Commerical Pilot Training Costs.

[Anderson8]

Hi, im due to start training for my frozen ATPL in early 2009, and just wanted to know how much people paid for their training, as i have been quoted £44,000.

Also how did you recieve the funding if you couldnt afford the full price?

[Dream_on]

Think your going to have to give people a little bit more information than that!!
Who you training with?
Full time or part time?
Is that "All in" books etc?

Plus dont forget that this will be for minimum hours so if you dont pass a certain aspect of the training you will have to pay more. If you search people have been saying it only cost them £30,000 but on the other end you hear it has cost people £100,000 :ooh:

[Rugbyears]

From what I am able to decipher in this post you have chosen to follow a ‘Modular’ route. I would assume this sum would include the completion of the necessary PPL, IMC, and frozen ATPL, CPL as well as a proportion of hour building. Depending on who your training provider is, it may also include your IR and MCC ratings, I am not sure though. I would suggest you asses your requirements and calculate the individual cost accordingly. Furthermore, if you intend working as a instructor, there will be a requirement to fulfil an instructors course

Remember, if you intend flying Airlines, you will need to include the cost of your Type Rating 737 approximately £20,000..!:ok:

[Shunter]

I've never yet seen a modular package that includes an IMC rating. It's not neccessary, but can be useful if you don't want bad weather interrupting your hour building!

Usually the zero-to-fATPL modular packages will include PPL, hour building, ATPL groundschool, ME/CPL and ME/IR. Whether it includes an MCC course seems to vary.

Why on earth do people think they need to pay for their own type rating? You're not doing the industry as a whole a favour by doing this - it just degrades T&C's across the board for all concerned. *Some* less scrupulous airlines might force this on you, but most don't and will fund your TR providing you agree to be bonded to them for a specified period in order to pay it back. It certainly doesn't guarantee you a job.

[maxdrypower]

Yeh you dont need an IMC for any purpose relating to fATPL. You also should not be thinking about 20 grand for a type rating ,the whole reason this situation exists is because people are thinking like that .
Rugbyears I think you are getting confused , he said he was training toward an ATPL this means that it will include an IR regardless you cant have a fATPL without it , as stated above the MCC varies , it is also not a requirment of a fATPl it is a requirement laid down by some ,but not all operators . Not sure what PPL, IMC ,Frozen ATPL ,CPL is
PPL
Hour Build
atpl theory (although this can be done prior to hour build its whatever suits)
MER
CPL
IR
that is your CPL/IR more commonly referred to as a fATPL there is no actual qualification as a fATPL.
that is the modular way , although I didnt do it I dont believe you actually hold a PPL when going integrated you just progress from GS to Hour Building following your initial PPL type course but you never actually apply for the licence

[shaun ryder]

You might find that it is not a requirement laid down by 'some operators' as you stated above.

An MCC is a JAR requirement. JAR-FCL requires aeroplane and helicopter pilots to complete an approved Multi-Crew Co-operation Course
(MCC), as a pre-requisite condition for training for adding
an initial multi-pilot aircraft rating to a licence.

[maxdrypower]

It is a requirment for multi crew flying granted but not a requirment of holding an fATPl you can still fly single pilot commercial operations . Why would you need an MCC for that ? not all commercial operations are multi crew.
NOt sure if you can hold an ATPL though without it due to the multi crew hours requirement

[mikehammer]

As something towards an answer to the original question, I was told early in my training by a more experienced student that it always costs more than you think. At the time I thought he was just having a bad day, but it turned out that he was more right than I thought possible.

I reckon the total cost in hard cash was probably closer to £55,000 including accommodation, books, travel, resits (JAA was new and there were NO question banks, is my excuse). Also an astute Gill Airways pilot (they are no longer operating unfortunately - I wonder where he is now, Danny, is all I can remember of his name) told me to allow for a fail or two in flight tests, to be on the safe side. Good advice, and if you don't need it, well it's a bonus.

The cost is far larger if you take into consideration the real costs of selling a house (and losing the increase in its value during training), lost income if you leave a good job, not being able to keep up any pension policies you may have started, and interest on your professional studies loan, which I am still paying off - and which saw me to the end when the money ran out.

It's all worth it in the end, when going to work no longer seems like work.

Good luck.

[maxdrypower]

All true , at 60 per exam and close to a grand for an IRT where a pass is by no means a surety you really need to budget more , even the hour building , most airfields you visit charge landing fees , so over 100 odd hours this adds up . Keep costs down by paying 3 quid for a pilot mag and using the free landing fees to visit other fields , and I find tesco value food to be a godsend .
But as MikeH says if the course is advertised at 45 grand budget for 50 , perhaps even more.
And do it soon , as poor old Mike H found out when CAA became JAR a lot of people had to study for exams without Bristol or Oxford or other question banks. I woudnt be at all surprised with the advent of EASA if the exams are eventually re written and you may end up in the same situation as Mike

[Rugbyears]

My fault, obviously I did not read the post correctly, I automatically assumed you were starting from zero without a PPL…! SORRY:O

IMC – IMHO, this should be a priority if you intend hour building in the UK….but that’s only my opinion!!

@ Shunter – Thanks, you’ve made my day!!! I was under the impression; an Airline would reimburse you once you complete your Type Rating, but only as long as you pass within your first 3 attempts, therefore always plan for the worst. Furthermore, I was led to believe it was at least £20,000 – This news will certainly cheers up the wife!!!!! :ok:

[maxdrypower]

Rugby chap , Your type rating may actually cost you twenty grand , but it is not something you will have to pay outright. An airline may well hire you train you then bond you for say five years they will take a small portion of your salary per month to pay for it . If you leave before your bond ends you owe them for the TR . Which I suppose is one advantage to Ryanairs thingy , in that if you dont like it you leave without owing them anything.
Im not sure if any will pay for your TR without a bond or some form of payback , maybe someone will clarify

[Anderson8]

The course is with Stapleford Flying centre and they take you from No experience to your Frozen ATPL in around 60 weeks (assuming you pass 1st time)

I was quoted £44,000 for PPL/ ATPL theoretical knowlegde course, Flight simulator training but additonal costs such as accommodation (@ £100 a week) and books were not included.

I liked this package very much but i also like the Course that can be taken in Jerez, Spain. This is calculated at 104,000 euros which is roughly £80,000.

I could never be able to afford the Jerez program and with a hefty bank loan, i'd just be able to afford the Stapleford Course.

This brings me onto another point that its clearly near to impossible for young people without dependent parents who have wads of cash available to attend courses like these. With the airline sponorships ceasing, its not enabling the low incomed participants who want to achieve their dream actually achieve it!

Rant over, Any help is appriciated greatly.

[maxdrypower]

I think you may also have to look at the actual GS training as I dont thik stapleford do their own . I believe and I stand to be corrected that they use london met for groundschool . This means that the excellent low price acommodation availabe there wont be for the longest part of your course and this may increase the cost considerably .
But like I say I may be wrong .
It was mentioned above but the price quoted is for the minimum amount of hours required . This is all well and good if you are a steely eyed fighter jock . Unfortunately not all of us are . So if you dont hit the IRT at bang on the right amount of hours you are then incurring the hourly cost of hiring a twin for any further training , this is also true of the PPL and the CPL plus the cost of the ground exams which will probably not be accounted for in the 44 grand .
However all in all its better than paying 70+grand elsewhere , IMHO .
Have alook round and do make sure you research thoroughly exactly what is and isnt included

[wbryce]

"This brings me onto another point that its clearly near to impossible for young people without dependent parents who have wads of cash available to attend courses like these. With the airline sponorships ceasing, its not enabling the low incomed participants who want to achieve their dream actually achieve it!"

This is not true!! I worked while I trained on a very basic salary (15k pa), it took me 4 years but thats the same time a respectable uni course takes. The trouble is being inpatient and wanting to start yesterday! I was the very same! :)

My total costs were 55k and that was with a career developement loan of 8k. I could've saved around 8k on variables (hour building on complex, doing residential GS rather than D/L, doing multi CPL etc).