If you are seriously considering becoming an airline pilot then you are probably aware that there are a multitude of options to consider at every turn, with various routes available to achieve your licences, and different types of courses through which you can acquire the relevant skills and knowledge. Of the many questions concerning commercial pilot training, one of the most common often asked is: “Should I go to University and do a degree, or should I go directly into pilot training?”.

When searching for the answer, so much depends on one’s own circumstances. Also, the airline industry is very cyclical, and it might be a good time to take advantage of the current industry upturn and commence your training. On the other hand, having a degree does create an important element of security for the future, as it may provide other options should there be a downturn in the industry.

However, there is a third way.

On the whole, there is no hard and fast rule. Just do your research. However, there is a third way. You can still go to Uni and get a degree but now you can do commercial pilot training as part of the degree. Here are two examples – both of which involve commercial pilot training delivered by Cabair – known worldwide for its high quality airline pilot training, and, as an important supplier of new pilots to major airlines. Cabair have a number of flying schools – seven around the London orbital – and several affiliate schools in Spain, the USA, Canada and the Middle East.

Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College (BCUC) offer - through their School of Sport, Leisure and Travel - a BA (Hons) Air Transport with Commercial Pilot Training. This highly innovative Honours Degree enrolled a record number of students in September 2005 (37), which is believed to be the largest group to start a pilot training programme together in the UK. However, this number was then surpassed the following year when 54 Trainee Pilot Students enrolled onto the Course in September 2006.

Areas of study during the first year will include an Introduction to the Air Transport Industry itself, Health, Safety and Security for Airlines and Airports, Airline and Airport Ground Handling, and Airline and Airport Marketing. The remainder of the first year will involve gaining a Private Pilot Licence (PPL). Practical flight training for the PPL is done at both Denham Airfield in the UK and Orlando Flight Training (OFT) in sunny Kissimmee, Florida.

In year two, provided you have passed all academic modules, obtained your PPL and gained a Class 1 Medical Certificate from the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) you can commence training for your Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL). The first six months will be at Cabair’s European Pilot Training Academy in Bournemouth or Cabair College of Air Training, Cranfield, studying the ATPL Theoretical Knowledge – ground school. In year three, the Trainee Pilot Students complete their Honours Degree before finally obtaining their frozen ATPL with Cabair at Cranfield or Bournemouth.

Kingston University offer – through their faculty of Engineering – a Foundation Degree in Aviation Studies with an optional one-year or part-time BSc (Hons) in Aviation Studies. This exciting new course, which commences in September 2007, is designed to provide you with a broad base of knowledge and help you gain employment within aviation - and in particular - the airline industry. It also aims to provide not only a suitable progression route to an honours degree programme, but the educational base for the ground school phase of commercial pilot programmes and the opportunity to progress with professional pilot flight training to achieve an ATPL.

For those who feel that three years is too long to wait to commence pilot training, here is an excellent opportunity to complete the foundation course and the ATPL in two years, gain employment with an airline, then complete the BSc (Hons) top-up once established as a First Officer – in your own time.

Areas of study for the foundation degree are very much based around the Theoretical Knowledge Syllabus for the ATPL, but include wider studies in engineering and science relevant to the commercial pilot.

The ground school will take place in either Bournemouth or Cranfield, the basic flight training in Orlando Florida and the remaining commercial pilot training in the UK at one of Cabair’s flying schools.

So there you have it: two similar – though quite different – routes to becoming an airline pilot. Both offer a unique opportunity to have the best of both worlds – airline pilot training AND a university degree. Something to keep both yourselves and your parents happy!