British Air Line Pilots Association

How to become a

Commercial Pilot
 How to become a Commercial Pilot
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Jim McAuslan The British Air Line Pilots
BALPA Association (BALPA) is the
General Secretary professional Association for all
Pilots who work in civil aviation.
Additionally BALPA offers
“Associate Class” membership for
those serving in HM Forces as
Pilots, or for those embarking on
commercial training.
BALPA wants British Aviation to
be the envy of the world. We aim
to help those young men and
women who want to become
Commercial Pilots or Flying
Instructors and have put together
this guide to help you. We have
also produced a separate document
to help you secure sponsorship and
bursaries (visit www.balpa.org).
Growth in air travel over the next
decade, and the retirement of
longer serving pilots, makes it is a
good time to consider becoming a
Pilot - for those who are
determined.
And if your ambition is fulfilled
BALPA will support you throughout
your career. Once enrolled on a
Commercial Pilots licence course
with one of the CAA approved
training schools, you can join
BALPA as an Associate Trainee
Member. Whilst undergoing ab
initio Commercial Pilot training
your membership of BALPA is free,
providing you meet the criteria of
supplying a copy of your Class 1
2
CAA medical, along with
confirmation of the training course
you are undertaking. BALPA
Associate Trainee membership gives
you a chance to benefit from some
of the facilities offered and also
allows you to get to know the
workings of the Association and
future benefits of Full BALPA
Membership.
BALPA is both a Trade Union
and a Professional Association. In
addition to myself, the Executive
Board consists of 13 members
who are practising Flight Deck
Crew, and we are all elected to
these positions by BALPA
members. As General Secretary I
have a team of around 50 staff
and consultants, including those
with expertise and experience in
many areas such as, legal,
employment/contract law,
technical, scheduling, pensions,
employment prospects/advice,
financial service facilities. In due
course, when you have qualified
as a professional Pilot, we hope
that you will become a Full
Member of BALPA.
BALPA wishes you good luck and
all the best in the pursuit of your
future career.
JIM McAUSLAN
GENERAL SECRETARY
BRITISH AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION

H O W T O B E C O M E
Many young people dream of
becoming a pilot, perhaps
flying the most modern airline
aircraft around the skies. For
most, it remains a pipedream.
But it is a dream that can be
fulfilled. For all of civil aviation,
and most of military aviation,
there are equal opportunities
for men and women.
There are basically two
routes learning to fly:
1 Learning to fly with the
Armed Services
First by getting into one of the
Armed Services (Navy, Marines,
Army or RAF) as a trainee pilot.
This is open to young people
from 17-24. But only a limited
number of trainee pilots are
taken on each year. To be
accepted, applicants should
have five GCSEs (including
Maths and English), two A levels
or equivalent and/or a degree.
Vacancies are few and
competition is fierce. You make
an application and go through
a rigorous three-day selection
process including IQ, leadership
and medical tests. Learning to
fly privately is very expensive so
training with the Armed
Services is an excellent way of
gaining a wealth of experience
at very little cost to you.
As a note to those under the
age of 18 years, joining the Air
Training Corps (ATC) or
How to become a Commercial Pilot
A C O M M E R C I A L
Combined Cadet Force (CCF),
may improve your chances of
being selected for the Forces as
a Pilot. Also for those at
University joining the University
Air Squadron Officer Training
Corps or the University Naval
Unit when at University will
significantly increase your
chances for Pilot selection in
the Forces.
Information on becoming an
Armed Services trainee pilot
can be obtained from any
Navy, Army or RAF Careers
Office.(contact details on
supplementary information on
Sponsorship/Bursaries)
2 Learning to fly privately
Anyone who is over the age
of 16 and can afford lessons
can learn to fly a single engine
piston aircraft and once you
are over the age of 17 and
completed the training, you
can have your Private Pilot’s
Licence (PPL) issued. This is a
good step towards getting
your professional licence, as
not only will you discover if
you are suited to the
environment, but also you will
be credited with 100 hours
ground instruction towards
the ground study requirements
for the Commercial Pilots
Licence.
To obtain a Private Pilot’s
Licence you will have to pass a
P I L O T
Class 2 Medical Examination,
have accumulated a minimum
of 45 flying hours, pass seven
written examinations and take
a skills test. Depending on
how often you can take the
lessons, this will take between
six and twelve months and
cost around £6,000. This
licence enables you to fly in
visual conditions. If you wish
to fly in instrument conditions,
you will need a further
qualification, which will cost
around £2,000. Additionally, if
you wish to fly at night, you
will need a night qualification,
typically costing around £750.
If you decide to fly multi-
engine aircraft privately, you
will need at least 70 hours as
Pilot in Command (PIC), a
minimum of 6 hours flying
training and not less than 7
hours theoretical instruction.
At the time of writing, if you
wish to obtain a PPL as a
stepping stone to a CPL/ATPL,
it seems preferable to train for
the full JAR PPL rather than the
National PPL (NPPL)
If you wish to fly a multi-
engine piston aircraft, you will
need at least 70 hours as Pilot
in Command (PIC), a minimum
of 6 hours flying training and
not less than 7 hours
theoretical instruction. (contact
details on supplementary
information on
Sponsorship/Bursaries)
3
 How to become a Commercial Pilot

Training to become a
commercial pilot
When you have your Private
Pilot’s Licence you can fly for
fun – but not for ‘hire or
reward.’ As soon as you want
to earn money from
commercial flying you must
obtain a Commercial Pilot’s
Licence (CPL) or obtain all of
the theory qualifications and
most of the flying qualifications
for the Airline Transport Pilot’s
Licence (ATPL). The latter
qualification is known as a
‘Frozen ATPL’ and may be
upgraded to a full ATPL when
sufficient flying experience has
been obtained.
Before embarking on the
costly process of committing
yourself to a CPL or ATPL
course there is one thing to
consider.
Can you pass a CAA Class
One Medical? You might feel
completely fit, but there are
conditions that do not affect
everyday life and might not
even affect flying privately (for
which a Class Two Medical is
required), but which will stop
you flying commercially. Many
of these conditions involve
eyesight. The eyes do not need
to be perfect, but conditions
such as colour deficiency
(affecting some ten per cent of
the male population) are not
compatible with professional
flying. The initial Class One
Medical can only be carried out
by the Civil Aviation Authority
(CAA) Medical Unit at Gatwick.
To avoid wasted money and
time, it is possible (and
recommended) to undergo a
Class One Medical tests before
commencing any training, even
for the PPL if you intend to
proceed from the PPL to
commercial flying. A Class
One Medical is valid for the PPL
medical as well.
You will need to remain
reasonably fit throughout your
flying career. Although you can
fly commercially until the age
of 65, you must be able to
pass a renewal medical every
year, (or six months, depending
on age and type of licence).

T H E R E A R E T H R E E W A Y S O F
O B T A I N I N G A C P L O R A T P L

1 Moving from the Armed edge training course.

Services to an airline
Airlines do take pilots from the
RAF, Army and Navy. If you
leave the Armed Services and
wish to become a commercial
pilot you have to take a special
civil aviation course and gain a
conversion qualification before
being awarded a CPL or ATPL.
2 Putting yourself through
training
A Commercial Pilot’s Licence
(CPL) may be gained by com-
pleting an approved course of
either integrated training, or
modular flying training com-
bined with a theoretical knowl-
Depending on the course
undertaken, the integrated
course will last between 9
months and 36 months, and will
require a minimum of 150 hours
flying training for the CPL(A) or
195 hours for the ATPL(A). If
you wish to achieve an Airline
Transport Pilot’s Licence in the
future, then the ATPL course is
the one that you should choose.
You will have to attend a train-
ing school approved by the Civil
Aviation Authority. To be
accepted, you will need to
demonstrate sufficient knowl-
edge of Mathematics and
Physics to facilitate an under-
standing of the theoretical
knowledge instruction content

4

of the course.
The training course includes
ground studies in such subjects
as Aviation Law, Flight
Performance and Planning,
Principles of Flight and
Navigation. Then there is the
flight training. This includes fly-
ing in single and multi-engine
aircraft and in simulators. There
is a high technical content
including Avionics,
Communications, Meteorology
and Operational Procedures.
These courses typically cost
between £50,000 and £60,000.
If you already have a PPL and
have achieved 150 hours flight
time as a Pilot, you may elect to
take the modular route. The
module for the CPL consists of
at least 25 hours flying training.
It is also necessary to have com-
pleted the ground studies, (if
you wish to achieve an ATPL,
then it is best to do the ATPL
ground study course at this
stage), have successfully passed
the skills test and have 200
hours flight time as a Pilot
before the licence can be issued.
You will also need to complete
the module for the Instrument
Rating, which consists of a fur-
ther 50 hours training.
3 Obtain full or partial
sponsorship
There is great competition for
sponsorship and at the time of
writing there is a changing
approach from airlines to whole
and part sponsorships which
seems to be developing away
from the traditional sponsorship
arrangements. You might be
able to obtain full or partial
sponsorship by an airline which
How to become a Commercial Pilot
will pay for your training.
Airlines normally require a mini-
mum of five GCSEs/S Grades
(A-C/1-3) (seven for British
Airways) including English,
Maths and Science, and two
good ‘A’ levels/three H Grades,
preferably in Maths and
Physics. Advanced
GNVQ/GSVQ level 3 and
BTEC/SCOTVEC national
awards are also acceptable
preferably in a relevant area,
such as Science or Engineering.
Increasingly now Commercial
Training Providers are entering
into “airline partnership”
arrangements involving the
Training Providers conducting
aptitude assessments and selec-
tion tests. These Training
Providers can then provide an
introduction to the banks for a
loan facility and if you are a
“high achiever” and “first time
pass” student, they liaise with
airlines to offer you a “fast
track” introduction to the air-
line for interview selection for a
job, once you are fully trained
and the airline has vacancies.
A comprehensive list of
Sponsorships and Bursaries is
available separately from BALPA
and can be downloaded from
the Public Area of the BALPA
website www.balpa.org.
Additionally details of sponsor-
ship are obtainable from indi-
vidual airlines and are some-
times published in the aviation
press such as Flight
International magazine.
Some airlines, including
British Airways, operate cadet
pilot training schemes, although
such schemes are liable to be
suspended during periods when
there is little or no requirement
for new pilots.
Airlines are very selective
about who they will and will not
sponsor. Successful candidates
must convincingly demonstrate
a real interest in flying. The
spending of, say, £6000 of your
own cash towards securing your
PPL would show the type of
commitment the sponsor is
looking for.
Generally airlines will insist
on you meeting the standards
for a Class One Medical
although some employers set
their own higher standards.
Age requirements for airline
sponsorship schemes varies – so
it is best to check out the web-
sites for these airlines, or the
websites of the Training
Providers they are in “partner-
ship” with. Typical sponsorship
ages can range from 18 to 28.
Some airlines have height
restrictions - in British Airways
for example it is between 1.58m
(5 ft 2) and 1.91m (6ft 3).
British airlines also require that
applicants have the unrestricted
right to live and work in the UK
and have a passport allowing
unrestricted worldwide travel.
5
 How to become a Commercial Pilot
After your Commercial
Pilot’s Licence
With your Commercial Pilot’s
Licence you are ready to fly for
‘hire or reward’. You may carry
goods in small aircraft, do aerial
photography, spray crops, or
decide to undertake a Flying
Instructor Course to train
others to PPL and CPL standard.
But at some stage you will
most probably consider
T H E J O B S A V A I L A B L E
Once you have achieved a
licence, what jobs are open to
you? With an ATPL the range
is almost limitless. Your
chances of being hired however
are entirely down to supply and
demand. You can be the great-
est pilot in the world, but if
there are no vacancies, it may
take some time to obtain
employment as a Pilot.
However, do not get disheart-
ened. It is very common for
employers in this business to be
convinced that they need no
one extra on Friday only to find
that the whole situation has
changed by Monday. If you are
in the right place at the right
time with the right qualifica-
tions, the job could be yours.
There are pros and cons with
different types of flying.
Charter airlines tend to work
their pilots very hard in the
summer with winters quiet.
Quality of life on long-haul
flying tends to be less hectic, so
long as the pilot does not mind
6
becoming an airline pilot.
To be the Co-Pilot (First
Officer) of an airline requires a
frozen ATPL or an ATPL and
Instrument Rating. To be a
Captain requires a full ATPL and
Instrument Rating.
The Airline Transport Pilot’s
Licence (ATPL)
A full ATPL is not issued until you
have successfully completed the
being away from home for days
at a time, and can cope with
the time zone changes.
Scheduled flying is popular
because there tends to be
fewer delays due to airport slot
problems, and night flying is
restricted because businessmen
are sensible enough not to
want to be sitting in an aero-
plane at four in the morning.
On the other hand, there can
be less variety of flying than in
charter flying.
Turboprop aircraft are seen,
rightly or wrongly, as less
demanding than jets, and this
is reflected in the salaries.
Generally speaking, a Captain
on a turboprop will be paid the
same as a Co-Pilot on a jet.
However, in the new millenni-
um it is apparent that turbo-
prop aircraft opportunities are
diminishing as companies re-
equip with smaller regional jets.
There are many non-main-
stream ways of earning a living
from flying. Examples are ban-
theoretical examinations and
achieved 1500 hours flying time,
500 of which must be in an
aircraft requiring more than one
crew to operate it. This will
probably be gained as a Co-Pilot
with an airline. It is also
necessary to have completed a
Multi Crew Co-Operation
Course. This is included in an
integrated ATPL course, although
many airlines may include this as
part of their initial training.
ner-towing, ferry-flying, bush-
flying in remote areas, and agri-
cultural flying in equally remote
areas. Some jobs exist flying
corporate aircraft but these are
rarely advertised - as is the case
with most of the “better jobs”.
News gets around by word of
mouth. BALPA Members are
kept abreast of current Pilot job
opportunities through their
Employment Services facility
and hosts an annual
Employment Opportunity
Conference each October
which is supported by many UK
and overseas airlines.
Promotion to Captain in
many of the established airlines
depends on seniority, suitability
and vacancies. The trick is to
get accepted by an airline which
is expanding but is not going to
go bust. Minimum flying hours
to become a Captain are usually
in the region of 5,000, which
will take an average commercial
pilot some seven to ten years to
achieve.
 How to become an Airline Pilot

C A R E E R D E V E L O P M E N T
A few discerning banks are
prepared to help would-be
commercial pilots invest in their
own flying future. The banks
are offering Career
Development Loans (CDL).
Suitable applicants might be
offered up to eighty per cent of
course fees, plus the full cost of
books, materials, travel and
even child care. Those who have
been unemployed for three
months or longer immediately
prior to applying might be able
to obtain a 100 per cent loan.
The course towards a
Commercial Licence is not the
cheapest form of vocational
training – potential borrowers
should note that the maximum
CDL amount is £8000.
During the course, the
Government pays the interest
and the student need make no
repayments. The various banks
have their own flexible
arrangements for repayment
thereafter, over three or possibly
five years. The rules are fairly
complex and too long to cover
here, but explanatory leaflets
are available from Career
Development Loans, Freepost,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne X, NE85
L O A N S
1BR or phone 0800 585505
www.dfee.gov.uk/cidhome.htm
or
www.lifelonglearning.gov.uk.
There should also be leaflets in
branches of the participating
banks. The thing to remember
here is that this is a
“commercial loan” and once
you fall outside the criteria the
loan starts to accrue interest
and you are liable for the
repayment in full. Therefore,
also, during times of Pilot
surpluses, or likely economic
recession in aviation, these
CDL’s may be difficult to effect.

W H A T ’ S I T L I K E A S
A N A I R L I N E P I L O T ?
Pilots fly aircraft on long-haul
(for example, the USA, India,
Africa) and short-haul (UK,
European) flights.
Duties begin one hour or so
before take-off when pilots
check flight plans that set out
the route to be taken, the
altitude at which the aircraft
should be flown and the
meteorological information.
Pilots need to calculate take-
off and landing weights and
the fuel needed, based on the
distance to be travelled. Pilots
also check that equipment and
instruments are working
properly and that noise
regulations for take-off and
landing are observed.
They brief the cabin crew
and supervise loading and
refuelling. Then they open up
communications with air traffic
control who tell the pilots when
the aircraft will be taking off.
Pilots need to be able to
understand and interpret the
data presented to them on
instruments and controls and
they use computers in their
calculations.
While take-off and landing
are the most demanding
aspects of a flight, Pilots have
continuously to use their skills
during the flight, checking
instruments and making
adjustments as necessary even
when the aircraft is on
autopilot.
Pilots maintain contact with
air traffic control bases and
with their cabin crew
throughout the flight, and from
time to time speak to
passengers, giving them
information on cruising speed

7
 How to become An Airline Pilot

and altitude and details of
countries over which they are
flying.
Most aircraft on short-haul
flights are flown by a Captain
and a Co-Pilot. On long-haul
there is the Captain with one
or two Co-Pilots (though a
Flight Engineer might take one
of these places on older
aircraft). But ultimate
responsibility for the aircraft
and for the safety of its
passengers rests with the
Captain.
After landing, when the
aircraft has been taxied to its
final position, the pilots shut
down the engines and write a
Flight Report, noting any
problems or unserviceabilities.
Flight decks, where pilots
spend long hours in a seated
position, are usually very
confined spaces. Flight delays
can mean long, irregular
working hours.
Pilots have to be calm,
reliable and level headed, able
to take charge in an emergency
and have good, clear and
confident communications
skills. They must have excellent
co-ordination and have first-
rate technical ability.
Pilots are likely to work anti-
social hours, although the
number of hours they are
permitted to work is strictly
controlled. On long-haul routes
they usually have enforced
stopover rest periods, although
it might be a single night with
no time for sightseeing! Pilots
can go through several time
zones on one flight. On short-
haul routes pilots might be on
four or more consecutive flights
without even leaving the
aircraft and be home again
most nights.
Pilots have to be fit. There
are regular health and fitness
checks throughout a pilot’s
career.
Every airline has its own
system, but as an example,
British Airways newly trained
pilots usually start as Co-Pilots
on short-haul routes. After
about five years there may be
the chance to transfer to long-
haul aircraft, still as a Co-Pilot.
Promotion to Captain is
unlikely to come until mid-
career. Although pilots can fly
commercially until the age of
65, retirement age in most
airlines is 60 except in British
Airways it is presently 55 years.
Airline Pilots might also be
eligible for senior managerial
positions with their airlines and
some attain very senior
management positions. There
are also opportunities to
become involved in training
other pilots in their airline.

How much will you earn?

The Pilots’ union, BALPA, has been in the forefront of improving

pay and conditions for pilots. The basic salary range for a jet com-
mercial airline pilots is around £30,000 to £40,000 a year. An
average Captain’s pay is between £55,000 and £70,000.

Helicopters

Although the information given here is referenced to aeroplane

(fixed wing) commercial flying, most of it is also applicable to heli-
copter commercial flying. Salaries tend to be lower and in the UK
most helicopter work is in support of the off-shore oil and gas
industry, although there are appointments in the civilian emer-
gency services and corporate (executive) aviation.

8

H O W B A L P A C A N
Whether you are a Airline Pilot,
Charter, Corporate or Flying
Instructor, you will be taking an
important step in joining BALPA as a
Full Member.
There are many good reasons why.
For BALPA gives pilots the support
and protection they just can’t get
anywhere else “when the chips are
down”.
As a pilot, you could be involved in
an incident or an accident, you could
be attacked or sued by a passenger,
you could work for an employer who
seeks to cut your allowances or
increase your flying hours, you could
face a disciplinary hearing or find
yourself before an accident investiga-
tion board. You could even face the
loss of your flying licence on medical
grounds.
BALPA has a network of support
groups, both in the UK and, through
the International Federation of Air
Line Pilot Associations, worldwide.
How to become a Commercial Pilot
H E L P Y O U
BALPA has teams advising on tech-
nical and medical issues.
For Full Members, BALPA’s free
legal services are second to none, and
BALPA will represent its members
anywhere in the world in a way that
no other organisation, and certainly
no individual, can.
BALPA negotiates with the airlines
and is constantly improving the pro-
fessional status and lifestyle of pilots
and their families.
At the same time, the organisation
is a key player in the world of civil
aviation, consulted regularly by
Government, the Civil Aviation
Authority, National Air Traffic Services
(NATS), the airlines, and European
and International authorities.
As a member of BALPA you will be
part of a powerful, influential profes-
sional organisation that cares for its
industry – and cares for its members.
BALPA extends its good wishes for
your future chosen career.
Secure your future with BALPA
9
For further data and contact
information on sponsorship and
bursaries please refer to the ‘Useful
Information’ booklet.
Updates to all booklets are available
on the BALPA website:
www.balpa.org.