Diploma of Aviation (Commercial Pilot License)

Summary

Diploma of Aviation (Commercial Pilot Licence-Aeroplane) AVI50222 

CRICOS Course Code
109203F

Course Duration
68 weeks.

Course Fee: $89,500 Australian Dollars 
(Including GST as applicable and all service fees)

Currency Converter Click here to find out what our pilot course costs in Australia are in your local currency.

To see all fees and charges download Fees & Charges 2025

Note: the fees & charges related to the Diploma of Aviation Instrument Rating do not apply

Outline of qualifications issued available here AVI Diploma of Aviation (CPL) April22

Admission Requirements

  • Completion of a CASA Class 1 Aviation Medical either before course commencement or upon arrival.
  • English Language proficiency. Please see below for details.
  • Have passed at least equivalent of Australian Year 10 of High School and have reasonable maths proficiency Note: Year 10 is the 4th year of Secondary College/High School.
  • Pass an interview with the flying school manager or one of our instructors (details will be explained if you apply)
  • Be 18 years of age by course commencement

Privileges of Licence

On completion of your Diploma of Aviation (Commercial Pilot License Australia – CPL Australia) you can be paid to work as a pilot under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). This means that you could conduct such work as VFR charter, VFR tourist flights, Crop Dusting, Fish Spotting etc.

Course

Please note: This course includes the issue of the Recreational Pilot Licence (RPL) and all the PPL Navigation training which are preliminary steps in your training towards a CPL. That is, they are included in the fee of AUD $89,500.

Course fee includes

1. Flying

Definitions:

  • Dual – Flight training with an instructor
  • Solo – Flight training with the student acting as pilot in command – no instructor.

Recreational Pilot Licence & Commercial Pilot License component

  • 70 hours solo Piper Warrior
  • 55.5 hours dual Piper Warrior (including 1.4 hours for RPL Flight test & 3 hours for Private Pilot Licence Progress Check)
  • 3 hours dual Piper Warrior – CPL
  • 32 hours dual Piper Arrow CPL – including 3 hours for Commercial Pilot License Australia flight test
  • 4 hours Flight Simulator
  • Total Included Hours: 164.5

2. Theory

  • Recreational Pilot Licence theory course (including books & CASA theory exam)
  • Commercial Pilot Licence theory course (including books & CASA theory exams)

3. All briefings by instructors

4. Equipment and Materials

  • 1 Navigation Ruler
  • 1 Navigation Protractor
  • Navigation computer
  • Navigation lapboard
  • Aerodrome Information Publications (AIP’s)
  • Flight Training Manual
  • Maps and Charts (2 x WAC’s, PCA, VTC Melbourne, ERC)
  • ERSA
  • Visual Flight Rules Guide (VFRG)
  • Log Book

Note:
The course fee includes estimated flying hours as outlined above, all theory, CASA theory exam fees, textbooks, navigation equipment, maps/charts and initial issue of CASA documents.

Landing fees and en-route navigation charges shall be charged separately. An invoice shall be issued at completion of each training phase and upon course completion. The total cost over the duration of your course will be approximately AUD$2200

Some CASA fees are not included in your course fees and are payable directly to CASA. These include licence issue (approximately $200), flight test fees ($850 for RPL flight test and $1250 for CPL), aviation medical (approximately $650), ASIC security clearance (approximately $257) and Aviation English Language Proficiency Assessment ($120-$250)

English Language Requirements

Unless exempt from undertaking an English test, (see below for exemptions), the Student Visa requires you to do one of their specified English tests.
The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) also has its own English requirements that are different to the Student Visa requirements (see below for CASA exemptions)
If you do need to do an English test, its important to choose the best test that satisfies both the Student Visa and CASA requirements.
IELTS is the best option to satisfy both Student Visa and CASA requirements
TOEFL iBT can be effective – if you score 71+ then all requirements are satisfied but if you score 64-70 you will meet student visa requirements but still need to be assessed on arrival by a CASA approved assessor,
Pearson, Cambridge English and the Occupational English Test (OET) are okay for the Student Visa however to meet CASA requirements you would need to be assessed on arrival by a CASA approved assessor.
Note: Your assessment with a CASA approved assessor will result in an ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) English Language Proficiency Level of between 1 and 6. The minimum required is Level 4 (a Native Speaker would usually be Level 6). You should be confident that if you achieve any of the test results outlined below, that you should achieve at least Level 4.
IELTS
The minimum required IELTS score is 6.0 with none of the test scores (reading, writing, listening, speaking) below 5.5.
The IELTS test can ge “General” or “Academic”
Find an IELTS test center here: https://ielts.org/test-centres
TOEFL IBT at Secure Test Center
The minimum TOEFL IBT test score for the Student Visa is 64 (at least 12 for listening, 13 for reading, 21 for writing and 18 for speaking) and for CASA the minimum overall test score is 71
NOTE:  The Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA) only accepts scores from approved tests taken at secure test centers. The DHA does not accept scores from at-home or online tests, such as the TOEFL iBT Home Edition
PEARSON PTE
The minimum Pearson PTE Academic test score for the Student Visa is 50.
Cambridge English (CAE) also known as C1 Advanced
Minimum Score: at least 169 in each of the 4 components
 
Note: From 12 February 2024, only results from the paper-based Cambridge C1 Advanced test (previously known as Cambridge English: Advanced CAE) will be accepted for Australian visa and migration purposes.
Occupational English Test (OET)
Minimum score: At least B for each of the 4 components
 
EXEMPTIONS FROM ENGLISH TESTING
Student Visa Exemptions
You do not need to give us evidence of an English test score with your visa application if one of the following applies:
  • you are a citizen and hold a passport from UK, USA, Canada, NZ or Republic of Ireland
  • you are enrolled in a principal course of study that is a standalone English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) – this means if you do not have the required English but are intending to undertake ELICOS first, then you don’t need to meet the standards outlined above. See below for minimum requirements to undertake ELICOS
  • you have completed at least 5 years’ study in English in Australia, UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, or the Republic of Ireland
  • in the 2 years before applying for the student visa you completed the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education in Australia in English while you held a student visa
  • in the 2 years before applying for the student visa you completed a substantial component of a course that would qualify you under the Australian Qualifications Framework at the Certificate IV or higher level, while you held a student visa.

Note: We may need you to give us evidence of an English test score with your visa application if you hold a British National Overseas (BNO) passport

CASA Exemptions
To show your general English language proficiency you must provide proof that you:
  • * Completed or are completing secondary school in Australia or New Zealand, or the equivalent in an English-speaking country
  • * Worked in Australia or New Zealand for at least 3 of the last 5 years
  • * Worked in a specified country for at least 3 of the last 5 years and successfully completed an English language proficiency test

Note: If you do not meet our requirements for Direct Course entry, you have the option of undertaking a preliminary English course with our associate English College in Melbourne

A Commercial Pilots licence Australia (CPL Australia) allows a person to fly for hire or reward. Therefore anyone that wants to be paid to fly must have as a minimum, a Commercial Pilots Licence in Australia.

If you plan to fly as a hobby/recreational purposes, then all you need is a Private Pilot License. A Private Pilot License allows you learn to fly any aircraft for which you are endorsed (so theoretically you could still fly a large airliner) and to carry passengers but you cannot receive any money.

A pilots licence Australia is well recognised worldwide and can be easily converted in most countries. As the holder of a CPL Australia, there are some jobs available to you such as VFR (Visual Flight Rules) charter pilot, flight instructor, VFR tourist flying, Seaplane flying, Crop Dusting Flying etc, however most aviation jobs do require you to also hold a Multi Engine Instrument Rating. A Multi Engine Instrument Rating allows you to fly an aircraft with more than one engine under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), just like the airlines do.

In some cases it might be a good idea to get a Commercial Pilot Licence first, then start your first VFR job, build some experience and then do the Instrument Rating later. Unless you are going straight home to work in an airline (which many of our overseas graduates do), you will normally not fly IFR at the beginning of your career. It costs a fair bit of money to keep your Instrument Rating current if you are not using it for work as you will need to undertake 3 monthly renewals. Therefore better to get your Instrument Rating at a time when you are actually going to use it for work and then you wont have the additional costs of keeping it current.

There are many interesting jobs that can still be done with just a CPL Australia. You will need to assess the best strategy for you based on where you are from, what jobs are available and your own personal flying interests and career goals. So now is the time to get moving and get your pilots licence Australia, CPL Australia.

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