Once you have completed your basic and advanced training to achieve your frozen ATPL the next logical step is to apply for a job with an airline willing to employ low-hours pilots. When you have secured a position, you will be trained at the airline to gain the type rating for the aircraft you will be flying, and you will be taught the company’s polices and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This will generally consist of Ground School, Simulator Training, Base Training and Line Training.
Type rating
The type rating on your licence allows you to fly a particular aircraft type. For example, to fly the Airbus A320 you need to have the A319/320/321 rating on your licence. The type rating is completed in a Full Flight Simulator (FFS). These full motion simulators recreate the aircraft’s performance and handling, allowing the trainee to experience its flight dynamics and flight deck surroundings without leaving the ground. This is a safe and cost-effective way to complete this stage of the training. The course is normally completed over several weeks, encompassing the Ground School Phase, Simulator Phase and Flying Phase (Base Training).
Ground school
The syllabus covers the aircraft’s systems and the airline’s SOPs for both normal and non[1]normal/emergency flight operations. It usually comprises some computer-based self training and classroom sessions and will last about 10 days.
Simulator Phase
Once the ground school is complete and further exams have been passed, you will move on to the flight simulator phase of training, where you will be paired with another student to be taught how to operate the aircraft as a team. A strict syllabus will be covered and will culminate in a final flight test (Licence Skills Test) with an approved CAA examiner. This will normally comprise nine to 12 four-hour sessions, depending on type.
Base Training
You finally fly the aircraft you are completing the rating for! Base training will consist of a minimum of six take-offs and landings and will be your first experience of flying a commercial aircraft. A circuit pattern will be flown to allow you to complete the required number of take-offs and landings to a safe and satisfactory standard.
This completes the requirements of the type rating and the licence is now endorsed with the type by the CAA – for a fee, of course, hopefully (but not always) paid by the airline!
Line Training
Once the type rating has been completed, the next stage is Line Training, which consists of flying regular commercial sectors for your employing airline with passengers or freight. On each flight you will be with a qualified training captain who will supervise your flying for a defined number of sectors. This may be around 40 sectors or 100 hours depending on type, experience and qualifications. In addition to this, on the first few sectors there will be another qualified first officer on the jump seat to act as a safety pilot.
Line Training teaches the additional skills and knowledge required in the day-to-day operation of that aircraft type within that airline. When you have completed the required number of sectors to a satisfactory standard, you will be put forward for your Line Check.
This will consist of a sector as Pilot Flying (PF), where you actually fly the aircraft, followed by a sector as Pilot Non Flying (PNF), where you will carry out duties such as liaising with air traffic control, flight plan monitoring etc. Once you complete your Multi Crew Co-operation course you will have a good idea of the differing roles and how they complement each other on the flight deck, so an explanation at this point on the PF and PNF roles is not necessary.
Other considerations
Airlines fund the type ratings and line training in various ways. Some pay for the ratings themselves and bond the employee for a number of years on a reducing bond that the employee will usually be required to pay back if he or she leaves before it is discharged.
In effect, no money changes hands. Other airlines take the cost of training from the employee’s wages for a set term. Once again if the employee leaves, he or she will usually have to repay the outstanding training costs. There are some airlines that require the pilot to pay for a type rating in full before commencing training, usually at a cost – about £18,000 to £35,000 – but in this instance the pilot isn’t bonded and can leave the airline at any point.
As a comparison, for example, a high street price for an A320 type rating would be approximately £24,000 but some airlines are charging up to £35,000, so it’s vital that you fully understand the contract you sign up to and exactly what is or is not included in your training package.
You should clarify what happens in the unlikely event that you are not successful during any part of the training. For example, if you failed the final simulator check and your contract included base and line training would you get a refund for this? It is possible to complete the type rating and line training without having employment.
Some agencies and FTOs will charge you to put you through your type rating and place you with an airline to operate as a first officer until completion of your line training, in some cases flying with the participating airline for up to 500 hours. You would receive no salary during hours-building, so arguably you are paying the airline to work for them.
However, without experience on line it is difficult to find employment, and any decision to embark on such a course should be carefully considered. Some agencies or airlines offer a possible opportunity of permanent employment, but again you should research and question fully to ensure what will be delivered.
The cost of this varies depending upon the company, and does not usually come with any guaranteed job offer at the end of the line training or hours-building. The risk to consider here is that you are rating yourself on one particular aircraft, and therefore in the event you do not continue with that airline, it makes you more attractive only to other airlines operating that type, and can be a waste of money if you land a job with the operator of a different type. This airline may then require you to fund another type rating which might be beyond you financially once you’ve funded the first rating.
BALPA does not recommend self-funding type ratings unless absolutely necessary. There is a huge risk attached to doing so, and there are often no guarantees of employment at the end of training. If a type rating seems to be the only option, very careful consideration should be given to the type of aircraft chosen – go for one that will give the best employment opportunities upon graduation.
Considerable research should be undertaken to identify potential employers, aircraft types in use around the world, growth areas and the training organisation itself.
