If I were to go about getting a commercial pilots license (CPL) again in the UK. I would aim to structure my flight training in the following way.
My flight training was a bit varied as I was training for both EASA and UK licenses after Brexit in different ATOs. I made a lot of mistakes with my training and wasted a lot of time and money, and I hope to help you avoid the same.
I however, absolutely do not regret training via the modular route. It gave me a lot of flexibility and the experiences I had during my time building have given me many unforgettable memories.
So here goes how I would structure my training and time building to get a CPL pilot with all the necessary ratings to get ready for the airlines in the fastest, most cost effective manner. This means it includes the CPL, Multi-Engine Piston (MEP) Rating, the Multi-Engine IR Rating, and the UPRT course.
This plan assumes you do things in the minimum required time. Most people should budget more flight time for the training, maybe 20-30% more because the training can be difficult at times.
The time and totals could differ slightly based on updated regulations, and I could be slightly off with my calculations. So please check the regulations and use this as a guide only.
For those new to the world of aviation here are the meanings of the abbreviations I used in the tablebelow:
Dual – Time with an Instructor
PIC – Pilot in Command Time (Solo time)
Time Building – Flight time done by yourself with the aim of accumulating the required flight time.
IR – Instrument Rating
MEP – Multi-Engine Piston
MEIR – Multi-Engine IR
UPRT – Upset Prevention and Recovery Training
This hours in this table are by no means are hard requirement, they can and will probably vary depending on yourself and your flight school / ATO (Approved training organisation).
I just used the minimum dual time required, so that you can get more PIC time instead.
| Dual | PIC | Total Time | IFR Time | |
| PPL(A) | 25 | 20 | 45 | 0 |
| Night Rating | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Time Building | 0 | 20 | 20 | 0 |
| IR (Restricted) | 15 | 0 | 15 | 10 |
| Time Building | 0 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| ATPL Exams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| IR (A)- Via CBIR | 10 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| IR(A) Skills Test | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Time Building | 6 | 6 | 0 (Optional) | |
| MEP | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| MEP Skills Test | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| SEIR to MEIR Conversion | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| MEIR Skills Test | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| UPRT Course | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Time Building (Varies Depending on above) | 44 | 44 | 0 (Optional) | |
| CPL Course (For holding IR) | 15 | 0 | 15 | |
| Totals | 83 | 117 | 200 | 49 |
Top Tips for Modular CPL Training
- The more PIC time you can get, the better it is later on when it comes to applying for jobs or upgrading your license.
- By all means, absolutely do more flights with an instructor if you need it, it could pay off well later on as you’ll develop better flying skills. For instance, in order to end up with 200 hours total in the table above, you do 44 hours of time building towards the end of your training because the limiting factor is that 200 hours total flight time before your CPL skills test. If you go back to the PPL, you can absolutely do 10 hours more with an instructor, to have 35 hours dual time and 10 hours solo (PIC) time. At the end it means you do less time building.
- While certified simulators are a great training tool and can replace flight time. I’ve found that they’re not always that cheap, and can’t really replicate the experience you get from flying an aircraft in single pilot operations in a busy and congested UK airspace under IFR. So therefore I’ve not really included simulator time in the table above.
- The instrument rating is one of the hardest parts of flight training, so the more instrument time you can get early on the better. That’s why I highly recommend getting the IR (Restricted) rating, also known as IMC rating first if you’re in the UK.
- Getting instrument time as a PIC is super valuable as well, for various reasons such as converting licenses and improving your CV. Commercial flights are mostly IFR, therefore the more IFR time you can get the better.
- Keep a good record in a logbook. Ideally an electronic logbook if you can find one. This will help you calculate your totals easier like IFR time under PIC
I hope this guide has helped you, if you have any questions, thoughts, or feedback, please feel free to contact me.