Scholarships???

[tiger26isfinals]

Hi all,

Firstly, I apologise if this question has been asked before (and no doubt it has) but no amount of searching has found anything....

My girlfriend is currently doing her PPL(H) and all being well should be finished within the next few weeks. She is really (and i mean really) wants her dream hobby becoming a dream job and at 19 she still has youth and time on her side. I wonder if anyone could help me with two questions. Firstly, what is the best way to go about progressing and secondly, does anyone like Bond or Bristow etc do any form of scholarship?

Any info would be greatly appreciated :ok:

Many thanks,

Tiger

[TeeS]

Hi T26IF

I don't have any definite answers for her, however the vibes suggest that we will see a return of sponsorship, amongst the big players, in the not too distant future.

If it happens, tell her to make sure that she can demonstrate efforts to achieve her goal i.e. getting her PPL, building hours sensibly and knowing as much as possible about helicopters, North Sea ops etc.

The Military is also well worth considering, as is marrying a rich bloke and not a helicopter pilot!

Good Luck

TeeS

[tiger26isfinals]

Cheers Tees, I will pass that on! As for rich bloke and not a helicopter pilot...well, one out of two aint bad...and im definately not rich!:}

[scruggs]

TeeS, you mention that sponsorships may be making a come back. Out of interest, at what level would these sponsorships expect applicants to be at prior to application – or have expected on previous schemes?

In the fixed-wing world, some schemes are ab-initio, some expect at least a PPL(A) and some are type-rating sponsorships. Also in the fixed wing world, sponsorships are all but a thing of the past. Schemes such as the CTC Wings, CCAT FlyBe, and the mentored FTE schemes actually require the successful applicants to pay back the loan over X amount of years. Do you expect this to be the case with the Heli schemes, or are they likely to be true sponsorships i.e. the old British Airways style.

Sorry to hijack your thread tiger26, although this info could prove useful to your missus.

Thanks,
S.

[rotorfossil]

Bristow sponsorship requirements used to be max age 26, 5 subjects O level inc English, Maths & Physics and PPL/A (PPL/H not considered to be a particular advantage). Now seem to require self sponsorship and pay for own IR.
Suggest for lady pilots may be helpful to join British Women Pilot's Association.

[scruggs]

I presume that upper age limit will no longer be imposed due to the new age discrimination laws. Or at least I hope that is/will be the case should any schemes come to fruition.

I agree, future sponsorships are very doubtful :sad:. Maybe though we may see schemes akin to those mentioned in my earlier posts, i.e. mentored/self-sponsored types.

S.

[TeeS]

Sorry Scruggs

I didn't intend to give the impression that I had any specific information on schemes that are about to start. I work on small red helicopters and there is no way that we can go down the sponsorship route due to the experience requirements for our sort of work.

However, the helicopter industry in general is now facing recruitment problems that must compare with the worst we have seen (or best depending on your view of it all!) Bristow have just invested in a training outfit in the USA (I might be jumping to wrong conclusions here, I have no inside information.) You may remember Bond Offshore advertising for pilots and applicants for sponsorship when they first set up. The demise of the sponsorship was down to timing rather than any lack of enthusiasm for the scheme from the company (They needed co-pilots 'now' not 14 months down the line.) No idea what CHC are thinking, I'm sure someone will come up with some facts or theories.

All this leads me (and a few others) to believe that sponsorship will start up sometime soon. The problem is, sponsorship is expensive and the results of the investment will not even begin to be seen for well over a year. Sadly, aviation companies always seem to lag behind the trend when it comes to training ab-initio pilots. They close schools at the end of a glut of pilots and then restart training towards the end of a pilot famine. Whatever happened to Hamble and Redhill?

Historically helicopter sponsorship has not been clawed back from salary, at least as far as I am aware. As for requirements for application, who knows? One thing for certain, they will expect some sign of commitment/self motivation and a PPL has to count for something on that score.

That is my thought on it all.

TeeS

[scruggs]

Thanks for the reply TeeS - not to worry, happy to get your insight.

S.

[Pandalet]

Going back to the original question, there are a number of scholarships available to younger (read: under 25) aspiring pilots. I did a load of research into this about 18 months ago, and posted a list on a thread here, but you'll need to dig around a bit to find it.

I believe the Air League run several schemes, and there is a privately-run one around somewhere. That said, the scholarships are few and far between, and there's a fair bit of competition. At 19, you're young enough to consider taking two years out and doing the USA route (with all that that entails), assuming you can find the cash, of course.

I'm in my late 20s and at the post-PPL hour building stage, so if your gf has any specific questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

All the best and good luck!

[BRASSEMUP]

Plus all the ex-mil lot getting out of the forces because they don't like the two "wars" we are involved in.

Ivor! Charming.......................... :=

Get your fact's right or shut up!

[Heliport]

Helicopter FI Scholarship (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=259158)

[Whirlybird]

The BWPA does indeed have some scholarships and bursaries, www.bwpa.co.uk. So do Whirlygirls (International Women Helicopter Pilots), can't remember the website but it's something obvious.

[Chukkablade]

Are we still pretending that there is a shortage of Helicopter pilots in the industry?

In the words of someone who works for a large player, as said to me back at the turn of the year, there is a shortage of suitably experienced and qualified high hour people of Captaincy status, but sod all shortage of sub 400hr, recently qualified dead keen wannabees looking to break through, and more and more ex mil faces are showing up at doors as competition also (Dont blame those guys for thinking they want to move on, I did the same. You know in yourself when it's time.)

He may have put it to me bluntly, but the more I look, the more I think he was bob on.

I would not expect to see the return of PPL to ATPL/IR type scholarships anytime this side of the black stump.