Good luck and Adios!

[gomez]

Thought id share my story with a few of you. Have been browsing the forums for about a year now.

Basically, I've decided not to try and attempt to get into the commercial aviation industry as a pilot.

Im 29 and about a year or so ago I rekindled my childhood dreams of becoming a commercial pilot when I took a trial flight over Sydney Harbour. As soon as I got back to the UK I told myself that I had to learn to fly and started a PPL. The plan was to try and get my PPL and then decide whether flying was what I really wanted to do. As the course progressed, I got more and more into it. I learned to fly at Staverton (Gloster) and there is some great flying out of there over the Cotswolds and up/down the Severn Valley and Estuary. At the same time, my job as an IT consultant was getting more and more mundane. I did alot of research into gaining commercial licences and visited flying schools all over the place. I got my class 1 and passed selection at Oxford for the APP. I talked to as many people as I could including quite a few commercial pilots. For me, my sights would have been set on getting captaincy on a heavy jet but I know that would have taken years to get. Although modular training was appealing, I beleived it would have taken me longer to get it all done and as I had a bit of cash, set my sights on Integrated.

The reasons Ive decided against taking it further are numerous but I guess it boils down to the simple fact that I didnt want it enough. I am just about to get married and although my fioncee is incrediably supportive and has a good job, I think that the future will put a hell of a strain on our relationship. Not only that, I have a job with prospects altough what I do now is not what I want to do for much longer and I also dream of a my own business one day, perhaps even aviation related.

I agree with the old phrase of 'Never having regrets' and I dont think I will have any. Sure, there'll be days when I sit in the office and think about being on the flight deck but there'll be more days when I dont think about it I think. Im going to keep up my private flying and enjoy that as much as I can (when I can afford it!)

If your desire is to fly and to fly only then you have to do it.
As I mentioned, for me, there were also some push factors and some doubts and I thought that was a dangerous game to play at 29 with 55 hours TT.

I have the utmost respect to those of you that succeed, especially the ones that want it so badly and have to borrow large amounts of money to train and/or put relationships on the line. You are the true aviators and I hope you get the jobs you are looking for and deserve. Remember, theres one less to compete with you now!

May see some of you in the Private Flying forum!

See ya

PS - the negative stuff banded around on these forums hasn't influenced my decision one bit.

[scroggs]

gomez, thank you for that post. I'm sure that many, many wannabes make the same decision as you but are too embarrassed to admit it in such a public fashion. It takes a great deal of maturity to admit to yourself that a course of action you've taken is the wrong one, and a great deal more to do it in front of others. When the course of action is one as apparently 'glamorous' as aviation, there's even more pride at stake, so well done.

I have no doubt that you'll do well in whatever you finally choose to earn your living at, and I sincerely hope you earn enough to fly for fun - which is the way that, secretly, many professional pilots would have it if they could!

We'll look forward to hearing about your fun exploits in Private Flying while we're all busting a gut for the next sim check/medical/line check or w.h.y! Good luck,

Scroggs

[Crosswind Limits]

A very mature post gomez and best of luck to you!

I was the same age as you but did the opposite! :O Now I'm knee deep in it but no airline job yet. One marriage down and possibly one on the horizon! It's no laughing matter really and the strains placed on wannabes, their partners and families are very real. I enjoy my flying but sometimes I doubt whether I have the hunger to be ruthless with my ambitions at the expense of family and quality of life. I think scroggs is absolutely right about many professional pilots secretly wanting to fly for fun, where and when they want to!

[Mass Times Velocity]

Congratulations Gomez, youve come clean about the doubts I think we can all admit to having. 29 is not old so I'd say enjoy the many years of flying that lie in front of you, I wouldn't definitely rule out going pro at some stage, maybe you will find that things just fall into place a long way down the road in a manner you least expect without putting undue strain on any other aspects of your life, I know someone who was in a similar position and things just happened, happy family and flying professionally, thoroughly enjoying it and still has a good career to fall back on if they tire of the whole thing.

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do,
MTV

[Fat, Dumb & Happy]

Gomez - I went through a similar process a few years back, coincidentally just as I was about to get married, in fact I still haven't heard the end of our honeymoon flight to Rome - I spent most of it on the jumpseat with BA! So I got a ppl, did some more jumpseat rides (ah, those were the days!) & met some great people. I decided, like you, that I simply didn't want it enough to make the sacrifices. The trouble is, private flying just didn't do it for me, so now I am late 30's starting out again on the modular route. Who knows where I'll be in ten years - LHS of a LoCo 737 perhaps, or flying turboprops in Africa or somewhere? Or still in IT but £50k poorer? Whatever the outcome, I realised eventually I had to have a go - I'd rather regret trying than regret not trying.

I think you're doing the right thing to follow your instincts - at 29 you've got plenty of time if you change your mind as I did, and if you don't then you've saved yourself fifty grand.