Start with curiosity. Build a plan.
Whether you’re exploring flying for yourself or supporting someone who is, a first flight is a good place to begin. The right path depends on your interests, age, medical eligibility, education and whether you want to fly for enjoyment or as a career.
Waterford Aero Club can help with the first steps and explain where club training fits. Airline, MPL and military programmes are delivered through their own approved organisations and selection processes.
Compare the main routes.
Integrated, modular and MPL describe training pathways. A cadetship is a selection and support arrangement which can use one of those pathways. The Air Corps is a military career.
A continuous programme
A structured course at an approved training organisation, usually undertaken full time. The school coordinates the stages towards the commercial and instrument qualifications.
Consider: the pace, relocation, included qualifications, training capacity and payment schedule.
Questions to askBuild it in stages
Typically start with a PPL, then build the required experience and complete professional theory, commercial, instrument and multi-crew training in a planned sequence.
Consider: flexibility around study or work, continuity, exam validity and who coordinates the overall plan.
See the stagesTrain for a multi-crew role
The Multi-crew Pilot Licence is an airline-linked, competency-based route designed around co-pilot duties in multi-pilot aeroplanes, with substantial simulator training.
Consider: the airline relationship and what happens if training or employment plans change. PPL and CPL privileges are not automatically included in an MPL.
Questions to askA selected airline pathway
Airlines may recruit cadets into funded, partly funded or self-funded training arrangements. The term “cadet” does not itself mean free training or unconditional employment.
Consider: selection stages, who pays, repayment conditions and the exact wording of any job offer.
Check official programmesFlying as a military career
Successful pilot cadets undertake military officer and flying training. This is a commitment to service, leadership and military duties, with competitive selection and specific medical and entry standards.
Consider: the current competition’s terms, service commitment and the military role itself. It is not a shortcut to a civilian airline job.
See Air Corps informationWhat a modular journey can look like.
Explore flying and the medical requirements
Try an introductory flight and discuss the career goal. For a professional route, arrange advice on an initial Class 1 medical with an authorised aeromedical centre before making substantial training commitments.
Learn to fly: PPL(A)
Build aircraft handling, navigation, planning and safe decision-making. The club recommends PPL for students aiming at a professional route.
Explore PPL trainingBuild experience and professional knowledge
Plan the required PIC and cross-country experience, night qualification and ATPL theory. The order and prerequisites need to be coordinated with the chosen professional training organisation.
Explore hour buildingComplete professional qualifications
Complete the appropriate commercial pilot and instrument training, usually including multi-engine qualifications for an airline goal. Advanced upset prevention and recovery training and multi-crew cooperation training form part of the route to the relevant first multi-pilot type rating; airlines may require APS MCC.
Apply, qualify on type and gain experience
Airline selection, an aircraft type rating and operator training are further stages. Completion of training does not guarantee a job. A full ATPL follows once all experience and licensing requirements are met.
This is an orientation, not a mandatory order for every student. Integrated and MPL programmes organise their training differently.
Help them prepare without rushing.
School, skills and interests
Encourage steady work in maths, physics and English, along with communication, teamwork and good study habits. A degree is not a universal licensing requirement, but individual schemes set their own educational criteria.
Keep other education and career options open while exploring flying. Recreational flying is also a worthwhile goal in its own right.
Age, readiness and support
Under EASA rules, aeroplane solo flight starts no earlier than 16, and PPL or LAPL issue no earlier than 17. Club introductory experiences currently start at 14. Discuss readiness and arrangements for under-18s with us.
Parents should use their own contact details for an initial enquiry. There is no need to send a child’s personal or medical information through this website.
Questions to ask before committing.
- Which authority approves the organisation and this specific course? Which licence and ratings will the student actually hold at the end?
- What is included in the quoted total: extra hours, exams and re-sits, accommodation, travel, equipment, type rating and operator training?
- Are payments staged? What happens if training is delayed, the student withdraws or the provider ceases trading?
- What aircraft, instructors and simulator capacity are available, and how are interruptions handled?
- What medical and academic standards apply? What support is available if the student struggles?
- Is an airline offer conditional, and what assessments, repayment obligations or work-rights requirements remain?
- For an MPL or cadet scheme, what happens if the airline relationship changes? What additional training would be needed to move to another route?
- For the Air Corps, what service obligations and military duties are part of the commitment?
Check the current official information.
Examples are provided for orientation, not as club endorsements or claims of current vacancies. Intake dates, funding and entry terms change; check each programme’s own announcement. No airline or military partnership is implied.
Where the club can help.
Start with an introductory flight, a conversation about PPL training, or a plan for purposeful hour building. We will explain which stages the club can provide and where a different approved organisation is needed.
Guidance checked against EASA Aircrew rules, November 2025 edition, and official IAA, airline and Defence Forces information on 14 October 2026. Programme openings are not asserted.