Starting Learning Books

[NI-RYAN]

I am currently studying for my GCSE’s but for a few years now I know that I want to become a pilot and have researched many options, but there seems so many choices to me!
I have researched universities and also training schools and I know I will have to do a lot of work to get there but I think I can.
Does anyone know any good books that would help me get introduced to flying and the aspects of it?
Thanks

[Troy McClure]

Try and get yourself a trial lesson at a local flying school. You'll learn more about flying in that hour than you will from a book and they'll advise you how to procede from there. If you're over 14, you can log the hour, and over 16 it will count towards your PPL if that's the way you decide to go.

[AIRWAY]

Hello there,

Indeed get yourself a trial lesson first of all, then your medical and then the books, you can start reading some PPL stuff, Trevor Thom books are great.

There is also a good book available online (free), i can't remember the link at the moment, but i promise when i get home i shall search my laptop for the link.

All the best :ok:

[captwannabe]

I was in a similar position to you. Definitely get a trial lesson, and if you like it then go and get a medical. Two very important things to do when starting off. :ok:

[Troy McClure]

Airway,

Don't know if we're talking about the same book, but there's a good one called 'See how it flies' at http://www.av8n.com/.

Possibly a bit beyond the PPL level, but I couldn't find much wrong with the author's logic, and I've got an Aeronautical Engineering degree.

[NI-RYAN]

airway , any luck on that link?

[AIRWAY]

Troy,

That is the book indeed :ok:

NI-RYAN,

The link i mentioned is the same provided by Troy.

Regards

[Oxeagle]

NI-RYAN,
Unless you are planning on applying for a sponsorship scheme such as CTC then there isn't much point in continuing education after completing your GCSEs. I started doing my A-levels last year (now in the upper sixth) thinking this would help get me an airline job after I had completed all of the training. Now, after starting my PPL and spending months researching my path into a career as an airline pilot I realise that I have wasted the last year and a half, because from what I can gather A-levels aren't worth anything when applying for an airline :{ It's the flying hours and relevant experience that counts!

Granted, having A-levels would be useful as a backup if you couldn't complete your ATPL training for whatever reason, however in my case I feel that I have wasted a lot of time I could have spent earning money for my ATPL training :{ :* Its down to you on the issue of further education, but my advice would be that if you have your heart set on becoming an airline pilot (like me :D ) and you can fulfill all of the required criteria, then just start your PPL ASAP and build hours and experience any way you can!

Good luck whatever you do :ok:

[AIRWAY]

G'day,

It is important to have a back-up just in case something happens aviation wise (and we all know how unstable it can get), i wouldn't call having/studying for A-Levels a waste of time but this is my opinion, bearing in mind that several airlines throughout the world are now going down the route of asking during their pilot recruitment requirements for a degree.

If you can combine flying training and studying then this route in my opinion is worthwhile, like it has been said above start your PPL build your hours and take it from there. :ok:

[ONEWORLD_86]

Hi

Dont give up on the A-levels, they may seem a waste of time on paper but they will help by placing you in a environment in which you will mature and be educated at the same time.

You have to view it from an empoyers perspective- would you really want to take on a young impulsive 19 year old who wasnt mature enough or anywear near ready to be placed in a position of such high responsibility- i know that this was somthing i had to address from a young age, so use the time wisley and further yourself and your education in the best way possible.

all the best

[scroggs]

As a school-leaver, or someone of school-leaving age, you have absolutely nothing with which to impress an employer other than exam results. Several airlines reinforce this point by demanding A-level passes of young applicants who have little flying experience. For those two reasons alone, you should not give up your A-level studies. The days of the airline pilot who left school at 16 with a couple of ropey GCSEs are long gone.

The argument is less clear cut when talking about degrees, but that subject has been done to death here and you can find some of the discussions in the Archive Reference Thread at the top of the forum.

A-levels are important. Don't give them up.

Scroggs

[havana_club69]

A-levels are important. Don't give them up.

Scroggs

As always, the voice of reason, atleast it reassures me that the last four years in college havent been a waster

[170']

Ni-Ryan

Don't drop the A-levels...The aviation business is in a boom period at the moment, but it won't last forever. By the time you get done with training and actually get a licence. Strong a-level results may be the thing that gets you hired. You just can't tell right now, so why take the risk...You might want to consider another language also, as it will help if things are tight jobwise in the UK, you might find something elsewhere in Europe

Once you're through the private pilot course: JAR professional pilot studies (Croucher) is a great reference book. I use it quite a lot as a reference as it's easier to carry than my large manuals. It will explain in pretty simple terms how everything works on airplanes (and helicopters), and various rules and regulations.

Don't forget the A-levels......and plan on getting a degree sometime in the future. The good old days are all but gone! Your generation is going to need a solid, science based background...Nothing ever gets simpler;)

Good luck for the future...170