After Your PPL

What is the Fastrack commercial route?

5 min read
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After Your PPL
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Updated Feb 2026

The Fastrack route is an enrolled commercial training programme that takes you from PPL through to the qualifications required to fly professionally. Phase 1 is delivered at FFC; Phase 2 — CPL, multi-engine, full instrument rating, and UPRT — is delivered by Aeros.

1

What the Fastrack route is

The Fastrack route is a structured, two-phase commercial training programme that builds on your PPL to take you through to professional qualification. It's an enrolled programme with a defined pathway — not a series of independent add-ons — designed so that each stage follows logically from the last.

Phase 1 is delivered at FFC and covers PPL, ATPL theory, hour building, IMC rating, and night rating. Phase 2, delivered by Aeros, covers CPL, multi-engine rating, full instrument rating, and UPRT (Upset Prevention and Recovery Training).

After enrolment, all flying within the programme is charged on a pay-as-you-go basis. There is no requirement to pay for the full programme upfront or commit to blocks of hours in advance. Each lesson is booked and charged individually.

2

The stages of the route

The Fastrack route is divided into two phases. ATPL theory runs concurrently with hour building in Phase 1 — it's ground-based study and doesn't interfere with your flying schedule.

Phase 1 — Fife Flight Centre

1
Private Pilot Licence (PPL)
The foundation of the route. 40 hours minimum flying, nine CAA theory exams, and a skills test.
2
ATPL Theory
14 subjects covering the full airline theory syllabus. Delivered by Aeros as a distance learning programme — studied in parallel with hour building.
3
Hour Building
Accumulating flight time toward CPL minimums on a pay-as-you-go basis at FFC.
4
IMC Rating
The Instrument Meteorological Conditions rating — adds instrument flying capability and improves overall airmanship ahead of Phase 2.
5
Night Rating
Night flying qualification. Completed at FFC as part of Phase 1.

Phase 2 — via Aeros

6
Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL)
The CPL flying course and skills test. Requires 150+ hours total time and passed ATPL theory.
7
Multi-Engine Rating (ME)
Type endorsement for multi-engine aircraft — required for professional operations.
8
Instrument Rating (IR)
The full instrument rating — allows flight in IMC and is required for professional IFR operations.
9
UPRT
Upset Prevention and Recovery Training. Mandatory for airline operations and included in the Phase 2 package with Aeros.
3

ATPL theory

The Airline Transport Pilot Licence theory — sometimes called "frozen ATPL" when held alongside a CPL but before the required hours for a full ATPL — is the theoretical backbone of professional pilot training. It covers 14 subjects including meteorology, navigation, air law, human performance, flight planning, and aircraft systems.

All 14 exams must be passed within a rolling 18-month window from the first sitting, and the results are valid for seven years. Once you hold a CPL with frozen ATPL theory, you're eligible to fly as a first officer — the ATPL becomes "unfrozen" once you reach 1,500 hours total, including specific thresholds of multi-pilot time.

Aeros delivers ATPL theory as a distance learning programme, which suits pilots who are continuing to fly and build hours alongside their study.

The 18-month exam window

All 14 ATPL theory subjects must be passed within 18 months of your first sitting. Plan your study schedule carefully — spreading subjects too thinly can put the window at risk.

4

Enrolment and how it works

The Fastrack route is enrolled through Aeros. Enrolment covers your place on the full programme — Phase 1 flying at FFC and Phase 2 commercial training with Aeros. After enrolment, all flying is charged on a pay-as-you-go basis: each lesson is booked and charged individually, with no requirement to purchase blocks of hours or pay for later stages in advance.

FFC delivers Phase 1 of the programme. ATPL theory with Aeros runs concurrently, typically starting once you're established in PPL training and building hours. When you're ready for Phase 2, your training record transfers to Aeros for the CPL, ME, IR, and UPRT stages.

To find out more, speak to us or contact Aeros directly. We can walk through the programme structure and what each stage involves.

Start ATPL theory early

ATPL theory can be studied in parallel with hour building in Phase 1. Starting early means you're not waiting on exam passes once you have the hours required for CPL training.

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