Aviation
Your route to Commercial Pilot
Airline flying via an integrated or modular licence, plus airline cadet schemes.
Career compatibility and admission likelihood are different things
Compatibility is about you. Admission is the institution's decision — we can only tell you how to be ready for it.
Destination
Commercial Pilot
Graduate scheme
Internship
Degree with placement
A Levels
You are here
Tell us your year group to place this properly
My academic gap
Here's exactly what has to move
Current position
Stage not set · predicted grades
Target
Strong GCSE Maths, English and Science; Class 1 medical; licence training
Maths
ATPL theory is mathematically demanding
Science
Physics underpins principles of flight
English
Aviation English is a licensing requirement
Official requirements set by CAA — ATPL licensing. Last checked August 2026 — always confirm directly with the institution.
What the destination officially asks for
Strong GCSE Maths, English and Science; Class 1 medical; licence training
Admissions tests: Class 1 medical · Airline aptitude testing
Timeline
- Class 1 medical first
- ATPL theory
- Flight training hours
- Type rating
- First officer
Official requirements from CAA — ATPL licensing · last checked August 2026. Always confirm with the institution — they set the rules, we don't.
Your routes in
Ranked honestly, for where you are now.
Some of these are harder than others. We say which, and why.
Qualifications
A Levels; Maths required for finance-heavy courses
Grades
A*AA–BBB depending on the university
Admissions tests
None required
Duration
3–4 years
How competitive
Graduate schemes are competitive; internships are the real filter
Funding
Student finance; paid placement years
Progression
Intern → graduate → analyst/manager
The route, step by step
- 1A Levels
- 2Degree with placement
- 3Internship
- 4Graduate scheme
Where this goes
This career has a ladder, not a ceiling.
Skilled and technical careers progress into engineering, management and business ownership.
Stage 1
Cadet
Stage 2
First officer
Stage 3
Senior first officer
Stage 4
Captain
Stage 5
Training captain