Commercial Pilot Training at Phoenix Advanced Flight Training
Privileges
To work as a commercial pilot you need a Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL), which will allow you to fly an aircraft for payment. It takes a minimum of 200 hours flying training and experience, before a pilot can apply for a Commercial Pilot’s Licence.
Also needed is an Instrument Rating (IR) which allows you to fly in bad weather using only instruments.
You must hold a CPL/IR to be employed as a pilot by an airline or other air operator.
Beyond this, and when you have flown 1500 hours, you can apply for the senior Air Transport Pilots Licence (ATPL) which has additional privileges.
If started from scratch, it will take about a year. If you have already logged some flying hours, they can count towards the total needed.
The PAFT route to acquire the training and experience for a CPL/IR...
Trial Lesson
This allows you to experience, under the guidance of our qualified instructor, handling the controls in a light aircraft of the type that you will fly for most of your commercial pilot training.
Total Hours Flown 1
Private Pilot's License (PPL)
A minimum of 45 hours flying is needed to earn a PPL. A minimum level of a Class 3 medical certificate from an Aviation Medical Examiner is required before you fly solo. At the end of this training, you will probably have a clear idea of your feelings about flying for a living!
Total Hours Flown 46
If you’ve decided that flying commercially is not for you, a PPL will look great on your personal statement or CV!
Aptitude Assessment
An unbiased, independent, assessment of your aptitude is offered by the Guild of Air Pilots
Class 1 Aviation Medical
Commercial pilots have specific medical standards that they must meet. It is important to have your initial aviation medical early to prevent disappointment later. When you are sure you want a career in flying, get your Class 1 aviation medical.
Build Flying Hours and Experience
This is an exciting part of your training; you fly in command, building experience and acquiring hours towards your 200 total. You can fly family and friends, sharing the costs. You can visit different airfields, including those in Europe and further afield. At some convenient point, you will train for two endorsements to your licence...
Night Rating
This allows you to fly at night in clear weather. 5 hours training is required.
Instrument Rating Restricted - IR(R)
This rating allows you to fly and navigate by use of instruments alone, in cloud or conditions of bad visibility, both inside and outside controlled airspace, with some restrictions on airfield and en-route weather. It will greatly improve your skills and counts towards the hours needed for the important Instrument Rating that follows. 16 hours for the training and test.
Total Hours Flown 160 (approx.)
Airline Transport Pilot's Licence (ATPL) Theory Examinations
In addition to flying, you need to prepare for your ATPL theory examinations. We recommend this is done online, around work and other commitments. You will find it a demanding but enjoyable experience.
Competency Based Instrument Rating (CBIR)
The aim of the course is to be able to fly an aeroplane under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), to a Minimum Decision Height of 200 feet (60 metres) above the runway. In plain language, you can fly in bad weather or at night, making approaches and landings with a cloud height of 200 ft.
At this point you need to have chosen the way you want to train for your instrument rating. To secure a job as an airline pilot, you will need a multi-engine piston aircraft instrument rating (MEP/IR) using a twin engine aircraft.
Two ways of training for your instrument rating...
Option 1: Train for 25 hours on single-engine aircraft and convert to a Multi-engine (MEP) aircraft, when you feel it is a favourable time to apply for a job.
Advantages: cheaper than using a multi-engine aircraft for all the instrument rating training and cheaper also to keep your rating current, if you need to do revalidation checks, whilst looking for a job. It only takes a about month to convert to a Multi-engine Instrument Rating. We recommend this route at the moment.
Option 2: Train for 30 hours on a multi-engine aircraft and take your IR test in one so that you are awarded an MEP/IR from the start. Advantages: you will have the MEP/IR which is essential to get a job as a commercial pilot without the need for further training. This does mean, however, higher costs for twin training and higher costs to keep your rating current.
Total Hours Flown 185 (approx.)
Commercial Pilot's License (CPL)
Because you now have an instrument rating, the hours you need on this course are reduced by 10 to 15.
A Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL) is the qualification that allows you to act as the pilot of an aircraft for remuneration. This, together with your Instrument Rating allows you to act as pilot-in-command of small, single pilot aircraft, or as co-pilot in multi-crew aircraft.
The training course requires 15 hours of flying training in the single-engine piston aircraft you started your training on.