From Wannabe to Willneverbe

[AJ1990]

I've come to the decision that losing my medical last year may have been one of the best things ever to of happened to me. All of us so called "Wannabes" should pause to think about what it would be like to be a "WillNeverBe".

Last February I lost my Class 1 medical whilst training due to developing a blood disorder and have only just regained it today. I never truly knew if I would ever be medically fit to fly but after some 13 months I'm finally back on the road. However much to my surprise, holding that bit of paper in my hand today was somewhat an anti-climax.

After finishing my A levels last year I wanted to dive straight into training and fulfil my lifelong ambition of a career in the sky. Looking back, I can't quite believe that I was so self-deluded and blind of reality. When one is forced to look down other avenues in life your perspective changes and you realise that some things can wait. I guess what I'm trying to get across is that anyone considering a career in flying should be realistic - think with your head for one moment and not with your heart. Will I train commercially? At some point, yes. But as far as I'm concerned anyone willing to throw money hand over fist in hope of realising a dream are letting their hearts get in the way. For now, I want to enjoy flying for flying. Sure a PPL won't ever increase my bank balance but it sure as hell won't cripple me financially for the next 10 years.

I guess this is more aimed at the next generation of pilots than the current. The real world has taught me more in a few months than school ever could. Anyone considering flight training after school needs to take a step back and evaluate the current situation. If you were told you might never fly what would be your response? Would life really be soo unfulfilled?

[helimutt]

Nice to see someone who has seen the bigger picture. Enjoy the private flying and see where it leads.

[Rj111]

Yep, i've basically drawn the same conclusions.

Should finish my PPL this summer. Then i'll probably get an aircraft share and just fly for the enjoyment.

The hours will rack up gradually over the years and if the market picks up again i can always give it another crack.

[ei-flyer]

AJ1990,

No, what's happened is you've lost the 'spark'.

In which case, just leave the industry with dignity instead of pi**ing on everybody else's dreams with a sob story on here.

When I leave places, I always try to do so in a way that leaves people feeling good, knowing that should I ever wish to return, the offer will probably be there.

Anyway, well done to the 19 year old who can think for himself. :rolleyes:

[AJ1990]

EI....:D

I think you've misunderstood me. This is by no means a sob story, I'm genuinly happy that I've realised flying commercially right now would be the most idiotic decision of my life. By no means have I lost the 'spark', just realised that my flying fix can be satisfied with just a PPL.

[ei-flyer]

I'm no stranger to people (friends) having 'issues' with medicals and the obtaining and revalidation of same...

... But why the need to broadcast it? Just get on with it.

The problem is - if your nature is inherently this way inclined, you'd never get off your ass and crack on with it. I know people who qualified circa 2004 and have returned to their old slogs after a few failed attempts to gain aviation related employment... Conversely I know of those who trained in early 2008 and are now employed as airline pilots (not Ryanair).

There's the problem, now to the point - yeah you can make educated guesses as to when it may or may not be right for you, personally, to train... But there really isn't a lowest common denominator in the world of locating jobs, even in aviation. A recession (and related aftermath) screws things up in most areas but you don't know what's just round the corner. Probably nothing and you've probably made a good decision for the time being, but training when things are on the up is in no way a guarantee that the odds of finding a job are stacked even slightly more in your favour... It's a lottery in any climate, good or bad, although if you're really good there will be more opportunities at the foundation stage.

Again - why do you feel the need to tell everyone about this? People make these decisions hundreds of times per day. Do you want praise for growing up?

Just don't understand what you're trying to achieve through this thread...

[AJ1990]

I agree. The point of this thread however is that for anyone who is about to come out of education all starry eyed about aviation they are all in for a shock. If I hadn't been forced to consider what I would do if I weren't allowed to pursue my ambitions I would be doing something completely different. There seems to be some unspoken rule that considering a life where by flying isn't your sole focus somehow makes you less determined to achieve your ambitions. The fire still burns just don't stoke it for a few years.

There are readers on here who lack life experience, and I'm one of them. But many rely on the advice given on forums like these to come to a decision. I stated in the original post that this was more aimed at the next generation - I think it's of benefit to people my age to consider what exactly they are getting in to. This might not come as such a relevation to the older posters on here but afterall is this not a 'Wannabe' forum? Someone has to be flying those jets in 50 years time.

Considering if you were told you could never fly commerically will spur some people on, and others like myself, will make you realise that there are other avenues to pursue. This seems like a worthwhile contribution but I don't see why this needs to be justified honestly.

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Thanks for posting your experience and ignore EI-Flyer - he seeks validation of his own decisions as a primary motivation.

You've made a wise decision. Getting into commercial aviation is NOT a lottery. It DOES require some skill and judgement about when to enter. The difference between entering in a boom year and a bust year is lke day is to night. We've seen 4 bust and 2 boom years this decade alone.

Luck is the over riding factor. But sensible judgement is still a small factor and one over which you do have some control.

EI-Flyer may know someone who got a job last year with low hours. I know several. But that doesn't change the FACT that there are hundreds to thousands out there with nothing and no prospects. Only last week Highland Airways went bust putting dozens more pilots with tens of thousands current experience on the dole..

Good luck,


WWW

[Prophead]

AJ

You may find that by becoming involved in the GA side of things for a while, you will make some good contacts that can open a few doors later on when you do get your fATPL. Im always suprised at how many flying jobs there are in the GA side of things that you never hear about on any website. These jobs all seem to be filled based on being in the right place at the right time or by a friend of a friend etc.

You don't have to pay to fly unless you limit yourself to just flying a jet.

[AJ1990]

This is one thing that I love about flying, the diversity of opportunities. I'm currently studying towards a degree in History which I may then continue to do a teacher PGCE in afterwards. Career Intruction is something that really appeals to me but seems to be overlooked by many for some reason :confused:

[Genghis the Engineer]

I think that you've put your finger on something quite important. There are numerous careers available in, and around, aerospace.

I've spent 22 years in this industry so far, clocking up a lot of flying hours, but I've only for very short periods ever been a full time pilot, and none of that on heavies. I'm far from alone in that - the industry is full of people in a wide range of careers, most of them happy and well paid, who wouldn't wish to be outside of the industry - but often wouldn't wish to be an airline pilot either. Many of these jobs have a substantial flying element also. For example...

- light aircraft / helicopter / gyroplane / microlight instructor
- flight test engineer
- aviation scientist
- commercial balloon pilot
- aerial photographer
- aviation journalist
- Military navigator / observer / WSO / electronics operator ...

Most of these don't need a class 1 medical or equivalent either.

And after that, there are numerous jobs that give regular access to flying - in the airlines, in GA, working for light aircraft manufacturers, becoming a ground engineer, working for a gliding club in some capacity or other.


Anyhow, best of luck with your degree, and I hope you've applied to join either the UAS, or university gliding club, or both.

There's also a small but continuous employment out there for people writing books on aviation history...

G

[student88]

Great decision.

Sometimes it takes a bit of time away from something for your feelings towards it to change for the better, unlike ei-flyer, where no period of time away from him would be long enough.

[RichardH]

AJ1990 your original post - one of the best posts ever written on this forum.

think with your head for one moment and not with your heart

Sadly people being sold a dream, be it flying, time-bombs in Spain etc. just ignore and forget this. They fail to carry out enough due diligence.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true it usually is.

[Dan Winterland]

I would have to agree. This industry has been f@cked by the accountants and the philosophies they have spawned. I have been an professional pilot for 25 years and in my humble opinion, the industry is as low as it has ever been. Accountants, unscrupulous airlines and the pay to fly schemes which abound have ruined the dreams of potential pilots forever. My eldest son is about to go to university to study aeronautical engineering. I have told him that I don't consider flying to be a viable career any longer, so he should stay in the engineering business rather than set his sights on being a pilot.

A very sad state of affairs.

[AJ1990]

What really gets me is that at heart this is pure exploitation. When will we all smell the coffee and realise this dream of ours is essentially corrupt?

[UAV689]

No, what's happened is you've lost the 'spark'.

what a pile of tosh. You should like you want to be character from Top Gun.

AJ1990 - great to see a young person thinking logically.

If and when you decide to go into commercial flying I am sure you will go far, you sound like a solid stable person people would want on a FD.

[Genghis the Engineer]

what a pile of tosh. You should like you want to be character from Top Gun.

AJ1990 - great to see a young person thinking logically.

If and when you decide to go into commercial flying I am sure you will go far, you sound like a solid stable person people would want on a FD.

Or managing an airline!

G

[fly_antonov]

I have also decided to limit myself to flying for fun, and if ever it picks up to a point where airlines would hire on any reasonable terms, I will jump on again.

I am now walking a different path in aviation and the excitement is just pure trance, alot more than for instance when I went on my first solo.

If you think that flying is all there is in aviation, you are oh so wrong!

If you love airplanes and your dad doesn' t have 120K, look around. There are ways to do what you love without sacrificing everything you got.

[student88]

If you see a bandwagon, it's too late.

[AJ1990]

Even if my dad did have 120k for me, I still wouldn't touch it with a barge pole! How can people squander their parents money like this...financial circumstances aside I could never live with myself knowing I'd taken soo much whilst being incapeable of ever repaying them. If only we lived in a meritocracy where natural abilty spoke volumes more than money. It's sad to think that soo many will never get there foot in the door merely because they lack the funds to do so. This is socially accepted discrimination - I can't help but view airlines today as the playground of the middle class.

[student88]

I work for the biggest airline in the UK. Middle class it is not. There are lots of pilots here who worked hard, saved the money and paid for the training when the credit arrived into their bank accounts.

However, more and more cadets are coming on line with ridiculous amounts of debt. Personally I think impatience has a lot to answer for. "That's what I want and I want it now!"

It's not impossible to earn the money to pay for training. A lot of hard work and determination goes a long way.

[AJ1990]

I think you've just hit the nail on the head!

Impatiance has alot to answer for. I think no doubt it was a factor in the current recession. The culture of buying everything on credit, taking out loans for holidays, heck I'm no economist but surely it would have been obvious that this couldn't go on forever? I have friends at uni who eat in to their overdraft like there's no tommorrow - we're talking up to £2000 interest free overdrafts here. No one has the patience to wait and earn whats rightfully theirs.

God when did I become so cynical!!!??? I apolagise :}

[student88]

You need a holiday, preferably not bought on credit.

Listen to Tina Turner, she'll cheer you up.

[AJ1990]

The night is still young Student88...the Turner only comes out at those times of true desperation when we all must remind ourselves... that we are...simply...the best :ok: