Where to start??

[HDP]

OK, I'm 19 years old and finally want to realise my childhood dream of becoming a commercial pilot. Money is no barrier, I can afford to pay up to £50k (although I'm sure in the USA it can't be as much as that).

I'd probably be interested in learning to fly in the USA on a full-time course, 12 months long for example, with a fixed fee for the whole course.

The trouble is, I don't know where to start looking for a decent flying school, or in which part of the USA.

Can anyone recommend some good websites/places to start off with?

Thanks for any help, it'd be much appreciated.

[AlphaMale]

Money is no barrier, I can afford to pay up to £50k (although I'm sure in the USA it can't be as much as that).

Interesting .... You're ready to blow £50k on something you haven't fully researched. I hope your £50k can stretch further than that too. ;)

If you go to the US and blow $75k at EAA on the 'Cleared Direct' (http://www.eaa-fly.com/pdf/CD_Brochure.pdf) course, which I think is pretty good considering you get to fly state of the art aircraft and not a beaten up old aircraft that some other schools use.

First tip I have picked up is, if you're going to the US to do your flight training go to an FAA school and do the FAA licences, then when you get back here to the UK convert both the CPL and IR to a JAA licence/rating.

If you think £50k is going to cover all that then you may be kidding yourself though, if however you stick to doing the JAA licences/ratings in the UK it might cost you around the same amount as 'FAA and then converting leaving you with both FAA & JAA licences'.

After spending all this money you might find your just another 250hr fATPL holder looking for a jet job, so you might be at a big advantage if you had 1,000+hrs from banner towing/instructing/glider tug/bush pilot etc. But you might find it's an uneven playing field when your looking for a jet job with no Type Rating (£20k) and if you did have the TR you might be up against a pilot who has a 737 Type Rating & 500hrs line training.

So the list is endless and so will the bills to pay for it all, so if money is no barrier and you're a 19 year old with £120k sitting in the bank then keep in touch :E

As for the best place to start off look here (http://www.pprune.org/forums/professional-pilot-training-includes-ground-studies/131649-archive-reference-threads-posting-guidelines-read-before-you-post-question.html).

If you can get on a CTC course (seen here (http://www.ctcwings.co.uk/cadets/selection.asp)) then that will be your safest and best bet into the airlines, but be aware I think the statistics show that only 2% of candidates make it to the course ... on the flip side I've not heard of any CTC student not getting a job with the airlines.

Failing that Oxford aviation (http://www.oxfordaviation.net/courses_requisites.htm) and Flight Training Europe (http://www.flighttrainingeurope.com/page.php?page_name=courses_joining_entry_requirements) will happily take your £50k and any spare change you have to the sum of £25/£30k you have under the sofa.

Good luck.

[Tim101]

Hey,

I'm an Aussie doing my training here in the US. I'm doing a full time career program at a place called Horizon Aviation in Rhode Island.

It's worked out really well for me. I do heaps of flying, the guys that own/run the school are very friendly and honest, the equipment is in excellent condition and the maintenance is great.

There have been a few British guys there lately, they all seem to have a good time there.

Half way through my training, I'd advise you don't get too sucked in to the Florida thing... from everything I hear, you just end up paying twice as much for the same thing.

[daria-ox]

Don't you think it would be better to train in the UK?
I have thought about going to US, because it's cheaper there, but at the end you will end up paying even more for your training because you have to count all your accomodation and living costs into it.

In UK, a fATPL done by the modular way would cost you about 40K, whilst you can work part time, don't leave your home and probably it would be less stressfull.

Sometimes you can get annoid with the damn weather. I live in Edinburgh and two weeks ago I had to re-book my flying lessons three times but finally got them done :ok:

But come on, England isn't that cold.

About flying in US, I'm thinking of going there to build up my hours but not to train. ;)

[bala_murali]

I was just searching information regarding "Horizon Aviation" in Boston . I am very interested in joining there and the added advantage to it is my sis lives in Boston. So during the course duration i could stay with her. I did see from the post that you have done your flight training in horizon aviation.I am planing on joining the Norwood section of horizon aviation . I would like to know about the school, the quality if training ,and a general feedback of your experience in that school. Hope you could help me out. Thanks for your time.
Horizon Aviation - Boston Flight School & Rhode Island Flight School - MA & RI Pilot training - Providence RI & Norwood MA

[exeng]

OK, I'm 19 years old and finally want to realise my childhood dream of becoming a commercial pilot. Money is no barrier, I can afford to pay up to £50k

Please try and contact WWW. Money is no barrier - £50K. You are in for a shock I'm afraid.


Kind regards
Exeng

[Halfwayback]

Exeng

Read the date of the first post........

HWB

[flyhighspeed300]

OK, I'm 19 years old and finally want to realise my childhood dream of becoming a commercial pilot. Money is no barrier, I can afford to pay up to £50k
I would look at £120K if money is not a problem. If you are British do the JAA Licence way.

If you have the money then integrated route is for you. i.e Cabair, Oxford or CTC are the big 3 training companies here for JAA students.
Costs more but you have first a lot of the job market, if there is anything out there at all for the next 5 years.

After finishing your Frozen ATPL Licence go back out the USA and do a first officer program. Spend £15K - £20K as a first officer to get some experience. http://www.keylimeair.com/Rates.asp (http://www.keylimeair.com/Rates.asp)

Then spend another £30K-£50K getting a type rating and 300 hours on the type of aircraft. i.e. see website
http://www.eaglejet.net/ (http://www.eaglejet.net/)


So JAA Frozen integrated route £80K + £15K for living costs for a year and a bit, call it £15K for first officer program and call it £45K for type rating and line training with cost for 300 hours.

In fact my starting figure is now wrong of £120K it adds up to £155K, as what i just start above.

If you want to do the course then there is the modular route, up if you want a job at the end of all this then read and do the above if you have the money you say you have.

Good luck