How do YOU fund your ATPL course?
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: U.K
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How do YOU fund your ATPL course?
There must be lots of people here, who have the prospects of going through the training to gain an ATPL to eventually join those Airlines.
Can I ask, how do you fund your Pilot Training?
I'm hearing of a considerable amount of people going and joining FTO's and starting their ATPL training, and im thinking, WHERE DID THEY GET THE CASH??? To pay £30,000+ to a FTO, albeit, over a course of 3-4 years how do you fund it all, unless you are mega rich!
You cant tell me that ALL the trainee Pilots in the UK (or world) have "borrowed" money of their Parents, or have the sufficient funds to just hand over to an FTO like that.
Do you get loans to support your training?
Do you work and earn, and pay that way?
The way I see it for me, is that im going to have to work till im 25 to be able to have the sufficient £30,000 for training. Is anyone else in the same situation here?
What would you suggest???
I am eager to find out.....
Can I ask, how do you fund your Pilot Training?
I'm hearing of a considerable amount of people going and joining FTO's and starting their ATPL training, and im thinking, WHERE DID THEY GET THE CASH??? To pay £30,000+ to a FTO, albeit, over a course of 3-4 years how do you fund it all, unless you are mega rich!
You cant tell me that ALL the trainee Pilots in the UK (or world) have "borrowed" money of their Parents, or have the sufficient funds to just hand over to an FTO like that.
Do you get loans to support your training?
Do you work and earn, and pay that way?
The way I see it for me, is that im going to have to work till im 25 to be able to have the sufficient £30,000 for training. Is anyone else in the same situation here?
What would you suggest???
I am eager to find out.....
Join Date: May 2004
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Firstly, like most of people, I got infected with the disease at an early age, and one of the primary symptoms was the inability to think rationally. 
However, I knew at the time that I certainly hadn't the money and I wasn't going betting my parents savings on a career that may never happen. So, I went for an apprenticeship as an aircraft mechanic(probably told them about my love for airplanes
). Anyway, I worked fairly hard at it, made an effort to be good at my job and it's paid off in the long run.
While I was doing my apprenticeship I joined the local flying club and completed my PPL over a 3 year period and I must say I enjoyed every minute of it. I also kept a note of cost as I completed it and for those who are interested €7950.60 was the exact cost of my PPL
. That's everything from club memberships, medical, flight hours, IAA fees, even pilotlog basically everything I spent money on flying up until the day I paid for the license issue.
Now that I have a good career behind me I'm able to afford to speed up my training being able to pay more as I go, I've started my night rating and I'm about to start the ATPL DL theory, meanwhile enjoying my hourbuilding getting to see places I wanted to see.
I'm given myself the guts of a year to get through the ATPL, and in the mean time I'm paying into a savings account to get some cash together for ME/IR/CPL.
So, basically I'm trying to pay as I go, with the benefit of a career, maybe in the wrong industry though(banking seem to be where the $$$ are). I've come across to many wandering lost souls that have massive debt and no fancy hat to show for it
and that's not a position I want to find myself in. On the other hand there is probably those who've risked it, made it and made their investment pay off.
However, I knew at the time that I certainly hadn't the money and I wasn't going betting my parents savings on a career that may never happen. So, I went for an apprenticeship as an aircraft mechanic(probably told them about my love for airplanes
). Anyway, I worked fairly hard at it, made an effort to be good at my job and it's paid off in the long run. While I was doing my apprenticeship I joined the local flying club and completed my PPL over a 3 year period and I must say I enjoyed every minute of it. I also kept a note of cost as I completed it and for those who are interested €7950.60 was the exact cost of my PPL
. That's everything from club memberships, medical, flight hours, IAA fees, even pilotlog basically everything I spent money on flying up until the day I paid for the license issue.Now that I have a good career behind me I'm able to afford to speed up my training being able to pay more as I go, I've started my night rating and I'm about to start the ATPL DL theory, meanwhile enjoying my hourbuilding getting to see places I wanted to see.
I'm given myself the guts of a year to get through the ATPL, and in the mean time I'm paying into a savings account to get some cash together for ME/IR/CPL.
So, basically I'm trying to pay as I go, with the benefit of a career, maybe in the wrong industry though(banking seem to be where the $$$ are
). I've come across to many wandering lost souls that have massive debt and no fancy hat to show for it and that's not a position I want to find myself in. On the other hand there is probably those who've risked it, made it and made their investment pay off.
Join Date: Sep 2011
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Can I ask, how do you fund your Pilot Training?
A lot of hard work and sacrifice...
Join Date: Aug 2007
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I went to University and afterwards got a commission in the military as an officer but non flying (US military). Pay was over $4000 per month after taxes for the first year, and by the time I got out, I was around $6000 per month after taxes. I also did a 6 month deployment and put everything in storage, and during this time I was getting paid an extra $1700 per month tax free, and since everything was in storage, I had no rent, no utility bills, and I even put my cellphone on hold so I didn´t even have a cellphone bill.
Also, even though I was married and living in America where you NEED a car, my wife and I only had one car to save money.
Additionally, I was lucky because being in the military, I qualified for certain educational entitlements, which paid for 60% of my FAA IR and CPL, plus flight test fees and written test fees. That saved me a bunch of money that I was able to use for the JAA conversion after I moved to Europe.
We also did other things to save money, for example we bought a lot of second hand goods for our first baby, like a changing table and a crib, baby swing, wipey warmer. At first, we felt like ¨this is our first baby and we are buying second hand goods?¨ But, we were really glad, because we didn´t even use half the stuff, and the kids grow out of most of the stuff so fast. And then we were able to turn around and sell it to someone else for the same price. You know those baby mobiles, the things that hang over the crib so they can look at it spin around? The babies get bored after about 2 days of looking at it, before you know it, they are 10 months old and already know how to operate the DVD player and an iPhone. Basically, you start looking for ways to save money. Going out and buying a brand new car and a motorcycle and blowing money on an awesome TV while trying to pay for flight training is difficult unless you are just rolling in money.
After finishing the conversion, I was able to find a job in my town at a flight school where they hired me even before doing the FI rating. (I also got another job offer at another flight school around the same time). So I plan on doing this for awhile, as I enjoy it, until I find a better paying job flying airplanes.
Also, even though I was married and living in America where you NEED a car, my wife and I only had one car to save money.
Additionally, I was lucky because being in the military, I qualified for certain educational entitlements, which paid for 60% of my FAA IR and CPL, plus flight test fees and written test fees. That saved me a bunch of money that I was able to use for the JAA conversion after I moved to Europe.
We also did other things to save money, for example we bought a lot of second hand goods for our first baby, like a changing table and a crib, baby swing, wipey warmer. At first, we felt like ¨this is our first baby and we are buying second hand goods?¨ But, we were really glad, because we didn´t even use half the stuff, and the kids grow out of most of the stuff so fast. And then we were able to turn around and sell it to someone else for the same price. You know those baby mobiles, the things that hang over the crib so they can look at it spin around? The babies get bored after about 2 days of looking at it, before you know it, they are 10 months old and already know how to operate the DVD player and an iPhone. Basically, you start looking for ways to save money. Going out and buying a brand new car and a motorcycle and blowing money on an awesome TV while trying to pay for flight training is difficult unless you are just rolling in money.
After finishing the conversion, I was able to find a job in my town at a flight school where they hired me even before doing the FI rating. (I also got another job offer at another flight school around the same time). So I plan on doing this for awhile, as I enjoy it, until I find a better paying job flying airplanes.
Begrudgingly went for a boring, reasonably well paid job in aviation to pay for flying training.
Years later got fATPL via integrated route and frugal living. By then decided that job wasn't so boring and that reasonable job security with stable lifestyle outweighed any previously perceived glamour of the airlines. Rather happy now to have gone down that path but with 20/20 hindsight should probably gone for very well paid job outside aviation to be able to afford the aircraft I see the city boys flying rather than the spams I make do with. Never mind, life is good
Years later got fATPL via integrated route and frugal living. By then decided that job wasn't so boring and that reasonable job security with stable lifestyle outweighed any previously perceived glamour of the airlines. Rather happy now to have gone down that path but with 20/20 hindsight should probably gone for very well paid job outside aviation to be able to afford the aircraft I see the city boys flying rather than the spams I make do with. Never mind, life is good
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Ditto to Gomrath's post hard work and sacrifice...
For me credit cards and loans and the modular/distance learning route. 6 years on still paying them off but very happily flying shiny jets.
For me credit cards and loans and the modular/distance learning route. 6 years on still paying them off but very happily flying shiny jets.
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2 jobs for 11 months and i managed squeeze a third in at christmas for a period of 5 years. No holidays, took all the over time that was offered and somehow even when the tax man was robbing me blind i managed to cobble some funds together.
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I definitely worked past 25 years old. I did my training while working actually, so it took longer but it was easier to make ends meet. Most of my friends who worked themselves to make the money were not done with training until they were in their late 20s/early 30s. My friends who had their parents pay for their training were done by 20 years old.
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Where do you think you're going to be able to train for £30k?
Ive done my PPL and NR, so that would bring the cost down a bit.
Im defo going to have to work for a couple of years untill I can get the sufficient funds for this.
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Discussed before
I paid for mine through working.
This has been discussed a few times before. You may find some useful replies here:
http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...-training.html
http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...g-funding.html
http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...-licenses.html
This is by no means an exhaustive list. Good luck!
This has been discussed a few times before. You may find some useful replies here:
http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...-training.html
http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...g-funding.html
http://www.pprune.org/professional-p...-licenses.html
This is by no means an exhaustive list. Good luck!
.
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Sold a kidney! 
(after initial class 1 obviously)
Seriously though, 7 years of 12 hour shifts doing mundane factory stuff, working loads of nights and weekends to get a BCPL/AFI (as it was then), then PT instructing on days off from proper job. Although I did manage to do it all without getting into debt.
(after initial class 1 obviously)Seriously though, 7 years of 12 hour shifts doing mundane factory stuff, working loads of nights and weekends to get a BCPL/AFI (as it was then), then PT instructing on days off from proper job. Although I did manage to do it all without getting into debt
.
