Many people dream of becoming a commercial pilot, but there are many stages involved in the training, and the route to your dream job is never straight forward. Here we break down each step, to make that dream a reality and become a commercial pilot. Before we begin... Firstly what really is a commercial pilot? You could say that any job being paid to fly is a commercial flying job, but for the purposes of this article I will make the assumption that the end goal is flying for an airline – what most people really view as a ‘proper’ commercial pilot. Secondly as you’ll see there isn’t just ..read more

I’ve been lucky enough to teach many people how to fly to fly real aircraft on their path to getting their pilot licence. Some have been really serious simmers, and some have never tried it. Does it help or hinder when flying for real? Can it help keep those skills sharp even after many hours of real world flying?  I was also a pretty serious flight simmer myself growing up so hopefully I can asses the benefits, and downsides of flying a flight sim and learning to fly for real.  Please note that I am from a general aviation background and teach the first phases of flight training ..read more

This is one of the hardest questions to answer because there are so many variables. Often when you see a price advertised or quoted there are lots of extras that aren’t included and can sometimes really push the prices up. Here I’ll take a look at everything that you’ll have to pay for, and what you can expect things to cost.  The Cost of the Flights Let’s start off with the largest cost – the actual flying.  The amount you pay for each flight is normally shown as 1 figure but is made up of 3 main elements: Aircraft – Within the cost of the aircraft there are all manner of thing ..read more

Disclaimer – Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning, at NO additional cost to you, I earn a small commission, which helps offset the time and money spent on creating content. Thank you. Suffering from motion sickness at any time is a horrible experience, but unfortunately air sickness is very common when learning to fly. It can really put you off your next flight and takes the enjoyment from flying completely. If you are suffering from air sickness, don’t panic -it is very normal! Almost all of the students I train have felt some symptoms at some point in their training, but ..read more

Sometimes the worst thing about the PPL skills test is the unknown. What will happen, how long will it take, what is expected of you, all this while flying with a stranger. I have sent many ‘nervous’ students off to their test, here I’ll try to resolve some of those unknowns! If you’re looking for actual advice on how to give yourself a good chance in the test check out my guide here: How to Pass the PPL Skills Test The day before Ideally you should make contact with your examiner the day before the test. This gives you the opportunity to introduce yourself, but more importantly you can ..read more

There’s all sorts of factors to consider when choosing a flight school, and every single school will have their unique selling points but how do you pick what is right for you? What should you look for? Here I’ll try and address some of the questions Modular or Integrated The first question you need to ask yourself is whether you intend to follow a modular or integrated route. Basically whether you want to do your training in ‘chunks’ or a more ‘live in’ full time training.  I’m not going to delve too much into that in this post.  You can find my article on integrated v modular t ..read more

There are 9 theory exams which you will need to pass en-route to gaining your PPL. I have helped many students pass their exams, below I’ll discuss some tips to help you pass 1st time.  What are the exams? Firstly let’s take a look at what is required of you. As well as the flying element of gaining your PPL, there are 9 theory exams – these all need to be passed before you can take a skill test. These 9 subjects are: Air Law Operational Procedures Human Performance and Limitations  Communications  Principles of Flight  Flight Planning and Performance  Meteorology ..read more

It may seem fun hat a flight instructor gets to fly all day but what’s it like in reality? Here I’ll try and take you through an average day in my life as a flight instructor A typical day would consist of 3 flights: 0900 1200 1500 Here’s a break down of the day A typical days schedule One of the most important factors in almost every flight is weather. Therefore the first thing I’ll do every morning is to check the weather for the day. If it’s no good the day may have ended before it’s even begun! Assuming it’s okay it’s off to the airport.  0730 arrive at school, prepare and meet st ..read more

If you want to make a career in aviation, they often say timing is everything. In an ideal world you finish training and start your job hunt just as the industry hits a hiring boom. But seeing as training can take upwards of 18 months, it’s almost impossible to get that lucky.  So when is the best time to begin training? Hiring Booms Since the dawn of commercial aviation there have been periods of growth and downturns. The industry is strongly linked to the world economy, times of prosperity lead to more commercial flying, and more pilots are hired. Times of economic shrinking therefo ..read more

Training to become a commercial pilot can be categorised into these two routes – Modular and Integrated. Let’s start by differentiating between the two. Modular The modular route involves you taking every step, one at a time, piece by piece in your own (to a point) time frame. You choose when and where you do your training, there is no obligation from the start that you will proceed with the same school or even in the same country. Integrated An integrated route is really packaging all the necessary steps into one course. You are tied to that school for the duration and largely speaking ..read more