Introduction | Past Students 

Introduction

Start as you mean to go on. Learning at Bournemouth means mixing it with regular commercial traffic like this Thompson flight departing R08

Anyone wishing to obtain a position as a Pilot in Commercial/Airline operations must have the relevant Pilot’s Licence. Ideally an Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL).

The route to gaining this Licence obviously involves intense training and subsequent testing, but what exactly is required, and what is the difference between licences?

The first licence that is normally achieved is the Private Pilots Licence. This is regarded as a recreational licence. Training is normally conducted on a single engine piston aircraft and will include studies to pass the Ground School exams. A successful flight test is also required before the Licence can be issued. This licence allows the pilot to fly single engine piston land aeroplanes in visual meteorological conditions, in daylight, but not for hire or reward. Therefore the licence held is a Private Pilots Licence with a Single Engine Piston Land Rating attached to that licence.

With further training and testing a Night Rating can be attached to the licence, enabling the holder to fly at night. A Multi Engine Piston Land Rating can also be added to enable the holder to fly Multi Engine Piston Land aircraft. (Further Ratings can be added if required, following mandatory training and testing, i.e. Aerobatics, Seaplane aircraft etc., but these are not a requirement for a professional licence).

To upgrade the PPL to a Commercial Licence (CPL) will require a course of Ground School, either conducted full time in-house or by Distance Learning. These are called the Theoretical Knowledge Examinations, they are normally at ATPL level and take approximately 6 months (full time in-house) to complete. There are 14 of these exams and all must be passed before the Commercial route can be continued.

Once the ground exams are passed, the Commercial flight training can begin as long as certain criteria are met and 150 hours as a Pilot attained. This flight training can be conducted on Multi Engine or Single Engine Piston Land aircraft but normally due to cost it is conducted on a Single Engine Piston Land aircraft, (the same class of aircraft as on the Private Pilots Licence) with an addition of 5 hours in a complex single (which has retractable landing gear, constant speed propeller etc.) The training involves a minimum of 25 hours and is concluded by a flight test with an authorised CAA Examiner.

Following a successful flight test and by meeting the relevant experiences, a Commercial Pilot’s Licence can be issued. However, this licence is very limited – i.e. Single Engine Piston Land aircraft only, (if a Multi Engine Piston Land Rating is not already achieved).

To gain a Multi Engine Piston Land Rating a further course of a minumum of 6 hours and a successful flight test is required. If the relevant criteria are met, you will have a Commercial Pilot's Licence with Single Engine Piston Land and Multi Engine Piston Land ratings attached but this is still very limited.

One further rating that is required is an Instrument Rating. This requires 55 hours training (50 if you have met the requirements to hold a Commercial Pilots Licence) of which a large amount can be done on an approved simulator. Following a successful flight test and meeting the relevant criteria an Instrument Rating can be attached to your licence.

So you may now have a Commercial Pilot's Licence with Single Engine and Multi Engine aircraft and Instrument Ratings attached.