Picking A Levels! and joining a flight school!

[ozzieb88]

Hi everyone,

I've just finished my GCSE's and i am picking my A levels, My ambition has always been to become a Commerial Pilot. Next Week i turn 16 and i hope to join the British Airways Flying Club. To start my PPL, i will hopefully fly once or twice a week, so that next july on my 17th Birthday i can get my PPL.

So i was just wondering, after the PPL, i need to get the ATPL, for this i want to get sponsorship, do you think being a member of the BAFC, will give me the upper hand at BA sponsorship?

If not then i want to go to a flight school, i have been told that Flight training at Oxford aviation and flight training in Jerez are the best in the world.

What A levels should i do? I know Maths and physics, im good at them and i enjoy physics so i dont mind but the other 1? I have been told geography, but recently i have found out that Economics is a good one for potential Pilots?

So just asking for help, what A levels? If the BAFC is a good choice?

Oh and if you know of any work experiance that i can get in an airline operations or anything for the summer as a office junior please let me know!

Thanks

[ashleyeagles]

OK, Ill try and answer this one for you.

With regards to obtaining sponsorship, the market is very stale at present and opportunities are few and far between. There was one a few months back with Britannia Airways which many of us wannabe's applied for, only to be rejected! It hurts - but you get over it!

Be careful with regards to the PPL if your sole aim is to obtain sponsorship from an airline. Most often state in their criteria that they are seeking applicants with minimal flying experience (less bad habits! - or thats what I beleive its for). Therefore if you have a PPL it is likely to make obtaining sponsoship trick (please guys correct me if im wrong!)

I'm 21 and have just finished my degree (busines studies with airline operations), which started 10 days after September 11th! Put a bit of a dampner on things because my dream for the past 15-16 years has been to fly. Shortly after this time BA pulled their sponsoship scheme and have no intentions of starting it up again in the forseable future. Makes it even more difficult for wannabes since they used to take a high proportion!

The only viable path at present is to obtain sponsohip through a shcem such as that run by CTC Aviation with airlines such as Thomas Cook and EasyJet. However you have to find £60000 in order to do it (you do get it back in the end though! over 7 years!)

With regards to your A-levels, try and stick to academic subjects, maths physics, chemistry, engineering, geography and possibly even languages! There is no strict rules as to what to take, but it does help to show some of your capabilities. BUT do remember not just to take physics for the sake of it! Your best to get a good grade in something you like rather than a bad grade in something you need! Keep your options open aswell!

Work experience within airline is usually a no no! They like to offer opportunities on good neighbour policies to school children who are disturbed by air traffiuc, i.e. in the local vicinity of airports!

I did mine with NATS (Air traffic control) and had a brilliant week - it gives you an excellent insight into the industry and arms you with some experience that not many people have had the beneift to obtain!

Anyway, good luck with it, by the time you are old enough to apply for sponsorship the market may have picked up a bit - lets just keep our fingers crossed hey!

Ash

[busz]

The only viable path at present is to obtain sponsohip through a shcem such as that run by CTC Aviation with airlines such as Thomas Cook and EasyJet. However you have to find £60000 in order to do it (you do get it back in the end though! over 7 years!)

Not strictly true. I have just been accepted onto the scheme, and you do not have to find the £60000 yourself. CTC make it very very straightforward and arrange a meeting with the HSBC bank manager. Yu will never actually see that money, so in essence you are just being trained to be a pilot, and get a starting salary of around £26000pat the end of it. Ill take that thankyou very much!:ok:

[FlyUK]

With regards to A levels, do something you enjoy. I have just finished mine and took physics, electronics and ICT. Which was fun but hard work. Fun in a school type of way :rolleyes: I would recommend physics although the sylabus is full of atomic physics which is as intresting as watching the grass grow! I'm off to Jerez in september so keep in touch and i will keep you updated on how i get on. BAFC is a good establishment, i didn't do my ppl there but i do some flying there when cash allows! Very friendly as well. Get in contact if you need any more info. :ok:

Rgds.

[flyonwall]

I am currently on a sponsorship scheme for an airline, and I hope this information will guide you in the right direction..

The A-levels which you should most definitely take are either Physics or Maths. I have just finished A-levels and am just doing my theory exams for my ATPL. Having Physics or Maths A-levels under your belt definitely helps understanding the work. Physics helps you to understand the concepts, where Maths helps you apply them.

Physics or MAths is a definite also if you are wanting to be employed by an airline or sponsorship sheme.

Hope this helps
:ok:

[ozzieb88]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the help, i appreciate it!

Oz

[Daysleeper]

on the other hand I scraped a C at the scottish higher in maths (so about half an A level) had a B in physics. Dropped out of a university arts course and still got on an airline sponsorship scheme and had no problems with the exams. Though that was all 8 years ago now.
Just goes to show there is more than one way to skin a cat. Although its all the same to the cat.

[er82]

>>Physics or MAths is a definite also if you are wanting to be employed by an airline or sponsorship sheme<<

Just to put forward another side - I went straight to OAT from school with A-Levels in Biology, Chemistry, Geography (and that useless one General Studies!). I don't think not having done Physics or Maths hindered me in any way.
If you can apply yourself to working hard, asking questions if you don't understand, and are prepared to put in the hours of study required, I'm not too sure that these two subjects are a definite must-have.
And not having them hasn't stopped me from gaining employment.

I understand why having a physics/maths background might help, but you should really be doing A-Levels that you'll enjoy. If you don't enjoy something, you're likely to not do as well as in a subject that you really like. And getting A's in an A-Level that you like is far better than getting say a 'D' in Maths or Physics.

Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

[Straightandlevel80kt]

Hi

All sound advice here. I've heard the BAFC are really good, but I don't think there is any advantage in doing your PPL there rather than somewhere else. They are quite a separate entity from the airline and won't necessarily be the cheapest option. Keeping the cost down is very important in this game. As for whether to do a PPL or not, I would advise that if you can afford the £5-6K it will cost you, plus the cash to stay current (1 flight per month thereafter), then it's better to do it than not. Just take your time and keep your hours low until you get some luck with sponsorships. Normally you're OK until you hit 80 hours, so if you spread your PPL training over a year, then you've got a good 2-3 years before you will have to worry about having too much flight time.

Best of luck!