Cheapest way from PPL to CPL?
 

Hi guys,


I'm new here but I have used the site before, can't believe I didn't sign up earlier.

My question is - what is the cheapest way I can get to a CPL from a PPL? The costs involved in becoming a commercial pilot, for me as a student anyway, are HUGE. If we take Cranfield flying school as an example, a PPL would cost around £10,000. I feel like when I start working in a few years' time, I'd be able to pay for that. But the CPL, another £11,000, and from what I understand I have to have a night rating, IR and ME rating, which all also cost more money (correct me if I'm wrong and don't need these). The prices can be found on there website. Is this really the cheapest way possible to get a CPL from a PPL?

A scholarship for an airline.

I've only found West Atlantic so far that do everything for free, are there any others?

Unfortunately, there is no 'cheapest' way. Any CPL/IR is going to cost at least £40k. A realistic estimate is probably another £10k on top. If you factor in a type rating as well, add £30k more. There are some scholarships out there (google HCAP). But not for the full whack I believe, unless you're female (google Easyjet scholarship).

However, it can be done...many have worked/begged/borrowed the funds.

A word of warning; in my experience, graduates from CTC/Oxford seem to be far more employable by a lot of UK airlines....

Aer Lingus paid the full cost of training up front for those who started in January, they will be doing the same for those who start in January 2017. Long odds though, about 300/1.

West Atlantic pay for everything post-PPL though you'll have to work hard for it.

Virgin guarantee the loan, BA did guarantee the loan for the FPP, whether this will be the case when BA re-opens at some point I don't know.

Easyjet have made noises about guaranteeing the loan "for exceptional candidates" however they haven't defined "exceptional" nor stated how many loan guarantees they are offering.

Chris, that is good news to me.

If I do that and get a type rating, what's next? How many hours can a type rating for an e.g. A320 get you on an A320? If it doesn't get you very many, is there a way to increase those hours without an A320 job? I imagine it would be very hard to find, cost a lot per hour. So it this method not feasible?

My take on zero-to-hero on a Budget, but wanting to do it well.

- Pick a good school in the UK that does PPL, CPL, ME, IR
- Take a few weeks in the summer, do the PPL intensively
- Do the ATPL writtens with a distance learning school. CATS has a good record and is probably cheapest.
- Get a 61.75, go to the USA (or Canada and their equivalent paperwork), hourbuild there in something small and cheap, preferably a different type to the one you did the PPL in. Do it properly - travel some distance. Learn stuff! Work hard on the precision and procedural nature of your flying whilst there. Don't rely on GPS.
- Come back, take a lump of time, preferably in the summer, and do CPL, ME, IR with the school you did the PPL with.
- Find a mate, share an MCC course with them - hopefully you have mates from the previous courses by now!

You can price that up with loads of sources online and work out the prices.

At 10% to your budget to play safe, don't pay up front for anything except the groundschool. Don't forget to budget for accomodation, and flights to where you do the hourbuilding.

Adding on to what people said here, with a price perspective, perhaps you might want to check the schools in Hungary and Poland too. If you search the schools in the country side but not in the capital, you are able to find good prices. You can contact with schools in Mielec/Poland and ask for price. I believe they will offer better prices then Bartolini for example...

Thanks everyone