FAQ · Frequently Asked Questions

Quality Fly is a flight school that offers what is probably the most innovative ATPL Integrated Programme in Europe, fulfilling all of EASA’s latest improvements and regulations, such as APS MCC, KSA 100 or CBTA, and exceeding its requirements by completing the course in a Full Flight Simulator Level D and receiving Gliding training.

Based in Madrid, Spain, and enjoying over 300 sunny days per year, Quality Fly is a global school with students from over 40 nationalities that delivers its training 100% in English.

Quality Fly operates an entirely new generation fleet which combines glass-cockpit, up-to-date technology, cost efficiency and the highest environmental respect with a fuel consumption up to 50% lower than the equivalent old fleet.

QF is located at Cuatro Vientos Airport in Madrid, which is one of the oldest airports in Spain and the one with the highest number of operations per year. This airport is ideal for pilot training due to:

1. Intensity of traffic, which prepares you for real, busy airspace conditions
2. Varied geography
3. Location in the centre of Spain, within reach of many airports
4. Excellent weather with many sunshine days per year. You can learn more here.

There are multiple ways to come to Cuatro Vientos Airport:

• By bus, lines 483, 486 or 487 will leave you at less than a 5-minute walk from our office.
• By car, take motorway M-40 until exit number 30. Then you will be just around the corner, simply follow directions to Ctra. Barrio de la Fortuna and you will reach our offices in 1 minute.

Depending on the area, the living costs on a single room are around € 600 per month.

It is really easy to learn more about our school. You can contact our students through the ambassador student program, our admissions officers are always happy to answer your doubts, and you can register for our Open Day and Free Taster Class. Ah! And you can also learn more about us on our YouTube channel and Instagram Profile.

Have a look at this page, where you can check all the requirements and find out if you are able to start the course right away.

On one hand, there are at least three subjects that you should be have a good command of.

• The first one is English, the international language of aviation.
• The second one is maths: you will need to sort out some equations, formulae, or do some quick calculations in the cockpit.
• You will also need a basic, general understanding of physics in order to complete the ATPL theoretical exams.

On the other hand, you need to have excellent personal and interpersonal skills such as leadership, decision-making, temperance, communication and assertiveness.

Yes, you can check the minimum requirements here.

Yes, preferably Cambridge B2 or higher.

Keep in mind the whole training and exams are done in English. Besides, you will need to obtain a certificate of ICAO Language Proficiency in English Level 4 for the issue of your CPL.

It is a course in which you go from zero-experience to having a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) without any intermediate steps, ensuring the fastest time to completion.

On the other hand, by following a modular route, you need to obtain all the different licenses and ratings one by one (PPL, time building, NR, IR, MEP, CPL, etc).

Depending on which one of the ATPL programmes you choose, the timeline for the lessons, exams and flight hours varies. You can find more information here.

No, you must pass all the Intro Phase exams to ensure a minimum knowledge before starting flying. The Intro Phase lasts for 2 months.

Most flights are 1 to 2 hours long. During cross-country navigations to different airports, you may fly more than one sector a day.

Depending on the phase, you will practice basic aircraft handling, VFR manoeuvres, touch and goes, VFR navigation, IFR manoeuvres, IFR navigation, ME handling, UPRT, Night Flight and more.

We will credit 22.5 hours of your PPL flight time, and will naturally offer you a discount for those hours.

Yes, you will be granted access to our Online Campus (Moodle), where you can find all the necessary training material to study along the course.

All the exams have only test-type questions. Depending on the subject, they have from 24 to 84 questions and last for 1 to 2 hours.

It usually takes about 18 to 24 months to complete the theoretical and flight training.

All the training and equipment costs are included in the price. Accomodation and living expenses are not, although we offer housing options for our students.

There are just two extra items you will need to plan for: the medical certificate renewal (about € 120 once a year) and skill test examiner fees (between € 700 and € 1,000 for all of them: SEP, IR, MEP and CPL).

Nothing, that’s fine! You will continue to be enrolled in the school until you finish, without the need to pay any extra money.

You can apply in three simple steps:

1. 1. Submit your application
   2. Attend an interview
   3. Perform an IQ/EQ test and a coaching interview

You can learn more about this process here.

We have 8 aircraft: 3 Tecnam P2002JF, 4 Tecnam P2008 JC, 1 Cessna 172S and 1 Tecnam P2006T. However, the fleet has been growing and being renewed since 2018 at a rate of two aircraft per year.

Quality Fly currently owns all of the aircraft in our fleet.

No, we hire one of the best and most trusted maintenance companies in Spain to ensure the utmost level of safety

We have a Beechcraft 200 Turboprop FNPT II MCC that you will use during the IFR phase and an Airbus A320 Full Motion Level D Simulator (FFS) based in Barajas International Airport for the APS-MCC part of your training.

You will have a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) with ATPL Theoretical Exams (Frozen ATPL), including several ratings and courses such as SEP, MEP, IR, PBN, Advanced UPRT and APS MCC.

The SEP rating will allow you to act as Pilot In Command of an aircraft with one piston engine, such as a Cessna 172 or a Cirrus SR22.

The MEP rating will allow you to act as Pilot In Command of an aircraft with two piston engines, such as a Tecnam P2006, a Piper Seneca or a Diamond DA42.

The IR allows you to fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), that is, without outside references, by using the navigation instruments in the cockpit. It is the most common type of flight in airline operations and the only one possible in bad weather conditions.

A class rating allows you to fly a certain group of aircraft that require training common to all of them. SEP, MEP and SET (Single-Engine Turboprop) ratings are class ratings.

A type rating is required to fly heavy and/or complex aircraft that require specific training beyond the scope of a class rating. Airliners such as the Boeing 737, Airbus A320 or ATR72 all require a type rating.

No, the licence will be valid forever, as long as you have a valid Medical Certificate along it.

The ratings in your licence, however, do expire.

Yes, the SEP expires every 2 years, and the MEP, IR and PBN expire every year.

To revalidate or renew your ratings, depending on which specific rating it is, you normally need to perform a skill test with an authorized examiner.

You can learn more about revalidations and renewals with Quality Fly here.

A revalidation is done when your rating is still valid.

A renewal is done when your rating is expired.

At the end of your training you will receive a CPL licence with the SEP, MEP, IR and PBN ratings. Therefore, you will be able to fly all single and multi-engine piston aircraft under VFR and IFR, for either leisure or work.

In order to fly an airliner or some other complex airplane, you will just need one more course: the type rating for that specific aircraft.

It is highly recommended to get it before starting, but if you are still waiting for an appointment, you can join the course meanwhile. However, you will need the medical certificate in order to start flying.

To complete the ATPL course you will need a Class 1 Medical Certificate, the most exhaustive test for ensuring that you are fit to fly.

For a Private Pilot Licence (PPL) you will only need a Class 2 Certificate.

The Class 1 Medical has to be renewed every year.

The Class 2 Medical has to be renewed every 5 years.

No, there aren’t.

No, you will need a valid Class 1 Medical.

When you sign into the school, our administration officers will get an appointment for you in an aeromedical centre.

You can renew your medical certificate in any aeromedical centre. You can find a list of those in Madrid here (in Spanish).

Quality Fly will recommend you one of our trusted partners that will also offer you a discount.

In some countries it is possible to obtain government funding. Alternatively, most pilots either use their own savings or receive support from their family.

If Spain requires a visa for your country of origin, you will be responsible for obtaining it.

We provide CV writing and interviewing skills workshops for all our graduates.

This is a normal reaction upon the first flight experiences. However, we recommend you to try a discovery flight before commiting to a commercial pilot program.