How to Become a Pilot: A Step-by-Step Guide from School to Cockpit

“I want to be a pilot” is one of the most common things children say, and one of the few childhood dreams with a clear, well-trodden path. It is demanding and it isn't cheap, but it is open to far more people than most families assume. This guide walks through the route age by age, written for Ireland, the UK and the rest of Europe.

A note before we start: rules change and every flight school and airline sets its own requirements. Treat this as a map, then check the details with your national aviation authority (the IAA in Ireland, the CAA in the UK) and the schools you are considering.

The short version

1. Fall in love with flying (the easy bit).
2. Study maths, physics and English at school.
3. Get a Class 1 medical before committing money.
4. Choose a training route: integrated, modular or an airline cadet scheme.
5. Earn a commercial licence with instrument and multi-engine ratings, plus the airline theory (the “frozen ATPL”).
6. Pass airline selection, complete a type rating, and join as a first officer.
7. Build hours and experience, then upgrade to captain.

Ages 4 to 11: curiosity first

Nobody needs a career plan at seven. What matters is keeping the interest alive: looking up, asking where planes are going, visiting an airport viewing area, building models, reading about how flight works. Our guide on how to get your child interested in planes has plenty of ideas. Children who grow up curious about maps, weather and how machines work are already building the foundations pilots use every day.

Ages 12 to 15: get closer to real flying

• Flight simulators. A home sim with a basic joystick teaches how an aircraft responds to controls, how instruments work and how radio calls sound. Many pilots credit it with their early start.
• Youth aviation groups. In the UK the Air Cadets are a classic route into flying. Elsewhere, look for aero clubs, model aircraft clubs and aviation summer camps.
• Gliding. Gliding clubs welcome teenagers and it is real flying, with a real instructor. In many European countries teenagers can fly a glider solo from around 14.
• Work experience. In Ireland, Transition Year is a great chance to spend a week at an airport, airline, flight school or maintenance company. Ask early, places go fast.

Ages 15 to 18: the subjects and the first licence

School subjects. Maths and physics are the most useful: navigation, performance and weight and balance are all applied maths, and principles of flight is physics. Strong English matters because aviation runs in English worldwide. Airlines and schools usually ask for solid passes in maths and English; check their exact requirements well before exam choices are locked in.

The first lessons. You can start flying lessons before you can hold a licence. Under European rules you can fly an aeroplane solo at 16 and hold a private pilot licence (PPL) at 17. A PPL is not required for an airline career if you go the integrated route, but it is a brilliant way to find out whether you really love it before the big commitment.

The medical: do it early

To fly commercially you need a Class 1 medical certificate, issued after an examination by an approved aviation medical examiner. Most healthy young people pass, and things like wearing glasses are usually fine within limits. But some conditions can rule it out, so get the Class 1 medical before paying for training. It is the cheapest insurance in the whole process.

Choosing a training route

Integrated

A full-time course at one approved training organisation that takes you from zero experience to a commercial licence with instrument rating, multi-engine rating and the airline theory exams, typically in around 18 to 24 months. It is intensive, structured and well known to airlines. It is also the most expensive route up front, commonly costing six figures in euro all in.

Modular

The same licences, earned step by step: PPL, then hour building, then the theory exams, then the commercial licence and ratings, often at different schools. You can work alongside it and pay as you go. It takes more self-discipline and usually longer, but it can cost noticeably less and plenty of airline pilots trained this way.

Airline cadet schemes

Several airlines run cadet or “future pilot” programmes with partner schools. Depending on the scheme they may offer funding support, a guaranteed interview or a conditional job offer. Selection is tough (aptitude tests, interviews, group exercises) and places are limited, so treat them as a great option to apply for, not a plan to rely on.

After training: getting the first job

Newly qualified pilots usually hold a commercial pilot licence with the airline theory passed, often called a frozen ATPL. It “unfreezes” into a full airline transport pilot licence once you have the required flying experience (and are at least 21). Airlines then put new joiners through a type rating for the specific aircraft, such as the Airbus A320 family or the Boeing 737, and line training with a training captain.

From first officer, the path to captain depends on the airline, experience and how fast it is growing. Some pilots stay on short-haul for the home life, others aim for long-haul wide-bodies. Both are good careers.

What makes a good pilot (beyond the licence)

• Calm under pressure and good at following procedures.
• Clear communication and teamwork: modern airline flying is a two-person job.
• Spatial awareness and comfort with numbers.
• Curiosity about weather, geography and how systems work.
• Resilience: training includes exams and check rides that not everyone passes first time.

How parents can help (without pushing)

Keep it fun, keep it real. Talk about the planes over your house and where they are going. Let them try a simulator or a glider flight. Encourage the maths. Help them talk to real pilots: flying clubs and airline open days are full of people happy to share how they got there. And if they decide they would rather be the engineer, the air traffic controller or the meteorologist, that is a win too; see our guide to aviation careers beyond the cockpit.

Already on the path? Our gifts for a student pilot guide has ideas for the celebrations along the way, from first solo to licence day.

Many pilots say it started with a window, a garden or a back seat and a plane overhead. A FlyFrame on the bedroom wall shows the real flights passing over your home, where they're from and where they're going, which is not a bad way to start.