PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Ryanair Mentored Programme - Bartolini Air
Old 9th Sep 2020, 15:31
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PilotLZ
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
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To be fair, in the next 2-3 years, a fATPL from ANY programme is extremely unlikely to get you into an airline. Short-term, recruiters will have many appealing candidates to choose from, specifically ones with a fair bit of relevant experience (think a couple of thousands of hours on type, trainer qualifications, history of working for highly reputable airlines etc). But that will not be the case forever. As you can see, (almost) nobody here is telling you not to become a pilot. Medium-to-long term, that's still a perfectly viable and absolutely great career path. You just need to weather a big storm in the short term - and then it's all yours. So, instead of counting on a "tagged programme" which will "help you jump the queue" for a hefty premium, spend your money wisely.

Before you even think of a PPL, start with a gliding course. It will teach you a lot of the basics at a fraction of the cost of a powered aircraft. Apart from learning a lot about flying and airmanship, you'll get involved into some pretty solid teamwork at the airfield, meet lots of great people and have a lot ot fun. And you'll have one more thing to talk about in that airline interview when the time comes.

Having gained some experience and confidence with gliders, do your PPL. And then, think of ways to make proper use of your hour building. Maybe get a share in a private aircraft and do a big trip across Europe? Maybe go for a flying holiday in the USA or in South Africa? Doing something like that instead of flying the same triangular cross-country routes from the same airfield (because, you know, someone else has got this aircraft booked in 2 hours from now) will give you some experience and confidence which will further help you keep your place in the above-average league. Also, if you happen to have some spare cash, why not do an aerobatics rating towards your total time? Another way to have fun and up your game at the same time.

Flying is all well and good, but what else can you do to become better-rounded? Have you got a degree or at least a lower-level qualification in something, preferably engineering? If not - do one. If it's not your thing, get a full-time job. Or start a small business. There comes another thing to impress the HR people with when the time comes. They absolutely love asking questions like "give me an example of a situation when..." Both higher education and work can give you lots of examples of anything. And they will also boost your contact network a lot - and that's also important.

If you try to make all this happen, 3-4 years will pass in the drop of a hat. You will still have a CPL - but you will also have experience, confidence and contacts which are totally incomparable with what you can get out of doing some "tagged" programme now and then spending another year or two doing nothing, waiting for an interview. Your call which one will benefit you more.
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