LEA Fully Sponsored Flight Training
Please note: We have no affiliation with Leading Edge Aviation. We are reporting on the opening of their fully sponsored LEAP & FI Course. Details have been taken from the Leading Edge Aviation website. Leading Edge Aviation (LEA), a leading UK based Flight Training Organisation, have opened a remarkable opportunity for 6 FULLY FUNDED full frozen ATPL and Flight Instructor courses to commence in 2023. LEA will fully find all of your integrated commercial flight training and the flight instructor rating. In return you will be bonded to the company as flight instructor for 2 years after completing your training. In total this is worth £115,000 per successful student. We believe this is a remarkable opportunity and commend Leading Edge Aviation for providing a fully funded flight training program. This opens up flight training for people who many not otherwise have the resources to fund their training. It is extremely refreshing to see a Flight Training Organisation leading the way in rolling out such an opportunity, and we hope to see airlines follow suit. To be considered for Leading Edge Aviation’s LEAP & FI fully sponsored program you need to meet the following entry requirements: Applications close on the 4th December. You are also required to submit a CV and Covering Letter. Here at FlightDeckFriend.com we are able to support you in putting together a standout application through our tailoring services. Have a look at what we can offer. If you are successful in passing the initial application screening and invited to the next stage of assessment, the cost is £50. Full details of this program can be found on the Leading Edge Aviation’s website.Leading Edge Aviation Opens Fully Funded Integrated Flight Training
Minimum Requirements
Applications
We’ve put together an example Covering Letter specific for this position. It has been designed to demonstrate, based on our experience and expertise, how we would compose the Cover Letter for the application. It can be used to give you some inspiration if you are struggling for ideas. Needless to say, you should not use this letter to form part of your application.
Pilot CV Example Templates
Designing a pilot CV can be tedious and time-consuming, so we’ve got some free pilot CV example templates to give you inspiration. Professionally tailored flight crew CVs might be outside your budget, but you can copy our designs without spending any money. Our example pilot resumes have been designed to be very clear and concise, making sure all the vital information is included whilst making it easy for the recruiter to find what they need. Recruiters may spend as little as 15 seconds reviewing your CV, so it is vital that all the information they need to see is spelt out clearly. It’s also becoming more and more common for the initial screening to be completed by an automated ‘ATS’ system, so we’ve laid them out into specific sections to ensure they are professionally structured whilst ensuring they are ATS friendly. If you don’t have time to create your own CV based on our designs, then you can download our CV templates in Microsoft Word format, which you can then customise yourself. They are priced at £7.99 to £9.99 each or you can buy the entire bundle for £29.99 (saving well over 90%!). When you edit these CVs, we recommend you do it in conjunction with our CV Design Guide. Please note that FlightDeckFriend.com has no affiliation with any airline.Free Pilot CV Example Templates
Our Pilot CV Template Package contains 13 Microsoft Word documents. The package includes 6 generic pilot CV templates and 7 airline specific templates for pilots which can be manually adjusted to an airline of your choosing. The documents have been designed in Microsoft Word for Mac version 16. The CVs have been designed for low hour pilots but can be customised for pilots of any experience levels. Once payment has been completed via our Sellfy store, we will email shortly after with the .ZIP file containing the 11 Microsoft .docx files. There are 7 specific airline CV designs with 6 generic designs. The airline designs are:Download Our Example CV Templates
Individual Template Download
- Single CV template design
- Download in MS Word Format
- Fully Customisable
CV Template Combo Package
- Download all 12 Pilot CV Templates (pictured above)
- 7 Airline Specific CV Templates
- 6 Generic Pilot CV Templates
- All Fully Customisable
CV & Cover Letter Template Combo Package
- 13 Pilot CV Templates
- All Our Example Pilot Covering Letters
- Total Cost of £70+ if purchased individually
Pilot Application Support Package
- 13 Pilot CV Templates
- All Our Example Pilot Cover Letters
- Airline Interview Question Database
- Total Cost of £100+ if purchased individually
Professionally Tailored CV
- Professionally Tailored CV
- Bespoke Document
- Clear & Concise
- Contains all Critical Information
Professionally Tailored CV & Cover Letter Combo Package
- Professionally Tailored Documents
- High quality, clear & concise
- Bespoke Pilot CV
- Airline specific, unique Covering Letter
- Professionally written documents
Want to use our Professional CV design service? Our team have experience in designing selection processes, screening CVs and selecting candidates for airlines. Visit our Professional CV Tailoring page or email us to see how we can help support your airline application. Professional Pilot CV Design
Pilot Application Support Package
We know that applying to airlines for a flight crew position can be daunting, so we’ve put together a package to help you get started. Our package has been designed to help get your career moving. It offers a selection of pilot CV and Cover Letter examples and our airline interview question database with a 37% discount, reduced from £94.97 to £59.99. The following products are included in the pilot support package. A more detailed description of each product is listed below. Our airline interview question database is our best-selling product. It has helped hundreds of pilots pass their airline interview. It contains the following. It is a 101 page, 33,000+ word document in PDF format. The package will be emailed to you shortly after purchase. Our pilot example covering letter package includes the covering letters for the following airlines. They are suitable for low hour and direct entry First Officers (unless otherwise stated). Each Pilot Cover Letter, other than the generic one, considers the airline’s type of operation, fleet, ethos and history. The letters are all between approximately 400 – 500 words and a single page document. Our Pilot CV Template Package contains 12 Microsoft Word documents. There are 5 generic CV templates and 7 airline specific templates which can be manually adjusted to an airline of your choosing by amending the colour scheme. The documents were designed in Microsoft Word for Mac version 16. The CVs have been designed for low hour pilots but can be customised for pilots of any experience levels. The 7 specific airline CV designs are for the following airlines: More information on this specific product can be found here. If purchased individually, this package would cost £109.97. However, we offer these products as a package with a £39.98 discount, at price of £49.98. Please note, payment is made through our Sellfy store.Pilot Application Support Package
What’s Included in the Support Package?
Airline Interview Question Database
Pilot Cover Letter Examples
Pilot CV Example Templates
Buy the Pilot Application Support Package
Pilot Cover Letter Examples
When applying to an airline for a pilot position, you need to ensure your application contains a well written, highly specific Covering Letter that addresses the airline’s ethos and operation, matching them with your skills and attributes. Whilst we offer a full Professional Pilot Cover Letter tailoring service, we appreciate this isn’t within everyone’s budget. Therefore, we have put together a set of example pilot cover letters for specific airlines which you can edit yourself. These Pilot Covering Letters have been specifically designed for both Low Hour and experienced First Officers to help increase the chances of your application being advanced to the next stage of selection. All the Cover Letters have been written by a current airline pilot with previous airline pilot recruitment experience and holds qualifications which specifically cover airline pilot recruitment. Each Pilot Cover Letter (other than the generic one) considers the airline’s type of operation, fleet, ethos and history. This attention to detail demonstrates a few highly desirable attributes to a prospective employer such as:Example Pilot Cover Letters
Written By Experts
“An investment in a high-quality Pilot Cover Letter is an investment in your future”
As well as the options below, you can purchase all of our example Covering Letters as a bundle with our example pilot CV templates and our Airline Interview Question Database with Answers. This package has been designed to help get you started with your pilot applications. Individually, these items are priced at a total of £109.97, however when purchased as a package you receive a significant discount, costing just £59.99. You can find out more about our pilot application support package here.Discounted Pilot Application Support Package
*Important* – The example pilot cover letters are intended be used as a guide to demonstrate how to customise your cover letter professionally and the type of content to include. You should take the time to amend your cover letter to ensure it is unique and genuinely reflects your application. You should not submit the cover letter as part of the application without amending it to reflect your own beliefs and personal circumstances. Please note that you will be given the option to automatically download a receipt after purchase. The actual document will be manually emailed to you shortly afterwards. This is usually quite quick but may on occasions take up to 24 hours depending on our flying schedule. This is to ensure taxation compliance in various countries.
Cover Letter Bundle
Includes example Cover Letters for the following airlines:
- Legacy Airline First Officer
- Emirates B777 & A380 Accelerated Command
- Flybe First Officer
- Generic First Officer (for all airlines)
- Jet2.com First Officer
- Jet2.com Pilot Apprentice
- LEA Fully Funded Cadet Pilot Course
- Low Cost First Officer
- TUI UK First Officer
- Wizz Air First Officer
CV & Cover Letter Bundle
Save £19.99 by purchasing our CV and CL bundle. Includes all the documents contained within the Cover Letter bundle, as well as example CV templates for the following airlines:
- 5 x Generic Pilot CVs
- Legacy Airline
- DHL/EAT
- easyJet
- Jet2.com
- Low Cost
- Wizz Air (x2)
Pilot Application Support Package
Save £49.98 by purchasing our CV & CL bundle alongside our famous Airline Interview Question Database. The package includes the following:
- All example Covering Letters listed on this page (£39.99)
- 12 x CV Templates (see CV package for details – £29.99)
- Airine Interview Question Database (with suggested answers – £39.99)
Legacy Airline Cover Letter
Written in September 2022, this is a 473 word, single page example covering letter for a Legacy Airline. It is suitable for Low Hour Pilots & First Officers.
Extract from the Legacy Airline Cover Letter:
“As the national airline of [country] and the country’s only [insert appropriate like ‘flag carrier’], [airline name] is held in very high regard around the world. Since the company was first registered in [date], it has gone onto develop a rich history, spanning over eighty-five years, whilst building a reputation for safety, comfort and reliability.”
Emirates Accelerated Command Cover Letter
Written in November 2022, this is a 527 word, single page example covering letter for pilots applying for the A380/B777 Accelerated Command Program. The product consists of 2 covering letters, one for the B777 and one for the A320. The assumes:
- Currently operating as a Captain
- You have command experience on either Boeing or Airbus aircraft types
- Prepared to relocate to Dubai
Extract from the Emirates Cover Letter:
“From day one of joining Emirates, I would embrace the training and my subsequent flying experience with a view of it forming a pivotal part of my command development.”
Flybe Pilot Cover Letter
This Covering Letter was written in November 2022 to reflect the restablishment of Flybe Ltd. It is suitable for Low Hour Pilots & First Officers.
Extract from the Flybe Pilot Cover Letter:
“Whilst the new reincarnation of Flybe (as Flybe Limited) has only been operating since spring 2022, through its rich heritage and strong brand image, the airline is held in very high regard by the travelling public of the United Kingdom.”
Fully Funded LEAP & FI Course Example Cover Letter
This product is a 513-word example Covering Letter, delivered in PDF format for the Fully Funded LEAP & FI Course. It is designed for people applying for the fully funded commercial flight training course and assumes no previous flying experience or qualifications.
Extract from the Cover Letter:
“Having thoroughly researched the various stages of the LEA integrated flight training course, I understand that it requires an exceptionally high level of commitment and dedication in order to be successful.”
Generic First Officer Cover Letter
This letter has been written from a low hour pilots perspective and is not airline specific. Reviewed December 2021.
Extract from the Generic Pilot Cover Letter:
“I make decisions in a reasoned and analytical manner, taking into account a range of options and including all team members in the option generation process. I believe this allows me to make well-thought-out decisions, and support others to do so, which is absolutely vital when operating a commercial aircraft.”
Jet2.com Cover Letter
Reviewed December 2021. Suitable for Low Hour Pilots & First Officers.
Extract from the Jet2.com Cover Letter:
“Jet2.com has built up an excellent reputation for the level of customer service it delivers, which is supported by the fact that Jet2.com won the TripAdvisor Travellers Choice award in 2019.”
Jet2.com Pilot Apprentice Cover Letter
Reviewed December 2021. Suitable for applicants for the Jet2.com Pilot Apprentice Program.
Extract from the Jet2.com Pilot Apprentice Cover Letter:
“Jet2.com already has a reputation for delivering friendly low fares, but I believe the Pilot Apprentice Program can play its part in supporting the airline to maintain a commercial advantage over its competitors through…”
Low Cost Pilot Cover Letter
Suitable for Low Hour Pilots & First Officers. Reviewed October 2022.
TUI UK Pilot Cover Letter
Includes 2 x Cover Letters for B737 Rated First Officers and Low Hour Non-Rated First Officers.
Example extract from the Cover Letter:
“These values are a fantastic bedrock on which to base an operation as it reflects both the continuous effort to achieve the highest safety standards whilst providing an exemplary level of service and experience to the company’s passengers.”
Wizz Air Pilot Cover Letter
Suitable for Low Hour Pilots, First Officers & Captains. Updated January 2021 to reflect the Covid-19 pandemic.
Example extract from the Cover Letter:
“With a fleet of over one hundred aircraft, and in excess of two hundred aircraft on order, including the next generation Airbus 321neo, it is clear to me that Wizz Air is an exciting place to be working.”
Pilot Job Online Application Guide
The vast majority of airlines now use online applications as their primary method of inviting prospective candidates to apply for a role. This often means that a CV or Cover Letter is exchanged for a series of “personal example” or “HR competency” based questions and questionnaires. These applications are typically manually reviewed by a real person who assesses your motivation, skills and past experience to see if they believe you would be a good initial fit for the position. Some recruitment software packages may use an automated system to assess your applicaiton. The systems will score points for your application based on what it believes is the quality of your answer including the use of key words and phrases. As this is typically the first stage of the application process you will be up against hundreds if not thousands of candidates. The online application questions provide an opportunity for you to sell yourself to the airline and make you stand out from the crowd. Typical questions that might be included in such an online application include:A Guide to Filling in an Online Application for a Pilot Job
Typical Application Questions
Question: As a commercial pilot with SkyAirways, how could you contribute towards helping the airline become one of the regions preferred airlines? (300 words)Example Answer to a Motivational Question
SkyAirways Answer to Question
In my experience, there are three key areas that passengers particularly value when travelling with an airline. These are safety, punctuality and customer service. I believe that I can help contribute to all three areas as a pilot with SkyAirways in order to help the airline cement it’s positions as the regions preferred airline.
By setting very high professional standards, demonstrating sound non-technical skills and operating the aircraft inline with the company’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), I can effectively support the Captain, ensuring the aircraft is operated safely and efficiently.
Demonstrating sound planning, time management and leadership skills can help promote punctuality through driving the turnaround in order to ensure an on-time departure where possible. Flight Crew can be proactive in anticipating problems to ensure flights don’t incur any unnecessary delays. These are skills I posses and look forward to utilising on a daily basis to enhance the customer experience.
Passengers particularly value a high standard of customer service. Whilst all staff have a responsibility to ensure this is delivered, pilots can directly contribute towards this. I believe ensuring clear, timely and enthusiastic communication with the passengers is a particularly important asset for the flight crew to demonstrate, especially in times of disruption.
Passengers value being given up-to-date and accurate information about the status of the flight, and if there is a problem, what is being done to resolve it. Face to face interaction with the passengers is also something that can be utilised to demonstrate that the pilots care about the passenger experience, which can be achieved during disembarkation if one of the pilots is available to say goodbye to the passengers. As someone with strong communication skills I look forward to positive interaction with the passengers to enhance their perception of SkyAirways.
Most of it is common sense but when answering such questions; keep a few points in mind:Tips for answering online application questions . . .
A question which has been used in the applcation process before is: “How can you as a First Officer improve customer service?” This is a fairly straight forward question to tackle, and a number of good points could have been made. The airline in question is a charter airline and therefore the customers flying with the airline are typically flying for leisure on holiday. The overall flight experience offered to the passengers is therefore of critical importance to the airline. Here are some of the points that could have been made when answering the question:The answer to the question . . .
How to Design a Professional Pilot CV
This guide can help you to create a stand-out CV that includes all the vital information a pilot recruiter wants to see, in a clear, concise and industry accepted format. If you follow the steps in this guide, you will be much more likely to be invited for an interview compared to trying to create a CV with no knowledge of how to do it properly. Keep in mind that pilot CVs are unique and a CV used for other ground-based jobs won’t be suitable. Who wrote this guide? This Pilot CV design guide has been written by a professional pilot who has been part of an airline recruitment team, contributed to the design of pilot selection processes, screened pilot CVs and took part in the assessment and selection of candidates. The author also has a distinction in a Masters Degree in an aviation based subject which covers the pilot selection design process. The advice on this page is relevant to all levels of applications, whether that be for a Pilot Cadet Program, Low Hour Pilot or an experienced Captain. Note: Some areas might not be applicable for certain job applications, for example, details on flying experience probably won’t be relevant if you are applying for an airline cadet program.How to Design a CV for an Airline Pilot
Why is a CV important?
Why is your CV so important?
You should not underestimate the importance of your CV in the airline application process. Recruiters may only spend a few seconds reviewing your CV before deciding whether it’s worth looking at in more detail or putting it in the ‘no thanks’ pile.
Having a well-constructed CV that includes all the essential information is vital. This may well be the only document they review to consider your pilot job application so you must quickly sell yourself and convince the recruiter that you are the right person for the job.
Your CV can say a lot about you as a person. If your CV is poorly constructed with spelling and grammatical errors it could suggest that you don’t have a good attention to detail or your command of English language is poor. If you leave gaps or give generic dates (rather than specific months & years), it might demonstrate you aren’t well organised or have gaps that are unaccounted for which could create security referencing problems.
A Design Overview
Design Overview
Your CV is there to showcase your skills and experience whilst demonstrating that you are a well-suited candidate for the role. You need to do this in a well-structured, clear and concise way. There’s a fine line between overcrowding / cluttering a CV and including a good amount of quality information.
Keep it to a single page wherever possible. You can adjust the size of the text to help you achieve this.
Consider including the airline’s colours (for the airline you are applying to) in the document, for example in the heading bars. This shows attention to detail and that you’ve taken the time to personalise your application specifically to an individual airline. These little additional touches can make a big difference when it comes to first impressions.
Font & Colour
Keep the font and text colours conservative. Don’t use unusual/outlandish fonts or colours that are difficult to see. The contrast ratio between the text and its background should be high enough for the text to be very clear.
Organising your content can be achieved by ensuring each section is given a clear heading. This allows the recruiter to quickly see the context of the section they are reading. Some suggestions as to how to split the sections are included in the content section below.
Many people make the mistake of not using the documents vertical space in an efficient way. There are different ways in which you can ensure the documents horizontal space is utilised in an effective way through columns and reducing the margin sizes.
Essential Information
Keep in mind that if the recruiter can’t find some essential information that they require (for example a 5-year checkable history), most aren’t going to take the time to get in touch with you to find that information out (particularly with low experience levels).
Why would they when the next CV in the pile (and probably hundreds more) might have all the information they need to progress their application to the next stage? That’s why you need to make sure that all the essential details are included, without fail. What might be a minor piece of information to you (like your notice/availability period), could be a make or break item for the airline.
Make It Relevant
Making your CV Relevant
Consider who you are sending your CV to and try and assess your CV from their perspective. If you are from France and sending your CV to a British or Irish airline, don’t use abbreviations the recruiter won’t understand. Write it so it’s understandable for all nationalities. For example, some countries have compulsory military service. State it was compulsory, not every recruiter will know it was.
Explain your education in an understandable format and give it context. Highlight the equivalent level of education for the country in which the airline you are applying to are based. For example, if it’s the equivalent of high school or secondary education, point this out. Don’t just put down ambiguous grades or marks without context. If you scored 7.5 in English language, state what this 7.5 was out of i.e. 7.5/10.
Consider the Type of Airline…
Consider the type of airline you are applying to. A large low-cost carrier will probably want to see you are focussed on threat and error management and non-technical skills. A legacy carrier may be more focussed on customer service and operational considerations. This might affect what skills you focus on highlighting in the document.
How Long Should It Be?
A Single Page
For most applications, and particularly for low hour and inexperienced flight crew your CV should normally consist of a single page. This is the standard industry format. Keep in mind that most recruiters will only get a very short period of time to evaluate your CV and therefore it should be kept clear, concise and to the point. If you’ve gone onto a second page, you’ve probably either included too much information or haven’t been very space efficient with your design.
Only extend it past a single page if you have very good reason such as an extensive career history before flying. For example, an experienced Captain might have reason to do this if you have held a number of positions, but then in this case you could probably leave out all your academic history except for the highest level of qualification you achieved, as you’ve been operating as a pilot for some time.
The longer you’ve been operating, the less important you career prior to flying and your academic qualifications are. However these details are critical if you are a low hour pilot as the airlines need something to differentiate you from all the other low hour applications they receive.
It should never exceed 2 pages. If you’re struggling for space, have a look at our example CV’s to see how you can be space efficient.
How to keep the document to a single page
Some tips to keep the document to a single page if you’re struggling:
- Reduce the margin sizes. This will allow you to fit more information in on all 4 sides of the document.
- Pick a space efficient font. Some fonts have bigger spaces between the letters than others. Experiment with some different fonts to see what works for your documents.
- Consider using a smaller font size, perhaps only for certain areas of the document, but ensure it is still clear enough to read
- Reduce the space between each line. Both Microsoft Word and Apple Pages will allow you to reduce the standard spacing between lines
Personal Details
Your personal details should be at the top of the CV and easy to locate. If any of these details are invalid, the recruiter might not be able to get hold of you. Pay particular attention to your mobile phone number and email address being correct.
Personal Details Layout
- Full Name – As stated on your passport.
- Address – Make sure you include the country and province.
- Mobile – and home phone number INCLUDING country code. If an international company wants to get hold of you, don’t expect them to work out what the country’s dialling code us. Double and triple check that you have put down the right number.
- Email Address – As above, double and triple check it’s accurate. Make sure you email address is sensible and professional.
The Less Obvious…
- Notice / Availability Period – Be specific, don’t say ‘approximately’.
- Willingness to relocate – State whether this is globally, across the continent or nationally.
- Able to fund a type rating? If an airline is specifying that you must be able to self-fund a type rating, specifically highlight that you are able to do this.
- Nationality – This is different to hold a passport as you might hold nationality somewhere but not a passport. If you hold a nationality it would demonstrate eligibility to hold a passport for that country.
- Passport(s) – List which countries passport(s) you hold.
- Driving Licence – Full and clean if applicable. Many airlines state in their flight crews’ contracts, that they must hold a full driving licence. You need to make sure you tick all the minimum requirement boxes.
- Date of Birth – Some people leave their DoB out, especially if they are above 30 and applying for their first flying position. Our recommendation is to always include it as it’s a vital piece of information for the recruiter. It helps contextualise the rest of the CV.
- If you don’t include it, it could be interpreted as saying that you feel your age may negatively impact your application. Different airlines will have different views on age. There are age discrimination laws in place within Europe, so it shouldn’t really matter but unfortunately the reality seems to sometimes be different.
Flying Experience & Qualifications
Flying Experience & Qualifications
The recruiter must verify that you meet the minimum flying qualifications for the role and therefore setting out your flying credentials clearly is essential. There are people out there who apply for flight crew positions who don’t even hold a licence and plenty more who apply for the position without meeting the minimum requirements. It’s therefore important that this section is prioritised towards the top of the document and we would suggest it immediately precedes your personal details.
Other details to include…
- The licences you hold (for example frozen ATPL – CPL, ME/IR, MCC)
- Which state your licence was issued by?
- Your flight crew licence number
- Total flight hours. Your total flight time should NOT include simulator time – list this separately. Simulator time is less important if you are an established F/O or Captain.
- Flight hours broken up into time on type (if you’ve done more flying than the minimum required for licence issues and particularly if you’ve been rated on multiple aircraft types), multi-engine time and Pilot in Command (PIC) time.
- What type ratings you hold and if you aren’t currently in employment, when they will expire.
- Any other endorsements or courses like a JOC or tail-dragger course.
- State you hold a Class One Medical certificate, including any restrictions, which state it was issued by and when it expires.
- Your English Language Proficiency (ELP) level (e.g. ICAO ELP 4).
Eduction and Academic History
Education & Academic History
- If you haven’t got a great deal of work experience or have recently graduated from flight training, we’d recommend including this before your employment history. If you are a currently pilot in employment then we’d suggest placing this section after your career history.
- List events in reverse chronological order with the months included for all start and finish dates to demonstrate a five-year checkable history. Do not just put the years.
Flight Training History
- Your flight training should be listed either under this section order under Flying Experience & Qualifications. We would recommend grouping it under Education and Academic history as it’s easier for a recruiter to follow your chronological history. They want to see a consistent 5-year checkable history for security clearance purposes.
- Your flight training history should detail where you completed your ATPL Theoretical Exams and the fact they were first time passes (leave out if not) and what your average ATPL Theory grade was. You may need to have obtained an 85% average pass mark for some airlines.
- Your flight training history should include where you completed your hour building, CPL, and Multi Engine Instrument Rating. Also include which aircraft you have operated. If you completed a full-time integrated course all your flight training can be listed under one-time bracket and one flight school.
- Details of your MCC should include where you completed it, on what type of simulator (B737/A320?), and how many hours it consisted of.
Secondary Education
- Low Hour Pilots should include all education from Secondary School (College) / Higher Education onwards. For each academic institution attended include when you attended, it’s name, where it’s located and the grades / certificates / qualifications achieved. Detail supplementary information such as notable achievements (such as captain of the rugby team or achievement awards).
- If you’ve achieved a GCSE level of education and acquired reasonable grades (C and above), it’s probably worth highlighting how many subjects you passed and what the mark was in each subject, particularly Maths, English and Science. Again, with A-Levels, University Degrees, Diplomas etc, include the grades in each subject if they are reasonable. If they are poor grades, it might be best of leave them out.
- You should check the minimum requirements for the job and ensure that the academic qualification section specifically demonstrates you meet the requirements. For example, if it states you require 5 GCSEs with grades A-C, make sure this is clearly visible.
- Established pilots should include their highest level of academic achievement, including the details as set out in the two bullet points above.
Work & Employment History
Work Employment & History
- Place this section above your education history if you’ve recently graduated from your commercial flight training.
- Start and finish dates should include months as well as years.
- State your role and which company you worked for.
- Where was the role located (City and Country)?
- What did your role entail? Try and link some of the key skills and attributes required to that of a First Officer (for low hour pilots). Examples include communication, decision making, planning, situational awareness, working under time pressure, prioritising, leadership, team work.
- If it was a flying job, highlight a bit of information about the type of operation considering the type of operation of the airline you are applying for.
- State if the role was part time and the fact you were working whilst in education if applicable.
- If you were working to fund your flight training, state it. It shows a high degree of determination and perseverance.
References
References
References can take up unnecessary space in a CV and space is at a premium. At the point of scanning through your CV, a recruiter is not going to contact any references you list. References will usually only be contacted if you are successful and you are provisionally given an offer of employment. It’s at this point the company will check your references. Save the space for something more relevant.
Hobbies & Interests
Hobbies & Interest
Recruiters and particularly fellow flight crew want to see that you’re (hopefully) a well-rounded and interesting person and listing your interests and hobbies can be an effective way of achieving this. Examples might include detailing any sports you play or some sort of club membership or association.
The recruiters can sometimes find something here that they find interesting or perhaps having something in common and this can be a good way for them to kick off the interview. For example, they might say ‘David, I see you like to sail, what sort of boat do you sail?’. This can result in a relaxed opening to the interview, setting the tone and putting you at ease.
Needless to say, you shouldn’t make anything up here as you can quickly become unstuck if one of the recruiters shares a similar interest and questions you on it.
Achievements
You might also include achievements that aren’t appropriate to be listed under your education or employment history. For example, highlight your participation in the Air Cadets or completing the Duke of Edinburgh award.
If you are going to spend most of the day locked in a small compartment with one other person, you probably want to be with someone who has a bit of character and outside interests.
Languages
Multilingual skills can be a useful commodity for flight crew. It opens up potential job opportunities across the world which might not otherwise be available. It’s also potentially useful to better engage with passengers if you are flying internationally to some destinations. Include details about the level of language skills you have if applicable, for example, native, fluent, advanced, conversational. If it’s very basic, it’s probably not worth listing.
General Advice & Tips
General Advice & Tips
- Double check the minimum requirements set out by the airline. Make sure every single one of these minimum requirements is addressed in the CV. For example, if the job advert says you require ICAO ELP 5 or above, make sure this is specifically included this.
- Think about the type of operation and the ethos of the airline you are applying to. Consider the skills you have developed in your previous career and tie this into the airline’s operation to which you are applying.
- If you’ve got large gaps (more than a couple of months) in your CV within the last 5 years, you need to justify it. If a recruiter sees a significant gap which is unaccounted for, it leaves many question marks as to what you were doing, your work ethos and ability to attain a 5-year reference. If you travelled for 6 months, include this in your career or education history. If you were looking for employment, state this in the document. If your CV has any gaps, pre-empt how the recruiter will interpret these and what questions they might have. You can then include answers to these points in your document.
- Ask a friend, colleague or family member to double check it for you to highlight any spelling or grammatical errors.
- Double and triple check all contact information.
Should you include a photo or not?
A Photo or Not?
It depends which airline you are applying to. Generally speaking, we wouldn’t suggest excluding it for applications to Western European airlines, but include it for everywhere else like Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.
Some Western European airlines aren’t always keen on you including them because your appearance isn’t important and there are possible discrimination law implications if the applicant isn’t selected for the role.
Sending the Document
Sending the Document
- Your CV should be saved with a sensible and concise name such as ‘John Tods Curriculum Vitae’ (not something like ‘JT CV 2’). This signifies attention to detail, professionalism and makes it easier for the recruiter to search for it if required.
- Send or upload your CV in PDF format. Sending it in Microsoft Word or Apples Page’s may result in formatting issues depending on what software is used to open the document. For example, the fonts may look different or boxes could overlap, turning a well-structured document to a misaligned mess. The PDF file type standardises the format, ensuring it is viewed in the same consistent way regardless of operating system or software.
- You can save the document as a PDF file using both the latest versions of Microsoft Word and Apple Pages. Always check the PDF has formatted correctly once it’s been converted. Ensure that the images have been converted to a reasonable level of quality.
Cover Letter
- If you’re emailing your CV it should be accompanied with an airline specific Cover Letter, more details of which can be found in our Covering Letter section. We would suggest including the Cover Letter in the body of the email as well as attaching it in a PDF format.
- Include a sensible subject line in the email such as ‘Blue Air First Officer Application’. This avoids it being filtered as spam and can be quickly directed to the right person or recruitment department.
Want to use our Professional CV design service? Our team have experience in designing selection processes, screening CVs and selecting candidates for airlines. Visit our Professional CV Tailoring page or email us to see how we can help support your airline application.
Check out our example CV that has been designed specifically for the role of an airline pilot. You can see that we’ve matched the colour scheme to the airline and that everything is presented in a clear and concise way. For more free design examples, check out our page dedicate to example Pilot CVs.
How to Write a Pilot Cover Letter
If you are looking to put together a professionally written Pilot Covering Letter in support of your application for a flight crew position for an airline, ensure you are familiar with what to include and how to structure it. This guide has been written by a current commercial pilot who has extensive experience in screening initial applications, such as CV & Cover Letters and running pilot selection processes.How to Write a Pilot Cover Letter
Why is a Pilot Cover Letter Important?
Why is a Pilot Cover Letter Important?
It is essential that your pilot CV or application to an airline is accompanied by a high quality, tailored Covering Letter which has been written specifically for the airline to which you are applying. A cover letter is your platform to demonstrate that you are well suited to join the airline and are familiar with its type of operation and values. Many people choose the easy option of producing a generic ‘one size fits all’ cover letter which makes no effort to address the airline you are applying for. This is easy to spot and significantly disadvantages your application.
Why should an airline consider inviting you for an interview for a pilot position if you haven’t shown that you are prepared to spend the extra half hour needed to demonstrate you’ve really researched the airline, its ethos and type of operation, when other candidates have? The excuse of ‘I don’t have the time’ is just not acceptable – you are applying to operate a multi-million-pound aircraft with potentially hundreds of people onboard therefore, airline recruitment teams expect the highest levels of professionalism to be demonstrated right from the initial application stage.
Generic Pilot Cover Letters
Generic Pilot Cover Letters
A generic pilot Cover Letter is very easy to spot. Simply changing the company name and a couple of sentences around when sending a cover letter out to different airlines is not good practice. More than half of the content within the Cover Letter you send out should have unique content. Think of the differences between easyJet and Virgin Atlantic; each airline has unique challenges, one across a short-haul operation, one over long-haul with both providing a different type of service. Each airline has different values and is probably looking for slightly different attributes from its flight crew. Your covering letter should address these factors.
Whereas a pilot CV showcases your skills, qualification and history, a Covering Letter should set out your motivation for joining a specific airline and how you are well suited for that company and type of operation. It should be limited to a single page (again a recruiter only has a finite amount of time to review each application) unless you have extenuating circumstances to make it longer.
Ensure it adheres to standard letter format which includes your address, date and name. You should address the letter to a specific person within the company if possible, like the recruitment manager of chief pilot.
What Should my Pilot Cover Letter Include?
What Should my Pilot Cover Letter Include?
Your pilot cover letter should include the following points:
- What aircraft type you are applying to operate.
- What operating base you are seeking (or stating you’d be prepared to relocate to any of them).
- Highlight that you meet all of the minimum requirements and emphasising any specific qualifications that might ensure you are looking upon favourably (for example holding an A320 type rating when applying to operate that aircraft).
- Why you want to work for that airline Consider its mission statement, values and ethos. Include a quote from one of these, whether it be a slogan or specific statement. This demonstrates you have extensively researched the airline.
- Include a couple of sentences which demonstrate that you have researched the history of the company such as including its formation date and how it has progressed since then.
- Mention your future aspirations in the company. This might include one day being promoted to the role of Captain or joining the training department. You could also tie this in with acknowledge any orders the airline has on order, and the opportunities associated with this.
- Highlight the type of operation and how this is well suited to your aspirations and attributes. For example, multiple aircraft type fleet with both long and short haul operations or maybe a lost cost carrier with a single aircraft type fleet but operating to many destinations. Both have their own advantages (see the section below).
- Address the skills you possess (particularly non-technical skills), how you acquired these skills (through previous employment etc) and how they are well suited for the type of operation of the airline you are applying for.
When writing the pilot Cover Letter, you might consider some of these points depending on the type of airline you are applying to.
Pilot Cover Letter Tips
Pilot Cover Letter Tips & General Advice
- Double and triple check your spelling and grammar. Make sure there are no spelling mistakes.
- Make sure the letter flows properly. When you re-read it, if you have to go back and re-read a sentence because it doesn’t read right, then change it, so it does flow. Sometimes sentences make sense, but they just don’t read right due to the choice of words or construction of the sentence. If you’ve had to re-read it, so will the recruiter.
- If you aren’t fluent in written English and the application is required to be in the English language, use a specialised service such as our Tailored Covering Letter service to ensure you present a fantastic document.
- Use the ‘about‘ or ‘investor relations’ section of the company’s website to find out more about the company’s mission statement, values, vision. Try and incorporate some of these into your letter. For example, if the airline’s website says ‘we are committed to provide the best customer service in the world’, mention that you want to help the airline achieve this and talk about how your previous experience supports your experience in this area. If you haven’t flown before you might talk briefly about a previous customer service role you have been in or what you have done as a pilot to enhance the passenger experience.
- Look specifically at the details of the job description. This can give you some ideas about topics to address. For example, if the airline mentions a very large route network or rapid career development, you can talk about how your non-technical skills would allow you to manage the challenges of this appropriately whilst finding it very rewarding. You could also talk about your career aspirations such as joining the training department.
Want to use our Professional Pilot Cover Letter design service? Our team have experience in designing selection processes, screening applications and selecting candidates for airlines. For more information about how we can support your application, visit our Professional Cover Letter Tailoring page.
Pilot Cover Letter Tailoring Service
Airline pilots are responsible for operating mutimillion pound, highly complex equipment and are regularly responsible for the lives of hundreds of people. You should therefore ensure that your Cover Letter meets the same professional standards as your flying. Make sure your airline application consists of a CV and Covering Letter which has been specifically tailored to the airline you are applying to. For your airline pilot application to stand out, your CV needs to be accompanied by a professionally structured and unique Covering Letter which matches your skills set and attitude to that of the ethos and culture of the airline to whom you are applying to.
Pricing
Our professionally tailored cover letter service is priced at the following rates:
Professionally Tailored Cover Letter - £129.99
A professionally written, unique and structured Cover Letter, which matches your skills and attributes to the airline’s operation and culture. Approximately 400 – 500 words, delivered in PDF and Docx formats. Additional Covering Letter orders placed after the initial order receive £40 off (with each additional letter costing £89.99).
Cover Letter & Pilot CV Package - £199.99
A professionally structured CV and Cover Letter written specifically for an airline of your choosing. Your skills, attributes and attitude will be matched to the airline’s ethos and culture to produce two high quality, professional documents which will support your application.
Additional cover letter orders placed after the initial purchase are subject to a discount of £40 (costing £89.99).
Express Service (Cover Letter Delivered within 36 Hours) - £159.99
Need a high quality CV & Cover Letter in a hurry? We offer an express service ensuring your documents are completed within 36 hours of you placing the order (subject to you providing us with all the required information in a timely manner). An individual CV is priced at £129.99 or a CV & Cover Letter combo package costs £199.99.
Additional Cover Letter orders placed after the initial purchase receive £40 off (costing £89.99).
How to Order
- Email us confirming that you would like to use the service
- We’ll quickly be in touch confirming who you would like your Cover Letter tailored for. We will probably need to ask you some questions about yourself to ensure this is reflected in the Cover Letter.
- Once the document is finished (we aim for 5 working days), we will ask for payment via PayPal
- When payment has been received, we’ll email you your document
- It’s very rare, but you can request amendments until you are completely satisfied
- At the end of the process your document and personal details are deleted to comply with GDPR regulations
All our services come with our promise of unlimited changes and adjustments until you are completely satisfied! Please note, in order to provide consumer protection, we only accept payment through PayPal. We will send you a PayPal invoice once the documents have been completed and are ready to be emailed to you. Once payment has been received, the documents will be emailed to you on the same day.
Orders will be acknowledged within 24 hours. Our standard turn-around is 5 working days from receiving all the relevant information. Any additional cover letters ordered are given a £40 discount.
To place an order, or if you have any questions regarding this service, please email [email protected] with your current CV attached in Microsoft Word, Pages, Publisher or PDF format and state the airline for whom you require the cover letter.
We will then review your CV in order to help tailor a Cover Letter specifically to your airline of choice. We might send you some follow-up questions via email if we feel that additional information is needed to ensure the best possible content is included. If you require the Cover Letter and CV package, we apply the same policy as stated in the CV Services section – we will only ask for payment if we believe an improvement can be made to your current CV.
We return your completed Cover Letter in the standard industry accepted PDF / Microsoft Word or Pages formats. This will allow you to edit your cover letter throughout your career to suit other airlines.
Why’s your Covering Letter important?
Whilst the CV details your education, employment and flying qualifications, the cover letter should be used to address why you are motivated to work for that specific airline, what skills and attributes you can bring to the role and how you see your career developing within the airline. You’ve invested a huge amount of money in getting to the position of being able to apply for an airline, why not invest a little more to help secure your dream job. We would strongly recommend you do not use a generic cover letter (or template that you can download for free) for all the airlines you apply to. To make your application stand out, you need to tailor the cover letter specifically for that airline. This shows a genuine and personal approach that will distinguish your application from those who use a generic letter. Different types of airlines offer differing types of flying, services and lifestyles, therefore requiring varying skills and attributes. This needs to be acknowledged and used to the applicants advantage in the cover letter. For example, the customer service emphasis of a low-cost airline will be different to that of a private jet operator. We offer professional cover letter tailoring, specific to individual airlines or operators. Once we have provided you with the professional format and content for a specific airline, you can then tailor the document for the future airlines you apply to, or request an updated cover letter from us at a discounted rate. The document is returned to you in PDF format, or DOC/Pages if specifically requested. As your use of the English language, spelling and grammar is heavily critiqued in your covering document and curriculum vitae, this service is particularly beneficial if English is not your first language.
Customer Testimonials
We have a proven track record of our cover letters getting people interviews with major airlines. Over the last 3 years, our documents have helped our customers secure assessment days with airlines across the globe. Here’s what some of our customers had to say regarding our tailored CV and Cover Letter service:
Airline Pilot CV Design & Creation Service
We offer the highest standard of professional CV design for airline pilots. We produce high quality documents which have a proven track record of getting our clients invited to airline assessments around the globe. Our CVs are designed by pilots who have actively recruited airline pilots of all experience levels, from Cadets to experienced Captains. Whether you’re an experienced Captain or First Officer, or perhaps you’ve just finished flight training and are applying for your first job or applying for a cadet pilot training program, we can help ensure that your CV is of the highest quality.Professional CV Design Service for Airline & Cadet Pilots
FlightDeckFriend.com has created hundreds of high quality airline pilot CVs for over 8 years. Unlike other websites offering a similar service, our documents are designed by members of our team who have experience in reviewing pilot CVs at airline recruitment level.Our Experience
Our professionally tailored CV design service is perfect for pilots of all experience levels. Depending on the rank or position you are applying for, we are able to ensure the right skills for the role are presented clearly and concisely. Our service is suitable for the following positions.Who’s our service for?
What our Pilot CV design service offers…
- An individually tailored CV for commercial flight crew and cadet pilots
- Over 8 years’ experience of producing pilot CVs with a proven track record of getting our clients airline interviews
- Professionally structured CV
- Tailored to a specific airline if desired
- Clear and concise single page design (which is industry standard)
- All essential & critical details included
- Delivered in PDF and either Word or Pages formats (as per your request) to allow you to update it in the future
- A highly comprehensive questionnaire is provided to ensure the highest quality content is included
- Unlimited changes until you’re 100% satisfied
- Payment via your choice of PayPal or Credit/Debit Card when the documents are completed
- Consistent excellent feedback
- 7 day turnaround with express options available
- We utilise a range of layouts best suited for your personal profile, which have a proven track record of getting candidates invited to an assessment
Full terms and conditions can be found here.
Pilot CV Design Packages
Curriculum Vitae Revamp - £69.99
We’ll go through your CV and provide feedback to you with suggestions as to how you could improve it. We’ll proof read it and analyse if any important information is missing from a recruiters perspective. We’ll also look at if you’ve missed any opportunities to build on certain credentials you have.
What you’ll get:
- Bullet point feedback on your document
- Suggestions of what else to include or remove
- Potential areas of expansion to highlight your credentials
- Proof reading to pick up on spelling or grammatical errors
We will only charge you for the service if we think we can give your worthwhile feedback. We’ll review the document first before letting you know if you would benefit from it and requesting payment. We are honest and open and quite regularly review documents which we don’t amend – you can have faith in our service!
If you’re unsure, send your CV in and we’ll have a look at it for you.
If based on our feedback, you decide that you’d like to use our CV tailoring service, the ‘CV Revamp’ fee will be taken off the price of our tailored CV service.
Tailored Pilot CV / Resume - £129.99
We create you a clear and concise CV that includes all the critical information that an airline looks for, whilst presenting it in a clear and professional layout. We ensure your relevant strengths, personal attributes and experience are set out concisely. This service is based on a 5 working day turn around.
CV & Cover Letter Combo Package - £199.99 ***BEST SELLER***
This product is as described in our stand alone CV ‘Combo’ package but accompanied with a unique cover letter that matches your attributes with the airline’s mission statement, ethos and type of operation. We highlight what you can bring to the airline based on your previous employment or education experience – this doesn’t necessarily mean flying! Based on a 5 working day turnaround.
Express Service (36 HRS) CV & Cover Letter - £239.99
Need a CV & a Cover Letter in a hurry? We offer an express service ensuring your documents are completed within 36 hours of placing the order (subject to providing us with all the required information). Individual documents – CV only £159.99 and Cover Letter only £159.99. We can also process documents within 12 or 24 hours subject to an additional charge and dependant on availability – visit our express document page for more information.
“Investing in your CV is investing in your future…”
Let us know which package you’d like and we’ll get back in touch with you to discuss your requirements and provide you with our comprehensive questionnaire. If you require your documents within 36 hours, check out our Pilot CV Express Service.
Customer Testimonials
The hardest part of the airline selection process is arguably getting an invite to the assessment in the first place. Airlines receive hundreds, sometimes thousands of applications for what are usually a very limited number of flight crew positions. Ultimately a poor-quality CV can end up holding your career back for years. Don’t make the mistake of not investing the time and energy into your CV that it deserves. Our experienced team will ensure all of your critical information is included in a clear, professionally structured and concise format to help ensure that your CV lands in the ‘yes’ pile. This service is particularly effective for clients who may be fluent or have a very good command of the spoken English language but may not be as confident with it in its written form. Our entire team speak English as their first language and meticulously check the final documents for spelling, structure and grammatical accuracy.Why use our professional Pilot CV design & creation service?
We have a proven track record of our professionally written CVs getting people interviews and assessments with major airlines. Over the last 8 years, our documents have helped our customers secure assessment days airlines across the world.Our Track Record
What to expect from our Pilot CV service…
All our services come with a promise of unlimited changes and adjustments until you are completely satisfied!
Please note, we only accept payment through PayPal. We will send you a PayPal invoice once the documents have been completed and are ready to be emailed to you. Once payment has been received, the documents will be emailed to you on the same day.
We aim to acknowledge orders and enquiries by email within 12 hours. The standard turnaround for an airline pilot CV (and Cover Letter) order is 5 working days, however, we do offer an express service if required.
CV Content and Layout
Both the content and layout of your CV is of critical importance. With recruiters potentially spending as little as 15 seconds initially screening a CV, you need to catch their eye by showing them that you are qualified and a good fit for the job.
The first thing the assessor wants to know is are you qualified for the job? This means you hold the correct flying licences, have the required hours and are able to live and work in the country from which the airline operates. If the recruiter can’t immediately see this information, your CV is likely not to be processed further. Once it has been established you are suitable qualified for the job, the recruiter will further analyse the CV assessing your skills set and experience through previous employment, education qualifications and extra-curricular activities.
English Language
In many airlines, your command of the English language is also assessed based on the quality of your CV and Cover Letter. As with the overall accuracy and design of the document, the use of language, spelling and grammar should be to a very high standard.
A pilot CV with spelling and grammatical errors will be dismissed very quickly. You are applying to operate an aircraft where attention to detail is critical – this must be reflected in your CV. Even if you are fluent at English, but it is not your mother tongue we would strongly recommend your CV is proof read by a professional.
The Document Creation Process
Once you have decided to go ahead with the Pilot CV Creation service, we will initially send you a fully refundable PayPal deposit request for £20. The remainder of the balance is only due once the documents have been completed and are ready to be sent to you.
Once the deposit has been received, we will send you a highly comprehensive questionnaire to ensure that we capture all the information needed to build your document to a high standard.
To place an order, or if you have any questions regarding this service please get in touch through [email protected]
If our professionally tailored pilot CV service is outside of your budget, we provide free example pilot CVs which you can copy. For a small fee, you can download these templates and edit them yourself. Here is an example of one of our free pilot CV templates.Free Pilot CV Templates
Online Job Application Support Service
Online Application Support for Pilot Jobs
Most major airlines now use online applications for their initial screening of candidates. Running a recruitment process is a considerable cost to the airline, so they want to ensure that the candidates they invite to the face-to-face assessments are high quality and have a good chance of meeting the criteria.
To ensure the candidates are likely to be of sufficient calibre to be successful at the assessment, many airlines use a comprehensive online application process. The online application process serves to:
- Ensure you meet the minimum requirements
- Verify you have the required skills and qualities
- Are highly motivated
- Have sufficient aptitude
- Demonstrate appropriate past behaviours as an indicator of future performance
What we can do for you…
Many airlines require specific essay style questions to be answered. These are typically around 300 words in length and might include questions such as:
- Why do you want to work for SkyJet Airways?
- What do you feel you can bring to the role at SkyJet Airways?
- How do you feel you can enhance the customer service delivered as a First Officer?
- What do you think makes an effective First Officer?
- How can you contribute towards the airline having a commercial advantage over our competitors?
We are able to support you in tailoring a unique, professional and effective answer to such questions. Whilst all quotes are unique due to differing requirements, as a guide, a tailored answer to a typical 300 word question is priced at £79.99.
We will aim to acknowledge and review your request within 12 hours and return the completed questions (if requested by the client) within 5 working days. We can offer an express service if requested.