Hints For a Wannabe

[Fspilot]

Hi all,

Ok im a definate pilot wannabe, i have wanted to be a pilot since i was 4 years old, over 12 years now, and im now seriously starting to think of ways to improve my chances of becomming a pilot, i wrote off to numerous airlines a few years back to ask for qualifications etc and show my interest.

I absolutly love flying and im currently studying for my PPL and A-Levels, im planning on trying to get sponsorship once i leave collage.

Just wondering if anyone has any hints on how i can improve my chances??

Cheers!!

[G SXTY]

Improving your chances of becoming a commercial pilot, or improving your chances of sponsorship?

Either way, you’re making a good start by doing a PPL. It demonstrates commitment to flying, and will give you more to talk about at an interview than someone with zero hours.

If it’s sponsorship you’re after, good luck. Work on around 1,000 applicants for each place, and even allowing for the 50% that will be binned straight away because the applicant couldn’t spell or used the wrong coloured ink, you will be up against some very stiff competition. Formulate a plan ‘B’ just in case – like the great majority of pilots – you fail to win sponsorship. A great interview question is to ask the candidate what they would do if their application fails – if you can answer that by describing your back-up plan (“I’d reapply as soon as I’m allowed / take any job to pay for flying / sell granny to raise the money”) you’re showing determination to succeed and maturity in considering the downsides.

Academic qualifications are beneficial whatever the job, and are an absolute must for sponsorship. At your age, they are the only way to differentiate piles of CV’s, so decent ‘A’ levels should be your minimum target. The benefits of having a degree have been debated to death here; suffice to say there are good arguments for and against – it boils down to your personal situation and academic leanings. Rest assured, however, that having a degree on your CV won’t do you any harm.

Hang around airfields. Get a Saturday job if you can; you will learn an awful lot about aviation, and you’ll get to meet lots of pilots. You might be able to cadge rides in aircraft, and even on bad weather days there will be plenty of people around to chat to and get advice from.

Use the resources of the internet. Pprune is a great starting point, and if you’ve got a question, someone here will have the answer. Have a look at GAPAN’s website, they have some excellent material on the various careers and routes into commercial aviation.

One final tip – written English is very important, and people underestimate it at their peril. It isn’t difficult to run everything through a spell-check before posting – I cut and pasted yours into Word to write this, and the computer found 12 spelling mistakes in your post. You might think I’m being pedantic here, and you might well be right, but if I had to choose between two identically qualified candidates and the only difference is that one has poor spelling, grammar and punctuation, which application form do you think is going in the bin?

There’s plenty more advice I could give you, but it’s past my bedtime and I’m starting to bore myself to sleep. :) Good luck with the PPL and beyond!

[Fspilot]

Thanks sooo much some great advise,

Im not to sure about getting a degree because im not sure if it is worth paying all the fees etc when the gain from it doesn’t seem to be that hi, with regards to working at an airport ive been asking at my local (Bristol EGGD) but i don’t really live that close so it would be hard for me to work there (30 min drive to get there)

take any job to pay for flying / sell granny to raise the money
:p Anything to get the money <g>

Also i know my English isn’t great - one subject i found hard for GCSE but i don’t really check my posts for errors on here (suppose i should really) but an application for something like sponsorship i would get about 20 people to check to make sure there was no way there was any errors :p

Thanks for the luck! Just got to try and get the money - and some time off work to carry on with the PPL been working all weekend every weekend to get some money!

Thanks again for the advise, and your not boring me to sleep so anymore you have would be great, im happy to take all the advise i can no matter how little!

Cheers Again!

[RichardH]

Fspilot

Best of luck for your plans.

Sponsorships are few & far between, so it's best to assume you WON'T get one.

Aviation is a very fickle industry and I always advise a backup plan, I have used my own a couple of times.

I STRONGLY recommend that you do go to university. This will give you a degree which opens doors and serve as a backup career job. Also, while at University you get the chance to join the Air Squadron if you wish.

IF a sponsorship then comes along you are even better placed (with a relevant degree) to get your CV to the top of the pile.

I don't want to start an English debate but you should check the use of advise & advice, no spel chicken will sort this!

[Fspilot]

Richard:

Thanks for the advice im really not sure about going to Uni though, im still in 2 minds about it.

spel chicken :D

Please keep the advice comming guys this is great thanks!

[mad_jock]

I won't even bother with commercial side of things just now.

Combined Cadet Force or Air Cadets is also a good start.

They still do flying scholarships (when your 17 i think) which you get approximatly 12hours flying or 13 if you take the boss for a check ride

Air League These guys seem to struggle to give money away to young pilots. I personally have trained 2 who have gone from zero to IMC without paying anything but accomadation and food for 6 weeks. The lady at Air league was saying they are even having people being awarded scholarships but not being bothered taking them which seems a bit wierd to me.

MJ

[Flypuppy]

Had never heard of the Air League before but here is a link to the Air League Schlorships webpage (http://www.airleague.co.uk/scholarships.html)

[Malc]

"it would be hard for me to work there (30 min drive to get there)"

A lot of people dream of a 30 minute trip to work. Some spend hours getting to/from a dull, dreary office each day. 30 minutes isn't too bad at all, although it probably sounds like it. If you can get a suitable aviation-related job, and it's 30 minutes away - go for it. You've been lucky.

[Midlandslittlen]

but i need more!!
I am just doing my GCSE's now.
It looks like im gonna get in to A lvls.
But which ones will catch the eyes most?
Plz dont look for spelling mistakes here because its 23:39 when im writing this.

Can i please just have a list of subject that might work well for me.

Thank you for the advice so far. Might just come in handy.

[Gin Slinger]

Midlandslittlen: I assume you were asking which A-Level subjects to choose if you want to be an airline pilot.

My view would be do the ones you'd enjoy most (or at least have the most aptitude for), although obviously if you are equally talented at Physics and Needlework, I'm sure you can work out which one would be best if you plan a career in aviation.

Some 10+ years ago, I was maneuvered into taking Mathematics and Physics A-Levels by my ol' man because he felt it would enhance career prospects. I hated every minute of every lesson; in the end I decided to switch over to Business Studies and Economics after the first term. I'm glad I did so and have not found in any way my decision to give up two of the 'choice' subjects for a career in aviation has damaged my prospects.

I got through ATPL exams without undue difficulty and now have landed an excellent job with a major UK airline.

What I'm trying to say is if you are very good and keen on Maths, Physics & English then great; however if French, Geography and Media Studies are much more your kind of thing, then do them.

As far as I know, the only stipulation most airlines make for junior pilots are GCSE Maths & English at C or above. If you fail these I would seriously think about re-sitting them next year.

Just on the subject of English, mine is far from perfect and I'm sure if you searched back through my posts, you could find many a grammatical howler, however I think the key skill to pick up is the ability to put down on paper (or PC monitor) a reasoned, logical argument that expresses clearly your thoughts. Just make sure you never, I repeat never, use 'txt-spk' in any medium other than sending your mates SMS messages or similar - 'txt-spk' is guaranteed to instantly put the back up of anyone over the age of 25!

NB – having funded my own licence, I don't know if everything I've written applies to sponsored training, although as you might have gathered, sponsored training is very thin on the ground at the moment and looks likely to remain so.

[VFE]

Use the time you have between now and applying for flying sponsorships to gain vital work/life experience. Ideally some experience in management would look best on your CV but I appreciate your age is against you at the moment.

It doesn't really matter what field of work you go for but your local flying club is the ideal choice obviously. Failing that and most likely option would be retail if you're looking for quick promotion to put on your CV. Supermarkets usually have quick and easy promotional packages for those students who show interest. They need not know you are using it for something greater. ;)

Team sports and anything else that involves working with others to acheive a common goal looks good on CV's too. The trick these days is to think outside the loop and try something that will get you noticed when the airlines/armed forces look at your application.

Best of luck.

VFE.

[Midlandslittlen]

Yeah,
It looks like for my A levels im gonna be doing;
Physics (Full A level)
Pratical Mathmatics (As)
Computing (Full A level)
and last one not sure on.

I am also doing Life Guard Exams and hoping to do that at 16+ (£15 is a bit more than mini wage)
and im sure the life saving awards will look good on my CV

[JohnnyPharm]

I gained a bursary from the Air League last year and got about 8 hours flying paid for. You also get a certificate and invited to the annual meeting in London.

Was great for me and I can not thank them enough. Also I think if you go all the way it will look good on your CV that you recieved funding from such a renound organisation such as the airleague.