Finance

[rich49]

Dear all,
I would like some advise from you all.
Currently I am 18 and holding a conditional offer at Kingston Uni for BEng in Aerospace engineering. The course is 4 years and at the end of it I will have to do yet another 1 year 'add on' course to get chartered engineer status (ie to be eligible for a job!) So 5 years in total. My A level exams are not going too well at the moment (failed math on tuesday :{ ). The thing is I don't even want to be an engineer I want to be a pilot!
I really do not know weather to go to Uni, like everyone is telling me to, or to start to learn to fly now.
If I don't go to uni, I will have 5 more years to play with but fewer options available to me regarding careers (ie if I fail a medical or cannot be a pilot...) and maybe a lower wage.
On the other hand if I go, I will have more career options and more earning power. So what do you suggest? My leanings are towards Uni, but then there is the debt at the end of it all!
Also and more importantly, I would like to know how you guys finance your training, and find the time to do it! Sure, a PPL can be earnt 'part time' and ATPLs through distance learning but what about the CPL, MECR and IR etc, you cant just take 5-6 weaks off work every now and again! What sort of jobs do you or did you have whilst learning?
Thank you for any help.
Richard

[silverknapper]

Rich

You'll find a lot on this topic if you do a search. Here are my views, some will agree, some will disagree.
Firstly if you failed A level maths you ain't going to pass a BEng. I have one in Aerospace engineering and it was bloody hard, makes a levels look easy. If you are doing this degree to become a pilot don't. Do maths or Physics seperately. Aero eng does not get you into an airline and the uni's take a dim view of people doing it to become pilots. I should know.
If you are set on flying, go to Gatwick for a class 1 now. This may make your uni decision for you if you fail. Otherwise you know you can begin. Now have a few lessons - not trial flights - and see how you enjoy it. Keep uni options open until you're sure you do.
Once you're sure of what you want and it is flying, forget uni and start working every hour available, doing your PPL on the way, then your writtens. Then work and go to banks and relatives and get enough to do CPL/IR in one. If your lucky your folks may even re mortgage for you. I worked for a couple of years then got a loan for the rest.
IMHO if you go to uni that is 4 years you could have saved for your licence and got it. These days you'll come out of uni with almost as much debt as an ATPL. But no where near as much fun.

Don't make the mistake of thinking flying is the easy option - it ain't. Again you'll have to improve on your A level performance to get through the writtens.
If your still undecided then go to a 3 year degree, live a little then review your situation. As you probably know the market ain't too good anyway so you may not miss out on much.

Cheers