How to study for and pass the UK CAA Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) Examinations
In a professional pilot’s career, very few milestones compare to the sense of satisfaction achieved from finally completing the Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) examinations. Ask any pilot to recall their time studying for these exams and you will notice a dark shadow pass over their faces. It’s as though you’ve asked them what surviving Auschwitz was like. Like most Holocaust survivors, your average pilot would rather not talk about it… if it’s all the same to you!
Similar to the Bar examination Barristers must take in order to practice law; an aspiring commercial pilot must pass no less than 14 written theoretical knowledge tests as part of their ongoing struggle to obtain the highest level of pilot licence in the United Kingdom and continue their journey to becoming fully fledged Airline Transport Pilot.
Before we discuss the the ATPL licence and its various examinations, let’s first take a look at the common steps one must take in order to reach this stage.
The Discovery Flight: This is usually the very first step a person will take once they have made the decision to become a pilot. The discovery flights’ format is commonly an hour spent with a flight instructor in an aircraft designated for training (no B-747s just yet). The…