Thinking about it... seriously?

[Clara H]

I am seventeen and a little bit. I have done one half of my A levels. And only then do I decide I want to be a pilot?

Being an achedemic sort of person, it has been generally assumed that I will go to university like my parents... and my sister. I am studying maths, physics and geography. I love to write, I love to sing, and I love planes.
(sounds funny, that)

My problem is this: I don't know if I'm entirely serious about it.
Well, no, I am serious now. I wasn't three months ago, when I started to consider various options. I did a little bit of research (as you do), and decided it was too much of a risk. Now I cannot let go of the idea.

I know next to nothing about the job itself, but the mechanics of flight fascinates me.

And one more thing: I haven't told anyone. I need to ask for advice, but that doesn't come easy.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[captainsuperstorm]

everybody like planes...
you will sing at your bank manager when you will be bankrupt.

who's next?:ugh:

[bingofuel]

Apply for a University that is affiliated to a University Air Squadron, then apply to join. Best of both worlds.

[170to5]

Absolutely agree! At 17 you won't really know what you want to do with your life, I certainly didn't and flying would be a VERY expensive mistake if you decided you didn't want to do it after all!

Add to that the life experience of going to Uni (and especially the experiences you'll have in one of the military units, which is about all I did at uni - spent almost as much time at mine as I spent on my course!), and it is a very sad thing to miss out on.

Yes, it's expensive, but the repayments are designed to be affordable - I certainly find that they are - and maybe you WILL decide that you still want to fly. But the time you'll spend at uni will ground you as a person and give you a second option for if flying doesn't work out, or if it hits hard times again! I have never though for a second that I'd have preferred to go straight into flying from school.

I also went through my training with a number of people who had been to uni and several who hadn't - the difference is vast. (Generally) More maturity, importantly, plenty of things to talk about at interviews that aren't just 'well, when I learned to fly x happened' (as long as you get into extra curricular stuff), and an ability, I found, to more easily settle into the course which isn't easy and certainly doesn't allow the same experience as going to uni.

I always feel that people who didn't go to uni missed a treat, it's a shame it's getting so expensive now but do whatever you can if you have to, I was in a military cadet unit and had a weekend job to help grease the wheels, and had an amazing 3 years that I would repeat tomorrow if I could- one that you can't go back and have at a later date.

It may also not be a bad idea to even take a year out to earn some dough before you start a degree as I did...

PS - I honestly don't think that just getting a job for 3 years instead will give you the same life experience..it'll give you more money but you're still missing the major personal development side of uni, if you ask me.

Promise I don't work for UCAS.

[HrCookie]

Wao, it is exactly the same situation I was in last year, I'm 18 now. I had always seen it as a dream, but started to sniff to it as a serious career.

I was also sure that I should go to university, but the idea of ​​studying more, after 15 years of schooling, was not to overcome, so I'm sure that flying is what I want.

In addition, I also took some unofficial flying lessons, so I had an idea of ​​how it is to fly myself and found it fantastic.

But good luck :)

[4015]

Go do a couple of lessons, jump in a plane with someone you know or hang around an airfield and tug on sleeves until someone takes you up. See if you like it.

If you do like it, great. If you don't like it, great, you can move on to the next plan.

Look at university. Yes it's expensive, but you'll grow up a lot and realised a lot about yourself by going there. And you'll come out of it with a degree (and, if you do it properly, a shed load of excellent memories, mates, and life skills). Just make sure your degree choice ticks two boxes:

1. You enjoy, and are motivated by, the subject. There will be times during your course when you come across a module you hate - you'll need to enjoy the rest of them to keep you going.
2. It is not a waste of space degree. 'Fruitstall Management', 'David Beckham Studies' and 'Dance' are all prime examples of pointless degrees. Don't do one. They are reducing the value of the degree as an entity, and hopefully soon they will fade away and just be replaced by BTECs and ASBOs.

As mentioned above, Aeronautical Engineering is a good bet if you like the whole flying thing. It pretty much does 70% of your PPL/ ATPL exams for you as part of the degree, you'll just have to remember it for the PPL/ ATPL exams afterwards.

However, a few points to consider in the wider view-

IF you decide you want to fly, prepare to give up the rest of your life to it. Once it bites, you're in deep. It would be easier to give up crack. It would probably be cheaper to be addicted to crack. However, I would bet a large amount that crack doesn't quite give the enjoyment of flying.

When learning, you'll be spending nights huddled over books, you'll go through the happiest feelings (first solo, first greased landing, when your instructor tells you you just did a brilliant job, hearing the words "congratulations, you're a pilot" when you pass) and the worst feelings ever.

Of course, if you are dubious, you would be better going a modular route, at least to start with. So, try the flying; if you like it, work towards the PPL. See how you get on with that. If it goes well, continue. DO NOT go and sign up on an Oxford or CTC integrated program!

You're only young (you're going to hear that a lot more in the aviation world, I still hear it in my mid 20s), and you have a lot of time to play with. There is no point getting a professional licence inside the next two years. So, try the flying, then keep it as a hobby (PPL, building hours towards CPL) whilst you develop yourself as a person doing something else. I would definitely vote for university to be that something else.

As far as the advice goes - once you have a couple of ideas, talk them over with your rents. You will need them to help you with whatever you do. Whether you're asking for a fiver so you can do the washing at uni (£1.40 for washing, £3.60 for the pint whilst it's going), or begging for £13,000 for the IR course, you will need their support.

[Bealzebub]

DO NOT go and sign up on an Oxford or CTC integrated program!
Why?

Most of the ab-initio airline intake that I see occurring is from these affiliated cadet programmes. If that is your goal, then ignoring or denying the fact isn't very good advice, even if you don't like the reality.

[stewmath]

Also arnt places like the Oxford Aviation Academy something like £100,000 in tuition fees?

[Bealzebub]

Yes, they are approaching that figure.

If somebody wants to acquire a CPL/IR at minimum cost, they aren't necessarily a route I would advocate. However if somebody realistically expects an airline cadetship with that new licence and only a couple of hundred hours, then I would.

[stewmath]

id do it if i had that sort of money but i currently cant even afford my ppl.

However if the starter of this thread is deadly serious and has the funding then if definetly worth considering.

[4015]

Why?

To answer this:

I know next to nothing about the job itself

The OP hasn't done a huge amount of research, and has only really been investigating this as a career for a couple of months.

In what possible way could it be beneficial for them to sign up to a £100k scheme with OAA/CTC, only to find out in a couple of months that they actually hate flying?

If they try it first, realise it's something they like, and if the RHS of a 737 is their aim then sure, go and sign up for OAA/CTC. However:

1. Do a PPL first, or at least get some experience. in the grand scheme of things, a £7k PPL won't hurt when they spend £100k on an integrated course, and £500 on a couple of trial lessons will be even less.

2. The RHS of a 737/A320 is not the only place one may fly for a living, and the OP should very carefully research everything before making the decision to part with a mortgage to end up on a P2F scheme.

Perhaps I was unclear, but I was referring to doing that instead of sitting back and researching thoroughly.

[Bealzebub]

Yes, I don't disagree with that response. It was unclear from the your bold assertion "DO NOT" as to why they should not.

I would certainly be the first person in the queue advocating careful research and taking a measured approach.

Interestingly, the majority of people who are on cadet programmes do not already have a PPL. Very few, if any, seem to decide they hate it once on a programme. Those that are subscribed, regard it as a "graduate" apprenticeship to an airline career. Indeed, that is what it is intended to be.

Too many people seem to labour under the illusion that a 250 hour CPL/IR, outside of one of these schemes, is simply a cheaper way to exactly the same thing. That being a cadet airline career with 250 hours. It isn't, and no amount of wishful thinking will make it so.

If asked the question, "what is the best chance for an airline career for a new 200 hour pilot?" The only honest answer I could give is through one of these affiliated cadet schemes. They are intensive and expensive. However they are the fast track programmes that might satisfy that goal." If I were to answer that same question by stating "Find the cheapest modular route available. Get your licence, IR, and 250 hours and then go knocking on airlines doors." I would be lying. Recruitment isn't, and never has been through this resource at this level of experience.

I don't mind if people think otherwise, or highlight the exception that they believe proves the rule, but it simply wouldn't be honest advice on my part.

For somebody embarking on arline flying as a career, they would most certainly have to consider this path. For a fast track career, it is pretty much the only game in town. Not everybody will be successful, and certainly few will be able to afford the investment risk. There are alternatives, that are cheaper, not at all "fast track", and littered with far more corpses, but the realities need to be understood.

It is therefore bad advice to tell somebody "DO NOT" sign up to one of these programmes without qualification, anymore than it would be to tell somebody "DO" sign up to one of them.

Hence my question...Why?

[madlandrover]

Various good replies here. Personally I made the choice at 18 to skip uni, despite having the same expectations of me. My school were especially annoyed at me spoiling their 100% uni attendance record! Then again I had a job to walk into and going to uni would have required further tests/interviews to extend the waiting period into a Royal Navy uni bursary. 9 years on I've got no regrets personally, the RN thing didn't work out long term but I fly a fair bit and enjoy it!

That said, I wouldn't necessarily give up an opportunity unless you have something solid to go to. Uni with flying during the holiday periods would be a good way to do it, as long as you pick a subject that genuinely interests you as well. Picking aeronautical subjects is great but do have a look at the other options - personally I would have picked some form of engineering when I was 17/18, but in hindsight I would pick a languages degree. Go for something that you can use even if career flying doesn't work!