How To Get My Pilot License

What you need to know to become a pilot
1. Choose your pilot license
2. Get your pilot medical examination done
- Medical examination renewals
- Do you know where to get your medical exam done?
3. Perform your pilot training – pilot licenses analysed
Private Pilot License
- Requirements to start the PPL
- PPL course structure
Commercial Pilot License
- Requirements to start the CPL
- CPL course structure
Airline Transport Pilot License "Frozen"
- Requirements to start the integrated ATPL "Frozen"
- ATPL course structure
MCC, Multi-Crew Coordination Course
- Mcc course structure
Final Important thoughts and tips:

What you need to know to become a pilot

You are going to learn How To Become a Pilot and decide which Pilot License is right for you.

Also, you will know exactly where to find the information that you need to make your dream come true.

After around 8000 hours of Flight and more than 300 students, I decided to write this guide to help you understand how the Pilot Licensing world works.

The whole process of achieving the Pilot Training may seem complicated to understand, but, we are going to break it into small steps so it will be very easy to understand and follow.

The information you will find in this post is from me to you directly, there is no intention of selling you any particular school or course. So this is a real and neutral

Information only post with no bias.

Let's dive in…..

1. Choose your pilot license

The first question you need to ask yourself is: "Do I want to make money with my Pilot License or do I want to fly for fun?".

If you have already an occupation and you want to become a pilot for fun or recreational purposes then the Private Pilot License (PPL) is the right one for you. If you want to make Flying your profession and get paid, you need a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and ultimately if you see yourself as a future Airline Captain you will need to get an Airline Transport Pilot License "frozen" (ATPL frozen).

It is important to clarify that, with the CPL (Commercial Pilot License) you can work and receive compensation as a professional Pilot in specific operations such as Photography, Para dropping, Flight Instructor, and much much more, however you cannot apply for a job as an Airline Pilot.

I created a YouTube Video where I analyze and comment, the first part of this blog post.

Now that you figure out what's is best for your we can move on, and analyze the next step.

2. Get your pilot medical examination done

This is a very important step, without a successful Medical Examination you cannot start the Pilot Course.

I strongly recommend getting your Medical Check done before paying for any Pilot course, just in case.

Now let's dive into it and figure out what is this all about…

There are 2 main Medical Classes:

Class 1 is required if you want to obtain a CPL or ATPL and work as a Professional Pilot.
Class 2 is required if you want to become a Private Pilot and hold a PPL

Medical examination renewals

Class 1 is valid for a period of 12 months until:

you have reached the age of 60 OR
you operate in Single Pilot Commercial Air Transport AND, have reached the age of 40.

In these 2 last cases, the Class 1 Medical will be valid for 6 months.

Class 2 is valid for a period of 60 months until the age of 40, then, is valid for:

24 months when you aged between 40 and 50 and
12 months when you are older than 50 y.o.

Below you can find the extract from the EASA official document regarding the Medical Certificates validity:

Do you know where to get your medical exam done?

If the answer is no, don't worry. By CLICKING HERE you will be redirected to the EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) website page.

Enter your Country name and scroll down to the end of the page, click on the link of your National Aviation Authority and make a research on their website and you will find the list of the Authorised Medical Centres.

If you need a Class 1 medical you need to go to an AeMC (Aero Medical Center), in the case of Class 2 you can go either to an AeMC or AME (Aero Medical Examiner).

Try not to think about the Medical Exam too much, it is quite easy and relaxed, at the end is a Medical exam, there is not much you can do. Just try not to eat junk food the days before and maintain a normal lifestyle. A good sleep prior to an exam is always recommended.

For any questions related to the EASA medical exam requirement, you can access the official document by CLICKING HERE.

I hope by now is clear which is the Pilot License and the Medical you need to make your dream come true.

If you want to learn more about Pilot Medical Certificates you can watch the video below…

I created this YouTube video to comment and give some extra information…

Now, let's move on to the next step where we will analyze the course structure of the PPL, CPL, and ATPL Frozen.

3. Perform your pilot training – pilot licenses analysed

This is where the fun begins, during your Pilot Training you will meet like-minded people that will share with you their flying experiences and feelings.

Personally, I started in an Aero Club full of very passionate people, we made a big group and they were like my family. It was just great!

But enough about me, now let's dive into the structure of the PPL, CPL, and ATPL frozen.

Scroll down to find the part related to your License, you may need to go back and forward sometimes.

Private Pilot License

With the Private Pilot License you can fly with a Single Engine Pistons Airplanes (SEP) everywhere (provided you have a minimum level of English Proficiency) bringing friends and/or family with you.

You can fly during the daytime and in good visibility. If you wish to fly at night and with low visibility you can do so after completing two additional courses (not compulsory), the Night Rating and the Instrument Rating.

In real life, a typical Private Pilot rents an Aircraft over the weekends to go with some friends and family to some nice places to enjoy.

From my point of view is the most enjoyable Pilot Training Course.

So let's dive into the Course:

Requirements to start the PPL

16 Years old (minimum 17 y.o. to attend the exam)
Valid EASA Class 2 (or Class 1) Medical.
Basic knowledge of Mathematics and Physics.
Basic Knowledge of English (If you wish to fly into International Airports or outside your country)

PPL course structure

Theoretical Part (minimum 100h classroom), subjects:

Air Law
Aircraft General Knowledge
Performances
Meteorology
Human Factor
Navigation
Principle of Flight
Operational Procedures
Communication

Practical Part is made up of at least 45 hours of Flight Training, 5 of which could be completed in a Simulator, including:

25 hours of Dual Flight Instructor (basically flying with an instructor that teaches you how to fly).
10 hours of Supervised Flight solo (You will be flying Solo. Your instructor will tell you when is the appropriate time, Trust me this is fun :)).

You will perform a multiple-choice exam once you finished the 100h of classroom and, the Skill Test Flight once you have completed the Flight Training and your Instructor believes you are ready.

The Private Pilot License Training course duration can vary significantly, depending on the School and Student availability, on average it takes around 1 year.

For additional information and training tips regarding the PPL, watch the YouTube video below:

Commercial Pilot License

The Commercial Pilot License allows you to get paid for your service as a Pilot in Command or Co-Pilot in "Commercial Operations".

That means that with your CPL you cannot get paid to transport passengers and/or cargo, however, you can receive remuneration and operate as a Pilot in Command or Co-Pilot in many different types of jobs such as Skydiving, Air Photography, Banner Towing, Flying Instructor and much more.

This is the clear line that divides the CPL from the rest of the licenses.

The Commercial Pilot License can be done as a modular course, so you need to have the PPL and a minimum of flight hours experience (150h) before starting the CPL.

This is good because if you own already a PPL, and one day you decide to take it to the next level, you can do it, without the requirement to do the whole CPL from the beginning.

Normally, the Pilots interested to attend a CPL only course are Private Pilot with experience, that wish to upgrade their license and provide a remunerated service.

Let's dive into the course:

Requirements to start the CPL

18 Years Old.
Valid EASA Class 1 Medical.
PPL holder.
150h (50 must be PIC).
Night Rating (if you don't have it you can do inside the CPL course).
English Proficiency Level 4 or higher.
Secondary school grade or higher.
Good Knowledge of Mathematics and physics.
Good Knowledge of English.

CPL course structure

Theoretical subjects:

Air Law
Aircraft General Knowledge – Airframe/Systems/Power plant
Mass & Balance
Performance
Flight Planning and Monitoring
Human Performance
Meteorology
General Navigation
Radio Navigation
Operational Procedures
Principles of Flight
Visual Flight Rules Communication

Practical Part is made up of a minimum of 25h of Dual Flight Training with an Instructor:

10h of Instrument Rating Training,
15h of Visual Flight CPL training.

In order to apply for the final CPL Skill Flight Test you need to have at least 200h in total (100h as PIC), so you will notice that if you start the course with 150h (as per minimum requirement) and you add the 25h of training you will end up with 175h at the end of the CPL training.

So make sure that you will have the 200h before taking the exam.

The duration of the Commercial Pilot License will vary depending on the school and student availability, however, once you passed the CPL Theoretical Exams and you met the minimum requirements to start the course It will take approximately 1 month on average.

For more content regarding the CPL watch the Video below:

Airline Transport Pilot License "Frozen"

The Airline Transport Pilot License "frozen" gives you the possibility to obtain the level of proficiency necessary to enable you to operate as a Co-Pilot on Multi-Engine Airplanes in Commercial Air Transport.

After you have the ATPL "frozen" you are one step away from your application as a Co-Pilot in your favorite Airline. (If they hire of course).

If your goal is to become a future Airline Pilot and, one day wear the "4 stripes", this is the course you have to undertake.

But what is exactly the ATPL "frozen"? The short answer is a series of 14 exams theoretical exams. But we refer to it when we hold a Multi-Engine Commercial Pilot License + Instrument Rating (allows you to fly in a condition of low visibility) + The Certificate of the 14 ATPL Theoretical exams. + MCC course (Multi-Crew Coordination).

So, as you can see, is a group of Licenses and Ratings that are commonly called ATPL frozen.

So in reality with the ATPL frozen you don't hold the full license yet (that is why it is called frozen), instead, you hold a CPL with the ATPL Theoretical exam certificate. Don't worry, this is enough for you to find a job as an Airline Pilot, later in your career, you will be able to obtain the full Airline Transport Pilot License.

ATPL "frozen" Modular or Integrated?

The ATPL "frozen" can be achieved following two different paths that will bring you to the same result.

These two paths are called MODULAR and INTEGRATED. I personally followed the ATPL Modular course, let me explain why…

With the Modular ATPL, you arrive at the end of the course "step by step", which means, that, you have to acquire all the intermediate Licenses one by one. So, if you start from 0 you have to get the PPL first, then, hour building to 150h (as explained previously in the CPL section) and ATPL exams, then get the Multi-Engine Commercial Pilot License.

The Integrated ATPL is one big course with no intermediate Licenses or Exams. So if you start from 0, you attend the ATPL integrated Course and you will only take the 14 ATPL Theoretical exams and the final Multi-Engine Commercial Pilot License skill test.

Normally, the Integrated course is a faster and more efficient way to get your whole training done, however, its efficiency requires you to pay for the Pilot Course in a shorter period of time.

The Modular is a less efficient and longer course, but, it gives you the possibility to work at your current job and undertake the training spreading the cost of the course in a longer time frame.

So what is best?? Integrated or Modular?? It really depends on your personal situation.

My advice is, if you have the money and around 2 years of free time, go for an integrated course, is faster, cheaper and more efficient. If you have another profession or you don't have the money ready, go with the Modular course. Again this is my advice, only you can make the best decision for yourself.

Requirements to start the integrated ATPL "Frozen"

18 Years Old.
Valid EASA Class 1 Medical..
Secondary school grade or higher.
Good Knowledge of Mathematics and physics.
Good Knowledge of English.

ATPL course structure

Theoretical, subjects (minimum of 750h of classroom):

Air Law,
Aircraft General Knowledge – Airframe/Systems/Power plant,
Aircraft General Knowledge – Instrumentation,
Mass & Balance,
Performance,
Flight Planning and Monitoring,
Human Performance,
Meteorology,
General Navigation,
Radio Navigation,
Operational Procedures,
Principles of Flight,
Visual Flight Rules Communication.

Practical Part is made up of a minimum of 195h of Flight Training, which is divided into Dual Flight Training with an Instructor, Solo flights, and if you wish some Simulator.

At the end of your ATPL integrated course, you will need to undertake the Multi-Crew Coordination Course (More about this course in the next session).

Here below you can find the exact brake down, from the EASA website, of the practical training:

The modular ATPL "frozen" is structured in a way that, in order for you to finish the whole course you need to acquire the Private Pilot License first, complete the so-called " Hour Building" in order to reach the minimum Flight Hours to start the CPL (150h), take the ATPL 14 Theoretical exams, complete the Multi-Engine Commercial Pilot License, the Instrument Rating, and finally complete the MCC (Multi Crew Coordination).

To know more about the requirements and the course structures of the PPL and CPL check the relative License section of this post.

Below you see my YouTube video where I go more in deep into the ATPL "frozen" course…

I added additional comments and tips to get the most of your ATPL frozen training.

MCC, Multi-Crew Coordination Course

The Multi-Crew Coordination Course is the last step you have to take before being able to send your application as a Co-Pilot to your favorite Airline.

The aim of this course is to introduce you and learn how to fly the plane as a crew (Pilot Flying and Pilot Monitoring). You will learn the area of responsibility within the Flight Deck and how to deal with the operation using CRM (Crew Resource Management).

Mcc course structure

Theoretical: Minimum of 25h of classroom.

Practical: Minimum 20h of Simulator Training (15h in case of ATPL integrated course).

In the following YouTube video I have explained why the MCC is so important:

Final Important thoughts and tips:

Is it difficult to become a Pilot? Well, this depends on you, the more you study and get prepared the easier the exams will be! It is definitely doable.

It is important to understand that the minimum Training Hours that we spoke about are MINIMUM, most of the students are ready for the exam with some additional training.

My advice is not to get focused on how many hours to go you have to the exam, but rather on your learning curve.

Nowadays the majority of Flight Training Schools can offer distance learning programs. Which allows you to study a part of the training course from home. Check the availability of your selected school.

Take your time and make some research, the health of the training school is very important. In the past, there have been problems with some schools that have suddenly closed down. So you want to avoid this if you can. Try not to pay in advance, generally, the Schools are very collaborative in this matter.

I hope you found this post helpful.

Feel free to comment below with your thoughts.

If you have any questions or you want to get your Private Training session Contact me and we will organize it together.

To your success.

PilotClimb.com

Disclaimer: THIS BLOG POST IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT/INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. NOT FOR REAL-LIFE OPERATIONS. PLEASE REFER TO THE OFFICIAL MANUALS AND DOCUMENTATION.

Join my newsletter to get free pilot training content weekly, straight to your email inbox.

Pilot Climb Merch