A lengthy, but hopefully almost complete overview of what it takes to obtain a commercial pilot licence in the UK, with an emphasis on the financial aspect.
A few points before I start:
This aim of this guide is not to deal with the merits of a particular training route over another. The intention is that this can be used as a guide for estimating training costs, hopefully without leaving out any expensive but necessary steps or relying on someone else's conjured up figures!
So... it only takes a few minutes on Google to see that there are plenty of helicopter training schools all around the world who are only too eager to take your hard-earned cash in return for your ticket to untold wealth and fame as a commercial helicopter pilot. But beneath all the marketing and fancy three letter acronyms, what do you actually need to do?
Well, in general terms, if you wish to fly as a professional pilot in the UK or most of Europe you will need a licence issued by the Joint Aviation Authorities (
JAA). This is like the European club. In the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority (
CAA) issues a JAA licence in accordance with the Joint Aviation Regulations on Flight Crew Licensing (
JAR-FCL).
Confused yet? You will be!
Outside of Europe (or more specifically, outside of the JAA) most countries are members of a bigger club called the International Civil Aviation Organization (
ICAO). The JAA licence is actually an ICAO licence, as is the American licence (
FAA), the Australian (
CASA), the South African (
CAA) and so on.
However, unlike a JAA licence, there is not necessarily any automatic recognition of ICAO licences between contracting states. Quite simply, you can not get (for example) an American FAA licence and then fly as a professional pilot in Europe without first undergoing a rather lengthy conversion process.
What follows below is based on a pilot starting from scratch with the eventual aim of flying as a professional pilot in the UK.
Medical
You will need one of these fairly early on in your flying training, so most people opt for the one they will ultimately need as a professional pilot - the Class 1 medical. The initial issue of this certificate has to be done by the CAA at Gatwick, although subsequent revalidations can be done elsewhere.
Cost:
Private Pilot Licence (PPL)
You will need one as a pre-requisite to starting your commercial pilot training. It does not have to be a JAA PPL, it can be a PPL issued by almost any country in the world provided they are an ICAO signatory. The particular requirements will vary depending on the authority.
Cost:
In the UK, you need to budget for the following:
- A minimum of 45 hours flying training
- Fees for 7 multiple choice examinations, plus books and any tuition required
- Equipment such as a kneeboard and stopwatch, aviation charts and pens, and a flight computer (note: for your later written exams you will require a particular flight computer made by Pooleys called the CRP-5. Unless you intend to build up a nice collection of different flight computers, this is the sensible buy despite it's price tag!)
- Training for a radio licence
- Examiner fees and aircraft rental for your flying skills test
- CAA licence issue fees
Professional Pilot Theory Exams
These can be taken at either Commercial Pilot Licence level (
CPL exams) or Airline Transport Pilot Licence level (
ATPL exams).
There are nine CPL exams, and currently thirteen ATPL exams.
Although both sets of exams are suitable for the issue of a commercial pilot licence, the ATPL exams additionally cover the theory requirements of an Instrument Rating (
IR) and the eventual grant of an ATPL (which allows you to be a commander of a multi-pilot helicopter), whilst the CPL exams do not.
Whichever set you choose to undertake, you must do so through an approved course provider on either a full-time taught basis or through home study.
Cost- Course Fees
- CAA exam fees
Hour Building
(sensible time to do your theory exams)
There is a gap between completing your PPL and being able to start your flying training for the commercial pilot licence. This is often referred to as the hour building stage and how much this will cost will depend on a number of factors:
- How many hours you have upon finishing the PPL
- Where you fly - fancy a change of scenery?
- What you fly - want to try a few different helicopter types whilst burning holes in the sky?
- Whether you take additional training
However you go about it, you must ultimately end up with a minimum of 155 flying hours to progress to the next stage, along with passes in all the theory exams.
Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL)
Often you will find these courses being offered at a fixed price to cover the minimum amount of training required, with any additional training at extra cost. The minimum training is 30 flying hours plus test.
Cost- Course Fees, plus any additional training required
- 5 hours night flying if not done during the hour building stage
- Examiner fees and aircraft rental for your flying skills test
- CAA fees for the issue of your licence, plus any additional helicopter types you have trained on
(Part 1 of 3)