Becoming an Airline Pilot

Training Steps

from no experience to the cockpit of an airliner

These steps can be completed with training:

INTEGRATED: all at the same flight school

MODULAR: in stages at different training centers

The Steps

PPL Theoretical ATPL Hour Building IR CPL MCC Recruitment TR Base Training Line Training

PPL

The Private Pilot License

It allows you to:

Travel anywhere in Europe • Take passengers

For whom?

If you wish to pursue a professional pilot career, the PPL is the first step if you choose modular training.

You simply want to fly for leisure. Take your family and friends flying and travel with the PPL.

Where to train?

There are over 450 airfields in France. You will find private flight schools and over 600 aero clubs with instructors who provide this training.

What level?

Accessible without prior knowledge

What is the minimum age?

The license can be obtained from age 17. Depending on the training organizations, you can start your training earlier.

Theory

Just as you pass the ‘Highway Code’ before your driving license, you pass the ‘PPL Theoretical’. It is a multiple-choice exam.

Practical

At least 45 hours of flight. With an instructor in dual control, and as you progress, you will be required to perform solo flights, including cross-country flights to other airfields.

Keeping the license valid

It is automatically extended every 2 years, provided the pilot has completed at least 12 hours of flight and 12 take-offs and landings during the 12 months preceding the expiry date, including a flight of at least 1 hour with a FI instructor.

Otherwise, it is necessary to complete a flight with an authorized instructor or examiner to renew it.

The Medical Examination

You must hold a Class 2 medical certificate. This examination is carried out on your initiative by an approved aviation doctor.

On-site or remote

This training can be done “on-site”, where you attend classes for about 10 months and take the exams.

Or “remote”, you must complete at least 10 days of classes, and the rest of the exam preparation is done at home. Between 6 and 18 months depending on your pace.

Which school?

Several schools in France offer this training; search for “ATPL theoretical distance learning” online, for example.

021 Airframes and Systems, Electrics, Powerplant
022 Instrumentation
031 Mass and Balance
032 Performance
033 Flight Planning and Monitoring
040 Human Performance and Limitations
050 Meteorology
061 General Navigation
062 Radio Navigation
070 Operational Procedures
081 Principles of Flight
090 Communications

The Exams

They take place in several centers in France: Paris, Rennes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Aix-en-Provence…

They can be taken in French or English.

To pass a subject, you must have at least 75% correct answers.

They can be taken in different sessions, with a maximum of 6 sessions.

The maximum gap between the first and last session is 18 months.

Hour Building

Increase your flight hours

One of the most enjoyable parts of the training! To reach the 180 flight hours required to enter CPL training, you can rent aircraft and go wherever you want, taking passengers on generally 2 or 4-seater aircraft.

To continue your modular course and enter CPL training, you must:

Hold a Class 1 medical certificate

Hold a Private Pilot License (PPL)

Hold a Theoretical ATPL (or Theoretical CPL)

Total 175 flight hours, including 100 hours as pilot-in-command

(This figure may vary slightly depending on the schools; 200 flight hours are required for the CPL exam)

Hold a night rating

Have completed a cross-country flight of more than 300 nautical miles

IR: Instrument Rating

You will now learn to fly by relying solely on your aircraft’s instruments. This training allows you to fly even in bad weather: you can fly through clouds with an aircraft certified for “IFR” flight.

Flight Regimes

An aircraft is either in Visual Flight Rules (VFR) or Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).

Duration

This training lasts approximately 3 months depending on the schools.

2 Pilots

In MCC, you learn to work on a multi-pilot aircraft: you practice the distribution of responsibilities and tasks in the cockpit.

You also begin to discover and apply airline procedures.

This training is conducted on a simulator.

Duration

This training lasts approximately 3 weeks depending on the schools.

To apply to an airline, you generally need the qualifications mentioned above: Theoretical ATPL, CPL, IR-ME, MCC, UPRT

Each company has a different recruitment process

Recruitment

At an Airline

Finding your first JOB

Partnership

Guillaume, former Boeing 777 captain and recruiter at Emirates, created AIRLINE SELECTION PROGRAMME to help you succeed in your interviews. You will understand what recruiters expect from you to approach your selection calmly.

He also offers specific programs for certain airlines (Air France, Irish low-cost airline…)

Discover Airline Selection Programme: matpilote.fr/asp

Approximately 3 months of theory and simulator to specialize in an aircraft.
For example, you can obtain a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 Type Rating.

The Type Rating is usually organized by the airline after hiring. It can also be done on one’s own initiative.

TR

Type Rating

Specializing in an aircraft

The Steps

PPL Theoretical ATPL Hour Building IR CPL MCC Recruitment TR Base Training Line Training