Commercial Pilot Licence, JAA CPL, Professional Flight Training

The CPL Flight Training

Before you start the Modular Commercial Pilot Licence Training to gain your CPL, you will have completed several phases of training, possibly over an extended period of time if that was your choice. By this point you should have a PPL and a Night Rating. You will have completed either your CPL ground school or your ATPL ground school (most people go straight for the ATPL ground school) and you will have completed a large proportion of your hour building.

In order to start a Commercial Pilot Licence course, you will need the following:
Hold a full JAA PPL
Completed 150 hours of total flight time as a pilot
Have passed all CPL or ATPL exams (note: that application for the CPL must be made within 36 months of completion of the ground school)
Hold a night rating
Have a valid class 1 medical (see medical on the left of your screen)

Once you have met these requirements, you may attend a flight school. Before you do, make sure you shop around. Choose a school you are comfortable and confident in and remember the golden rule. Never pay large sums of cash up front. Have a look at our section on choosing the right school.

Once your CPL commercial pilot training is complete and you meet all the requirements, you may then apply for your licence. Here are the basic requirements for the issue of a CPL: 200 hours of total flight time
100 hours as PiC (Pilot in Command)
20 hours cross country flight time to include a 300 nm cross country stopping at two intermediate points
10 hours of dual instrument instruction of which 5 hours may be completed in an approved synthetic flight training device (basic simulator) 5 hours night flying comprising at least 3 hours dual instruction including 1 hour cross-country navigation and 5 solo take-offs and landings

Bear in mind that I have given you an overview of the basic requirements and your flight training provider will ensure you meet the requirements fully. I also strongly suggest you are fully familiar with all the requirements so you can keep an eye on your own progress.

There are several ways to go about achieving this. If you are looking to be a career instructor, stopping with a CPL may be what you are looking for but if the airlines or business jet career is what you are looking for, then you will need your CPL with a multi-engine rating and an instrument rating.

Since 5 hours of the flight training for the Commercial Pilot Licence will need to be completed in a complex aircraft type, for example with retractable undercarriage and other more advanced functions, then you could double this training with a multi-engine rating. This can represent a significant cost saving.

Talk to all the flight training providers and make sure you get the hourly costs and calculate the costs yourself. Look at different ways of completing the training by doubling up training such as the CPL/multi-rating, or the multi-engine/IR rating. Trusting their figures might not be the best route to take. They are businesses and it’s their goal to get the most for what they do.

Go from Commercial Pilot Licence back to Home