son wants to be a pilot

[annekh510]

Never thought I'd post here, I joined so I could search and to get rid of some of the ads.

Anyway, my son (aged 10) has just announced that he wants to be a pilot, apparently he's wanted this for a while, just not told anyone. He's clearly thought about it a lot in terms of what it would be like to work as a pilot and has a list of pros and cons of commercial and military. What he hasn't done is any basic research into how to make this happen (to be fair he has little time on the internet to do this).

From what I know of him, this is a young adult ambition not a kid dream and it's no surprise at all. He's scientifically minded and seems to have the personality and skill set that as he grows up will be good for a pilot.

He's British and UK based, so I'm assuming training in the UK - this seems to be rather costly, does this mean my best advice to him is to get a job the moment he turns 13 (or whatever the legal age is these days)?

Or should we make a thorough investigation of the military route and see if this could be for him.

As a parent what I want to be sure of is that in going down a route he doesn't cut off other options in case he doesn't get in or fails, or whatever.
One thought is to say go to university, get your degree, maybe (hopefully) in engineering then push down the pilot training route.

Please help a clueless mum - my family are teachers, accountants and software engineers!

[FlyingSportsman]

As someone who's currently chasing the dream and can remember the enjoyable age of 10, I would definitely nurture the ambition, but also remember he is just 10! With another 8 years at school, if he's anything like the people I grew up with he'll change a lot over that time!

I really started researching properly into my options at 16/17 years old- the aviation industry is such a volatile one that in 8 years (assuming he doesn't go to university) it could have completely changed. Currently, military flying is struggling (from what I hear from those in it)- funding isn't at its best and waiting times can be frustrating.

Civil flying at the moment doesn't seem to be that much better- but again 8 years time, who knows! Just looking around this forum you'll find lots of useful information, have a look at modular vs integrated, it will give you an idea of the two ways of training to be a professional pilot.

IMHO, you've got lots and lots of time to think about what he wants to do, regardless best of luck to him :ok:

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Anne... I wanted to be an Air Traffic Controller when I was about 10 and ended up doing it. I'm nearly 69 and still deranged. For Lord's sake get him to a psychiatrist fast!!

Good luck to you both, especially your son. He has a lot of work ahead but if he ends up happy doing the job, that's the most important thing.

[appfo09]

Good to have dreams and set goals in a young age ! The problem is sometimes reality is different from what we are thinking.

I succeeded by gaining all the licences and ratings required to become an Airline Pilot, still no job but i am definitely fed up and tired of the lying propaganda spread in the aviation industry. Its not about skills, knowledge, abilities all the good things etc.

It's all about money nowadays and this doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon. Money buys experience i.e flight hours and this is what counts at the end.

My honest suggestion would be let him grow up a little bit 16 years old take him to a local airfield for a trial flight and wait and see what he says. Tell him to set other goals as well as a backup route. This is what I have done as well and I never have regret it.

One thing you will never be 100% satisfied of what you have achieved. Don't let your kid down anyway this would be the biggest mistake ever.

[High_Expect]

Get him to join your local Air Cadets when he's 13 (I think that's how old they need to be - it maybe a year either way). When I was 10 I wanted to be a pilot. At the time it was an airline pilot as that's all I knew. Joined the Air Cadets and from the first summer camp aged 14 I wanted to be a military pilot. I've now been flying fast jets for 13 years now :-) and loving every second of it. The Air Cadets is a brilliant organisation and will give him amazing opportunities for flying and gliding (all free) amongst other things. Clearly there is absolutely no tie in to join the military and many go on to civilian flying jobs or just jobs in the most part. I once heard a stat that something like 40-50% of Officers in the RAF were Air Cadets when they were young. Not sure how true it is but it certainly sounds feasible.

[annekh510]

Thanks for the info.

What I want to communicate to him is that it's good to have ambitions and to work towards them, but that at this age don't cut off other options (though he's a long way away from an age where he is making that kind of choice).

Considering his family background, I wouldn't be happy about him not going to university to do training that has limited expectations of a job at the end of it. The cost of that training is high, much higher than university even with the recent huge increase in costs and I've no idea if loans are possible or advisable (something I shall look in the forums for).

There won't be much pushing from me, I'm keen to make sure he explores his options, which is why I am here asking information and reading other webpages as well (is this page Airline pilot: Entry requirements | Prospects.ac.uk (http://www.prospects.ac.uk/airline_pilot_entry_requirements.htm) accurate?).

appfo09 what a bummer to be in that situation, but it's exactly what we both need to hear. Do you have any idea of the percentages that end up in that situation and what kind of factors make a difference, such as I've read other places that some people do a degree first to stand out, but then I guess lots of people do, so does it really make you stand out?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

High Expect. Agree 100%. I met my beloved wife in the Air Cadets in the 60s. Sadly she is no longer with us. I'm sure my time in the Air Training Corps helped when I came to get a foor into my career door.

[shaun ryder]

I am in the same boat with my young son. Its a tough nut to crack the airline game, however there will always be a demand for the right kind of young individuals who are driven to make it their career. I wish that I had made the contacts as a youngster around my local airfield, washing aircraft, making the tea, anything. ATC is fantastic, oh how I wish that I had pulled my finger out as a young man and stuck with it. Who knows where I would be now. We as parents should stand behind our offsprings dreams and nurture them. My head says don't do it son, I am as cynical as anyone else about the airline business.

There will always be a need, help him become one of the Captains of the future.

[appfo09]

Sadly, I do not have nobody from my family in Aviation. It always helps but it seems that i will make the start before its even to late.

From my perspective and my recent experience no my degree doesn't stand me out from the crowd in getting the job that I always wanted. Of course it all depends what kind of airline we are talking about. For some airline companies a degree is a must requirement and for some others it doesn't even count.

But it will be a solid background and i don't want to say that it will not help him getting the job. It all depends what kind of degree it is and if airlines will see it as an extra benefit etc...

I have seen a lot of examples of guys and sometimes i don't understand why some really highly educated people can't get what they want even if they are qualified for it.

And speaking for myself since more than a year and i am still waiting hopefully for an interview with an airline.

This purely means that nothing is running smoothly anymore and what really speaks its your money at the end of the day.

Suggest your son to start early with his PPL and then try to find and apply for a cadet scheme. If I could go back in time I would have done it this way.

I hope your son will make the right choice at the end and remember everything in life is a risk.

All the best !

[tggzzz]

A couple of suggestions: try gliding, and put obstacles in his path.

Why gliding? Well, IMHO it is more fun (0-50kt in 5s, pre-solo aerobatics), many clubs will let you start learning at 12 and (if safe) go solo at 14, it is probably significantly less expensive than you imagine, and they will automatically learn how to act responsibly, maturely and safely in aircraft and on the field. I've a great deal of respect for all such young people at my club, my daughter included. See British Gliding Association >> Find a Club >> UK Map (http://www.gliding.co.uk/findaclub/ukmap.htm) .

Why obstacles? At about 10 or 11 my daughter announced that she wanted hens as pets (this was long before they became fashionable!). I didn't particularly want them, so I kept on raising individual specific (i.e. not vague generic) valid reasons for not having them: noise, smell ,vermin, holidays etc. She listened to my concerns, understood them, did good research on the net to come up with coop designs and convincing reasons why my concerns were invalid. After 6/9 months of that I was pleased to let her have them, and she looked after them very well until she took herself to Aus at 18.

[DeltaT]

Half the people in aviation are trying to get into it and establish a career, the other half are trying to get out of it. You are warned.

[redsnail]

There's been some good advice offered here. If your son is passionate about flying then hopefully that'll provide some motivation to do well at school. Trust me, he'll need to.
Ok - he's 10 yo. Make sure he looks after his health. Simple things like wearing a helmet when riding his bike or skateboard and so on. Protect his hearing and eyesight. Lose those, game over.
I know one kid back in Oz that fell off his skateboard whacking his head quite hard and losing a % of hearing. That simple accident closed aviation to him. (And quite a few other occupations).
Is your son colour blind? How's his vision?

Start saving now. :ooh: Encourage him to "own" his future. if he wants money, he needs to do chores etc. When he can, a part time or summer job will be invaluable for his confidence and maturity.

[annekh510]

Was posting at the same time as High_Expect, will definitely look into Air Cadets (had already mentioned some kind of cadets if he wanted to go into the military).

Gliding is an excellent idea. I had also been thinking that university isn't just for degree getting, I do know people who took up gliding at university, so it can be a time of extracurricular stuff you haven't managed earlier in life.

tggzzz, whilst I hadn't used the word obstacles, your suggestion is totally in line with my parenting philosophy.

He's a bright kid (possibly genius level) and whilst he isn't a big fan of school, mostly because it is too easy, he has gradually come to see the need of it and seems to be really getting into some of the lifestyle things that are on the curriculum these days - this has added to his safety conscious attitude to life, he's the kid that would walk his bike home if he didn't have a helmet, even if there was no adult there to tell him to do that, or even if there was an adult there telling him is was ok to do it! This is one of the reasons I think he would be good as a pilot, you can't convince him not to follow key rules.

Not colour blind, doesn't need glasses for distance (I did at his age), not sure if my eyesight is good enough for flying, but I have family who definitely aren't, but hopefully that gene pool is diluted! Hearing seems to be fine. One thing I am slightly concerned about is height, no idea what the minimum height is for an airline pilot, but his projected adult height from early measurements is 4'10", but he's past 4'6" at age 10 and nowhere near puberty, so I'd expect him to exceed that projection, but who knows how much, I'm hoping he'll make it to my height (5'5").

Thanks for all the help and ideas.

[tggzzz]

Height might or might not be an issue.

My daughter is 4'11". After starting flying she was vaguely thinking of being an airline pilot, I decided to test whether she could reach the rudder pedals in an airliner. After landing in a 757 when on a holiday package trip we asked a stewardess whether it would be possible for her (15yo, glider pilot...) to see the cockpit. The pilot agreed, she sat in the P1 seat and, with the seat almost but not quite fully forward she could reach the pedals (but she didn't try to move them).

However, I suspect without any evidence, that airline pilots need to be forceful individuals that can inspire everybody else to do what's necessary by their personality and demeanour. Being short, rightly or wrongly, is not a good start for that; but having a "Napoleon complex" might mitigate it!

Another obvious point is that your son's interests and abilities will change between now and then; I'm sure you know that, even if he doesn't! IMNSHO it is best to stay general for as long as possible so that he hasn't unnecessarily closed doors that he might want to go through. Also IMHO for me flying is a great hobby but I wouldn't want to do it as a job: far too boring in the long term, particularly for someone that is bright and inquisitive.

As for medical conditions, the requirements are carefully defined and are currently changing as the EASA Part-MED rules come into play. You probably don't want to see the current version at http://hub.easa.europa.eu/crt/docs/viewnpa/id_228

[jrbishop44]

I have one more year in school ANSI want to know is I should go into an RAF collage, as I want to going the RAF as a pilot, I went to know why my best education path is to becoming a successful pilot and officer I do do air cadets and have done lots of flying and activity, I am an NCI nco a gold leader, I want to know how best to plan my education from collage onwards