee pilots with no previous flying experience to gain their ATPL within 18 months. Courses are intense and as such you'll need to finish the training in one go. Integrated courses incorporate both theoretical study and practical flying experience. The four main elements of the course are:

• Flight training
• Multi crew cooperation course (MCC)
• Jet orientation course (JOC)
• Airline preparation course.

Once these elements are completed, you'll be issued with an ATPL.

As its name suggests, modular training is completed in segments, meaning that it's more flexible, allowing trainees to work alongside their studies to pay course fees. To be accepted onto a modular training course you'll need to have already gained a Private Pilot Licence (PPL) and 150 hours of flying experience. While this method is more affordable than the integrated option, it takes longer to complete.

The MPL should only be considered if you want to fly for a specific airline on a certain type of aircraft. It allows the holder to exercise the privileges of the Frozen ATPL, but is limited to a specific type, certificated for multi pilot operation only.

If you opt to train at a pilot training school, you'll be expected to pay the expensive course fees yourself, and you won't have a guaranteed job at the end of it.

Alternatively, you could consider structured programmes offered by major airlines, including British Airways (BA), Ryanair and easyJet. They work with established providers that will carry out the pilot training. While commercial airlines used to sponsor trainee pilots in the past, this is no longer the case. The majority of structured programmes are now fully self-funded. However, your chances of securing employment with the organisation on completion of the programme are high.

While aviation degrees aren't essential, a number of universities run relevant courses. For example, Bucks New University offers the BSc Aviation Management with Pilot Training, while Kingston University London runs the BSc Aviation Operations with Commercial Pilot Training.

Both these courses can be completed within three years, although the Kingston course allows you to undertake a sandwich year, making it a four-year programme. Tuition fees for both courses are £9,250 per year but you'll also have additional fees to cover as you'll be training for the integrated ATPL qualification. At Bucks you should expect the extra cost to reach as high as £75,000, while at Kingston it's within the region of £84,000 to £94,250.

The first ever apprenticeship standard for commercial airline pilots has been approved. Developed by the Aviation Industry Skills Board and leading aviation employers, the standard aims to make pilot training more accessible.

How much does it cost to become a pilot in the UK?

We'll be honest, it's not cheap. In fact, training to become a pilot in the UK is incredibly expensive so you need to be sure it's the right path for you before committing to a course.

Exact fees differ depending on the route you take but we're talking thousands, in some cases hundreds of thousands of pounds. To give you a better idea, pilot training usually costs £70,000 to £130,000.

For example, taking an integrated course at a flying school such as the FTA costs £89,500, while L3Harris Airline Academy charge £94,960 for their integrated course. Modular courses cost a bit less and allow you to spread the cost over a longer period. For example, FTA modular courses cost £49,500.

Detailed information on qualifications, training routes, required skills and costs are covered in the BALPA's Becoming a Pilot the Inside Track resource.