CREWFLYSHARE · GUIDE
Planning pilot or cabin crew training
Start with the job or type of flying you want to do. Private flying, professional pilot training and cabin crew training follow different paths. Use this checklist to compare courses and quotations without confusing regulatory stages, optional services and recruitment promises.
Updated 13 October 2026 · Crewflyshare
1. Define the goal first
For recreational flying, compare private-pilot routes suited to your plans. For an airline pilot career, ask each provider to show the route towards the licences, ratings and selection stages involved. Cabin crew candidates should follow the separate cabin pathway; they do not need a pilot licensing course.
2. Understand what the course leads to
An integrated course follows a continuous approved programme; a modular route combines separate stages whose providers and prerequisites may vary. The MPL is a licence distinct from the CPL(A), initially focused on co-pilot duties in multi-pilot operations. For each offer, distinguish the licence issued, ratings, ATPL(A) theoretical examination passes and additional training: passing the theory does not issue an ATPL(A) licence. Check the privileges and routes available for your specific course.
3. Compare written quotations line by line
Request a breakdown of theory teaching, planned flight and simulator hours, examinations, administration, equipment, accommodation and travel. Ask about extra hours, examination retakes and the terms for postponement or cancellation. The headline price alone does not establish the final cost.
4. Check prerequisites and timing
Before making a substantial payment, check prerequisites with the training organisation and competent authority. A PPL(A) requires at least a Class 2 medical certificate; the CPL(A), MPL(A) and ATPL(A) require Class 1. Cabin crew undergo an aeromedical assessment appropriate to their duties. Pilots should also check the language requirements in FCL.055, existing qualification validity, timing and training locations.
5. Prepare for selection without guarantees
If you aim to apply to an airline, prepare your English and any aptitude or psychomotor tests used in its selection process early enough. Requirements vary by employer and can change. Practice may improve your preparation; no product can guarantee a job offer.
6. Cabin crew follow a separate route
For cabin crew in the European framework, consult Part-CC requirements for initial training and the Cabin Crew Attestation (CCA), together with the applicable aeromedical requirements. Then check the conditions set by the operator and the country concerned. A CCA is not a pilot licence.
Shared European knowledge, national procedures
The PPL(A/H) and ATPL Need to Know modules remain separate pathways, with shared knowledge and aircraft-specific sections. Find the relevant authority for procedures: for example IAA in Ireland, AESA in Spain or ENAC in Italy. Resources are available in French and English; French microlight rules are identified separately.