Pilot - Airline

Many people who find work as commercial pilots are educated to undergraduate level (SCQF Level 9/10). Competition is very fierce in this industry.

To become a professional airline pilot you'll need to obtain an Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL).

You'd usually start your career as a first officer after gaining at least ‘frozen ATPL’. When you have completed enough flying hours you can apply for a full ATPL and qualify as an airline captain. There are no minimum qualification requirements to enrol for a professional pilot training courses, however many routes into this job require qualifications at SCQF Level 5 or above.

There are different routes to becoming a pilot:

Private training - you can train at a civil aviation authority (CAA) approved school. An APTL course typically costs around £90,000. Entry to a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved training school normally requires a minimum of five subjects at National 5 (SCQF Level 5), including English, Maths and a science. However, entry to training sponsored by an airline normally requires at least three Highers, preferably including Maths and Physics, and also subjects at National 5 (SCQF Level 5). Many entrants to these training routes are graduates. Any degree subject is acceptable, but mathematics, physics, computing and engineering may be particularly useful.

Armed forces experience - If you qualified as a pilot in the armed forces, you can take a conversion course to gain a commercial pilot's licence. Competition is strong for pilot training in the armed forces and you would also need to serve a minimum term before leaving.

University route - some universities offer courses that combine pilot studies and training with a related degree, e.g. aviation engineering or air transport. You may have to pay for the flight training yourself. Several universities offer relevant courses including the BSc (Hons) Professional Aviation Pilot Practice which requires 3 or 4 Highers (SCQF Level 6) with some universities requiring B+ grades in Maths and Physics. This is also very similar to  the requirements for entry into the both the Royal Air force and Army pilot training scheme.

Company training schemes - several passenger airlines such as Virgin and British Airways offer pilot training schemes. These allow you to train with the company to gain your licence. Some of these schemes pay your training costs and you then pay them back once qualified. Others may require you to pay a bond upfront which is then repaid to you over a number of years once you are flying with them. If you obtain a private pilot's licence you can go on to take separate training modules for the CPL, the Instrument rating (IR), followed by the APTL. This cost around £45,000, although you will still to be pay for your private flying lessons.

You must be at least 21 years old to have a full ATPL. You can begin private flying lessons from the age of 14, but can't fly solo until the age of 16.

Once you're 17 or over and have complete the training, you can have your private pilot's licence (PPL). The PPL does not allow you to fly commercially or become an airline pilot. 

You'll need to pass a medical check and obtain a class one medical certificate to apply for and hold the ATPL. Some may ask for you to hold this before you start your training.

You should be physically fit, have good hearing and eyesight and normal colour vision.

Some airlines have height and weight restrictions.