Becoming a Pilot: What Should You Study?
But before we jump in, a quick (but equally important) thing to note - if you have finished your studies already, don’t worry! There isn’t really a “wrong” subject. There definitely isn’t a list of “must take” ones. What is important is a capacity to learn, and the right knowledge, skills and attitude, and a lot of that comes with experience and isn’t directly teachable.
In general though studying subjects you enjoy and excel in is really what counts. This will help you achieve good grades, provide you with a strong foundation to build on, and be top points on your CV for when you apply for those first airline assessments.
Let’s start at the end…
The tech ones are:
- Flight management - Automation
- Flight management - Manual
- Application of procedures
- Knowledge
The non-tech competencies are:
- Communication
- Leadership & teamwork
- Situation awareness
- Workload management
- Problem solving & decision making
Again, these sound like things you need to practice and learn within an aviation context, but remove the “flying” terms, and these are also areas you can develop and improve from early on and which you will find are very transferable skills for the airline pilot.
So let’s look at the subjects you might study.
Maths & Physics
To gain your ATPL, you have to write theory exams (theory which is then applied practically when you fly). Some of these subjects are relatively technical: understanding aerodynamics, principles of flight, understanding how certain systems and equipment work etc.
Geography
Languages
Sports & team activities
It can help you build self-awareness of your behaviour and how it works with others, how your personality interacts with them. It can assist you in learning how to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, and really importantly, having some exposure to human factors (how things like tiredness affects your performance, how pressures affect you etc) can be gained from it. It can also provide you with the skills to mentor and coach (and potentially later move into training related roles).
Secondly, playing any sports can be really helpful for things like hand eye coordination. Pilots need good coordination and relatively good reflexes. We aren’t talking fighter pilot level skills here, but just a decent standard.
The final one is possibly a bit more random, but some team sports and activities involving strategy and planning can help us develop skills like planning several steps ahead, thinking about the bigger picture (beyond what you’re doing directly, at that moment) and how to manage our workload and capacity through methods like delegation.
‘Thinking’ subjects
Sciences
I’m going to add computer sciences, and also subjects like business studies in here too because the analytical skills, and the technical way of thinking is applicable with these too.
Psychology
Things like cognitive biases, startle and surprise, distractions, degraded capacity etc. So this can be a very beneficial subject to study because of the understanding of these ares which it provides, and if you are interested in it then highly recommended as it may open up opportunities to head into other areas like safety, CRM and training as well.
Arts
Qualification levels
Many state a minimum of G.C.S.E (with A-C grades) but realistically, studying to at least ‘A’ level (beyond compulsory education) is probably required nowadays. The more competitive programs, and some airlines, can have more specific requirements, and particularly in the USA/Canada a lot of airlines require a degree.
The main downside of studying further education is the debt you may accrue through this and your flight training, however, there are options nowadays to tie your degree in with your flight training, through an aviation of travel and transport type degree.
Let’s get academic
How can ASP help?

Almost there!
Almost there!
5 AUTOMATIC FAILS
I also benefited from this service as it helped me better know myself, which will help me prepare relevant examples for the interview. Definitely worth the investment.
So thank you!"
I’ve been flying for 10 years and professionally (not airlines) for 5 years, I’ve been to many ATOs, met many pilots, read books on the subject but never did I understand what the airline interview was all about before following the ASP course, and I thank you for that because it brings so much peace understanding the rules of games.
As I understand it’s not about telling the interviewers what they want to hear by being someone we are not, and it’s not about telling them true stories that has no use for them, but it’s about looking into our past for evidence of the competencies that they are looking for, preparing answers by funneling the key competencies that we have within ourselves and showcase them from past events, discarding irrelevant stuff, thus making their job easier and enhancing a pleasant overall experience.
PS : I just received a positive answer to my interview.
I took the Psy2 HOP in September and not wanting to make the same mistake, I took an AIC preparation at ASP, I also added a 1:1 interview supplement with Guillaume. Note that I also passed the Wizzair selections which I succeeded (also in September) The 2 selection processes are different but the AIC allowed me to better understand the expectations of recruiters.
For each of the 2 companies, I did a lot of personal work on the operating mode of the companies so as not to get caught during the interviews. As a good student, I thought about the most relevant examples I could give by filling in the boxes in the excel skills table… a bit laborious but it allows you to sort by choosing the most relevant examples.
I focused my examples on recent flights (< 3 years) but not only, especially the flight that marked you the most… there’s only one and it was 15 years ago!
I really appreciated the 16PF and the debriefing is important to understand, I think about 3/4 were common with the brief debriefing done at the end of the individual psy2 interview.
By understanding the philosophy of the individual interview, I did not go there on the defensive (like the first time) but with the spirit of dispelling the doubts they could express and confirm their expectations. For the group tests, for Wizz or Hop, I made sure to be the good second, to give everyone a chance to speak. I did not chase my nature, I just made sure not to be too enthusiastic. In my case the 1:1 interview was very profitable because I wanted to see the adequacy of the questions asked by the recruiter according to the 16PF without forgetting the debriefing that goes with it… It reassured me about my ability to succeed (even if everything is not in my hands!!!)
I also did a lot of work understanding the skills to guide my answers, without distorting the trait but just by explaining more accurately and clearly arguing. As it is explained in the courses, honesty is important and the preparatory work you do will allow you to bring clarity to your words.
The advice and examples drawn from Guillaume’s experience bring invaluable added value to the content of the briefing.
I am measuring my words but I can tell that knowing all of this can be a game changer into an interview environment. 16PF questionnaire with specialist debriefing is a real added value into this course, I fairly recommend it, it is definitely worth it.
Ils m’ont demandé la communication avec un capitaine, une situation qui me stresse, un vol difficile et l’acceptation de l’erreur, J’ai eu plus de mal à décrire les compétences humaines que je devais continuer à développer mais dans l’ensemble très correcte. Entretien de groupe j’ai pris soin de bien structurer et de partager le lead comme dans les vidéos, Résultat dans 6-8 semaines !
Regarding Advanced Interview Course, liked how clear, concise, relevant and straight to the point it is. I like the fact that Guillaume knows exactly what he's talking about.
His experience is invaluable!
I am measuring my words but I can't tell that knowing all of this can be a game changer into an interview environment. 16PFquestionnaire with specialist debriefing is a real added value into this course, I truly recommend it, it is definitely worth it.
The Key Competencies and examples of related questions allow me to see exactly what to expect and how to orient my speech to allow recruiters to see in me the qualities necessary for the position.
The company info sheets are very well done and the explanations of how to create them for yourself are also good. The 16PF test and the debrief is very useful for orientation as well.
I appreciated Guillaume’s meticulous revision of my CV and Cover Letter. The patient explanations behind each recommendation and change were helpful in understanding the rationale for the adjustments proposed.
His insightful feedback not only helped me understand how recruiters perceive my CV and cover letter, but also helped me to streamline the information for quick comprehension.
By focusing on quality content and reducing its length, it helped me create application documents that capture attention effectively.
January 31, 2025
As a result, I arrived well-prepared, ready to answer all the questions, which also allowed me to have confidence in myself, reduce my stress, and therefore present the best image of myself.
For me it was also a good review of everything after having been away from aviation for a while, and very good inputs about common mistkes and how to avoid them.
I actually believe that it was easier to fill the experience sheet after having done the 16PF.
I particularly liked module 8 with examples given for tricky questions. I also like that Guillaume is very passionate about his field of work.
The CV and Cover Letter Course was precise, to the point and gave valuable information.
The company information sheets are well done, and the explanations of how to get there are also helpful. The 16PF questionnaire and the debrief are very useful for orientation as well.
Almost there!
How We Work
Almost there!
How We Work
November 26, 2024
Going through the Aer Lingus and easyJet selection processes was a real experience. While I didn’t make it through Aer Lingus after reaching the simulator stage, I kept moving forward—and I’m happy to share that I succeeded in the easyJet selection this October!
DECEMBER 3, 2024
Hello Guillaume,
January 8, 2025
I really liked the vision given from a recruiter point of view and how it makes feel that everything makes sense. I understand better the recruitment process. It also gives a very efficient method to identify, classify relevant examples to be used. I think it opened my eyes and gave me a new look on the examples I had prepared : I realized that some of them are very rich and I didn't know that and others are not as useful as I thought as they are just stories and not key competencies proofs. The course can be downloaded and taken offline and that is a very good point, especially when taking it on the train or on stopovers where wifi isn't really good. What would be nice is that when you login again with the device used offline the progression in terms of percentage of checked modules could be synchronized. As a matter of fact, I finished all the modules but only 30% are marked as done.
January 13, 2025
January 22, 2025
February 13, 2025
February 21, 2025
Almost there!
Free SOPs and their Secrets eBook
Presque arrivé(e) !
February 28, 2025
The Advanced Interview Course and the 1:1 Interview with Guillaume were a game changer for me. I adquired many tools not only to be prepared for an Airlinie Selection process, but also to understand better the big picture of my role as a pilot.
There is plenty information going around about these matter. But ASP is different. You can see in Guillaume and Hugo specialists that know the matter from inside and can understand your needs and give you the information an advices you need. Guillaume took extra time to help me in the 1:1 interview staying longer after ! I had technical problems with my computer to start the meeting.
Thank you!
March 7, 2025
March 14, 2025
March 21, 2025
March 28, 2025
April 4, 2025
April 11, 2025
I also learnt a lot in the company study section—specifically, where to look, what to read, and how to analyze a company’s specificities and strategies. This really helps in being able to present relevant and thoughtful knowledge to the assessor during the interview.
Finally, the way Guillaume gives his answers to the different interview questions and scenario is incredibly helpful for guiding the study and preparation process.
April 18, 2025
Just a quick note to thank you for the quality and depth of your selection preparation content. I used your courses to prepare for two selections this year—Air France and HOP—and I’m happy to share that I passed both!
The courses “Réussir la sélection pilote AF – Part 1 and 2” were incredibly helpful. They’re well designed and provide a clear, structured understanding of what is expected from candidates. They really helped me focus my preparation and approach the process with confidence.
I also really appreciated the group exercise done via video call, as it was my first time doing one and it gave me valuable insight into what’s expected in a real selection setting.
Thank you again for your support and the excellent resources!
April 25, 2025
I wanted to keep you updated following our very long debrief on the 16PF—I received a positive response from Emerald Airlines! I really want to thank you for the quality of our discussion and for the quality of ASP’s content, as I truly feel it actively contributed to this success.
I still have my final selection with Luxair coming up in about two weeks. It’s known to be very selective, so we’ll see ;)
MAY 2, 2025
MAY 9, 2025
MAY 16, 2024
May 23, 2025
may 26, 2025