Deciding to become a pilot is a life-changing step towards an exciting and rewarding career! Flying passengers around the globe as a commercial pilot in an office above the clouds with spectacular views is a job that’s hard to beat! Airline pilots ordinarily earn good salaries, enjoy travel benefits, healthcare perks and have the opportunity to meet new people every day.
Airline pilot training is no mean feat, and there are lots of things you’ll need to know before you start your journey to become an airline pilot. You will need an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) and a Class 1 Medical Certificate to become a commercial airline pilot.
As a pilot working for a commercial airline, you can expect to work weekdays, evenings, weekends and bank holidays completing typically between 39 to 41 hours a week.
With so many routes to becoming a pilot in the UK and Europe, it can feel difficult to know where to start. From integrated and modular training courses to structured programmes specific to major airlines, there are plenty of commercial pilot training programmes to choose from.
British Academy of Aviation Sciences is renowned for the quality of its pilot training. What sets us apart is our state-of-the-art flight school and training facilities, modern aircraft with the latest aviation flight deck technology and our team of instructors with thousands of hours combined experience.
To work as a professional commercial pilot you will need an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) and a Class 1 Medical Certificate. To obtain your ATPL you will need to complete the necessary airline pilot training.
To apply for a pilot training course, prospective cadets need to meet entry criteria relating to age and height, language, education, medicals, visas and background checks. For course-specific entry requirements, please visit each of our pilot training courses.
Job-specific skills to become a pilot:
Upon graduation from your pilot training, you will be issued a ‘frozen ATPL’ which enables you to apply for jobs as a First Officer. To ‘unfreeze’ your ATPL, you will need to complete 1,500 flying hours of experience.
We will only accept applicants onto our British Aero Academy training programmes who have the potential to become a commercial pilot and we will assess you on both the technical and non-technical skills required.
The BAOAS selection process is as follows:
If you have any questions regarding selection, please contact one of the team at: 01118581212
Once through selection, you will embark on the initial phase of flight training known as ground school. You will meet your fellow coursemates at one of our approved training locations and complete your classroom and computer-based Theoretical Knowledge training as part of your training to become a pilot.
Often the most exciting stage of becoming a pilot, you will take to the skies, learning to fly single-engine piston aircraft at one of our global training centres, such as Orlando, Florida. The exact aircraft, location and duration of this phase of commercial pilot training will depend on your programme.
The content of this training will depend on the course you have chosen but will involve single and multi-engine aircraft and assessments in our Full Flight Simulators.
If you are on a Multi-Pilot Licence (MPL) route, this will involve aircraft specific Type Rating training in an A320 or Boeing 737. On our Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) route you will take our world-renowned Airline Pilot Standards (APS) course, which includes Multi-Crew Cooperation (MCC), Crew Resource Management (CRM) and Jet Orientation Training (JOT).
ATPL, BSc (Hons) or APS MCC Modular graduates will be placed in our Graduate Placement Pool where our dedicated team will work to secure your employment as a Co-Pilot with a global airline.
You will undertake aircraft specific Type Rating training to prepare you to fly for your airline. You will also complete Line Orientated Experience (LOE) and line check with your airline employer as well as safety, emergency and procedures training.
Congratulations! You are now employed as a First Officer, sitting in the right-hand seat of the flight deck flying passengers on commercial aircraft. BAOAS can provide all the further training you need to progress your career up to the rank of Captain.
During flight training, one of the biggest milestones in becoming a pilot is completing your first solo. Here's British Aero Academy cadet Abdulaziz Aldousari reaching that very moment!
Whilst we recommend cadets complete our Integrated ATPL training (which follows the above steps and is the most direct route to becoming a pilot), there are alternative routes to consider to complete pilot training in the UK and Europe.
A degree is not essential to becoming a pilot but does offer an alternative approach when combined with pilot training. We have a partnership with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to offer pilot training alongside their BSc (Hons) Aviation – Pilot Programme. In approximately 3 years, you will graduate with a degree and your ‘frozen’ ATPL. Integrating this degree into your commercial pilot training may provide access to financial support from Student Finance England.
Our Flexible ATPL also takes you from little to no flying experience to a fully qualified airline pilot, but is completed in a more modular fashion. This means you can take breaks in between phases of training to travel, work, or study. The course retains all the benefits of the Integrated programme.
Modular ATPL training allows you to complete individual courses with British Aero Academy, depending on where you are in your flight training journey.
Our commercial pilot training courses are designed to be the first step towards securing a successful career in aviation, whether that’s becoming a commercial airline pilot for a UK or European airline.
With more than 40 years of heritage in pilot training and a dedicated placement team to secure your role as an airline pilot, you couldn’t be in safer hands than with British Aero Academy.
In order of rank, you can expect your pilot career progression to be as follows:
The cost of pilot training is reflective of the future benefits and rewards you can expect to receive when you become a qualified commercial pilot.
The exact cost to become a pilot will differ depending on the route you take and the Approved Training Organisation (ATO) you opt for.
Our pilot training course costs:
You will complete your commercial pilot training at our flight schools located across the UK and USA.
Each of our British flight schools are modern sites equipped with the latest training facilities including over 100 aircraft, Flat Panel Trainers, Fixed Training Devices and our flagship RealitySeven Full Flight Simulators (including: Boeing 737 and Airbus A320).
With excellent Flight Instructors and state-of-the-art facilities, our aim is to help you learn how to become the most successful commercial pilot you can be.
Please complete the form below to contact our team for more information on our Airline Academy.
