Pilot Career Flight Plan
For aspiring pilots and career changers who need an honest overview before committing money.
- Goals and constraints
- Medical and licensing priorities
- Practical next-step plan
Mentored from the flight deck
From sofa to 36,000 feet.
Independent, cockpit-led guidance for aspiring pilots—from the first reality check and medical to training, airline selection and life on the line.
No sales pitch. No false shortcuts. Just a clearer route to the flight deck.
Boeing 777 First Officer
Former A320 Captain
Former Aer Lingus First Officer
Reality checkClass 1 medicalTraining routeFlight schoolLicencesAirline selectionLife on the line
Your career flight plan
Every stage. One honest roadmap.
The route is rarely as simple as the adverts suggest. Start where you are, understand the next decision and avoid spending serious money before the fundamentals are clear.
Ground level
Is flying for me?
Requirements, age, education, eyesight, career changes and the questions to answer first.
Before take-offMedical & reality check
Class 1 medicals, cost, timescale, lifestyle and the risks nobody should hide from you.
FL010Choose your route
Integrated, modular and cadet pathways—with UK CAA and EASA guidance kept distinct.
FL030Choose a school
Approval checks, questions, contracts, comparison criteria and expensive warning signs.
FL100Complete training
ATPL theory, hour building, CPL, MEIR, UPRT, MCC and APS MCC explained plainly.
FL180Get airline-ready
CVs, applications, aptitude testing, interviews, group exercises and simulator assessments.
FL360Life on the line
Line training, rosters, long haul, short haul, command, setbacks and professional wellbeing.
Pilot route finder
Where are you right now?
Choose the statement closest to your current position. We will point you towards the most useful first briefing—not a sales funnel disguised as advice.
Select your current stage
Your mentor · Joris Van Putten
“The right advice early can save years, money and a great deal of disappointment.”
Known online as Just a Flying Dutchman, Joris brings an unusually broad view of the airline career. He has experienced the right seat, the command seat, short-haul operations and the move to a long-haul Boeing 777 flight deck.
His role here is not to sell a school or promise an airline job. It is to help you ask sharper questions, understand the trade-offs and approach each stage with professional judgement.
777Current aircraft
A320Former captain
Aer LingusFormer first officer
Straight answers
Read this before you spend.
High-stakes decisions deserve more than a glossy brochure. Every core guide is region-labelled, sourced and reviewed.
Browse all pilot guides →Get Your Class 1 Medical Before Pilot Training
Why the correct Class 1 medical belongs near the beginning of a commercial pilot plan—not after a major deposit.
2 min briefingIntegrated vs Modular Pilot Training
A practical comparison of the two main commercial pilot training routes and the risks each candidate should test.
2 min briefingHow to Choose a Flight School
A due-diligence framework for investigating approval, capacity, contracts, payments and graduate claims.
2 min briefingWhat Is a Frozen ATPL?
The common industry phrase explained without suggesting that “frozen ATPL” is a separate licence.
2 min briefingHow Airline Pilot Selection Works
The common stages of airline pilot recruitment and what selectors are trying to understand.
2 min briefingLife as an Airline Pilot: The Honest Version
The rewards and pressures of airline flying after the training photographs end.
2 min briefing
What the brochures leave out
The destination is a working life.
Training is only the beginning. Understand line training, rosters, fatigue, family life, setbacks, recurrent checks and the professional habits that matter long after selection day.
Explore life on the lineDecision tools
Useful in the real world.
Built to help you compare, question and decide—not to generate a predetermined recommendation.
One-to-one mentoring
When a guide is not enough.
A focused conversation can help you see the decision in front of you more clearly. Mentoring is independent and carries no selection or employment guarantee.
Training Decision Review
For candidates comparing routes, schools, finance options or significant contractual commitments.
- Route comparison
- School questions and red flags
- Decision framework
Assessment Preparation
For trained pilots preparing to communicate their experience and perform under assessment pressure.
- CV and evidence review
- Competency interview thinking
- Simulator preparation strategy
Your next sensible step
Start with the briefing, not the brochure.
Work through the independent starting checklist before comparing training providers or paying a deposit.
Open the Start Here briefing