Modular and integrated path

professional pilot: how?

Before starting the description of the courses for commercial airplane and helicopter pilots, it is necessary to delve into an important topic: the difference between modular and integrated courses.

These types of courses are intended for those who want to become professional pilots and lead to obtaining the commercial pilot license by following two extremely different paths from each other, while arriving at the same final result. We want to start mentioning it here to then lighten the tutorial of commercial licenses a little, which is already quite complex in itself.

The differences

The modular course is the one that, once you have obtained the private pilot license, through a ladder of well-defined modules (which will be explained in detail in the next tutorial), allows you to reach the final phase of training and be able to present yourself for the final exam to obtain the commercial pilot license.

The integrated course, on the other hand, allows you to start a course for professionals without any entry prerequisites, without going through the private pilot license and without completing the various modules, thus arriving at the final exam through a series of continuous phases to be concluded without discontinuity in a single school.

Now let’s try to compare the two courses to give you an idea of ​​what you need to evaluate when choosing your professional path.

The time

The first aspect concerns the “time issue”: the modular course offers you the possibility of “breaking up” the training over time, allowing you to make the necessary decisions more calmly. For example, you can obtain the Private Pilot license and after 2 years continue with the second phase, interrupt again and after another 2 years integrate another module, thus following a more relaxed path (perhaps graduating in the meantime, finding a job that can help you finance these courses and self-regulate your aeronautical life with the rest).

The integrated course, on the other hand, has time limits within which you must complete the entire path: 24 months or 36 months depending on the specific course you choose (in the next tutorials you will see the various options) and once started it must be completed otherwise you run the risk of losing all the credits, since there are no intermediate qualifications.

The difficulties

The second aspect concerns the difficulty: the modular course allows you to proceed gradually through increasingly difficult steps, starting with the PPL license and then proceeding with professional training; this allows you to better digest the knowledge and create a solid starting point for your career.

For the integrated course it is necessary to have at least some of the theoretical knowledge previously acquired, because entering a classroom where lessons for professionals will be held is not trivial.

THE COMMITMENT

As for the commitment: a modular course, which can also be spread over several years, can also be done by those who work, while the integrated course is a course to which you must apply full time to stay within the pre-established time limits.

The costs

Then it’s time to tackle the economic part: for aircraft pilots, both courses cost more or less the same if you want to complete the course including all the qualifications needed to enter the world of work (in the next tutorial everything will be explained in detail).

For helicopter pilots, however, the difference is a bit more significant because it derives from the types of aircraft that are used for one course or the other. However, beyond the differences, even if they are quite significant, the most important discriminant is the timing of the payments because for the integrated one it is necessary to have the entire amount available in the 24 or 36 months of the duration of the course, while the modular one can then adjust it according to your availability.

Recap

In summary, when a student has to choose what type of course to attend, it is necessary to cross these parameters:

• financial availability,
• previous aeronautical knowledge,
• availability of time to attend the course,
• total time to spend,
• qualifications that you want to achieve,
• minimum experience you want to achieve.

We cannot tell you that one type of path is better than the other, but it is necessary that you pay attention to your needs, weighing the advice and evaluating the parameters.

THE CHOICE

In conclusion: choose the integrated path only if you already have some aeronautical experience (high school, university or other licenses) and you want to finish everything in the shortest time possible to start your career as soon as possible. Remember that you will have to attend full-time and have the entire amount of the path aside, to pay everything within the expected terms.

If instead you want to start as a complete neophyte, you have to continue working to support yourself and you want to spread the path over several years also for economic reasons, then it is better if you choose the modular one.

CHANGE FROM ONE PATH TO ANOTHER

In any case, the parameters that we have recommended do not derive from the legislation, so you can also decide not to follow them, however if you think you have chosen the wrong path or if you want to at least try one of the two because you are undecided: keep in mind that you can change from one path to the other, within certain time and flight hour limits, without additional costs.

If you have obtained a PPL and want to switch to an integrated one, not all flight hours will be recognized, but if you want to switch from an integrated to a modular one (therefore initially going back to a PPL) the flight school will have to evaluate the practical activity carried out and agree on an ad hoc flight program (if you have done about ten hours of flight, probably all of them will be recognized entirely because the initial syllabi are very similar, but then the missions will be evaluated maneuver by maneuver).

Now that you have understood this fundamental difference, we can go into detail about these two courses, both for future airplane and helicopter pilots.

If you have any questions or curiosities, fill out the info request form.