UK flagUK CAA CPL Theory Course, Online and Guided.

Pass Your UK CAA CPL Exams With A
Plan Built Around Your Busy Life

Guided CPL distance learning from a UK CAA-approved training organisation. Human check-ins, monthly start dates, and a week-by-week timetable built for you.

£
Pilot studying CPL theory beside an aircraft
UK CAA Approved ATO
13 Subjects
Adjustable Timetable
THE PROBLEM

The part of going commercial nobody warns you about

You already fly for fun. Studying to fly for a living is a different animal, and most providers leave you alone with it: pay the fee, collect your logins, and study solo. Studying meteorology at 10pm after a long day asks a lot of anyone.

THE PROBLEM

Thirteen exams. Yes, for the CPL.

Plenty of pilots assume commercial theory is the short course. It covers 13 subjects, the same count as the ATPL, under the same CAA limits. Study order, exam grouping, and booking strategy shape your result.

Pilot studying late at night
THE PROBLEM

Limits CPL students must know

The CAA sets a 75% pass mark across all 13 exams, a ceiling of 6 sittings and 4 attempts per exam, and an 18-month window from your first attempt. Breach any limit, and every pass is invalidated. You start again from zero.

STRUCTURED BUT FLEXIBLE:
THE GUIDED PATH THROUGH CPL THEORY

We started SkyLearner after watching pilots make the big calls alone, like which subject to open first and when to book each exam. So we built a course around guidance. The structure is ours. The schedule is yours.

Guidance at every step of your CPL

Before you enrol

A conversation with our team about the CPL route, whether it fits your goal, and what follows the theory

At sign-up

We guide you through CAA exam registration, which takes up to 10 days, so it’s ready when you need it.

Before day one

An onboarding call turns your weekly hours and chosen exam venue into a personal timetable

Choosing what to study

Your 13 subjects arrive pre-sequenced, ordered so each one feeds the next

Booking exams

A grouping plan spends 4 of your 6 sittings and banks 2 for insurance

Mid-course

Instructors call you for progress chats, and the helpdesk answers questions at any time

After a failed exam (if required)

An instructor debrief pinpoints the weak areas before you rebook

After your final pass

A completion call covering your paperwork and your route into practical flying

Your instructors are active pilots with experience teaching CPL. The people who wrote your material answer your questions and make the calls.

Choose your start date

MAKE A CUP OF TEA, AND SEE
HOW THE COURSE AND SUBJECTS WORK

SkyLearner instructor presenting the ATPL and CPL theory course

FROM SIGN-UP TO FINAL EXAM,
STEP BY STEP

01

Choose your start date

A new CPL course opens every month. Pick the study hours you can give: 35, 25, or 15 per week.

02

Complete enrolment

Upload the ICAO-compliant PPL you already hold (or add it later) and pay in full or by instalment.

03

Register with the CAA

Our welcome emails start your CAA exam registration straight away, since the process takes up to 10 days. Consider it your first lesson in filing paperwork early.

04

Build your timetable

A short onboarding call maps your available hours into a week-by-week plan, exam dates and venue included.

05

Attend the intro day

Meet your cohort in a group MS Teams session: course structure, question technique, a maths and physics refresher, and the CAA-required KSA100 checks.

06

Work through the material

Videos, animations, interactive walkthroughs and text, all written by the instructors on the end of your phone.

07

Test as you go

End-of-module and cumulative progress tests (80% pass mark), with CAA-style questions and video walkthroughs.

08

Attend your knowledge check, then sit your exam

Book each check from the monthly calendar. Attend, ask your final questions, and we issue your CAA exam recommendation. Then book your exam.

09

Repeat until 13 of 13

A failed exam earns a debrief before the retake. The in-person KSA day at Carrickfergus comes before your final exam.

10

Finish with a completion call

Training admin confirms your paperwork and the next steps toward your commercial flying.

START NOW

Want to see your own CPL learning plan before committing? Click below, and we will build it with you.

Book a call

EVERYTHING INCLUDED
IN THE PRICE

Premium 1-to-1 tuition is also available as bookable hourly slots.

  • All 13 CPL subjects with online learning material
  • A personal week-by-week timetable, rebuilt when life changes
  • Group intro day with maths and physics refresher
  • End-of-module and cumulative progress tests with video walkthroughs
  • 13 pre-exam knowledge checks, running monthly
  • Instructor helpdesk for questions at any time
  • Progress calls from your instructors
  • Debrief after any failed exam attempt
  • In-person KSA day in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland
  • Completion call covering paperwork and your route to practical training

CHOOSE HOW YOU’D
LIKE TO PAY

Every payment option includes the complete CPL course. Choose your preferred start date and the payment option that suits you.

Online enrolment is temporarily unavailable. Please contact SkyLearner.

CPL EXAM RESULTS
FROM SKYLEARNER STUDENTS

COURSE DETAILS
AND KEY FACTS

Title
Description
Approval
UK CAA-approved Aviation Training Organisation (ATO)
£Price
in full, 6 instalments of , or 12 of .
12Start dates
New dates every month
Study options
35, 25, or 15 hours per week, set at sign-up
Subjects
13, pre-sequenced so each subject feeds the next, including Meteorology, Principles of Flight and Air Law
A+Exams
Booked by you, in person, at any of the 6 UK CAA venues. Gatwick normally has the most availability.
Exam rules
75% pass mark, 6 sittings maximum, 4 attempts per exam, all passed within 18 months of your first attempt
In-person requirements
CAA exams at UK venues, plus the KSA day at Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. International students should plan for travel to the UK.
Entry requirements
ICAO-compliant PPL or higher (lapsed licences and expired medicals are fine), English to at least ICAO level 4, aged 18 or over. Aged 17? Contact us to discuss next steps.

Getting Ready for Professional Training

Maths and physics get a refresher on the intro day, in case school was a while ago. Confirm you can hold a Class 1 medical before professional flight training.

Choose your start date

BUILT FOR PPL HOLDERS
READY TO FLY FOR A LIVING

Right now, flying is something you pay to do. A CPL changes that and this course covers the theory. You might be 19 with 35 free hours a week, or 42 fitting study around a full-time job, from Belfast or Bahrain, travelling to the UK for exams and KSA day. Your study plan is flexible with at least one day a week study-free.

500+Student Pilots Supported
10+ YearsAviation Training Experience
★★★★☆4.5  Average user rating
Pilots discussing training beside an aircraft

MEET YOUR
INSTRUCTORS

Josh Van-Rietvelde

Josh Van-Rietvelde

Head of Training, CTKI & Safety

Josh has spent much of his career around training, both in the UK and overseas, with experience across general aviation, charter operations and airlines. He has taught PPL, CPL/IR and ATPL theoretical knowledge for many years, alongside CRM and simulator instruction. His flying background includes both turboprop and jet aircraft, and he also has experience with airline recruitment and pilot selection. Josh is easy going by nature and likes to keep complicated subjects as simple and practical as possible, helping students understand the reasoning behind what they are learning rather than simply memorising it.

Head of TrainingPPL / CPL / ATPL InstructorCRM & Simulator Instructor

QUESTIONS STUDENTS
ASK US

Do I need CPL or ATPL theory?
A CPL lets you fly commercially as pilot in command of single-pilot aircraft. Multi-crew airline flying requires ATPL theory. Unsure which fits your goal? Contact us before you spend a penny.
Can I do CPL theory while working full time?
Yes. Choose from three paces at sign-up, down to 15 hours a week, and receive a timetable built around those hours. If life changes mid-course, we adjust the plan with you.
Can I start CPL theory if my PPL or medical has lapsed?
Yes. Enrolment requires an ICAO-compliant PPL or higher, with no need for currency or a valid medical. Confirm you can hold a Class 1 medical before professional flight training.
What is a pre-exam knowledge check?
A mandatory CAA requirement: a 6-hour online group session per subject, included in the price. Attend before your CAA exam, or your exam booking is cancelled. You leave with your exam recommendation issued.
How much does the CPL theory course cost?
The SkyLearner CPL theory course costs , paid in full, in 6 instalments of , or 12 of . The price includes all 13 pre-exam knowledge checks and the KSA day.
Commercial pilot beside an aircraft

Your first exam sitting is
closer than you think

Courses start every month. Your timetable is built before day one. Your instructors are always a call away.

Choose your start date
Questions first? Book a call and talk to our friendly team.