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2025 So you’ve decided to become a pilot, but don’t know where to start. That’s understandable, especially considering the fact that doing research takes time and effort and can be considerably exhausting given the fact that there are so many aviation blogs, articles, pages, and channels, to the point where you might feel like you’re drowning in information. I aim to help with that. My goal is to provide you all of the information you need to get started. Not only that, but once you’re through the website, you will have gained a fundamental understanding strong enough to the point where you will be able to independently discern for yourself what information out there is correct, outdated, or misleading. Let’s jump right in. We’ll first start with the absolute basics, and thereafter proceed to rapidly go through the finer details. Here are the basic requirements: You need to have done high school at the very least. You need to be medically certified by an aviation medical examiner. You need to be at least 16+ years of age for your first license, the PPL (We'll go through the licenses very soon in the post) For your CPL, you need to be at least 18 years or older. Now let's get into more depth: The following are the licenses and ratings you will acquire, in the order mentioned: Private Pilot License (PPL) Commercial Pilot License (CPL) Instrument Rating (IR) Multi-Engine Rating (ME) The Instrument Rating can be done before the Commercial Pilot License, but the purpose is to keep things simple for now. As standard, the Instrument Rating is obtained on single-engine aircraft, and so you might see this abbreviated as SE-IR (Single Engine Instrument Rating). Similarly, obtaining one for multi-engine aircraft is termed ME-IR (Multi Engine Instrument Rating). Before we proceed and look at a brief overview of the licenses and ratings, we'll get familiar with what an aviation medical examination is, and why it's needed. Aviation is inherently a safety-sensitive industry, and for your own safety it is imperative that you’re medically fit to fly an aircraft. Therefore, before you begin flight training, you’ll need to make sure of this by getting yourself examined by an aviation medical examiner (AME). Throughout all countries, there are 2-3 levels of medical certification for pilots: Class 1 Medical (Also called Category 1 Medical) Class 2 Medical Class 3 Medical Class 3 is the most basic medical examination (and in some countries, it is absent and Class 2 is considered basic). These medicals allow you to begin your flight training in light aircraft with restricted privileges. Class 1 (or Category 1) is the aviation medical required in order to receive advanced flight training and operate complex and heavier aircraft. For this reason, it also involves additional tests and slightly more stringent limits compared to Class 3 and 2. In some countries like the US and Canada, you have the option of directly booking a Class 1 Medical appointment, whereas in others, such as India, you have to first be certified for a Class 2 Medical before you can get a Class 1. I will be publishing each country's aviation medical links below. For the US: FAA Medical Homepage For the UK: 1. Class 1 Medical 2. Class 2 Medical For Canada: Transport Canada Medical Homepage If you wish to know more about the aviation medicals, check it out here . We will now proceed to getting a basic understanding of what each license and rating is about. Need a Recap? ( Watch the quick video explanation ) Next: ( Licenses Overview )

2025 When it comes to flight training, there are two methods at the very base level, barring the other methods. However, each method of training depends on what kind of pilot you want to become and how far you want to go in your training. But without further ado, let’s get right into the two base methods: Integrated (Ab-Initio) Training Modular Training Integrated Training: Integrated (also known as Ab-Initio) training is basically a very structured approach to flight training, and is commonly designed to take aspiring pilots from zero hours to the flight deck/cockpit (if the program is partnered with an airline), or to a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) . The benefit of pursuing flight training via the Integrated method is that it requires fewer hours of training, due to the fact that the structured approach prioritizes retention of knowledge by training you without any breaks or time-gaps in your training. Consequently, this shortens your training duration and helps you obtain your licenses faster. The downside to this method of training is that more often than not, integrated programs are more expensive than their modular counterparts, although quite a few offer financing options. Modular Training: Modular (also known as Pay-as-you-go) training separates training into phases or modules that can be taken individually according to the student pilot’s requirements. For example, a student that holds a Private Pilot License (PPL) may not necessarily want to obtain a Commercial Pilot License (CPL), but may just want to acquire their Instrument Rating in order to fly at night or in cloudy weather. In this case, the student would simply enroll for the Instrument Rating course without having to pay for anything else. A massive benefit that this method of training provides is that it makes flight training much more economical, due to the fact that you can pay when you want to train, or train when you want to pay. In other words, you get to train at your own pace, so if you took 5 flight lessons a month - and then suddenly realized you wouldn’t be able to train the coming month, you wouldn’t have a tuition fee payment deadline hovering over your head, you could simply decide to resume your training later, whenever possible. Mathematically speaking, if an Integrated Program comprising a PPL , CPL , and ME-IR were to cost $50,000, and the training duration were to be 8 months for fast-tracking training, that would come to be about ~$6000 per month, and you would need to have funding in place every month till the training concluded. On the other hand, if each of those licenses and ratings still cost $50,000 but were to be done the modular way, you could reduce the amount you have to pay each month simply by extending your training duration (i.e., training over a longer period of time), so if you were to take 18 months to finish training instead, that would cost you a little over $2700 ($2777 to be exact) per month with the modular route, against ~$6000 with the Integrated route. Notice how much easier financing the training becomes. Even though the program costs the same, extending the training duration prevents costs from concentrating over a shorter period of time. To put it simply: $50,000 / 8 months = ~$6000 per month $50,000 / 18 months = $2700 per month I have used hypothetical numbers but you can compare different programs and see the difference for yourself. Now, if modular training is so affordable, why would anyone go for Integrated? There are a few upsides to Integrated and a few downsides to Modular modes of training, and we’ll include them in the recap below: 1. Integrated training: Benefits: Faster and continuous training leads to better retention of lessons and a shorter training duration. Some airline-partnered programs essentially guarantee inducting the student post-completion of training provided the training was completed successfully and provided there are vacancies. Downsides: More expensive, as the shorter training duration concentrates the cost over a shorter period of time, so monthly tuition payments may be higher. Financing is not always available, and where available, it is subject to various terms and conditions and is also based on the student’s eligibility. 2. Modular Training: Benefits: Typically pay-as-you-go, allowing you to set your pace of training and payment schedule. More affordable, as you can lengthen the training duration if need be, reducing monthly tuition costs. Downsides: Lengthening or stretching the training duration comes with its own drawbacks, as retention of lessons learned may be reduced, requiring you to re-take lessons, thereby adding to your costs. Some flight schools, however, account for additional training costs in their program fees. Higher hour requirements comparatively as the training is not as structured - for example, a Private Pilot License typically requires 35 hours of training in an Integrated pathway vs 40 hours for a Modular approach. Which mode of training should you opt for? Overall, the short answer is that it depends on a few factors, including, but not limited to: The amount of time you wish to complete your training in: If you wish to complete your training faster, you could train full-time via a modular route and progress through your training quickly, but an Integrated approach would be more ideal as a lot of Integrated programs have Fast-Track (also known as Accelerated) options available. However, if you are okay with however much time you may need to complete your training, a modular route would be fine as well as more affordable. Your finances: As discussed, Integrated programs generally tend to cost more than Modular ones and usually require either partial or full prepayment of the program fees, though some may offer installment-based options or plans. If you are not comfortable or able to proceed this way, you may choose to opt for the Modular route. However, if you have a funding solution in place, an Integrated program would get you your licenses much faster, as mentioned in the first point. Next: ( Timeframe )

2025 So now that we’ve got the absolute basics out of the way, we’ll take a look at the initial licenses you’ll need and also a little bit of detail about them. First, I’m going to mention them in a list, and thereafter we will take a closer look at them individually. Here are all of the licenses, starting from the basic to the advanced ones, in that order: Sport Pilot License Recreational Pilot License Private Pilot License Commercial Pilot License Airline Transport Pilot License You'll notice I have purposely left out the Instrument Rating and the Multi-Engine Rating as we’ll look at them later on in the article, and as the name suggests, they are a rating on top of a license and not a license by themselves. Sport Pilot License (SPL): A Sport Pilot License allows you to fly light sport category aircraft (LSA), and requires the least amount of hours out of all the licenses, as well as the most basic medical certification (Class 3). Due to these reasons, it is also subject to the most limitations as to where you can fly, in what aircraft, what altitude, and distance. We shall keep things fairly simple and non-technical for now. Recreational Pilot License (RPL): A Recreational Pilot License grants a bit more freedom (More information is available online, but the aim is to keep things simple for now). Private Pilot License (PPL): The Private Pilot License, or PPL, is the next license after a Recreational/Sport Pilot License. However, you do not need a Recreational/Sport Pilot License to begin flight training towards a PPL, you can start with a PPL itself from scratch. The Recreational/Sport Pilot License is simply the most basic license out of all. Coming back to the PPL, a Private Pilot License allows you to train for hobby flying, similar to the Sport Pilot License, however, it allows for some additional privileges and consequently has higher hour requirements. For this reason, a Private Pilot License requires a higher category medical, being the Class 2, which is still quite basic compared to a Class 1 Medical (for more information on aviation medicals, click here ). Commercial Pilot License (CPL): The Commercial Pilot License or CPL allows for additional privileges, the biggest one being the ability to legally charge in exchange for flying, or flying in exchange for pay. As you might have noticed by now, the higher we go on the licenses, the more the privileges, and consequently, the more the requirements. For this reason, a Commercial Pilot License has even higher requirements than a PPL, and a higher class medical examination, that being the Class 1 Medical, which is about as high as it gets. However, even the Class 1 Medical should be fairly easy to pass, notwithstanding certain conditions. Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL): We now come to the final category of licenses, that is, the Airline Transport Pilot License, which is the license required to fly heavy aircraft for airlines, as is evident in the name. The ATPL has the highest number of hours required, and grants the most privileges, however, the medical certification required is still the same, i.e., Class 1. Before we move on to the Multi-Engine Rating and the Instrument Rating, a quick recap of the licenses along with their hour and medical certification requirements: SPL: Hours required: 20 hours minimum Medical required: Class 3 PPL: Hours required: 35-40 hours minimum Medical required: Class 2 CPL: Hours required: 180-250 hours minimum Medical required: Class 1 ATPL: Hours required: 1500 hours minimum Medical required: Class 1 Now let's move on to the Multi-Engine and Instrument Ratings. Instrument Rating: To put it briefly, there are two ways of flying: visually (by looking outside), and by looking at the instruments of the aircraft. Looking outside is the default and is known as VFR flying (Visual Flight Rules). Since the weather may not always allow for good visibility, an Instrument Rating allows the pilot to fly an aircraft without having to look outside, by simply choosing to fly looking at the aircraft’s instruments, hence the name Instrument Rating. Multi-Engine Rating: Aircraft have historically been built with 1, 2, 3, and 4 engines, but during training we are concerned only with the first two. By default, you are allowed to train on a single-engine airplane, and should you wish to upgrade, a Multi-Engine Rating allows you to fly aircraft having more than 1 engine (typically 2 in our case). This was a basic overview of the licenses and ratings involved in flight training. Next: ( Aviation Medicals )

2025 Each method of training has its own timeframe or duration. The two base-level methods of training, Integrated (Ab-Initio) and Modular (Pay-as-you-go) both have different training durations dependent on a number of factors. Integrated Training: The timeframe of Integrated programs is more often than not faster/shorter than Modular programs, however, this can be affected by one or more of the following things: If the program is offered by an airline or in partnership with an airline: Such programs may be anywhere from 12-18 months, and some can even be as long as 2-4 years if a degree program is done alongside flight training - so although the flight training itself would have normally been done under two years, the option to combine or add a degree alongside flight training would significantly extend the training duration as well as costs. Whether it offers an Accelerated/Fast-Track option: Accelerated or Fast-Track programs promise training timelines as short as 7 months, incorporating the PPL, CPL, ME-IR, and in some cases even a Flight Instructor rating (known as CFI, or Certified Flight Instructor rating). However, since the amount of lessons to be learned are condensed over such a short period of time, it really depends on whether or not you can keep up with the pace and pressure. Other Fast-Track options may be slightly longer, at 9 or even 13 months. Modular Training: Since Modular programs are pay-as-you-go and usually allow the student to set their own pace of training, they may take anywhere from 12 months to 2 years depending on how fast or slow the student wants to progress, and how fast or slow you want to progress depends on two things mainly: How often you train, or the number of lessons you take per week: Flight schools generally allow you to train part-time or full-time, with part-time meaning anywhere from 1-3 lessons per week, which would result in a longer training timeline, and full-time meaning at least 5 lessons a week, which would result in a shorter training duration. Some flight schools may insist on full-time training, and this is something you can confirm with them via email. Whether or not you retain the knowledge during your next lesson: Loss of retention could mean having to re-take or take extra lessons which would add to your training duration. Next: ( Methods of Funding Training )

2025 One of the most common roadblocks that student pilots and those wanting to begin their training run into, is funding. Although degree programs are just as (if not more) expensive, they are usually longer in duration, which spreads the cost over 3 or 4 years and makes for a lower per-year cost. On the other hand, ab-initio pilot programs and some flight schools can cost the same over a much shorter duration, especially if the program is accelerated, which concentrates the cost into a much shorter timeframe. There are several options for funding, which can either entirely or at the very least partially fund your training. We will quickly go through the most common and obvious sources in brief. Most common sources of funding: 1. Scholarships 2. Financial Aid 3. Air Force 4. Government or Airline Sponsorship 5. Loans It’s important to expand upon the sources mentioned above, as these, although commonly listed pretty much everywhere, are not to be written off or taken lightly. They could very well end up being the thing that works out for you. Scholarships: Although scholarships are one of the most obvious answers to the question of funding, they are also one of the best sources of funding you can get. A scholarship does not need to be repaid, and in many cases you do not have to pay anything to apply for one. They are a dime a dozen, which means that out of hundreds of scholarships, you are bound to find one or more whose criteria you fit. Financial Aid: Depending on your flight school or university (i.e., if you’re pursuing a flight training program alongside a university degree), there may be financial aid offered by the institute itself - however, this will have its own set of criteria, for eligibility as well as whether or not you’ll need to pay back. Eligibility criteria could include certain grades or an income level threshold, and the flight school or college may or may not require you to pay back the financial aid disbursed. Certain types of financial aid such as grants and bursaries usually are not required to be paid back, as they are effectively a need-based financial award. Although this may not cover the entire cost of training, anything that can lower your overall cost is a good thing - getting financial support from multiple sources adds up. Air Force: In most countries, the Air Force will not only cover the cost of your training but will, additionally, issue you a monthly stipend. However, this comes with its own set of caveats: There may very likely be a minimum period of time you’ll have to serve/remain enlisted in the Air Force before you can switch over to the airlines. This can be 4 or more than 4 years, depending on your country. You need higher physical and medical standards compared to the airlines as you would be undergoing a selection process and - once you’re selected, G-Force training to help you not blackout (i.e., lose consciousness) when subjected to high g forces during certain flight maneuvers. If you satisfy the medical and physical requirements (these may differ from country to country in some aspects), and are okay with a deferred timeframe for becoming an airline pilot, the Air Force is a good way to become a pilot. Government or Airline Sponsorship: Some governments and/or airlines sponsor your training, and this may or may not come with a training bond (i.e., the candidate serves a minimum number of years before they can leave for another airline or country). Emirates, for example, at the time of this publication (August 2025), sponsors UAE Nationals in a bonded scheme through the Emirates Flight Training Academy. As with the Air Force, this differs from country to country, and will require you to do a bit of research. Tip: Search ( Airline name + cadet program ) to see if a sponsored pathway exists for the airline of your choice. Loans: Another way to secure funding if the previous options are not practicable is to opt for a loan - this can be a bank loan, or a private loan. Banks recognize flight training as a form of education under the vocational category and may issue secured (collateral-backed) or unsecured (non-collateral) loans. This will usually be found under the Education Loans section on your bank’s website. Personal loans from banks will usually be unsecured (i.e., no mortgage or collateral required), but may incur a higher rate of interest compared to student or education loans. If you decide to proceed with a loan application, make sure to ask about the rate of interest, repayment period, whether or not you need to pay interest during your training, and any other questions you might have. You are now equipped with the absolute essentials to begin your flight training journey. For even further guidance and information to help you achieve last-mile connectivity, check out Pilot Training   here .

2025 If you aim to become a private pilot (or higher), you are required by aviation law to undergo a medical examination to ensure you are fit to fly, and to ensure the safety of the aircraft itself (and passengers, if any). For a basic overview of aviation medicals, check them out on Basic Requirements . This section covers aviation medical specifics, such as the tests conducted, and things that are to be kept in mind. What tests are conducted during an aviation medical exam Note: It is not necessary that your aviation medical examination will cover all of the following tests listed below, i.e., the tests conducted depend upon several factors, such as: Your age The class of aviation medical you're applying for (Class 1, 2, or 3) The country whose aviation medical you're applying for (e.g. For the U.S., this will be an FAA Medical) The type of aviation medical you're applying for, i.e. Initial (Applying for the first time), or Renewal (Having already done an aviation medical in the past) A standard aviation medical exam will generally cover the following areas (or tests): Chest X-Ray Physical measurements Body Mass Index (This includes your weight and height) Vision tests These can include, but are not limited to: 1. Visual Acuity Test 2. Color Blindness Test 3. Eye Pressure Test 4. Basic Eye Exam (The one used for issuing prescription glasses/spectacles) Electrocardiogram (ECG) Urine Test Blood Tests These can be used to know more about your: 1. Lipid Profile 2. Complete Blood Count 3. ESR 4. Thyroid Function Audiometry Test (or Hearing exam) Prior to, or upon completion of your medical examination, you will be required to answer a questionnaire containing Yes/No type questions. This will be provided to you either online or in person. It is not uncommon for aspiring pilots, particularly those with corrective lens/spectacles/glasses, to go about enquiring online whether a certain condition would disqualify them for the medical. Please note that medical requirements (or tolerances, i.e., acceptable upper and lower limits for each test) vary between countries and on the factors mentioned earlier (Refer to Note above). As such, any medical advice received online should be taken with caution; only a qualified, registered (i.e., current or practicing) Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) appropriate to the medical you’re applying for, can issue a decision as to whether or not you are medically fit, unfit, or temporarily unfit, after having conducted your medical examination. Next: ( Methods of Training )