SL Flight Training opens applications for two-year pilot course starting March 2027

Applications are now open for a professional pilot course that begins in March 2027. The application period closes on 1 November; initial aptitude tests will be held in November, with interviews and group testing scheduled for December.

The school was founded in 1970 and operates as Salpauslento within Aerocom Aviation. It restarted professional pilot training in spring 2025 after a multi-year break. The current cohort of seven students is due to graduate next spring. More than 700 professional pilots have trained there over the decades and gone on to work for airlines around the world.

The two-year curriculum combines at least 800 hours of classroom theory with roughly 200 hours of flying. Theory lessons are taught in person in Vantaa, while flight training is mainly based at Hyvinkää, with flight camps planned in Pirkkala and Ylivieska. Training uses the school's own Cessna 152 and Piper Turbo Arrow aircraft.

"Interest in the pilot profession is high," said Mika Nikmo, head of training. "We keep groups deliberately small to give students personalised instruction, a solid grounding in flying fundamentals and ample practical flight experience."

Salpauslento is part of Aerocom Aviation, which operates business jets under ACXJET and helicopters through Helsinki Citycopter. The flight school shares facilities with the airline at Helsinki-Vantaa. "Students gain a concrete view of daily airline operations," said Ari Kallinen, head of Aerocom Aviation and Salpauslento. He said the proximity offers opportunities to observe planning, ground handling and maintenance, and that Aerocom aims to recruit many of its future pilots from the school.

The course fee is €144,325 (VAT included) and is paid in instalments as training progresses.