Integrated or modular? That is the big question
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Integrated or modular at Greybird
Once you have decided to go for the dream and become a commercial pilot, there are still choices to be made. There are two routes to take to become a commercial pilot. They differ in quite a few ways, but they end up in the same place when it comes to certificates as well as rights, and they may end up in the same spot when it comes to capabilities.
Having a certificate and a right to fly an aircraft and being capable are not necessarily the same. Unfortunately, we have come across quite a few pilots who indeed had the certificate and the right to fly an aircraft, whose capabilities, however, did not strike us as impressive. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the quality of the education you choose is high enough to give you the capabilities you need.
Fundamentally, the integrated education is difficult to design in a bad way. The structure of the education varies from flight school to flight school, and the number of valuable flying hours built into the programme differs a lot. In that sense, it can certainly be argued that one integrated education is a lot better than another. However, none of them can be truly poor because of the authorities' requirements for the education. One could say that the integrated education ranges from average quality to incredibly high quality.
The modular education, on the other hand, can be put together in a terrible way and still be legal. In other words, one could say that the modular education ranges from incredibly low quality to incredibly high quality. Both types of education can be of incredibly high quality. We do not say that one is better than the other, but we do insist that if you choose the modular route – and there can be many good reasons for doing so – you should be very thorough in your choice of school and the structure of the education.
The integrated education – a full-time programme
The integrated education is a full-time programme. Some students may be capable of having a part-time job on the side during certain stages of the programme, but studying requires your attention for at least 40-50 hours a week. In some countries, there are government-funded programmes which ensure a minimum income for the students, and in these cases, this can be a very good reason for choosing the integrated programme. The funding does not cover the education in full, but in some countries a relatively large portion of the tuition can be paid by loans offered by the government.
This kind of education funding is typically only available for full-time students and can therefore only be obtained if you take an integrated education. If your country does not provide such government-funded loan options, the integrated education can be tough to complete, because you may need to have a job on the side to pay for your living expenses while you study. In that case, the modular education might be the better option for you.
However, if your savings or your financial situation in general allow you to fully immerse yourself in the education and still be able to pay for your living expenses along the way, the integrated education is certainly a strong choice for you.
The modular education – a potential part-time option
The modular education can be designed in many different ways. At Greybird, we offer a fast track which takes the same time as the integrated education – that is, 24 months. However, for most people who choose the modular education, the reality is that they need to earn money to pay for their living expenses plus some of their education expenses while studying. As a result, the education takes longer. To accommodate this, we offer three-, four-, and five-year programmes. The outcome of the education is the same. Your level of competence can be the same, and the time it takes to complete the education can be adjusted along the way, should your financial situation change. The modular education is by far the most popular choice in countries where government funding in the form of education loans is not available.
The difference between the integrated and the modular education
The main difference between the two routes to becoming a commercial pilot is that the modular education is a lot more flexible than the integrated. The modular education can be bent and stretched to match your particular needs. On the other hand, the requirements for the integrated education are a lot stricter. Your flight school has to comply with tougher demands, which makes it less flexible. But this means that you can be certain that the education is of high quality.
The integrated education is relatively new. It has existed for less than two decades. The integrated education takes you from zero to success in one go. You completely skip becoming a private pilot and move directly from nothing to commercial pilot. You fly fewer hours in the integrated education compared to the modular, but the hours are more complex, there is training under instrument conditions, and the requirements for the timing of the education make sure you stay on track throughout.
The modular education, which is actually the traditional education, takes you through more steps. You start out by training to become a private pilot, and then you build rights on top of that. Typically, you start with the night qualification, then move on to a class rating for a twin-engine aircraft, then add the right to fly under instrument conditions, and finally you add the commercial pilot licence. Along with this, you have to meet various hour requirements, and you do that by flying what is called "Hour Building" – building up your experience.
The only way to measure a pilot's experience is by flown hours. However, flying hours can be of very different kinds. You can take your PPL (Private Pilot License) in a flying club, where the purpose is to educate pilots who fly safely and who, for the most part, want to fly as a hobby. Only a small fraction of the pilots who train in a flying club move on to become commercial pilots. Nonetheless, the modular journey can start here. If you get a PPL in a flying club, you can most certainly fly well and safely, and your level of theoretical knowledge is sufficient to be a private pilot, but none of what you have learned moves you on to bigger jets. In addition, you can increase your flying experience by simply renting a club aircraft and going flying at the weekend with friends and family, more or less around the same city or airport, and only when the weather is good. On paper, you have gained more flying experience, but there is a considerable risk that your actual flying skills have deteriorated since the PPL instructor handed you the new certificate.
That is why we always advise that you get your licence at a professional flight school whose purpose is to train you to become a commercial pilot. If you take the entire modular education at Greybird, all your flight training and all your theory lessons will be aimed at making you a commercial pilot. You will not be flying around the same airport just for fun; you will fly missions with specific training purposes every time you step into an aircraft. By doing it that way, we can ensure that the outcome of the modular education is just as good as the outcome of the integrated education, whether you spend two, three, four or even five years completing it.
MCC training
Whether you take the integrated or the modular education, you finish your education with an MCC course. MCC is short for Multi-Crew Cooperation. The course allows you to function as a first officer in a large aircraft that requires two pilots.
Again, there are two options: the MCC course and the APS MCC course. The MCC course is a standard course offered by some pilot schools. It takes 15 hours, and the purpose is to train you in cockpit cooperation. However, most operators today require that you have also taken the course called JOC (Jet Orientation Course), which is not really a standard course but has become a de facto standard in the industry. Furthermore, most operators prefer – if not outright require – that applicants have taken the APS MCC course.
APS MCC is short for Airline Pilot Standard Multi-Crew Cooperation. It includes not only the above-mentioned JOC, but also something called scenario training. The course takes 40 hours, and the purpose is to train you to be ready for a type rating for large jets.
At Greybird, we offer only the APS MCC course, whether you take the integrated or the modular education. Click here to read more about our APS MCC course.
Is the modular or the integrated education better?
As we offer both the modular and the integrated education, we believe that we are a trustworthy source of information in this matter. The answer to the question, however, is: none or both. Both types of education can be incredibly good, and if you choose to study at a school that has taken the steps needed to ensure this, we do not believe there is much to be said about the difference between the two.
We recommend that you choose the education that suits your needs best, and we would be happy to talk to you and advise you in that process. No matter what you choose, make sure that the flight school you choose has done its part to make the education of the highest possible quality.
At Greybird, we are confident that both our educations compare with anything else you can find in the industry, and we encourage you to take a closer look at us: join one of our many information meetings and visit us at one of our locations. We will give you a warm welcome, so you can see Greybird Pilot Academy – our premises, facilities and aircraft – with your own eyes.