Diploma of Aviation (Commercial Pilot Licence - Aeroplane)

The Diploma of Aviation (Commercial Pilot Licence - Aeroplane) is a one-year, full-time course that takes you from the basics of flight through to the standard required for a Commercial Pilot Licence. You'll spend most of your time at the airfield, not in a lecture theatre. Training covers flight planning, aircraft systems, aerodynamics, meteorology, air law, navigation and human factors. Alongside the flying hours, you'll complete theory units that map to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) syllabus, then sit the CPL examinations. The qualification is listed on CRICOS (course code 109200J) for international students.

How the course is structured

The diploma runs for one year. Box Hill Institute delivers it through a mix of ground school and practical flight training, so your timetable is built around weather, aircraft availability and your own progress. You accumulate flying hours in training aircraft, fly solo, then move into cross-country navigation and instrument flying. Assessment is competency-based: you're signed off when you can perform each manoeuvre and procedure to the required standard, not at the end of a semester. Credit for prior study or flying experience is assessed unit by unit, in line with Australian practice. The course sits at Diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), which means it's a vocational qualification focused on job-ready skills rather than academic theory alone.

What you'll learn

You'll learn to plan and conduct flights safely under visual flight rules, manage aircraft systems, interpret weather forecasts and apply air law. Navigation exercises take you away from your home airfield, so you build decision-making skills in real conditions. Human factors training covers fatigue, workload and communication, the things that cause accidents when they're ignored. By the end, you should be able to operate as a commercial pilot in a single-pilot or multi-crew environment, depending on the endorsements you add.

Who it suits

This course suits people who want to fly for a living and prefer hands-on training to a university degree. You don't need prior flying experience, but you do need to meet the English requirement and pass a CASA Class 1 medical. International students should check the current IELTS or equivalent score published by Box Hill Institute and the Department of Home Affairs before applying. While you study, your student visa lets you work up to 48 hours per fortnight, which can help with living costs. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available if you meet the requirements. Confirm all details, including tuition and intake dates, on the official CRICOS register and with Box Hill Institute.

• Commercial pilot with regional airlines, charter operators or freight companies
• Flight instructor (after gaining the required instructor rating)
• Aerial survey, mustering or tourism pilot
• First officer on multi-crew aircraft as you build hours
• Ground operations or flight planning roles in aviation companies

Australia's aviation industry employs pilots across passenger transport, agriculture, emergency services and mining. The diploma gives you the licence and hours that entry-level pilot jobs ask for. Many graduates build experience in general aviation before moving to airlines.