Why so much??

[onthebuses]

So, before I start blowing my years of hard earned I wondered if anyone here could shed light on why it is so damn expensive to train for a career as a professional pilot.

It seems that to even get the starting info can cost a fortune, certain 'guides' that cost nearly the same as a sit down meal, £420+ for the medical, and as we all know this is the tip of the great financial iceberg.

Where does this all start??. It just seems like the whole process of becoming a pilot is geared to milk those who want it the most..

OTB:confused:

[Send Clowns]

There is a book out there, I'm sure someone will tell you what it is (maybe the author as he posts here) that many people swear by, it does not cost a fortune, so don't pay over the odds.

Flight training is actually quite cheap if you look in the right places. OK you will still spend a minimum of about £40,000 if you do it all in the UK, but that is just how much it costs to run the training with a narrow margin of profit. The companies are not profiteering, even if you hear people (myself included) criticising the cost of intgrated courses it is not to suggest they are a rip off. That is how much it costs to run on a commercial basis.

Compare what I teach with normal training in industry.

I have a friend who owns a small software house. For training people to use his software he used to bill £500 per day, and was considered cheap. For that he would teach up to 3 people. That was when I worked for him 4 years ago, god knows what it is now. Assuming a maximum of 6 hours a day (a lot), each person would have had to pay nearly £28 per hour.

For the course I now teach we charge £4250. that is for about 670 hours of groundschool. Just £6.34 per hour. Private tuition is only £25 per hour, one-to-one. The people used have to have a certain degree of specialist knowledge, this is very good value.

[mattd2k]

OTB,

Get yourself a copy of Clive Hughes' - Guide to becoming a Professional Pilot. Not sure if this is the book Clowns is referring to but I have to say it was one of the best £25 I spent before starting my flight training. It gives an excellent guide to the different licences required and an idea of costing for various courses.

It is usually available from the popular pilot stores so go buy it.

As you say it is just the tip of the iceberg though!

MD2K

[onthebuses]

I have already done a fair bit of research and have got a copy of said book.

I was more looking for opinions on why the whole process is so expensive.

OTB:ok:

[scroggs]

It's expensive because it costs a great deal to provide the people and equipment to train you! The CAA's fees are arguably excessive, but they are a tiny percentage of the overall costs. Running aircraft and airfields and the people required to operate them is a bloody expensive business. As Clowns intimates, the margins are not fat, even for the integrated schools - which is why we always advise you all to protect yourselves against your school going bust by never paying up front.

Scroggs

[onthebuses]

I think the CAA is where it all starts..

It seems like we all get screwed because everyone else is getting screwed, With the exception of the lucky minority..

If that is the case, then I have my answer..

Thanks for the input guys..

OTB:ok:

[onthebuses]

Hi Darren,

I agree, but the US seems to be a much better place for pilots full stop. I still haven't made a final decision about where I am going to train yet as I wont be ready to start until Jan:( .

But why rip us all off for following our ambition?, and then the whole other thing about paying for ratings, and the £50 so one of MOL's people can stick your name at the bottom of the big mound.

After 6 months+ of research I do still want to do it, you will all know what I mean, it's just inside me, but I can't help feeling that those that will be helping me along the way will also be milking me for all I am worth just because I want to become a pilot..

I agree with you RTO, if only we could convince the rest of the world to stop paying for their training then problem over..

Seriously had enough of living in rip off europe!!!:yuk:

Anyone training people here got any thoughts?? Have I got it wrong??

I have got the 60k+, took me 10+ years of lorry driving/bus driving to get it.. How much of this very hard earned dough would you see??

OTB:ok: