Frequently Asked Questions
Your top questions, answered.
Clear, honest guidance on your airline pilot career.
Answers to Common Airline Pilot Career Questions
Thank you for visiting our Frequently Asked Questions page. At Flight Deck Wingman, we understand just how varied a pilot's background and experience can be, which is why we've pulled together answers to some of the questions we're asked most often, whether you're new to the industry or considering a change of direction in your aviation career. If there's something you can't find an answer to here, we'd be delighted to help - just get in touch. Train to Prepare. Prepare to Succeed. Get Yourself a Wingman!
Aspiring and New Pilots
It’s an exciting decision, and getting off on the right foot matters. Becoming a pilot is a significant investment of time, money and energy, so the best place to start is by understanding exactly what the journey involves before you commit to anything.
One of the first things to get to grips with is that there’s no single route in. You might train through an integrated or modular flight training programme, join an airline cadetship scheme, or come to commercial flying via a military background. Each path has its own costs, timescales and trade-offs, and the right one depends entirely on your circumstances.
That’s precisely why we created our Becoming a Commercial Pilot course – to give aspiring pilots a clear, honest picture of these different routes, the costs involved, the realities of the career, and the key questions to ask before you part with any money. It’s designed to help you make informed, confident decisions right from the very beginning, so you avoid the costly mistakes that catch many people out.
Beyond that, try to speak to as many working pilots as you can, across different companies and backgrounds, and ask for their honest views on the industry. And of course, we’re always happy to help – if you have a general question about getting started, just get in touch. We all started somewhere!
That’s certainly the public perception! And it’s true that flying can support a good lifestyle and provide well for the future. But pay varies enormously, and it’s worth understanding what drives those differences before you set your expectations.
A lot comes down to the type of flying and the employer. Long-haul, short-haul, low-cost, charter, cargo and private/business jet operations all pay differently, and packages vary hugely between companies – two pilots with similar experience can be on very different terms depending on who they fly for and the contract they’re on. Your seniority and rank matter too: pay typically rises significantly as you move from first officer to senior first officer and on to captain, and further still with time in the seat.
It’s also worth remembering that if you’re starting out, you’ll likely have significant training debts to repay, so it pays to go in with a realistic picture of the early years as well as the long-term rewards.
If you’re considering this career, it’s only right to weigh the challenges alongside the rewards. Being an airline pilot is a hugely rewarding profession that can bring a lifetime of variety and exciting progression – but it’s far from your average nine-to-five, and it’s important to go in with your eyes open.
You’ll work long, disruptive hours, often losing sleep and dealing with fatigue. You’ll sometimes be away from family and friends when there’s an important occasion you’d rather be at, and you’ll usually have limited control over your roster, frequently only knowing your schedule a month or so in advance. Weekends and time off during school holidays can be hard to come by. Pay, terms and conditions also vary hugely between airlines – benefits like a pension or loss-of-licence cover aren’t always guaranteed. It’s also worth remembering that your career depends on maintaining your medical and passing regular simulator checks, and that the industry as a whole is sensitive to the wider economy, so job security can occasionally be a concern.
None of this is meant to put you off – it’s simply an honest picture. For most pilots, the rewards far outweigh the challenges, and if flying is genuinely what you want to do, it can be an enormously enjoyable and fulfilling career.
The pilot job market moves in cycles. It’s closely tied to the wider economy, global demand for air travel, airline expansion and retirements, so conditions for low-hours pilots can shift considerably from one year to the next. Rather than relying on any single snapshot, the key is to keep a close eye on current recruitment and understand where the opportunities are at the time you’re ready.
For those near the start of their journey, cadet schemes and sponsored routes with the major training providers come and go, so it’s always worth researching what’s currently on offer and, crucially, how each provider intends to help you find work at the end of your training. Networking and staying visible matter too.
We share current job openings and recruitment news across our Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram pages, so following along is a great way to keep your finger on the pulse. And we’re always happy to answer general questions – just get in touch.
There’s no single right answer here, and it’s a decision worth taking seriously.
Sponsorship and scholarship programmes are fantastic when you can secure them, but they tend to be heavily oversubscribed, so they’re competitive and never guaranteed. Self-funding your licence, meanwhile, means committing a substantial sum of your own money, so it’s essential to go in with a clear, realistic understanding of the routes, the costs, and the job market at the end of it.
A couple of things are worth flagging whichever way you lean. Be cautious about completing training in a way that doesn’t give you the licence you’ll actually need to work where you intend to fly. Since Brexit, the UK operates its own UK CAA licensing system, separate from EASA – so if you plan to work for a UK operator, you’ll generally need a UK CAA licence, whereas flying for an EASA-based operator in Europe may require an EASA licence. Training somewhere that doesn’t lead to the licence you need can end up a false economy once you factor in converting or revalidating it later. And don’t overlook the more traditional routes: gaining experience through options like flight instructing after your commercial licence can build valuable hours and keep your flying current while you work toward a larger airline role.
Whichever path suits you, the key is making an informed decision before you commit. That’s exactly what our Becoming a Commercial Pilot course is designed to help with or get in touch to book a Career Guidance Call.
Absolutely – it’s a well-trodden route, and one that’s easy to underestimate. While cadetship and sponsorship programmes mean some pilots now go straight into an airline job, flight instructing should never be discounted, especially if you haven’t yet landed your first airline role.
There are real advantages to it. You’ll build valuable flying hours and keep your skills sharp, earn while you do it, and meet plenty of other pilots along the way – and networking is one of the most valuable things you can do in this industry. It also demonstrates genuine commitment and a real passion for flying, which counts for a lot when you come to apply to an airline.
We’ve helped pilots from exactly these kinds of backgrounds – instructing, or flying tow planes for gliding clubs, for example – go on to reach the assessment stage of airline recruitment. So if it’s a route you’re considering, it’s a genuinely worthwhile one.
Plenty of pilots find themselves in exactly this position at some point, whether at the very start of their career or after a downturn in the market. It can be a frustrating time, but there’s a lot you can do to strengthen your position for when conditions improve or your experience level opens more doors.
One option worth considering is a role in a closely related part of the industry. We’ve met plenty of pilots who spent time as cabin crew or aircraft dispatchers, for example – roles that sit right alongside the flight deck. Not only do they deepen your understanding of how the industry works, they also demonstrate genuine motivation and passion for aviation, which come across strongly at interview and on application forms. Just as importantly, they put you around pilots day to day, which is a great way to keep networking.
Whatever you choose to do in the meantime, the key is to stay current, stay motivated and keep building toward your goal. Your time will come – and when it does, we’ll be here to help you make the most of it.
When a recruitment window opens, airlines are often heavily oversubscribed, and most applications are submitted electronically with very specific questions about your flying experience. So if you don’t meet the stated requirements, you may find you’re unable to apply and whatever you do, never be tempted to misrepresent your hours or experience.
That said, don’t lose heart. If you’re only just short of the requirements, it can sometimes be worth contacting the airline’s recruitment department directly, where that’s possible. And more broadly, networking is one of the most valuable tools in this industry when it comes to landing that first opportunity, so make the most of any chance to connect with people in the field – platforms like LinkedIn are a great place to start.
Above all, stay motivated and keep your licence valid and current. Experience requirements are there to be met in time, and with persistence your opportunity will come.
These types of contract tend to exist in airlines where the work is highly seasonal. A charter airline is a good example: very busy in the summer flying to popular holiday destinations during the school holidays, but much quieter in the winter. To manage costs during the quieter months, some operators use contracts where you work seven months of the year and are then unemployed for the other five – hence “7/5.” Other variations on this exist too.
It’s certainly something to be aware of once you’ve completed your training, whether self-funded or through a cadet sponsorship scheme. Many sponsorship schemes offer you a job on completion, at which point you begin repaying your training loan – which is fine until you find yourself several months into a seasonal contract with no income for the off-season, and bills and loan repayments still to meet.
None of this means such contracts should be avoided altogether – for some pilots they’re a perfectly good way into the industry. The key is simply to understand exactly what you’re signing up to, so check the details carefully when applying to any scheme or airline, and factor the seasonal gaps into your financial planning.
The airline industry is under constant financial pressure, with intense competition between carriers, so airlines will always look to reduce costs where they can. Historically, you’d join an airline on a full-time contract with all the benefits that came with it: pension, healthcare, loss-of-licence and death-in-service cover, and so on. In more recent years, though, many companies no longer offer full-time contracts in the early stages of a pilot’s career.
Some operators use arrangements that have become known as “pay to fly.” In simple terms, this means you effectively pay the airline to fly for them for a period – for example, until you’ve built a certain number of hours on type. It’s a practice that pilot associations have campaigned against for some time, but it does still exist in parts of the industry.
You may also come across “zero hours” contracts, where you’re only paid for the hours you actually work. These can suit some pilots starting out and making good hours, but the downside is clear: if you’re ill or unable to work, there’s no income to fall back on. None of these arrangements is necessarily a dealbreaker when you’re getting started – the important thing is to understand exactly how they differ from a traditional full-time contract before you commit.
This is a system that many airlines still choose to operate, and it’s a frequent topic of debate within the pilot community! In basic terms, when you join a company you start at the very bottom of the seniority list. As pilots above you retire, and as new pilots join below you, you gradually move up the list.
There are genuine upsides. As you climb the list, you tend to gain benefits from your seniority – whether that’s a better chance of getting the rosters and routes you bid for, improved job security, or higher pay, depending on the airline. It rewards longevity with the company.
There are downsides too, though. If the airline isn’t expanding, or there’s a large group of pilots above you with no intention of retiring soon, your progression up the list, and the benefits that come with it, can stall. And more significantly, should the company hit hard times and need to make redundancies, those at the bottom of the seniority list are usually the first to be affected. It’s worth understanding how a prospective airline’s system works, and where you’d sit within it, when weighing up your options.
Every airline will require you to complete a Criminal Records Check (CRC), also known as a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, as part of the recruitment and security process. If you have a current or previous conviction, whether it affects your application can depend on the nature of the offence and the airline’s own requirements. The best course of action is to check the official guidance directly – you can find more information on the UK CAA website.
What Type of Work is for Me?
This is a personal choice, and it’s largely tied to your experience level and what the airline requires. Less experienced pilots can generally expect to start on short haul, while those with more hours, or experience gained at other airlines, are more likely to move into a long haul position.
As a rule, long haul pilots work fewer days than their short haul colleagues. That might make it sound less tiring, and to some extent that can be true depending on the airline – but it comes with its own challenges. If you value regular time at home with family and friends, or you don’t cope well with jet lag and disrupted sleep, long haul may not suit your lifestyle. It’s also worth knowing that you won’t get much hands-on flying: it’s not uncommon to complete only one landing every 45 days or so.
That said, long haul has real appeal. It offers the chance to see parts of the world you might never otherwise visit, and to spend time socialising with your crew down route. As with most things in this career, the best way to judge whether it’s right for you is to speak to pilots who actually do it, and ask for their honest view.
Short haul is quite different to the long haul operation, and as an inexperienced pilot it’s where you can expect to start. Don’t be disheartened by that, though – short haul has several real benefits.
For one, you’ll get far more flying, so if you’re trying to build experience, that’s exactly what you need. You’re also unlikely to spend as much time away from home, which appeals to those with young families or anyone who simply values their time at home. On the downside, you can expect to work more days than long haul pilots typically do, often with early starts and variable shift patterns, which can make short haul quite fatiguing.
If you’re lucky enough to have a choice between long haul and short haul, my advice is the same as ever: speak to pilots flying both, and ask for their honest views. And if you’re joining a company where both are available, choose carefully – once you’ve started the type rating, it’s too late to change your mind.
This very much depends on your circumstances. If you’re new to the industry, you’re probably looking for the stability of a permanent contract and that’s a perfectly sensible priority when you’re starting out. Some new pilots do begin on short-term contracts, but most will be aiming for a more permanent position, with the career progression and improved job security that tends to come with it.
For more experienced pilots, though, contract work can be a different proposition altogether. It can be genuinely lucrative, and it can offer flexibility that suits certain lifestyles and career stages. As with most decisions in this industry, it comes down to weighing up what matters most to you – income, security, flexibility or progression – at this particular point in your career.
Working in the private jet sector is very different to flying for a major airline, and it comes with plenty of appeal. You may get to fly some very interesting people, the salaries are often good, and there’s frequently a good chance of fast progression to command. No two flying days are quite the same, and you may find yourself taking part in some fascinating experiences alongside your clients.
Pilots drawn to this kind of work often enjoy the autonomy – being free from some of the constraints that come with a large airline. That independence can be hugely rewarding, but it brings its own challenges too. You’ll often be responsible for far more than just flying the aircraft: booking hotels for your clients, ensuring flight plans are filed correctly, and arranging transport and engineering support wherever the aircraft goes.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that job security can be less certain than at a larger airline – if an owner decides to sell the aircraft, you may find yourself needing to move to another operator. That said, some business jet operators function much more like large airlines in their structure and stability, so as always, it pays to research individual operators carefully before making a move.
This can be quite a contentious subject among pilots! The honest answer is that there’s no single “best”, it really depends on the availability of jobs that suit your experience, and on what matters most to you.
A good starting point is to choose the airline that best supports the lifestyle you want to lead. Give serious thought to geography, too: a long commute on top of a long duty day can be very tiring, and it can make covering the periods of “standby” that airlines require all the harder. Flying, after all, should be part of a balanced life. Many pilots also prioritise perceived job security above all else, which is entirely reasonable.
In truth, every airline has its own benefits and its own drawbacks. And remember – you’re not tied to one airline for your whole career; you can move if you fancy a change. Just bear in mind that if the airline operates a seniority system, you’ll start at the bottom again each time you move company.
This is a difficult one to answer, because it really comes down to personal choice and what’s available in the job market at the time. Many companies still run seniority-based systems, where your time to command is determined largely by your position on the list – the more senior you are, the sooner a command is likely to come. Other airlines don’t operate seniority for command at all, instead awarding commands on merit once you’ve reached the minimum experience their insurers require.
For most pilots, job security and lifestyle tend to be the biggest priorities, but everyone has their own individual motivations and ambitions. Rapid progression to command is a genuine draw for some, while others are happy to prioritise stability or a particular lifestyle over climbing quickly. There’s no right answer – it’s about knowing what matters most to you, and researching how a prospective airline actually handles command progression before you commit.
How can Flight Deck Wingman help?
It would be pointless for us to hand every pilot a generic, off-the-shelf CV: everyone has their own individual strengths and background. Instead, we help you craft and tailor your own CV and covering letter so they make the very best of your professional and personal attributes, and stand out at every stage of the process.
The most comprehensive way to learn this is through our Academy Application course. It takes you through everything in real depth – how to build a standout CV, write an impactful covering letter, and tackle those tricky application questions – all online and at your own pace, so you can work through it whenever suits you and revisit each lesson as often as you need.
If you’d prefer more personal input, our one-to-one CV and covering letter coaching is also available. Your Wingman will work with you during your online session and will help you refine it together to give it the very best chance of landing at the top of the pile on a recruiter’s desk. A strong CV and covering letter are some of the most important elements of the initial screening stage, so however you choose to prepare, it’s well worth getting right.
We’ll train you in our ‘Techniques Not Tip Offs’ approach so you can shine at any airline, cadetship or flight school interview. We understand exactly how to construct answers to the full range of question types and styles you’ll face at this stage of the assessment process – and how to evidence the competencies recruiters are really looking for.
The most comprehensive way to prepare is through our Academy Interview & Group Exercise course, which takes you through everything in depth, online and at your own pace. For a fully immersive experience, our Assessment Preparation Group Course gives you a full day of interview and group exercise preparation, including the chance to take part in assessed and de-briefed practical exercises, learning both with and from other candidates.
Get Yourself a Wingman!
Group exercises introduce a new dynamic into the assessment process. You’re no longer being looked at just as an individual, but also on how you interact with the other members of the group. We understand exactly which competencies assessors are looking for – from both a positive and a negative perspective – and we’ve distilled years of experience into the key techniques and expert knowledge that will give you a real edge at this stage.
To prepare online at your own pace, our Academy Interview & Group Exercise course covers everything you need in depth. And for a fully immersive experience, our Assessment Preparation Group Course gives you a full day of preparation – including the opportunity to take part in two assessed and de-briefed group exercises, where we’ll talk through all the positive and negative factors that can influence the outcome.
Whichever route you choose, you’ll come away understanding not just what’s being assessed, but exactly how to contribute effectively and stand out for the right reasons.
That’s a great question, and one we’re really pleased to answer! As a former military fast-jet pilot himself, Flight Deck Wingman’s founder, Andrew, knows exactly what it’s like to make this transition. For some, the move from the military ethos into the civilian aviation world happens very naturally; for others, it can be more challenging – and that’s where we can help.
First, we can give you honest, frank guidance on the type of work that’s out there, drawing on real experience across charter and scheduled operations, in both long haul and short haul. Just as importantly, we understand your background and crucially, how to translate that experience into exactly what airline recruiters are looking for on the day of your assessment. Military aviators bring outstanding skills, but civilian selection assesses them in a specific way, and the language and competencies recruiters want to hear aren’t always the ones you’re used to.
Our training is designed to help you do exactly that – translate your hard-won experience so it lands with maximum impact.
Licensing and Type Ratings
Yes, absolutely. Licensing requirements evolve over time, so it’s really important to keep your licence valid and stay up to date with any changes, that way, when a job comes up that matches your experience, you’re ready to go without delay. Letting your licence or ratings lapse can cost you valuable time (and money to reinstate) at exactly the moment an opportunity appears, so it’s well worth staying current while you wait for the right role.
It depends on where you want to work. Since Brexit, the UK operates its own licensing system under the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA), which is now separate from the European EASA system. In broad terms, if you’re looking to work for a UK operator, you’ll generally need a UK CAA licence; if you’re applying to an EASA-based operator in Europe, you’ll typically need an EASA licence. Some pilots choose to hold both to keep their options open.
If you trained or gained your licence under a different system, or you hold an older licence, it’s worth checking whether you’ll need to convert or revalidate it before applying – some airlines will require this as a prerequisite, so it’s best to get your paperwork in order early rather than being caught out mid-application. The rules around conversion and recognition have changed in recent years and continue to evolve, so always check the current position directly with the UK CAA before making any decisions.
This is a genuinely difficult one to answer. Some pilots who’ve self-funded a type rating will tell you it’s exactly why they got their job, but it’s far from a guaranteed route, and it’s a significant expense to weigh up carefully.
The main thing to understand is that most airlines want hours on type, not just the type rating itself. Holding the rating without the hours to go with it often isn’t enough to meet their requirements. And because a type rating only qualifies you on that one specific aircraft, if a job then comes up on a different type, that expensive investment may turn out to be of little use.
It’s also worth knowing that most airlines will put you through the type rating themselves when you join. Some charge you for this and recover the cost from your salary over time; others cover it entirely, so it’s well worth checking each airline’s policy when you apply. Bear in mind, too, that if the airline pays for your type rating, you may be “bonded” to them: if you leave within the bonding period (often around three years), you’ll usually have to repay some or all of the cost. As with most big decisions in this career, research it thoroughly before committing any of your own money.
The only mandated requirement is the Multi-Crew Cooperation (MCC) qualification – every airline will expect you to hold it. A Jet Orientation Course (JOC) or Airline Professional Standards (APS) course isn’t a formal requirement in the same way. That said, the picture has shifted in recent years: increasingly, airlines are asking specifically for the APS MCC rather than a standard MCC.
Because of that trend, it’s well worth factoring this in when deciding which MCC course to complete in the first place – opting for an APS MCC from the outset may save you having to top up later, and can leave you better aligned with what airlines are currently looking for. Beyond that, completing this kind of course often leaves you feeling more confident and better prepared going into a simulator assessment. As always, it’s worth checking the specific requirements of the airlines you’re targeting before committing, so your training spend matches where you actually want to end up.
Flight Deck Wingman Top Tips
It might surprise those new to the industry to learn that most of a pilot’s job isn’t actually about flying the aircraft. It’s very much a management role – helping drive profitability for the airline, with a heavy emphasis on how you interact with colleagues, passengers and the public alike.
Airline interviewers will often probe these wider aspects of your character and abilities. Being able to show that you’re a strong team player, comfortable taking a leadership role when needed, and genuinely motivated, all count in your favour when you meet your interviewers. Anything that helps you demonstrate these qualities is worth pursuing: getting involved with clubs or societies, for example a local gliding club, can be a great way to round out all those professional qualifications you’ve worked so hard for, and give you real examples to draw on.
Airline recruiters look for a broad spectrum of qualities, and in modern selection, these are formally assessed as what’s known as competencies: the core behaviours the industry recognises as essential to being a safe, effective pilot. They include things like communication, teamwork, decision-making, leadership, situational awareness and workload management. In short, they’ll want to see that you can operate well with others, step into a leadership role when the situation calls for it, and bring the right mindset to the flight deck.
The key isn’t just possessing these competencies, but knowing how to demonstrate and evidence them clearly, from the very first stage of your application right through the assessment process. That’s exactly what we help you do – giving you the techniques and insight to present yourself in the best possible light at every stage. Get in touch to find out how we can help you prepare with confidence.
Right here! We understand exactly what it’s like to move airline after a number of years. You’ll have a wealth of invaluable experience behind you – you may just need some help and support in directing that experience into the answers recruiters are looking for.
One thing that often catches experienced pilots out is how much interviews have changed. Most now involve a pilot and an HR representative, with a heavy emphasis on competency-based questions – so you may find yourself assessed in quite a different way to when you last applied. The good news is that your experience is a genuine asset; it’s simply a case of learning how to evidence the right competencies clearly and confidently.
We’ll be with you every step of the way, with comprehensive application and assessment support tailored to exactly where you need it. Get in touch today to see how we can help you achieve your goals.
This very much depends on the type of operation the airline runs, and on your own experience and background. Depending on whether you’ve flown the aircraft before, they’ll expect differing degrees of technical competence in handling it. You’ll be expected to demonstrate sound knowledge of things like procedural holds, and to listen to and follow instructions carefully.
More importantly, though, you’ll need to show a safe operation when you’re the pilot flying, and offer excellent support to your colleague when you’re the pilot monitoring. Many pilots make the mistake of thinking a sim assessment is purely a test of flying ability – and while there’s certainly an element of that, most of the time you’re being assessed on how you interact with your colleague and manage the wider picture, not just how well you fly.
We’ll help make sure you’re well prepared for the simulator assessment. Your Wingman will show you how to conduct an effective briefing and de-briefing, how to be an inclusive flight-deck team member, and coping strategies for when things start to go wrong.