So you are reading this with interest in becoming a pilot. Or maybe you want to learn more about the process and how to initially get into it.
I found myself in this situation when I was 17 years old and at the time it was the height of COVID-19 and I was at home wondering why I wanted to be a midwife. No surprise, I couldn't think of an answer to that question and so I decided it was not the career for me. I went online and completed a 'what career suits me' quiz, and saw the option for air traffic controller. At the time I was interested in careers that were achievable for me (so not high GCSE grades) because I was a very average student at school. So I started looking into ATC, when I came across 'pilot' and something in me lit up. I opened Google and searched for 'how to become a pilot'. I created spreadsheets and had countless notes pages on my phone about the different options, different routes, different costs, schools, countries, licenses, medicals... the list is endless of things to know and the list of answers was...we'll say... not endless. From my personal experience the people who you know in the job will be the most help at the start, even though a lot of what they will say will be expired information (flight schools going bust, schools not offering the same courses, pricing differences, changes in licensing rules etc..) they will be able to point you in the right direction and relevant questions you can ask to the flying schools.
I was lucky to know a first officer in EasyJet who is my cousins friend, so he helped me massively with connections, and things I should know before starting. I also know a Virgin Atlantic captain who is a family friend and so he offered the opportunity to fly an A320 simulator in Gatwick which was so much fun and a really good way to see if this is something you want to do (if you are lucky enough to get the opportunity)! Once I had started looking into this career and realising all the different routes into it I went for a trial flight lesson at a local flying school. Within the Surrey, South East England area (which is where I am from) there were a couple different options, BlackBushe Aviation, White Waltham Airfield (West London Aero Club), Booker Aviation, Synergy Aviation (Fairoaks flight centre). These are just a few options of schools that you could look at that offer the PPL course.
For me, the easiest and best option was to start a PPL course at my local airfield because, if for whatever reason I didn't enjoy it my parents had 'only' paid £10,000 (at the school I went to) compared to paying for a full flight training course that costs upwards of £95,000 (as of 2026). I'm actually really glad that we decided to do this because flying at my local airfield was convenient and I really enjoyed it. Learning to fly with no pressure in that kind of environment was really good for me and helped me to find a love for the flying. (speaking from hindsight, having no pressure to reach certain flying milestones definitely would be my preferred way to learn, because in a school the pressure to keep up with course mates is crazy).
I completed about 27 hours with my local school before starting Virgin Atlantic as cabin crew and it just wasn't working anymore with me trying to fit in flying lessons whilst also being full time cabin crew with unpredictable rosters. My school were amazing and we did manage to get about £7000 refunded from the total course. It was in no way a set back for me though because the intention of starting to fly was to ensure I liked it and really wanted to do it full time and also have the dedication to put into a career. On top of all of this getting a job as crew at Virgin was arguably the best first hand experience for my future career. Its at times like this where I truly believe everything happens for a reason 🙂
(complete transparency; it took me a few weeks to be happy with 'quitting' on my PPL as I was disappointed that I had started something and not finished it. However writing this now I am really happy with the decision I made and incredibly lucky to have called Virgin my full time job)
Whilst I was at Virgin Atlantic I started looking into flying schools and the best way to afford it and best option. I spoke with a lot of flight crew, discussing the options and asking for their opinions. A lot of what they told me was expired info since they all completed their flight training 20 or so years ago. However at the time of me talking to this one First Officer, my plan was to save 1/3rd of the total course cost (roughly £35,000) and with a full time job it would have taken me about 3 years as I live at home and fortunate not to pay any bills. Without getting into the specifics of it, this First Officer told me 'if you have the finances between your parents to be able to afford it, just go for it. You will be saving up for a while to even start your training and a lot of people become cabin crew and then never leave because of the addictive lifestyle'. This was the best advice I had received at the time. I took that with me and it was after that trip that as a family we decided my parents were happy to pay the integrated course fee for me to start training in 2025.
I was looking at schools and then saw Pilot Careers Live being advertised, so my dad and I went to Heathrow Airport to take a look. I had no idea what it was and so I was going in blind to the whole thing. It was really good exposure to all the different elements that go into this career. They had stands for class 1 medicals, European and UK flying licenses and lots of different schools advertising. The first time I visited I was just getting a 'feel' for what was involved, however I went a second time with questions and a more specific goal in mind to look at a few schools. This is where I found Leading Edge and I was talking to them about training. The one major thing that sold me on this school was the cost of the course and what was included. As a quick run down of what Leading Edge offer and what is included ;
- - full uniform
- - training materials including ipad
- - room only accomodation
- - landing fees
- - ground school exam fees
- - skills tests
At the time of me signing my agreement with Leading Edge my course fee was quoted at £111,250. However as part of the integrated course you get the option to complete a BCS honors through Buckinghamshire New University so this will allow you to apply for student finance, which will reduce the total cost of the course.
When you are looking for a flying school its best to shop around and see what each school is offering and what you will be getting for your money. For me Leading Edge offered the most for the cost and so that was the overriding reason I chose them. I suggest booking a few open days at a couple of schools to see their facilities and to get an idea of the students who are there and the instructors, etc..
If you are at the early stages of discovering this career I would also suggest following some Instagram accounts to get an idea of the career and what you can expect starting out. Visit my resources page to see some of the pages I think you should follow. I will also be writing more posts on the specifics of each stage and how to get your first class 1 medical, as well as some of the things to be aware of that flying schools won't necessarily tell you!