01
Airline First Officer.
Regional and legacy carriers. Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, AirAsia, Emirates, Korean Air. CPL + Instrument + Multi-Engine unlocks the airline track — the destination 70% of our CPL graduates target.
Investment Tier 3 Professional License
Where hobby ends.
Modular Path · License 02
Where hobby ends.
Where profession begins.
The Commercial Pilot License is the legal threshold between flying for fun and flying for a living. 200+ hours logged. Complex-type training on the Cessna 210. Cross-country flights measured in airtime, not weekends. Ten to twelve months of deliberate practice — the kind that airline hiring panels can read in a logbook from across the room.
What you unlock
Five careers.
One license that opens all of them.
A PPL lets you fly. A CPL lets you be a pilot. The difference isn't incremental — it's categorical. Every career path in commercial aviation begins the moment CAAP issues your CPL. You don't pick one at enrollment; you pick from all of them at graduation.
02
Charter & Cargo Captain.
Private jet charter, general aviation cargo, regional freight. Shorter cockpit hierarchies, direct command earlier. The path our alumnus Capt. Samuel Stiff took before joining FedEx.
03
Corporate Pilot.
Business aviation — fly for a single company or a small roster of executives. Higher pay-per-hour than airline entry, irregular schedules, excellent lifestyle for pilots who prefer variety over routine.
04
Flight Instructor (CFI).
Teach what you just learned. Build 500–800 hours per year while getting paid. The only aviation career where you earn airline-qualifying hours instead of paying to log them. Natural next step if airline hiring is 12 months away.
05
Aerial Work Specialist.
Aerial survey, photography, agricultural operations, banner tow, pipeline inspection, search-and-rescue. Niche, well-paid, and growing sectors in the Philippines. CPL is the entry ticket to all of them.
06
The pilot you haven't imagined yet.
Medevac, government contract, missionary aviation, private flight department, aircraft ferry pilot. The modern aviation industry has roles that didn't exist a decade ago. CPL is the foundation for all of them.
The Path
Three phases.
Two hundred hours.
One professional logbook.
CAAP specifies the structure. CAFS specifies the hours spent inside it. Our CPL graduates accumulate hours faster than industry average because we fly when weather permits — the Philippine tropical climate gives you 340+ flyable days per year versus 180 in temperate regions.
- 01Months 1–3 · ground + theory
CPL Ground School
Advanced theory beyond PPL level: Commercial Air Law, complex aircraft systems, advanced meteorology, performance calculations, commercial aircraft operations, crew coordination fundamentals. The classroom work that airline hiring panels quiz candidates on during assessment.
You advance from: PPL theoretical knowledge to CPL professional standard - 02Months 4–10 · 200-hour build-up
Flight Hour Accumulation
The core of CPL training. 200+ hours of pilot-in-command, dual instruction, and cross-country operations on the Cessna 172 and complex-type training on the Cessna 210. Long-distance routes across the Visayas and Mindanao, solo cross-countries measured in hours not miles, night operations, instrument exposure, passenger-carrying operations.
You log: 200+ hrs · C172 + C210 Complex · cross-country · solo operations - 03Final weeks · checkride + licensing
CAAP Checkride + License Issuance
CPL written examination followed by a CAAP Designated Pilot Examiner flight test — more rigorous than PPL, covering commercial maneuvers, complex aircraft handling, emergency procedures under passenger-operations assumptions. Pass, and your Commercial Pilot License is issued the same week. You are now legally a professional pilot.
You leave with: Commercial Pilot License (CAAP) · ICAO-recognized · FAA/EASA/CASA convertible
On pace vs off pace. Most CPL students complete in 10 to 12 months on a full-time schedule. Weekend-only training is not recommended — CPL requires consistent hour accumulation and instructor-student rhythm that weekend cadence interrupts. Training extending beyond 14 months incurs industry-standard duration fees — see the four-layer pricing model for full disclosure.
The Build-Up
Two hundred hours.
One logbook, signed at the end.
200 +
hours of logged pilot-in-command time
100 Hours 0–100 Cessna 172 Skyhawk · solo · cross-country · night
100+ Hours 100–200+ Cessna 210 Centurion · complex type · retractable gear · airline-recognized logbook
Who this is for
Four professional profiles
sit in our CPL cohort.
The Airline Aspirant
PPL earned, airline cockpit in sight. Modular path chosen over Cadet because they want to build hours with a clearer head, demonstrate commitment to themselves before to airlines. Will add Instrument + Multi-Engine after CPL, then apply.
The
Airline Aspirant
Airline Aspirant
The Charter Specialist
Doesn't want to wait for a regional airline pipeline. Targets charter, cargo, or general-aviation operators where CPL + 500 hrs PIC is the entry-line threshold. Faster time-to-left-seat than airline route, often with direct captain trajectory.
The
Charter Specialist
Charter Specialist
The Corporate Track
Connected. Has a network through family business, corporate aviation department, or a specific operator. CPL is the entry credential to fly a specific aircraft or for a specific employer. Motivation is precise, timeline is fast.
The
Corporate Track
Corporate Track
The Instructor-First Path
Plans to earn CPL → CFI → teach while building 1,500 hours toward ATPL. The economically rational path for pilots without financing — CFI work pays enough to cover living costs while logging airline-qualifying hours. Very common for alumni who prioritize zero debt.
The
Instructor-First
Instructor-First
Your training aircraft
Two aircraft. One progression.
Skyhawk to Centurion.
CPL flight training spans two aircraft categories at CAFS. Continue on the Cessna 172 Skyhawk for the first 100 hours, then transition to the Cessna 210 Centurion for complex-aircraft experience — retractable gear, constant-speed prop, higher performance envelope. The progression airline hiring panels expect to see on a CPL logbook.
Hours 0–100 · foundation
Cessna 172 Skyhawk
The aircraft you trained PPL on. Solo cross-countries, passenger operations, night flight, progressive maneuvers. Building hours on a familiar platform while the complexity of theory increases around it.
Lycoming IO-360 · 180 HP 122 kt cruise Fixed gear · non-complex
Hours 100–200+ · complex type
Cessna 210 Centurion
Retractable gear, constant-speed propeller, turbocharged performance. The step up that separates CPL-track students from recreational flyers. Complex-aircraft logbook time is what airline panels look for — this is where it accumulates.
Continental TSIO-520 · 300 HP 197 kt cruise Retractable gear · complex type
Before you enroll
Six prerequisites.
One application window.
- 1Valid Private Pilot License (PPL) — CAAP-issued or ICAO-equivalent from another authority (convertible via bridge check).
- 2Minimum 100 flight hours logged — at least 35 hours solo PIC, ideally with cross-country and night experience.
- 3CAAP Class-1 Medical Certificate — the elevated medical standard for commercial operations. Stricter than Class-2; requires aviation medical examiner review.
- 4ICAO English Language Proficiency (ELP) — Level 4 minimum. Tested if not already certified.
- 5Age 18+ at the time of checkride. CAAP issues CPL from age 18.
- 6Clean background check — NBI or Police clearance for professional aviation licensing.
International students need additionally: passport, Special Study Permit (SSP), visa, Affidavit of Support. International medical certificates from ICAO-member states are accepted subject to CAAP review. Full checklist in the package PDF.
The Modular Ladder
CPL is rung 02.
You are now a professional pilot.
CPL is where modular students earn the legal right to work as pilots. From here, two rungs remain optional depending on your trajectory — Instrument Rating opens airline applications, Multi-Engine opens first-officer positions. Many CPL graduates stop here and join charter operators; others continue to IR+ME to enter airline pipelines; the Cadet Pilot flagship track is also open to CPL holders who want to integrate the remaining qualifications in a single pipeline.
Questions we hear most
What CPL students
usually want to know.
Is modular CPL the same as Cadet for airlines?
The licenses are identical under CAAP. What differs is pipeline access — Cadet graduates have direct Skyway Airlines MOU interview access; modular CPL graduates apply through the standard airline channels. Many modular graduates do join the same airlines; they just do it without the partnership pipeline.
Can I do CPL weekends only?
Not recommended. CPL requires consistent hour accumulation and instructor-student rhythm. Weekend-only training typically stretches CPL to 18–24 months, which triggers duration-based fees and fatigues the training quality. Most CPL students go full-time or at minimum 3 days/week.
Do I need Instrument Rating to get hired by airlines?
Yes, for legacy airlines. Every airline pilot job requires IR — it's the weather qualification that makes scheduled operations possible. Some regional operators accept CPL-only hires for specific aircraft, but airline pipelines assume IR from the application.
How many hours should I have before enrolling?
CAAP minimum is 100. Realistic minimum for comfortable CPL entry is 80–100 with cross-country and night experience. Students with 120–150 hours at entry tend to complete CPL faster because they arrive with stronger pilot-in-command intuition.
Can Cadet Pilot students skip CPL as a separate program?
Yes. Cadet Pilot is the integrated route — PPL + CPL + IR + ME + ATPL Theory delivered in 18–24 months as one pipeline. Modular CPL is for students who prefer the self-paced approach or who arrived with PPL from elsewhere.
What's included in the base package?
Ground school, 200+ flight hours (C172 + C210), simulator sessions, CAAP checkride and written-exam fees on first attempt. Everything itemized in the package PDF, plus the four-layer pricing disclosure.
Is CPL convertible to FAA or EASA?
Yes, with bridge training. CAAP CPL meets ICAO Annex 1 standards, so conversion to FAA (US), EASA (Europe), or CASA (Australia) follows the standard ICAO-to-local-authority process. Typical conversion timelines are 4–12 weeks depending on destination authority.
The next step
Talk to admissions before
you commit a year.
CPL is a ten-to-twelve month decision. Before you sign, get a tailored assessment: your current hours, medical status, target career, financing reality, cohort timing. Admissions responds with a written plan within 24 hours — no deposit, no obligation. A single conversation worth a year of training clarity.