I recently posted a 'Hot Topic Tuesday' to my Instagram and TikTok talking about the things I would do differently if I had a redo at flight school. If you want to watch the original video click here to visit my Instagram and see the video. This is a continuation of the main points I made in that video along with explanations as to why I made those points. If you happen to be making a decision about flying school maybe some of these points will help you out, as a PSA these are individual reasons to myself and I'm aware that this won't be everyone's story.

Ok so with that out the way and with reference to my video, the first point I made was that I would choose modular over integrated. For anyone not up to speed, I am currently on the integrated programme with Leading Edge Aviation. At the time of deciding I was mainly considering the ground school aspect of training as I knew that would be the hardest part for me. I didn't realise that flying schools offer the ground school programme just the same as the integrated programme. This means that in my class there were students on the modular programme, so they complete ground school with us and then they go off and do the flying separately on their own. Had I realised this at the time I would have chosen to do this, my main worry was if I had to complete ground school on my own it would never get completed because I need the discipline of a school setting. To further add to this I find the environment of flight school in general quite competitive, which for me was not helpful. I constantly felt behind and not clever enough to be in the same rooms. I find it hard to enjoy where I am at currently because it is always 'whats the next thing' and its hard not to get wrapped up in that mindset, especially when everyone around you is progressing. This is another reason going modular would have been more beneficial for me,I don't always do my best in a competitive environment and equally being surrounded by people all doing the same thing; it can be helpful to discuss trials and tribulations, but its also tiring to be around the same type of people. I really enjoy talking to different people in different jobs and finding out about what they do.

Of course a massive reason people choose modular is the 'affordability' of it. You can work whilst training as it isn't a full time course. This is another reason I would choose this route. I didn't realise how not working would be so hard. I know how ridiculous that sounds but as someone who loved their job I find it very hard to sit still and just be in Spain for flying. Considering the lack of flying in Spain at the moment its hard to have no other purpose. I would love to get a part time job to give me something to do and to have other people to talk to.

Something else I mentioned in my video was to go out a bit more often. During ground school I only went out probably at most a handful of times. I thought that if I went out on Friday night I would be missing out on a night of revision, plus the next day if I got drunk! Looking back now a night out every so often would have been good for me, to get out of the stressful environment, and also a mini reset at the end of the week. I always saw it as a 'waste of a night of revision' however I think it would have meant that the other 6 days of revision would have been more productive. Towards the end of ground school I really burnt myself out, revising constantly and it made me really hate it. I did not enjoy the ground school experience and I think this was a big reason why. I didn't socialise much outside of the academy and I was just trying to survive everyday. My best advice as someone who struggled through ground school would be to take a night off every now and then. You will probably thank yourself for it because you will be more locked in to the work.

In the same vein as the point above would be to visit home more frequently than I did. During my 6 months in Oxford I think I went home 4 times. I didn't want to go home because I wouldn't do any productive revision, however in hindsight it would have been good to get out of the ground school bubble that is so consuming. Even just to see my home friends for a day would have been better than nothing, but again, I was so worried that I was missing out on valuable revision time. Also on this point; I felt really guilty for doing anything other than revising, to the point that even though I was not doing the most productive revision I would still sit at my laptop for hours. Unfortunately the act of revising only works if you are actually covering topics you need to work on, not just doing the same easy questions over and over :/

Other than that integrated has been good, its an easy option due to the fact that I don't have to sort out my own training plan. Of course I am in the privledged position that I can afford this course, however let this be a sign to you that just because it is more expensive it doesn't mean its automatically better. It is definietly the more convienient option, but for me the environment was not the most conducive to feeling successful throughout each step.

This will be a more personal post that reflects the things I wish I knew before starting. You may not agree with some or any of the points I make and thats ok, everyone's story is different and everyone has their own perspective looking back. 

Ok so now I have addressed this; onto the things I wish someone would have told me before embarking on this chapter of life. My first thing is that comparison will be the death of you. Truly this is something that I still have a hard time with now, but during ground school I think this would have been the reason I would have given up and left. I always felt like the person who knew nothing, after a lesson we would all go into the communal space to grab a drink and people would be talking about what was just covered and I wanted to be anywhere else but that room. I could never add anything to those conversations because everyone seemed like they knew so much more than me. I eventually took myself out of these situations and stopped engaging with it because it made me feel really crappy. Looking back now my best advice for you would be to trust in yourself that you know what is going on. Just because everyone else is testing eachother or discussing certain things it doesn't mean you need to get involved, but it also doesn't mean you don't know anything. I often felt like I didn't belong in those spaces and it was something I had to tell myself that we all went through the same interview process and that I belong in this space just as much as everyone else.

On this point my next piece of advice for you would be to make a solid couple of friends. During my groundschool experience I had about 5 different friends from my class. It turns out for one reason or another this became a toxic environment, which I am no longer involved in. However I would say now, having just a couple of really good friends is so much better than being part of a gossipy big group. During a setting like ground school this is hard because you will see the same people everyday and you are in close quarters with the same people, so you may feel its easier to just go along with what everyone else is doing. I'm not going to say to isolate yourself and not join in but just be aware, that sometimes those groups of people don't have the best intentions and they get through by rumours and gossip. Personally for me if they are talking about others they will be speaking about me in the same way.

I know I can't be the only one who feels like I knew nothing leaving the classroom after a full day of learning. So often I would go back to my accomodation and feel like WTH did I learn today. Again, trust yourself that you did absorb some things. That is a good starting point and you do know bits and pieces. I felt really overwhelmed with feeling like I knew nothing. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm sitting in Spain with all 13 exams passed so I clearly knew something! I felt like I stressed myself out because I was so fixated on 'not knowing anything', honestly that took so much of my brain power for no reason. If you are sitting in this feeling I would say to not worry about this too much (I know this is easier said than done). I would answer practise questions which helped me actually see that I have learnt something and I'm not completely useless x

One thing I wish I had done a bit more of was take a few hours away from revising everyday. I very rarely took time out and its because I am slower to pick up new concepts so I would be going over things a lot more and in more detail to understand it. However I feel like in the long run I burnt myself out. I will say that a major reason for not taking time away was because I felt really guilty for not revising. I knew I had so much work to do that if I wasn't sitting at my desk studying I was wasting time. I feel a lot of people can share in this feeling and it was why I rarely did anything after a day of ground school lessons. Hindsight is a great thing and I think I should have definietly taken a friday night off to chill and relax a bit. I ended up really hating my time in groundschool and I think this is a big reason why.

The last thing I wish someone told me is to just think of the next day. Not the big picture. I understand this will be different for everyone and some people need to see the end goal to feel like what they are doing is worth something. However I honestly didn't think I would make it to Spain because I struggled with ground school and I felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and for something to happen meaning I failed something, and wasn't going to Spain. For this reason I never thought about 'life in Spain' or the flying phase; 1. this stage feels so far away in the midst of ground school and 2. I coudn't see any further ahead than tomorrow or the next day. Anytime someone spoke about Spain I would not pay any attention because it just didn't apply to me, and I didn't want to think about that stage when I was so far from it. I remember when I passed all my exams and I was actually getting my visa for Spain, it fully looked like someone had just sprung this idea of Spain onto me. I couldn't believe it was actually happening until I was on the flight out, because I kept thinking something would happen or they would realise I hadn't passed all my exams. Some delusional thought like that. Jumpscare to me. I made it to Spain, haha.

What is a class 1 medical, how do I get one, do I need an EASA or UK medical, what are the differences between the numbers of medicals. These are just a few of the questions I had when I was learning about the things I needed before starting a career as a pilot. Firstly I want to say that I would highly suggest getting a medical done before starting training because in the rare case you struggle to get this medical at least you wouldn't have spent £100,000 on a training course.

What is a class 1 medical?
- It is the highest level of aviation medical certificate required for professional pilots. If you want to fly commerically you will need to aquire one of this. There are different types of medicals depending on what country you are in, for the UK and for a UK only license you will need a CAA class 1 medical, if you are based in Europe within the EU you will likely need an EASA class 1 medical. For anyone based in the UK it is a bit complex due to Brexit; if you only want to fly from the UK on 'G' registered aircrafts you will only need a CAA UK medical, however if you are based in the UK flying any other aircraft that is not 'G' registered you will need an EASA and UK medical. To keep it simple a 'G' registered aircraft just means it is licensed as a UK aircraft, similar to driving a car with a UK number plate. I have a whole other post talking about the differences between EASA and UK if you want a more in depth explanation.

How do I obtain a class 1 medical?

- There are different aviation medical centres you can visit that will be able to conduct a class 1 medical, it cannot be completed through your GP. When I did my initial class 1 medical I visited Heathrow Medical based near to Heathrow Airport as it was a convenient location. I got my initial medical done whilst flying at my local airfield during 2023. When I visited the Heathrow Medical website the price quoted was £650 for the initial (in 2023). I booked an appointment via the website and they told me everything I needed to bring with me, such as my full medical history and because I wear glasses I needed to bring my current glasses as well as the prescription from my opticians. Heathrow Medical have significantly increased their prices for an initial class 1, as of May 2026 they are quoting £957 for an initial UK class 1. Something to note is that if anything comes up during your appointment you will need to cover the cost of any referrals. As was the case for me I needed a referral for more specific testing and this has to be conducted via the contacts they provide which is through private healthcare. My initial medical ended up costing me £1050 due to this extras.

Another place I have visited for my medical is called CentreLine Aviation Medical Services. They charge £984 for an initial UK class 1 medical but they have a few different locations so this could be more convenient for you. I have visited their location in central London for my renewal and I will definitely be going back due to the price difference for the renewal appointments.

What can I expect at my Initial appointment?

Having to get a class 1 can be stressful depending on your medical history. But below is a list of what is included in the price. Something to note is that for a renewal medical not all of these tests are completed. The initial medical took me probably 2 hours (a lot of waiting around). The blood test for me was just a finger prick test so nothing to worry about! Due to me having a glasses prescription the vision assessment took a bit longer and they signed me off with the note that I need to wear my glasses whilst flying.
- It typically includes:
Full medical history review
Physical examination
ECG (heart function test)
Audiogram (hearing test)
Vision and eye health assessment
Lung function testing
Blood and urine tests
Depending on the licence authority (CAA, EASA) the process may vary.

My initial was completed at Heathrow Medical. I needed my full medical history and because I didn't provide the full unredacted medical record they couldn't complete the full process, so I had to go back to my GP surgery and write a letter explaining what I needed and why. It was a nightmare and my GP surgery made it so difficult, however Heathrow Medical just said to me that once I got the correct records I could email it over to them for the doctor to review. My best advice to you would be to ask your GP for the 'full, unredacted medical history'.

What are the different classes of medical?

- When you are looking to book your appointment you will see options for initial UK, EASA (maybe FAA as well) class 1 medical, UK class 2 and 3, EASA class 2 and 3, and maybe even cabin crew medicals.
Class 1 is the highest standard needed for commerical pilots
Class 2 is needed if you have a PPL or if you are a private pilot (not being paid to fly passengers, recreational flying).
Class 3  is for Air traffic controllers mainly
Cabin crew medicals are needed by the airlines for all cabin crew

What is an EASA and UK medical?
- They are conducted in a similar way but they are issued by different aviation authorities. A UK medical is issued under the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). An EASA medical is issued under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

The requirements for an EASA medical are the same as the UK requirements, so if you can pass one you can pass the other. I only have a UK CAA medical however many people I know carry both the EASA and UK medicals. For me there wasn't much point getting an EASA medical because I can't see myself working for a non UK airline and equally I don't have the unrestricted right to live and work within Europe. Some people have both purely to keep all their options open in terms of an airline job, so really the decision is up to you if you want to get both or just the UK CAA medical.

Once you have successfully got your initial class 1 medical you will need to get it renewed every year. When I got my initial done I didn't get it renewed the following year, purely because I was getting a PPL and I only needed a class 2 medical for this. If you let your class 1 medical expire it will lapse into a class 2 medical, and all you need to do is get it renewed, and you can book this online at your chosen aviation medical practise. You will see two different options: renewal or revalidation. A revalidation happens before your medical expires so your class 1 is continuously active. A renewal happens after your medical has already expired. So it was a class 1 and then it has dropped down to a class 2 medical, and so you book a renewal to bring it back up to a class 1. I let my first class 1 lapse to a class 2 and so I booked a renewal appointment, which really isn't much different to a revalidation in my experience, its more for paperwork purposes. And then for the rest of your career as a pilot you will need to revalidate your class 1 medical every year. Hence why its important to look after your physical health as a commerical pilot.