How To Become A Pilot

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 BALPA General Secretary

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The British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA) is the 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

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

How to become a Commercial Pilot

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

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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 multiengine 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 multiengine 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

T H E R E A R E O B T A I N I N G 1

T H R E E A C P L

Moving from the Armed 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 completing an approved course of either integrated training, or modular flying training combined with a theoretical knowl4

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).

W A Y S O F O R A T P L

edge training course. 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 training school approved by the Civil Aviation Authority. To be accepted, you will need to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of Mathematics and Physics to facilitate an understanding of the theoretical knowledge instruction content

How to become a Commercial Pilot

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 flying 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 completed 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 further 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

will pay for your training. Airlines normally require a minimum 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 selection 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 airline 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 sponsorship are obtainable from individual airlines and are sometimes 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 websites for these airlines, or the websites of the Training Providers they are in “partnership” 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

The Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL) A full ATPL is not issued until you have successfully completed the

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.

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 greatest 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 disheartened. 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 qualifications, 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.

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 aeroplane 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 millennium it is apparent that turboprop aircraft opportunities are diminishing as companies reequip with smaller regional jets. There are many non-mainstream ways of earning a living from flying. Examples are ban-

ner-towing, ferry-flying, bushflying in remote areas, and agricultural 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 takeoff 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 firstrate technical ability. Pilots are likely to work antisocial 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 shorthaul 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 longhaul aircraft, still as a Co-Pilot. Promotion to Captain is unlikely to come until midcareer. 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 commercial 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 helicopter 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 emergency services and corporate (executive) aviation. 8

How to become a Commercial Pilot

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 investigation 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.

H E L P

Y O U

BALPA has teams advising on technical 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 professional 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 professional 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

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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.