Being a full-time student means your progress can be monitored at each stage of training, giving you every opportunity to make the most of your investment. Should you fail your ground exams and flight tests during your training (and this is exactly the same whether you’ve chosen the integrated or modular routes) while the chance does exist to retake them, airlines do look more favourably on graduates who have passed first time and with top marks. So it really is worth getting your head down, working hard and accepting all and whatever help and advice is available.
The integrated route involves a full-time course of study, generally lasting around 14-18 months. This takes a student from complete beginner to a position where they are ready to take up a role as a pilot ready to work for the airlines. The main advantage is that a student enters an intense course of study within a dedicated and well-equipped training facility, surrounded by like-minded students and often with links to leading airlines.
*Please note the exams have a validity of 18 months from the day you attempt the first exam. If any exam is failed more than 3 times, you will be required to re-attempt all exams.
The ATPL ground exams – for many, the most demanding part of the training. You’ll need to pass 14 exams covering subjects such as navigation, flight planning and aviation law.
Commercial Pilots Licence – the CPL is a basic requirement to be allowed to fly for financial reward. This is a major stepping stone towards a career in the airlines. You need a minimum of 178 hours of flight time to get this far, with flying more complex aircraft with retractable undercarriage and variable-pitch propellers.
Instrument Rating – the most demanding of the flying skills, flying solely with reference to the aeroplane’s instruments.
Flight training – This is the most interesting part and here in Gan you can get a very good flying experience, unlike other airstrips here you get to fly with other international jets. Since from the recent past the Gan airport has become an international Airport.
Multi-engine rating – In the same way, you need different classes of license to operate cars, heavy trucks, and motorcycles, special ‘Type Ratings’ are required to operate different ‘types’ of aircraft – including multi-engine aircraft.
Night Qualification – your first additional qualification, allowing you to fly, as you would expect, at night.
With all of this successfully completed, you’ll have what is known as a Frozen ATPL. The ‘frozen’ part refers to the fact that you’ve passed the required theory part of the Airline Transport Pilots Licence; to ‘unfreeze’ it you’ll need to have a total of 1,500 hours flying time logged.
