CPL or ATPL

[Pete Dog]

My PPL licence should arrive in the post tomorrow and I am looking at my next step. I want to get my comercial licence and I will do DL but should i do CPL or ATPL exams? I don't have the money to do all the hours and I am 30. If i do the 9 CPL exams and then get my comercial licence how easy is it to up it to a ATPL in the future? Would I need to do all 14ATPL exams? Also is there a time limit between doing the CPL exams and doing the flying hours and checkride?
Thanks for your help
Peter

[AlphaMale]

Pete,

As far as I am aware if you sit the exams for the CPL and pass you'll still have to sit all 14 exams for the ATPL.

However, if you do the 14 ATPL exams first then you have 36 months after sitting your last exam to get the CPL and IR to get the fATPL. You will also be exempt from doing most/all of the CPL exams.

[Sudan19]

i am not sure about cpl exams but i am just finishing my atpl exams in 2 weeks. you have 18 months to finish your atpls from your first exam. and after that you will have 2 years to finish the rest of your flight training.

but i think if you do the cpl exams you will still have to do the atpl.

i have a friend who finished cpl exams in pakistan but he had to do atpl again which he said is a different thing from cpl as its airline stuff.

[tegwin]

Pete Dog...

Im in the same conundrum as yourself, trying to decide if I should be doing the CPL or ATPL...

So far as my understanding goes, if you are planning to go IR within the next three years, then deffinately go for the ATPL ....

But if you have absolutly no intention (or cant afford) to do the IR, within three years then sitting the 14 ATPL exams is not really worth the effort you may as well do CPL...

(I may be wrong, and await someone to correct me)...

[AlphaMale]

tegwin, I'm sure your right in what you say.

I am tempted to do my PPL (£5k) in the US now or in the new year and using the rest of my funds to do the ATPL via BGS (£3k) but that will leave me with no cash for my CPL and IR and I'd be worried if be able to get it within the 36 months ... meaning having to sit all 14 exams again in 3/4 years time at a cost of another £3k.

But, I could do the PPL & IMC and possibly the CPL next year save some cash to do the FI then do the IR later on when I have £12k or apply for a CDL to help along the way. Then sit the 14 exams when I know I have no money worries or time constraints.

The later seems like a long winded way of getting the fATPL mind and more expensive no doubt :(

For now I'm going to save the cash so I'll have no worries of raising it between passing my ATPL's and getting a CPL/IR ;)

[speedrestriction]

Do the ATPLs, why bother duplicating your work?