Pilot Life

As an aspiring pilot, you need to pass a series of rigorous tests before you can obtain your Frozen Airline Transport Pilot License (fATPL). Ground school is a critical component of this process. During ground school, you’ll learn the theory and knowledge necessary to pass your licensing exams. There are a whopping 13 of them! Having gone through the experience myself, I understand how challenging it can be to juggle the demands of school and personal life. In this blog post, I’ll share my study routine for ATPL ground school in the UK and provide some tips that can help you excel in your studies.

A Typical Weekday

My typical day during ATPL ground school started early. I would wake up at 6:30 am, have a shower, and eat breakfast, then head to flight school to arrive by 8 am with my 5 housemates. We had class from 8 am until 4 pm, with breaks in between for lunch and coffee. The classes covered a wide range of topics, including air law, flight planning, and meteorology. I made sure to take detailed notes during each lecture and ask questions if there was anything I didn’t understand. Ground school isn’t complex, but the volume is IMMENSE and there is almost no time to go back to topics. If you don’t understand something, ASK!

After class, I would go home and take a nap for an hour. I found that taking a short nap helped me recharge and refocus before diving back into my studies. Once I woke up, I would make dinner, eat, and review the day’s notes. Eating dinner early allowed me to use the kitchen first so I wouldn’t have to wait around to use various appliances. After dinner, I used online question banks to test my knowledge on the topics I studied that day. If there was anything I didn’t understand, I would watch YouTube videos about the topic. I’m an audio learner, and reading bores me, so I found that watching videos was a more effective way for me to learn and retain information. DO NOT RELY ON QUESTION BANKS! They are useful as a study aid, but gone are the days when you could just memorize the question bank and pass the exams.

I would study until 11 pm each night, making sure to take short breaks every hour or so. I found that taking breaks helped me stay focused and prevent burnout. Getting enough sleep was also crucial for me, so I made sure to get at least seven hours of sleep each night.

While weekdays were packed with classes and studying, weekends were more relaxed. On Friday evenings, I would take a break after flight school and go to the pub with my housemates. It was a great way to unwind and socialize after a long week of studying.

Saturday mornings were reserved for food shopping. In the afternoons, I would review the previous week’s topics and make post-it notes to put around my room. I found that this helped me remember important information and concepts using different colours for each subject. Once I memorized a post-it note, I would take it down and replace it with a new one. I would also use this time to catch up on any topics that I didn’t fully understand during the week.

Sundays were completely off-limits for studying. Instead, I would reserve Sundays for administrative tasks like washing and ironing clothes. I found that taking a complete day off helped me recharge and come back stronger for the upcoming week. It’s a marathon, not a spring, so pace yourself. Keep the motivation up, I looked at potential future rosters to keep motivated.

Here are some tips that helped me excel in my studies during ATPL ground school:

1. Stay organized: Having a structured study routine helped me stay on top of my coursework and prevented me from falling behind. I didn’t use a planner to schedule my activities but I kept to a solid structure.
2. Take breaks: It’s essential to take short breaks every hour or so to prevent burnout and stay focused. I found that taking a 10-minute break every hour was sufficient.
3. Use multiple resources: Don’t rely solely on your class notes. Use online question banks, YouTube videos, your class mates, textbooks and other resources to reinforce your learning and deepen your understanding of the material. Know your learning style, I will write a post on this later.
4. Get enough sleep: Sleep is crucial for learning and memory consolidation. Make sure to get at least seven hours of sleep each night to optimize your studying.
5. Stay motivated: It’s easy to lose motivation during a long and challenging study process like ATPL ground school. To stay motivated, I reminded myself of why I wanted to become a pilot and how achieving my goal would impact my life positively. I also set smaller goals for myself and celebrated my progress. At the end of each module, we celebrated with a big night out.

6. Find a study group: Studying with others can help clarify difficult concepts and keep you accountable. I found that studying with one of my housemates was beneficial for me as we could share resources and provide support for each other.
7. Practice, practice, practice: Practice is key to success in ATPL ground school. Make use of practice questions, simulators, and other tools to help reinforce your knowledge and build your confidence.

ATPL ground school is a challenging but necessary step for aspiring pilots. My study routine during this time involved early mornings, structured study sessions, and short breaks. I also used a variety of resources to reinforce my learning and deepened my understanding of the material. Taking a complete day off each week was also crucial for preventing burnout and allowing me to recharge. By following these tips and staying motivated, I was able to excel in my studies and achieve my goal of becoming a pilot. I hope this blog post has been helpful for you if you are currently going through, or planning to start ATPL ground school. Good luck!

Becoming a pilot is a dream for many people. However, the path to becoming a pilot is not easy, and one of the biggest hurdles is the cost of flight training. The cost of flight training can vary depending on several factors, including the flight school, the type of course, and individual training needs. Personally, I funded my training by pursuing a different career abroad in Asia for 5 years.

Each person has their own path. Whether winning the lottery, funding through parents, taking out loans, or getting onto a fully funded schemes. In this article, we will explore the cost of flight training in the UK. This post does not provide a recommendation, nor am I sponsored to write this post. It’s for informational purposes only as everyone’s personal situation on cost and finance will be different.

The first decision a future pilot has to make is whether to undertake integrated or modular training. Integrated training involves a full-time, intensive program that covers all the required training in one go. Modular training involves taking courses on an individual basis and can be completed at the individual’s own pace. Integrated training is more expensive, but it is faster and can be completed in 18-24 months. Modular training, on the other hand, can be completed over a longer period, making it more flexible but can be more expensive in the long run. I took the Integrated route on an MPL course. I went to L3Harris, at the time it was known as CTC Aviation. We will look at the advantages and disadvantages of ATPL vs MPL in a different post. 

Flight school costs vary depending on the location and the type of training program. Here are some of the costs associated with training at some of the top-flight schools in the UK:

L3Harris offers several integrated flight training programs that vary in cost depending on the location and duration of the course. The cost includes training, accommodation, and meals. The estimated cost for the Integrated ATPL program ranges from £100,550 to £127,700.

CAE Oxford Aviation Academy offers several integrated flight training programs that vary in cost depending on the location and duration of the course. The cost includes training, accommodation, and meals. The estimated cost for the Integrated ATPL program ranges from £87,965 to £100,305, with an additional cost of £2,450 for the ATPL Theory.

Skyborne Airline Academy offers an integrated flight training program that costs £104,750. The cost includes training, accommodation, and meals. The program includes the EASA Private Pilot License (PPL), ATPL Theory, ATPL Ground School, EASA Commercial Pilot License (CPL), Multi-Crew Cooperation Course (MCC), Jet Orientation Course (JOC), and Airbus A320 Type Rating or Boeing 737 Type Rating.

Leading Edge offers several integrated flight training programs that vary in cost depending on the location and duration of the course. The cost includes training, accommodation, and meals. The estimated cost for the Integrated ATPL program ranges from £89,950 to £99,950, their Airline Ready Training costs £106,500. Leading Edge also offer a fully funded course where they will pay for your training. Upon completion, you must be a flight instructor for them for 2 years minimum.

December 2023: Link removed as FTA Global are now in administration.

FTA Global offers several training programs that vary in cost depending on the location and duration. The cost includes training, accommodation, and meals. The estimated cost for the Integrated ATPL program ranges from £95,950 to £97,950. For the MPL, it’s £92,950 to £94,950 for the Multi-Crew Pilot License (MPL).

TUI and Aer Lingus both offer fully funded cadet pilot courses, which can be a great option for those who are unable to cover the costs of flight training. The TUI cadet pilot program is open to UK and Irish citizens who are 18 years or older and have achieved at least 5 GCSEs, including math and English, at grade C or above. The program covers the cost of flight training, accommodation, and a job offer with TUI Airways upon successful completion. For the fully funded schemes, make sure you nail the question, why do you want to be a pilot? You can see my earlier post on how to answer why do you want to be a pilot?

Similarly, the Aer Lingus Future Pilot Program covers the full cost of flight training, accommodation. Upon completion, you get a job offer with Aer Lingus. Eligible candidates must be 18 years or older and hold an EASA Class 1 medical certificate. These fully funded cadet pilot programs can be highly competitive, and applicants must meet certain academic and personal requirements. However, those who are accepted, have an excellent opportunity to pursue a career in aviation without the burden of debt (which trust me, is a HUGE burden).

Retaking exams can add significant costs to the overall training fees. Each exam retake costs an additional fee, and some flight schools may charge a retake fee on top of this. Therefore, it is essential to prepare well for the exams to avoid having to retake them. It is absolutely possible and preferable to pass each of your tests the first time. There are a lot, both theoretical and practical but take flight training seriously, and you will reap the rewards later.

Flight schools usually offer accommodation options for students who are attending full-time courses. However, the cost of accommodation varies depending on the location of the flight school. Accommodation costs can range from £300 to £600 per month.

The type of license a student chooses to pursue can also affect the cost of flight training. A dual UK and EASA license can allow pilots to fly in both the UK and Europe, making it a more versatile option. However, obtaining a dual license requires additional training and exams. This increases the overall cost of flight training by around £5000. Whether you choose to do this is a personal choice depending on if you have the right to live and work in the EU and your future goals of where you would like to live.

In addition to the costs mentioned above, there are other costs associated with flight training that students should be aware of. These include:

• Medical Examinations: Pilots are required to undergo regular medical examinations to maintain their license. The cost of these examinations can vary depending on the medical practitioner. In the UK, these are funded by you until you join an airline. Expect to pay around £600 for your initial Class 1 Medical and around £150 every year thereafter to renew it.
• Transportation: Students who do not live near the flight school may need to factor in transportation costs, such as fuel and parking.
• Living costs: Remember, you will be spending possibly 2 years of your life (if you are integrated) training full-time. Ensure your budget is enough to buy food and to make sure you can live. I budgeted £6,000 per year, excluding accommodation costs during my training.

Becoming a pilot is an expensive journey, but it is a rewarding career, and frankly, a calling for those who have a passion for aviation. The cost of flight training varies depending on several factors, such as the flight school, type of course, and individual training needs. Integrated training programs can be more expensive than modular training programs, but they offer a faster route to obtaining a license. Flight school costs can range from £87,965 to £127,700, depending on the flight school and location. Other factors, such as exam retakes, accommodation costs, dual license requirements, medical examinations, pilot supplies, flight hours, and transportation costs, should also be considered when estimating the overall cost of flight training. It is important to research and compare flight schools and their associated costs to find a program that best fits individual needs and budget.