Commercial Pilot Licence
A structured, CAAZ-approved pathway from your PPL to a professional flight deck — with iPad-based ground school and a full airborne syllabus on our Cessna 172 and 182 fleet.
About the course
Turn your flying into a career
A Commercial Pilot Licence lets you be paid to fly — as pilot-in-command of single-pilot aircraft in commercial operations, or as a co-pilot. It’s the licence behind charter, survey, instructing and airline careers.
Our CPL ground school is a distance-based eLearning programme on the Apple iPad: 16 electronic textbooks written by experienced pilots in clear English, with animated essentials and deeper reference layers. Progress tests are drawn from a question pool, so no two students see the same test.
Guthrie graduates fly for fastjet, Emirates, South African Airways, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air Zimbabwe and many more.
What it lets you do
- All the privileges of a Private Pilot Licence
- Pilot-in-command of single-pilot aeroplanes in commercial air transport (up to 5,700 kg maximum take-off mass)
- Co-pilot on aircraft that require one
- Fly at night
- Commercial flights in aeroplanes over 1,545 kg also need an Instrument Rating — built into our syllabus
Before you start
- Be at least 18
- A Class 1 medical with a CAAZ-designated doctor, including ECG, audiogram, chest X-ray, HIV test and eyesight checks
- A Zimbabwean PPL — or start with us from scratch and fly the PPL as phase one
- English at ICAO Level 4; our ground school requires an O Level pass in English at C or better (or equivalent)
- An iPad for the eLearning ground school — use your own or rent one from the school
Minimum experience
| Total flight time | 200 hrs |
|---|---|
| Pilot-in-command | 100 hrs |
| Cross-country as PIC | 20 hrs |
| Qualifying cross-country | 540 km (300 NM) 2 full-stop landings |
| Instrument instruction | 20 hrs |
| Night as PIC | 5 hrs 10 take-offs & landings |
| Complex-aeroplane instruction | 5 hrs |
| Dual instruction at an ATO | 25 hrs |
Minimums from the Civil Aviation (Personnel Licensing) Regulations, 2019 (S.I. 176 of 2019), Fifteenth and Sixteenth Schedules (150 hrs total and 70 hrs PIC on a CAAZ-approved integrated course; up to 10 hrs of instrument time may be in a simulator). Training also includes upset prevention and recovery in a real aircraft.
Your training journey
How the course runs
PPL & handling
Your PPL (or start post-PPL), then upset-prevention and advanced general handling blocks woven through the course.
Cross-country hour building
Three structured cross-country blocks build pilot-in-command time and real navigation experience across Zimbabwe.
C182, Night & IR
Ten hours of complex-type training on the Cessna 182, a Night phase, and a 40-hour Instrument Rating phase.
Flight tests
Flight-test preparation, then your CAAZ flight tests. Pass them and CAAZ issues your CPL.
Ground school
CPL theory, written by pilots
Exams & test
CAAZ sets the knowledge exams and the pass mark is 75%. Exams are written at CAAZ Head Office, Harare International Airport, and are moving to CAAZ’s computer-based PEXO system. CPL passes stay valid for 18 months.
You’ll start with an elementary Maths & Physics module, which you pass before moving on.
Skill test: at least 90 minutes with a CAAZ examiner, including a flight to a controlled aerodrome. Fail one section and you repeat only that section.
Afterwards: the licence is valid for 2 years; renew it with 6 hours and 6 take-offs and landings in the previous 6 months.
Why it matters
Trained to understand, not just to pass
“In the absence of all other standards, maintain your own.” — the standard we hold ourselves to.
A licence is the start, not the goal. What counts is how you handle the moment something doesn’t go to plan — and that comes down to how deeply you were trained.
Over the years, Guthrie-trained pilots have gone on to fly for — and reach the senior levels of — some of the world’s most recognised airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Emirates and Qatar Airways, and to serve as chief pilots for corporate operators and private families.
Training at Charles Prince (FVCP)
Train where professional pilots are made
Our graduates fly for fastjet, Emirates, SAA, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air Zimbabwe, British Airways, Qantas and more.
Fly Zimbabwe’s first all-glass training aircraft — Garmin G500 PFD and GTN 650 — and log the glass-cockpit time airlines look for at interview.
A CAAZ Approved Training Organisation (certificate 0006), also approved by the Ministry of Higher Education (0162/98). Training here since 1995.
Questions
Frequently asked
How long does a CPL take?
It depends on how often you can fly and the weather. The legal minimum is 200 hours total; we’ll build a plan around your availability.
I already have a PPL. Do I start again?
No — you join the syllabus post-PPL and your hours count towards the 200.
What’s the difference between integrated and standard training?
CAAZ allows reduced minimums (150 hours instead of 200) on a CAAZ-approved integrated course. Ask us which route suits you.
When does ground school run?
CPL ground school runs on scheduled courses — check the calendar. Enrol and pay at least two weeks before the start date. A course runs when at least six students are enrolled.
Which medical tests do I need?
A Class 1 medical: ECG, audiogram, chest X-ray, HIV test, eyesight and a general examination with a CAAZ-designated doctor. It’s valid for 12 months if you’re under 40.
Can I convert a foreign CPL?
Yes, with CAAZ exams in Air Law, Meteorology and Operational Procedures, and a validation period first. Conversion has extra conditions for foreign nationals — talk to us before you apply.
Request information
Ask us about the CPL
Tell us where you are now and what you’d like to achieve. We’ll come back with the next intake, a training plan and costs.
Ready to go professional?
Ask about the next CPL ground school course and get a training plan built around you.