Civvy License reccommendations anyone!

[2brevets]

Hi guys not that I dont think that my career path is solid but would like to look at my options. Does anyone have any advice on Civvy Flying Trg schools getting licenses. I have a lapsed UK PPL with about 80 hrs and would not want to leave for at least another 2 1/2 years so am thinking module route with Distance learning for the exams.

Be honest.
Is there any point will anyone employ a 38/39 year old with low hour ATPL?
Ball park what do you reckon its likely to cost?
Is 2 brevets and a set of wings too greedy?

Dear Manning, please do not consider this thread as an online PVR application through JPA although there is more chance of it working on this website! :ouch:

[MrBernoulli]

I can't vouch for where/what 'flying school' you should use. However, for exams, I would recommend Bristol Ground School

Start by reading this page of their website: Bristol.gs (http://www.bristol.gs/groundschool/main.aspx)

Alex Whittingham, a former RAF pilot himself, has a very good setup at Cheddar in Somerset for getting you through the exams, and will almost certainly be able to give you solid advice about how to do the 'other bits'.

You need to be sure you can afford the costs of training for an aviation career (10s of thousands of £) without necessarily getting a job at the end of it ........

[Trim Stab]

Is there any point will anyone employ a 38/39 year old with low hour ATPL?
Ball park what do you reckon its likely to cost?

I am a civilian pilot - the general feeling in the industry is that things have never been so bad for pilots. Even if the industry starts to recover in 2-3 years time, there is a substantial pool of experienced, type-rated civilian pilots to take up the new jobs as they appear.

The company I fly for receives half a dozen or so unsolicited CVs per day, most type-rated and experienced on the types we fly. If a candidate is low-houred, doesn't hold a type-rating, and doesn't have extensive experience of EU-OPS flying, the chief pilot doesn't even read beyond the first two lines.

My advice is that unless you have the means to obtain a type-rating on top of your conversion courses, and unless you are also prepared to take a substantial pay cut, then stay where you are.

[CrabInCab]

Trim Stab - you sure you're not from Manning and just worked out the size of the train crash that's going to occur in 4-5 years time? :}

[Two's in]

My advice is that unless you have the means to obtain a type-rating on top of your conversion courses, and unless you are also prepared to take a substantial pay cut, then stay where you are.

But do consider that salary in the outside world is completely negotiable. Sure, you will start off near the bottom, but once you establish your worth, you can work on moving up. Use your first job to find your feet and figure out where you are in the pecking order, then start getting paid more. in the Military your salary and grade are a function of someone else's agenda, not yours - it's great for some, but not everyone.

[Farm-for-sale]

I'm in the midst of doing a modular move to pastures new, so understand the thinking. As it stands the Bristol GS course was superb, though I only did a Military Bridging package (about a 1/3 of the work, but you need about 1500 hrs PIC to qualify). I hear their Crammer courses are second to none, but you'll be studying pretty hard for about a year I would suspect (though I'm sure the next post will say it took them a week!) and they take the ELCAS money if you're signed up.

As for the flying, I'll tell you in a few months, but several hundred hours for a CPL, ME, IR won't leave you anything from GBP 40,000 at a guess. There are a few loan schemes / scams that might assist, but the end result is very uncertain. I just spoke to someone on an integrated (1 year full time) course who is certain that there's no change from GBP 100,000 and no job either (this year at least)...

But as for the good news... er, did I mention the ELCAS? :)

[Mr Grim]

Check out this thread:
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/282569-atpl-information.html

But note the age, things could well have changed.

I don't understand farm-for-sale's post. If you have enough hours for the bridging package I thought you only had to do a ME IRT to get a CPL / fATPL?

[A and C]

Firstly the current state of the pilot job market is very poor with a lot of low timers with no immediate hope of a job however there is a little light at the end of the tunnel, the company that I work for has had trouble getting captains for next summer. This would indicate that the market will start to move, I would guess in the spring of 2011 as long as the economy slowly improves.

The Bristol flight centre has a first class reputation within the industry so I dont think you would regret using them.

For your PPL revalidation and getting the required flying hours the best move would be your nearest RAF flying club, if you need to do some rapid "hours Building" the Benson club has capacity on it's Cessna fleet that you could use.