Getting licensed is very much like learning to drive a car. You have lessons and written exams. Finally you have a session with an examiner, and if you don’t make too many mistakes, he tells you you’ve passed and you’re given a Pilot’s Licence.

Getting LicensedGetting licensed is very much like learning to drive a car. You have lessons and written exams. Finally you have a session with an examiner, and if you don’t make too many mistakes, he tells you you’ve passed and you’re given a Pilot’s Licence. One difference is that you have to take a medical and renew it at intervals. Otherwise the process is quite similar. You can go abroad to learn to fly, or learn in the UK.

How much?Advertisements in the back of Pilot (which you can buy at WH Smith, order at your local newsagent, or have posted to you) quote prices of around £4,000 for a private pilot’s licence for a Group A aircraft. A microlight licence will cost roughly £3,000, a licence to fly helicopters, around £6,000. If you want to become an airline pilot, you will need to get an ATPL, which will cost at least £40,000.