If you are thinking about becoming a pilot, one of the first questions you may have is:
“Where do I start?”
The answer is usually much simpler than people expect.
At Moorabbin Aviation Services (MAS), students can begin with a trial flight and, if they decide that flying is for them, progress through the appropriate stages of flight training towards a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL).
The important thing to understand is that becoming a commercial pilot is not one giant step. It is a progression of skills, knowledge and experience.
You start by learning the fundamentals of flying, develop your ability to operate independently, build navigation and operational skills, and eventually progress to the higher standards required for commercial flying.
For many students, the pathway looks broadly like:
Trial Flight → Recreational Pilot Licence (RPL) → Private Pilot Licence (PPL) → CPL training → Commercial Pilot Licence
However, the exact pathway and timing will depend on your goals, previous experience and how you progress through your training.
Step 1: Start With a Trial Flight
For most people, the first step is simply to experience flying.
A trial flight gives you the opportunity to sit in a light aircraft, meet an instructor and experience what it is actually like to fly an aeroplane.
Your instructor will explain the aircraft and its controls before taking you through the basics in the air.
Depending on the flight, you may even have the opportunity to operate some of the controls yourself under the instructor’s supervision.
A trial flight is not an examination or assessment.
It is an opportunity to discover whether flying is something you genuinely enjoy.
This is important because pilot training requires commitment, study, time and financial investment.
There is no need to make a decision about becoming a commercial pilot before you have even experienced flying.
Try flying first. Then decide where you want to go.
Step 2: Begin Your Pilot Training With the RPL
If you decide that you want to continue, your formal flight training can begin.
For many students, the Recreational Pilot Licence (RPL) is the first licence stage.
The RPL introduces you to the fundamental skills required to safely operate an aircraft.
You will learn things such as:
- Aircraft controls
- Straight and level flight
- Climbs and descents
- Turns
- Take-offs
- Landings
- Circuit procedures
- Radio procedures
- Basic navigation
- Aviation safety
- Emergency procedures
- Relevant aviation theory
One of the most exciting milestones during early training is your first solo flight.
Your instructor will only send you solo when they are satisfied that you have developed the necessary skills and demonstrated that you can safely operate the aircraft in the circumstances involved.
Your first solo is an important moment in every pilot’s training.
For the first time, you are sitting in the aircraft without your instructor beside you — but with all the training and preparation that has led up to it.
Step 3: Progress Towards Your PPL
The RPL provides the foundation, but many students want greater freedom and capability.
The next stage is the Private Pilot Licence (PPL).
The PPL develops your flying skills and, importantly, introduces more extensive navigation and cross-country flying.
This is where your flying starts to move beyond simply learning how to fly the aircraft and towards learning how to plan and conduct a flight from one place to another.
You will develop skills in areas such as:
- Cross-country navigation
- Flight planning
- Weather assessment
- Airspace
- Aircraft performance
- Fuel planning
- Radio procedures
- Navigation techniques
- Emergency procedures
- Pilot decision-making
You will also gain experience flying to different locations and dealing with the practical considerations involved in conducting a flight away from your home airport.
The PPL is a valuable licence in its own right.
It allows you to fly for private purposes and gives you considerably greater freedom than an RPL.
However, if your ultimate goal is to become a professional pilot, the PPL is also an important step towards the CPL.
Step 4: Continue Building Your Skills and Experience
Becoming a commercial pilot is not simply about passing a series of tests.
You need to develop the flying skills, knowledge, judgement and experience required to operate to a professional standard.
As you progress towards the CPL, your training becomes more demanding.
You will be expected to fly more accurately, plan more thoroughly and demonstrate a much deeper understanding of the aircraft and its operation.
Your instructor will gradually transfer more responsibility to you.
Rather than simply being told what to do, you will increasingly be expected to:
- Prepare your own flights
- Assess weather
- Calculate aircraft performance
- Plan fuel requirements
- Understand airspace
- Make operational decisions
- Identify potential risks
- Respond appropriately to changing circumstances
- Conduct flights with greater independence
This gradual development is an important part of becoming a professional pilot.
Step 5: Start Your Commercial Pilot Licence Training
The Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) is the major step from private flying towards a professional aviation career.
A CPL allows you to exercise commercial pilot privileges, subject to the relevant licence conditions, ratings and operational requirements.
This opens the door to professional flying careers such as:
- Flight instruction
- Charter operations
- Scenic flights
- Freight operations
- Aerial work
- Regional airline flying
- Corporate aviation
- Specialist aviation operations
- Eventually, airline flying
The CPL standard is considerably higher than simply being able to fly an aircraft safely for private purposes.
Your training will focus heavily on precision, consistency, planning, procedures and professional decision-making.
Step 6: Advanced Dual Flight Training With Your Instructor
As you progress through CPL training, you will undertake more advanced dual flight training with your instructor.
This is where you refine your flying to the standard expected of a commercial pilot.
Your instructor will work with you on areas such as:
- More precise aircraft handling
- Advanced navigation
- Flight planning
- Aircraft performance
- Emergency procedures
- Commercial operating considerations
- Instrument-related skills
- Decision-making
- Situational awareness
- Professional operating standards
The instructor’s role also changes as you progress.
Early in your training, the instructor may provide very direct guidance.
As your competence develops, the instructor increasingly allows you to make the decisions and conduct the flight yourself.
The objective is not simply to make you capable of following instructions.
It is to develop your ability to think, plan and operate as a pilot.
Step 7: Build Your Solo Hours
An important part of progressing towards a CPL is building the required solo and pilot-in-command experience.
This is another reason why flight training is a gradual process.
You cannot simply complete a few lessons and immediately become a commercial pilot.
You need to develop experience operating the aircraft independently.
For the CPL pathway, the experience requirements include substantial solo or pilot-in-command flying. In the Australian training system, the minimum CPL requirements include 70 hours as pilot in command, subject to the applicable licensing pathway and regulations.
This solo flying is valuable because it gives you experience making decisions and managing flights without an instructor sitting beside you.
You learn from the experience of actually operating the aircraft.
Step 8: Complete Your CPL Theory
Flying skills are only one part of becoming a professional pilot.
You also need a strong understanding of aviation theory.
Depending on your training pathway, CPL theory will cover areas such as:
- Navigation
- Meteorology
- Aerodynamics
- Aircraft systems
- Human factors
- Performance
- Flight planning
- Aviation law
- Operational procedures
Theory and flying complement each other.
For example, learning about aircraft performance becomes much more meaningful when you apply it to an actual flight.
Learning about meteorology becomes more practical when you are using weather information to decide whether and how to conduct a flight.
Learning navigation becomes far more relevant when you are planning and conducting your own cross-country flight.
This combination of classroom knowledge and practical application is fundamental to pilot training.
Step 9: Complete Your CPL Flight Test
Once your instructor considers you ready, you can progress towards the CPL flight test.
This is a significant milestone.
The flight test assesses whether you have reached the required commercial pilot standard.
It is not simply a test of whether you can take off, fly around and land an aeroplane.
You need to demonstrate the required level of knowledge, aircraft control, planning, procedures, navigation, decision-making and overall competence.
Your instructor will spend considerable time preparing you for this stage.
The objective is not merely to get you through a test.
It is to ensure that you are genuinely ready to operate as a commercial pilot.
Step 10: You Have Your CPL, But Your Pilot Career Is Just Beginning
Obtaining your CPL is a major achievement, but it is important to understand what happens afterwards.
A newly qualified commercial pilot does not generally walk straight into a major airline cockpit.
Professional pilot careers are built progressively.
After obtaining a CPL, many pilots continue developing their qualifications and experience.
Depending on their career objectives, this might include:
- Multi-engine training
- Instrument Rating
- Flight instructor training
- Additional aircraft endorsements or ratings
- Further theory examinations
- Building flight experience
- Applying for entry-level commercial positions
For someone whose ultimate objective is an airline career, the CPL is therefore an important foundation rather than the final qualification.
How Long Does the Whole Pathway Take?
There is no single answer.
The time required depends on several factors, including:
- Whether you train full-time or part-time
- How frequently you fly
- Weather
- Aircraft availability
- Instructor availability
- Your progress
- How much time you dedicate to theory and self-study
- Whether you have previous flying experience
A student who flies regularly and treats training as a major commitment will generally progress differently from someone who flies only occasionally.
This is one reason we recommend maintaining a regular training routine wherever possible.
Flying once every few weeks can make it difficult to maintain continuity and may mean that more time is spent revising previous skills.
Regular training helps you retain what you have learned and allows each lesson to build on the previous one.
Your Training Won’t Follow a Perfectly Straight Line
It is also important to understand that flight training is not always a simple sequence where you complete one item and immediately move to the next.
You may need additional practice in one area before progressing.
Your instructor might decide that you need more circuit experience before moving on to navigation.
You may need additional practice with a particular exercise.
Weather may prevent a planned flight.
An aircraft may be unavailable.
You may also find that some areas come naturally while others require considerably more work.
This is completely normal.
The objective is competence, not simply moving through a checklist.
A good flight school will progress you when you are ready rather than rushing you through training simply to meet a timetable.
What Happens If You Decide You Don’t Want to Become a Commercial Pilot?
The pathway does not have to lead all the way to a CPL.
You may start with a trial flight, discover that you love flying and decide that you want to fly privately.
In that case, you might complete your RPL and continue to a PPL.
The PPL itself can provide years of enjoyment.
You can use it to fly for private purposes, take friends and family flying, explore Australia from the air and continue developing your aviation skills.
Alternatively, you may discover that you want to pursue aviation professionally.
That’s when the CPL pathway becomes relevant.
This flexibility is one of the advantages of starting with a trial flight and progressing one stage at a time.
From First Flight to Professional Pilot
The journey from your first flight to a commercial pilot licence can seem daunting when you look at the entire pathway at once.
But you don’t need to achieve everything on day one.
You start by learning the basics.
Then you develop your skills.
You fly solo.
You learn navigation.
You obtain your RPL.
You progress towards your PPL.
You build experience.
You undertake advanced training.
You complete your CPL theory and practical requirements.
And eventually, you can hold a Commercial Pilot Licence.
At each stage, you develop more knowledge, more experience and more responsibility.
Trial Flight → RPL → PPL → CPL
That is the basic pathway — but your individual journey will be determined by your goals, experience and progress.
Ready to Take the First Step?
If becoming a pilot is something you have been thinking about, you don’t need to commit to an entire career before you know whether flying is right for you.
Start with a trial flight.
Talk to an instructor.
Experience flying from Moorabbin Airport.
Then decide where you want to go.
At Moorabbin Aviation Services, we can help you understand the different licence options and develop a training pathway that suits your goals, whether you want to fly for fun, obtain your PPL or ultimately pursue a professional pilot career.
Your CPL journey starts with your first flight.
Contact MAS to find out how you can get started.