The 'wannabe' pilot's journal - Chapter 1: Where and how to start?

The dream of flying. For centuries, people have dreamed of “growing wings,” of seeing the world from above, of feeling free. Then two brothers, Wilbur and Orville, put an end to those dreams—by making them reality. Over time, flying became not only accessible but also attainable, and now it’s up to us to earn our wings—in the form of epaulets on our shoulders.

So here I am, someone who’s been dreaming of flying since the age of 7, finally taking the plunge into flight school, and I’ll be documenting the journey in this wannabe pilot’s blog.

Before diving in, there are a few things you should understand:

Becoming a pilot isn’t cheap, but it’s not unreachable either.
The road to becoming a commercial pilot is long, and there are several ways to get there.
Aviation isn’t just a sport for the rich—it’s for the persistent, the diligent, the disciplined, and most of all, for those who are willing to keep learning even after school ends.

In civil aviation, there are basically three license levels – PPL (Private Pilot Licence), CPL (Commercial Pilot Licence), and ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot Licence). For now, we’ll focus on the PPL.

The official designation is PPL(A), where the “(A)” stands for airplane. Upon completing the training, you receive a private pilot’s license with an SEP (Single Engine Piston) endorsement—allowing you to fly single-engine piston aircraft for non-commercial purposes under visual flight rules (VFR). The license can be upgraded with endorsements like the night rating (for night flights), instrument rating (for flying under instrument flight rules in conditions that don’t meet visual minimums), EIR (en route instrument rating), and more.

Step One: Find a school. In Croatia, this is a real challenge due to a lack of instructors and available training aircraft. An alternative is to split the training—take the theory course at one school and flight training at another. Due to limited staffing, many schools now offer distance learning options, where most of the content is studied at home, followed by in-person review sessions at the school.

Although a medical certificate isn’t required for theory training, I strongly recommend doing it beforehand. Legally, you need to obtain a medical certificate before your first solo flight, but if you find out right before your solo flight that, for some reason, you can’t get the certificate, everything falls apart.

EASA recognizes three classes of medical exams for pilots:

Class 3 – for technical and cabin crew, and air traffic controllers
Class 2 – for private non-commercial pilots
Class 1 – for commercial pilots

The requirement for PPL is Class 2, but if you’re aiming for a commercial career, you might as well go straight for Class 1, which must be renewed every year, whereas Class 2 is renewed every five years (if there are no limitations noted in the certificate). Class 2 exams are done by several private clinics, while Class 1 exams are only done at the Aviation Medical Institute at KB Dubrava and one private clinic in Split. The full list of approved facilities is available on the website of the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency. Note: check whether the list is up to date (same goes for all info in this article sourced from the agency). If you want to be 100% sure, call the agency. (Sometimes their online data can be outdated or incomplete.)

The Class 2 exam is fairly simple, but it will take up your whole morning. It includes: Lab tests, Interview with a psychologist and psychological testing, Eye exam (including color blindness testing and other diagnostics), EKG, Hearing test, Spirometry and final check-up by an authorized AME (aeronautical medical examiner)

If you pass, you get the certificate the same day. If you don’t fully meet the criteria, you might receive limitations—such as more frequent renewals or restrictions (e.g., no night rating if you have partial color blindness). Make a copy of the certificate as soon as you get it and keep it safe. Also, scan it—if the original is lost (which happens), a new one cannot be issued without a new examination.

Back to school. I chose the school that came most highly recommended, and luckily, they had a theoretical distance learning course for PPL open at that moment.

So, let’s get into it. What exactly is distance learning, and how does it work? At the first meeting in flight school, my classmates and I received login credentials for CBT (Computer-Based Training). Distance learning for PPL involves independent studying through presentations and progress tests on the CBT platform. We also received a schedule and instructions on how, when, and what to study. Along with that, we got printed study guides, a plotter, a flight computer, and a flight bag to be fully ready to conquer the skies ahead.

Some equipment you’ll need or that might be useful (including for practical training):

Rotating plotter – ASA recommended; decent gear for a decent price and more than enough for PPL
Flight computer – ASA E6B is great; if you’re aiming for commercial training afterward, go with Pooleys CRP-5
Kneeboard – Go for metal, A5 size; ASA is excellent
Map markers – Staedtler, fine tip and multiple colors. Also handy: colored PILOT pens that can be erased
Logbook – Croatia issues its own, ordered through the Civil Aviation Agency. Or get the Jeppesen “gold standard” logbook, fully EASA-compliant
Pilot bag – Size depends on what you carry. Best to wait until practical training begins and ask your instructor for a recommendation
Calculator – Exams allow only basic calculators, but you’ll need one with sin/cos functions for calculations. Just avoid calculators with internal/external memory. Recommended: CASIO fx-991EX
Hi-vis vest – Grab one at your nearest gas station. No brainer 🙂
Sunglasses – No summer flying without a cloud in the sky… and no glasses? Make sure they have 100% UV protection and are preferably non-polarized (if flying aircraft with glass cockpits—polarized lenses can cause screen flicker)

Optional gear (you don’t need it, but it’s definitely useful):

VFR Manual – A collection of info about airports and VFR procedures in Croatia. Issued by Croatia Control. Available in printed or digital form (CD). All this info is available online for free, but it’s handy to have a copy on hand when at the airport without a laptop or tablet.
Pathfinder CX-3 flight computer – Calculates everything digitally that you’d normally do by hand. Not allowed in exams or formal training, but useful for quick checks.
Headset – Most training aircraft have them, but if you end up in the 1% that don’t, or you prefer not to share with others, get your own. They’re a hefty investment—good headsets cost €700–1,000. Recommended brands: David Clark, Lightspeed, Bose. Make sure they’re over-ear and have passive and/or active noise canceling for general aviation.
VFR map – You can download and print the sector you’re flying in, but having a full map is convenient. Issued by Croatia Control.
Hearing protection – If you’ll spend a lot of time at big airports during training, consider getting hearing protection. What exactly to get? Best to ask a specialized company. (Google it!)

We’re geared up—now it’s time to study. CBT is structured into 9 subjects for the PPL: Principles of Flight, Aircraft General Knowledge, Communications, Meteorology, Human Performance, Navigation, Flight Planning & Performance, Air Law and ATC Procedures, Operational Procedures. Each subject is divided into 4 to 12 presentations depending on scope and complexity. After each one, you take a progress test, a quiz of 20 to 60 questions based on the presentation. No time limit, but you need at least 75% to pass. You can stop the test midway if you feel unprepared and want to review the material again—but once you answer a question, you can’t go back to it.

If you fail, your school will see it and reset the test—but they’ll also know your score and where you went wrong.

Your school has full visibility into your CBT progress. They can see the exact times you viewed each presentation and when you started, stopped, or resumed each test—including the exact second you answered each question. You guessed it: if you answer too quickly or too slowly, that’s… suspicious 🙂

Tip: Take notes. Jot down anything you find important, make sketches, and highlight info you’ll refer to again. Sometimes CBT and printed materials don’t match—write down what confuses you and ask your instructor. You can also report incorrect info directly in the CBT platform, and your questions will be answered. Don’t leave question marks hanging over your head.

My study tip: go through each subject in CBT first, and then review using the printed materials and your notes. But of course, everyone learns differently.

Once you finish a subject in CBT, you attend brush-up sessions, where you go through the material with your instructor. After that, you take another exam—this time covering the whole subject. It’s written, includes multiple-choice, open-ended questions, and sketches. These exams are timed, and only certain tools and materials are allowed depending on the subject.

You repeat this process for all 9 subjects. Once you pass them all, you receive a certificate of completion for the theoretical PPL(A) training.

Now the fun begins!

With this certificate, you can apply for the official theory exams at the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency. The process is simple: your school gives you all the paperwork, which you submit to the Agency either in person, by mail, or email. Then you’ll get an official response at your home address confirming whether or not you’re allowed to sit the exams.

The Agency (CCAA) organizes 6 exam sessions per year. These are usually held every 2 months, but are more frequent in spring and summer, and less frequent in winter. The final session of the year is in November, and the first in late February. The next one follows in mid-March. The exam schedule is generally the same each year (give or take a few days).

To register for your first session, submit a paper form you get from your school. All future applications are done by email. Two weeks before the exam, the Agency publishes the schedule—but here’s the tricky part: even if you register for 4 subjects, they may schedule them all on the same day. You can’t reschedule or change your exam distribution. All exams are held in the morning (typically between 09:00 and 14:00, but times vary).

You choose which subjects and how many to take per session. Since there are 9 subjects, the most common approach is 5 in one session, 4 in the next, and any failed subjects in a third. But there are no strict rules. The pace is up to you.

The CCAA exams are similar to the CBT tests, but timed. Each has 20–35 questions and lasts about an hour. Again, 75% is the minimum passing score. The exams are computer-based, multiple-choice. You’ll see your score immediately after finishing—but not the questions. Copying is strictly prohibited. You can only review your incorrect answers via an official request—and you won’t be told which ones were correct. You can appeal, but must provide solid evidence (like a citation from approved literature).

You must pass all exams within 6 exam sessions over 18 months, or else you start over. According to the new rulebook, exams cost 150 HRK each, plus any administrative fees. For the most accurate pricing, visit the Civil Aviation Agency’s website. If you fail an exam, you must pay again, and you’re allowed three attempts per subject.

Of course, everyone finds different subjects more or less challenging. Here’s my take:

Principles of Flight – Really, really interesting. Mostly about understanding processes; not a lot of rote learning.
Aircraft General Knowledge – Your first glimpse beneath the aircraft’s skin. Understand how things work and how to use them.
Communications – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta… You’ll need to learn a lot of standard phrases and radio procedures. Also covers the basics of comms systems. Statistically, a high-fail subject.
Meteorology – Could be tough if you know nothing about weather. Lots of new terms, facts, and phenomena. Statistically harder.
Human Performance – Mostly memorization. Just follow the syllabus.
Navigation – Looks scary, but isn’t. Once you understand the concept, it’s very logical.
Flight Planning & Performance – Structurally similar to navigation. Requires understanding and subject knowledge.
Air Law and ATC Procedures – The famous Air Law. Tons of numbers, facts, procedures, and rules to memorize. Luckily, it’s quite interesting.
Operational Procedures – Another subject with lots of factual info, but easier to digest because it’s practical and relevant.

To wrap up Chapter 1, here’s the cost breakdown for theory training:

Theoretical training – approx. 8,000 HRK (depends on the school, format, included equipment, etc.)
Medical exam – approx. 800–1,000 HRK
Exam fees – 1,350 HRK for the exams, plus potential admin fees (best to check with the Agency—fees recently changed)

For exact cost estimates, Google, email, and your phone are your best friends. Don’t hesitate to call the school or the Agency. Be persistent—they’re being paid, and you deserve the best service. Most importantly: never compromise. When it comes to flight safety—which directly depends on your training—there is no compromise.

See you again in a few months, when we’ll cover practical training.

Fly safe!