Frequently asked questions

The price of a pilot education in Denmark typically ranges between EUR 94,000-107,000. On top of that, there are usually costs for materials, a Class 1 Medical (the health certificate) and exam fees to the Danish Transport Authority: a total of 13 theoretical exams, two radio tests and two skill tests in aircraft. Expect approx. EUR 5,900 in exam costs incl. aircraft rental for your skill tests. An alternative is the Danish Air Force's pilot training, which is free but does not grant civilian flight privileges.

At Greybird Pilot Academy, the integrated pilot training costs EUR 105,000 (2026), and the price is locked from day 1. All flight hours, all theory, materials, an iPad, landing fees, and instructor fees are included.

Beyond the price of the education, at Greybird Pilot Academy you should budget approx. EUR 5,900 for test and exam fees plus EUR 1,380-2,490 incl. renewal for your Class 1 Medical. The fees are paid directly to the Danish Transport Authority and the examiner and are not part of the price of the education. During the training, you take:

• 13 exams related to the ATPL theory (Airline Transport Pilot Licence)
• Two radio tests: BEG and GEN (focusing on VFR and IFR respectively)
• Two skill tests: CPL and MEIR (Commercial Pilot Licence and Multi-Engine Instrument Rating)

In addition, we recommend that all students take out a Loss of Licence insurance (approx. EUR 1,200), which covers you financially if health reasons prevent you from continuing as a pilot.

At Greybird Pilot Academy, you pay for the education in instalments. You only pay for a module when you are ready to begin it. The education is a major financial investment, and we want to give you full visibility of your finances throughout the programme.

The integrated pilot training at Greybird Pilot Academy is SU-approved, and Danish students receive SU at an increased rate because the education is self-paid. That is, ordinary SU plus a special supplement. You can also take out SU loans.

See the current rates at su.dk. At our information meetings, we cover your overall finances, so you leave with a clear picture of your personal financing plan.

Yes. Landing fees are included in the price of the pilot training at Greybird Pilot Academy, so you will not face charges for landing at the airports we send you to during training. Greybird has agreements with almost all Danish airports and settles directly with them. If you exceptionally land somewhere without an agreement, for example abroad, you simply hand in the receipt to the finance department and get the amount refunded. Only if you yourself choose a particularly expensive runway that is not part of your training programme do you pay the fee.

If you have to interrupt the pilot training, Greybird Pilot Academy refunds the part of your current module you have not yet completed. You never pay for training you have not received. This is possible because you pay in modules as you progress through the education. The training agreement is your security, and it locks your price for the entire programme from day 1.

You must have passed what corresponds to the 9th-grade final exam, but many start with a high-school diploma or another education behind them. You need to be good at English, as all teaching material is in English, and so are all exams. You speak English in the aircraft when you fly, and the international classes are taught in English. Maths and physics are also important when you want to be a pilot.

In addition to the academic requirements, you must have a Class 1 Medical issued at an aero medical centre. At Greybird, we cooperate with several centers and can help you get in touch with them. To be admitted to the education, you must pass an admission test. The test consists of several elements:

• A maths test
• A logic test
• A profile test
• An interview

When you sign up for the admission test on our website, we automatically send you examples of the questions included in the test.

After the test, you will receive the school's answer. Whether you are admitted is decided by an overall assessment, and the interview carries the most weight.

The first step is an information meeting. After that, you sign up for an admission test consisting of a maths test, a logic test, a personality test, and an interview. This is to make sure the training is the right match for you.

No. You start from zero and need no prior flying experience. You must have completed lower secondary school (9th grade), be able to communicate in English, and hold a Valid Class 1 Medical certificate before you start.

High school is never a bad idea if you thrive in the environment. A high-school education raises your academic level considerably compared to primary school. If you feel you could benefit from improving your skills and you enjoy going to school, high school is a very good idea. There is no requirement for a high-school diploma to become a pilot, but there are airlines that require it. Important competences are English, maths, and physics.

Yes. At Greybird, we believe it is important to test your desire to fly an aircraft, so we offer future students a test flight. The flight costs approx. EUR 200, which is deducted from your tuition if you enroll with us afterwards.

The English language is central in aviation. You do not need to be flawless or without an accent, but it is important that you have no trouble reading a book in English and that you are not afraid of being taught a subject in English. That said, classes at our local bases are taught in the local language, but the material is in English, all exams are in English, and in the aircraft we speak English.

You cannot be bad at maths and still be a skilled pilot, but you do not need a special mathematical gift either. Numeracy is important. If you are good at sensing roughly where you will end up when you start a calculation, you have come a long way.

Pilot training in Denmark is a private, EASA-approved full-time education lasting two to three years. It typically costs EUR 94,000-107,000 and requires neither flying experience nor a high school diploma. You can also apply for the Danish Air Force's pilot training, which is free, but it does not grant civilian flight privileges.

The right flight school is the one where you feel confident about the training, the people, and the plan laid out for you. Research several schools, attend information meetings and ask about the structure of the training, the instructors, and what former students are doing today.

The integrated pilot training at Greybird Pilot Academy takes 22-24 months and consists of four modules: ATPL theory (approx. 9 months), basic flying (approx. 6 months), advanced flying with IFR, CPL, and UPRT (approx. 7 months) and finally APS MCC (approx. 3 months). You start with no experience and finish as a commercial pilot with a frozen ATPL and 205 flight hours in your logbook. Each module builds on the one before. See the full programme at Commercial pilot training.

We admit students on an ongoing basis. Your first step is to attend an information meeting and then pass an admission test. Find the next information meeting here.

Our new classes typically consist of 10-20 students of all genders. We start new classes in January and August.

Yes. In addition to the integrated full-time education, we offer a modular education that can be tailored over 2 to 5 years. You get the same certificates and the same level of competence. Read more about the modular education here.

It is difficult. The pilot training is a full-time education that demands your full commitment, and your schedule can change at short notice. Most students choose to focus entirely on the training.

Then you try again. It costs a new exam fee, but we have yet to see a student fail to complete the training because of failed exams.

Headquarters: Aarhus Airport

There are many options near Aarhus Airport. Numerous rooms can be rented at reasonable prices. You are very welcome to contact Greybird Pilot Academy, and we can help establish contact between you and a landlord. Settling in Aarhus city is of course also an option. It is more expensive, and there are many more distractions. We always recommend our students to live locally by the airfield and use the city of Aarhus when there is time for it. There are good bus connections to and from Aarhus.

Copenhagen

If your base is in Copenhagen, you arrange housing yourself.

Flying at bases other than your own

When you fly at a base other than your own, Greybird provides accommodation for you during that period.

An EASA certificate is a European certificate. It is the highest ranked certificate in the world and the certificate we issue at Greybird Pilot Academy. An FAA certificate is an American certificate. It is somewhat easier to obtain. For the same reason, the American certificate does not provide credit towards a European education. All exams and all teaching must be completed if you want to convert an FAA certificate to an EASA certificate. In comparison, converting an EASA certificate to an FAA certificate merely requires a flying test.

If you choose to live further away from the school and need to drive every day, you can receive a mileage allowance (kilometerpenge) on top of your SU. You must meet one of the special conditions to receive it:

• Route: It is not possible to travel by bus, train or metro on all or part of the route between your home and your place of study. This typically means there must be more than 12 km from your home to the first available public transport.
• Waiting time: Your total waiting time for bus, train or metro is at least two hours per day of classes. Waiting time means the time between your arrival at your place of study and the start of classes, and/or after classes end.
• Travel time: Using bus, train or metro extends your total daily travel time from home to your place of study by more than two hours compared to driving.
• § 114: You have a permanent physical or mental disability and are approved for support to purchase a car under § 114 of the Danish Social Services Act.

You can read more about how to apply for the mileage allowance here.

In addition, buses run all over Djursland, and students can get a bus pass. Some students cycle to the airport, others have a scooter, and some carpool. We have students from all over the country, and already after the first week students start driving together to and from school and at weekends.

A Class 1 Medical certificate is a medical approval of your health. A Class 1 Medical is the highest classification, and it is the certificate you must have if you are going to fly with passengers. There are no height or weight requirements, nor requirements for fitness or special strength. To get a Class 1 Medical you need normal vision, glasses are allowed, and you must not suffer from anything significant. Examples of illnesses you cannot have if you want to obtain a Class 1 Medical are diabetes and epilepsy, but mentally limiting diagnoses can also rule out a Class 1 Medical. There are also conditions that cannot be combined with a Class 1 Medical, e.g. double vision or lack of color vision.

A Class 1 Medical costs EUR 1,380-2,490 incl. renewal (2026). The certificate is issued at an approved Aeromedical Centre (AMC), and the price varies from centre to centre. So does the waiting time. Feel free to contact Greybird Pilot Academy before you book: we follow the different AMCs closely and can advise you on prices and waiting lists. Once you are employed, the employer often covers the renewals.

You can't. Simply book an appointment with an aero medical centre. Before starting the education, all students must have a Class 1 Medical. The examination takes about 4 hours. During the examination, you go through various tests: a vision test, a hearing test, a breath test and more. In addition, a urine and blood sample must be given. Up until the test, it is important that you are well-rested. It is not necessary to be able to run a marathon to get a Class 1 Medical.

The price for a Class 1 Medical is EUR 1,380-2,490 incl. renewal.

Please feel free to contact Greybird Pilot Academy if you need guidance finding a centre.

A Class 1 Medical must be renewed every 12 months. Renewal can take place up to 45 days before expiry, extending the validity by 12 months from the expiry date. You can renew your medical with an aviation medical examiner. You can find a list of Danish aviation medical examiners here. Note that an aviation medical examiner cannot issue an initial medical but can only renew one. To have a medical issued, you must visit an aero medical center. You can contact Greybird Pilot Academy for guidance on where these are located and where the waiting times are shortest.

The renewal is cheaper than the initial issuance, and once you are employed, it is often the employer who covers the cost.

Wearing glasses is not a problem if you want to become a pilot. There may be a maximum limit of +/- 5, but laser eye surgery can sometimes make the dream possible, even if your eyes act up. More typically, astigmatism or double vision cause problems. Only an aeromedical examiner can help you find out whether your vision is good enough.

The short answer is no. The long answer is that there are actually certain types of colourblindness that can be combined with flying. You should therefore seek an aeromedical assessment to verify whether your colour vision is sufficient.

There are no height or weight requirements to become a pilot, but you must of course be able to fit in the training aircraft you will fly. Severe obesity, on the other hand, can cause circulation problems, and that can rule you out for a Class 1 Medical certificate.

Our graduates are employed at airlines such as SAS, Norwegian, Ryanair, and Atlantic Airways. We cannot guarantee you a job, but from day one we train you to be the candidate airlines are actually looking for.

As a commercial pilot you can fly commuter aircraft, medium-sized passenger aircraft, private jets, or work as a flight instructor. Most start as a first officer at an airline and build from there towards a captain's position.

Pilot salaries vary a lot, and the same can be said about many other types of jobs. Generally speaking, the greater the responsibility, the more time-consuming the job, and the more high-end the airline, the higher the salary. A captain typically earns 2-3 times as much as a first officer, and a first officer's salary is usually in the range of EUR 3,350-6,700 per month.

This has historically varied a lot. At present, no students buy type ratings after completing their education. Most get the type rating from the airline where they are employed, which in return binds them for a period of typically 2 years.

Greybird has previously offered type ratings on Boeing, Airbus, ATR and CRJ, but this is currently off the menu, because the market fortunately does not require students to invest in type rating training themselves. If the market changes, it is very simple for Greybird to resume this training activity, but at present it is unnecessary.

That depends on how you look at it. It does not cost money to become a fighter pilot, but it requires a very long commitment to the armed forces, which is extremely expensive to get out of. The cost of breaking the agreement is several million kroner. When you have completed your military service, you have no civilian privileges: you may NOT fly a civilian aircraft. To obtain that right, you must take a civilian certificate. If you want to work as an airline pilot, you need a commercial certificate, which is what you obtain by taking the integrated education offered by Greybird Pilot Academy.