How to become a pilot in Australia: the RPL, PPL and CPL pathway

To become a pilot in Australia you obtain an ARN, hold a suitable medical, meet the English language standard, train with an authorised flight training organisation, pass the aeronautical knowledge exams and pass a flight test. You must be at least 16 for a recreational licence, 17 for a private licence and 18 for a commercial licence.

Checked against: CASA, CASR Part 61 Plain English Guide, Version 1.3 (aeroplane category), and the Part 61 Manual of Standards Schedule 4 (Compilation No. 6, registered 19/08/2026).

Step by step

1. Get an Aviation Reference Number (ARN). The ARN is your identifier with CASA. You use it for exams, medical applications and licence applications.
2. Hold the right medical. Which medical you need depends on the licence. See Table 2 and check the current CASA requirements before you spend money on training.
3. Choose a training organisation. Check that the organisation is authorised to give the training you want, and whether it runs integrated (Part 142) or non-integrated (Part 141) courses.
4. Meet the English language standard. An aviation or general English language proficiency assessment is part of getting a licence or radio endorsement.
5. Pass the aeronautical knowledge exams. Each licence has theory exams set out in Part 61 MOS Schedule 4. Study from the knowledge units in Schedule 3.
6. Complete the required flight training and experience. Training follows the competency standards, and the licence has minimum aeronautical experience, as in Table 3.
7. Pass the flight test. A flight examiner assesses you against the flight test standards. After you pass, the licence is granted.

The licence ladder

Australian pilot licensing is built in steps. The recreational pilot licence is the entry level, the private pilot licence widens what you may do, and the commercial pilot licence allows you to fly for hire. The air transport pilot licence is the airline level. Table 1 shows the minimum ages from the CASA guide and the theory exam standards from the Part 61 Manual of Standards.

Licences are issued with aircraft category ratings such as aeroplane or helicopter, so you choose a category when you start. Experience in one category may count in part towards another category in a non-integrated course, but the CASA guide says it does not count towards an integrated course.

Step 1 and 2: your ARN and your medical

Your ARN is the number CASA uses to identify you across exams, medicals and licences. Apply for it early because other steps depend on it.

The medical requirement differs by licence. The CASA guide lists, for a recreational licence, a Class 1 or Class 2 certificate, a recreational aviation medical practitioner’s certificate that meets the modified Austroads standard, a medical exemption, or a Class 5 self-declaration. For a private licence it lists a Class 1 or Class 2 certificate or an exemption. For a commercial licence it lists a Class 1 certificate. Table 2 gives the currency periods.

The practical advice is to hold the medical for the licence you want before you pay for a lot of training. Rules on medicals are amended, so check the current CASA guidance, and talk to a designated aviation medical examiner if you have any condition you are unsure about.

Step 3: choosing a flight training organisation

The guide describes two kinds of course. Integrated courses are conducted only by a Part 142 training organisation, and the theory is taught in parallel with the practical training, which can reduce the flying required. Non-integrated courses are offered by Part 141 organisations, which can accumulate experience gradually at your own pace, though a Part 141 organisation cannot provide integrated or multi-crew training.

The guide gives a worked example of the difference: the minimum aeronautical experience for a CPL from an integrated course is 150 hours, and from a non-integrated course it is 200 hours. It also reminds you to make sure the training organisation is authorised to conduct the training you require. Some Part 142 operators are also registered training organisations that may provide tertiary qualifications, and some may support a student loan for the CPL training component, so ask what a given school offers.

Step 4: English language proficiency

English language proficiency is a safety requirement. The guide says it applies if you take a flight test for a licence, apply for a pilot licence, apply for certain recreational licence endorsements, exercise licence privileges, or are a student flying solo while operating an aircraft radio. There are two kinds: aviation English language proficiency and general English language proficiency.

You must hold a current aviation English assessment for a recreational licence with a flight radio endorsement, a private licence, a commercial licence and an air transport licence. An ICAO level 6 assessment is current indefinitely, level 5 for six years and level 4 for three years, after which you need a new assessment to continue exercising the privileges of your licence.

Step 5: the theory exams

Each licence has aeronautical knowledge exams set out in Schedule 4 of the Part 61 Manual of Standards, and the content comes from the knowledge units in Schedule 3. The recreational, private and commercial exam standards are in Table 1. At the commercial level you sit seven subjects, with a pass standard of 70 percent except flight rules and air law at 80 percent.

The best way to prepare is to read the unit for each subject, test yourself on its elements, and fix the gaps. Our guides on the Part 61 MOS and on Schedule 3 by subject show how to do that, and a practice exam produces a report that maps each missed question to its unit and clause.

Step 6: flight training and minimum experience

Flight training follows the units of competency in the MOS, and the licence has minimum experience requirements. Table 3 summarises the CASA guide for the aeroplane category. The integrated and non-integrated totals differ for both the private and the commercial licence.

Treat these as minimums, not targets. Many students need more time to reach the standard, and your instructor decides when you are ready for the flight test. The guide also says hours in a flight simulator training device can be used for some components when the flight time as a pilot requirement is not otherwise met, so ask your school how it handles that.

Step 7: the flight test

To be eligible for a flight test you must meet the minimum age for the licence, have passed the applicable aeronautical knowledge exams, and meet the applicable flight training requirements. The flight test is assessed against the flight test standards in Schedule 5 and the tolerances in Schedule 8 of the MOS.

After a successful test, the licence is granted. Remember that you then need to maintain currency, for example through a flight review, in line with the licence conditions.

Cost and time

We do not publish a cost for flight training because it varies with the school, the aircraft, your progress and the category. The CASA guide gives the minimum hours, and your instructor and school can give a current price per hour for aircraft and instruction. Ask for a written estimate that lists what is included, and ask how exam fees, medical costs and equipment are handled.

Time depends on how often you can fly. Training with gaps between lessons usually needs more repetition. Preparing the theory before the flying, so you arrive at each lesson ready to apply what you know, is the most reliable way to make each hour count.

Common mistakes

The most common mistakes are paying for lots of training before checking the medical, assuming the school is authorised for the course you want, assuming hours transfer between aircraft categories in an integrated course, and treating minimum hours as the expected number. A fifth is leaving theory to the end, when it is the cheapest part of the pathway to do early.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Official sources

• CASA: Getting your pilot licence
• CASA: CASR Part 61 Plain English Guide
• Federal Register of Legislation: Part 61 Manual of Standards (F2025C00050)
• CASA: Aviation Reference Numbers

Keep studying

• Navigation study guide →
• CASR Part 61 Manual of Standards (MOS) explained →
• MOS Schedule 3 by subject: what each CPL knowledge unit covers →
• RePL requirements, exam rules and pathway: the Part 101 MOS explained →