If you are looking into becoming a pilot then you would have heard of the modular flight training route but may not be sure what exactly it is.
The modular flight training route which can also be known as the self improver route is where you do each part of your training in modules and eventually get issued your frozen ATPL licence.
In this post we will explain what exactly you have to do to go down this route which can be £60,000 less than the integrated route.
Prerequisites
An EASA Class 1 medical. There is no point spending any money on flight training without getting this out of the way. You cannot fly for an airline without one.
Step one – PPL
The first step on the modular training route is to get your PPL (Private Pilot Licence). This is where you actually learn to fly and takes a minimum of 45 hours. If you go the integrated route you do not actually get issued this.
You also need to get 5 hours at night to get your night rating either during or after your PPL.
Step 2 – Ground School
This is where your whole life becomes dedicated to the 14 ATPL exams you must pass to continue your training. There are two options with these. A residential course where you go to school every day and a distance learning course which is ideal if you still have a job you need to work around.
You have to pass all exams in a maximum of 6 sittings and they are pretty hard so you need to take them very seriously.
Step 3 – Hour Building
This is where you build your hours up to make the CPL pre requisites which are –
- Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL)
- 150 hours total time
- 100 hours Pilot in Command
- A pass in all 14 ATPL examinations
- Class 1 Medical
- 300nm qualifying cross country
- Must hold a Multi-Engine piston rating (if completing a multi-engine CPL course)
A lot of people go to America to do this as the aircraft rental rates are a lot cheaper even after you add in flights and accommodation.
Step 4
CPL ME/IR. This is where you do your CPL (Commercial Pilots Licence) ME (Multi Engine) IR (Instrument Rating). A lot of students tend to do this on a combined course.
Step 5
MCC / JOC. This is the final step where you do your MCC (Multi Crew Co Operation) and JOC (Jet Orientation Course). The JOC isn’t actually mandatory for licence issue but more and more airlines are asking for one.
From here you can apply to the CAA for your licence issue and start applying to the airlines for a job.
The beauty of the modular training route is that you can do it around your current job and it is cheaper than the integrated route. The downside is some airlines do not accept modular students. However a lot such as Ryanair, Jet2 and Flybe have all taken modular students recently
I have another post on is integrated training worth over £100,000 that you should read.
