Wee Weasley Welshman
OBK!
I still find it upsetting to see that you have this "thing" against young pilots. Throughout your time with pprune I've noticed that you've debated against those like myself. I'll still be 18 when I get my frozen ATPL and I've had people praise about my age. This is mainly from the cargo outfit I work for but I've also had many cheerful comments from those in the passenger business.
Still? Never mentioned it before. Nothing against young pilots unless they are hopefully 18 and female... I was 16 when I went solo, 17 with my PPL and 19 as an instructor. Wooooo, I really hate young pilots.. Not. Well done on you achievement of a frozen ATPL CPL IR at age 18. That is what you have - yes?
I currently work for an agency, seconded to a worldwide cargo company to handle boxes, freight, packages etc. I travel 170 miles a day to make the 5 night shifts a week and get paid hourly and not that much. The money I earn goes towards paying board, petrol, car maintenance, food and a large loan. So as it stands, during the night I work, during the day I fly (another 60 mile round trip on the mile ticker). It's not a job for me, it's an opportunity and it's what I feel I have to do to get where I want.
Yes and I sold ice-cream off a bike in the afternoon then ran to the pub to work behind the bar until midnight just so I could get up in the morning to work in a kitchen until going back to the ice cream bike. All to pay for my ATPL groundschool and CPL course. Most Professional pilots have a much harder background often involving having a wife and kids whilst funding their own training and job hunt. If you are going to play the hard working merit card make sure you have a strong hand.
You talk about acne, mom's picking ties and not being able to "gel" with older people. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury you describe of having a mom to pick me a tie, and my acne isn't that bad. I've only just started shaving in fact and get Id'd every time I go out to socialise. However, during the past 2 weeks I had to "gel" with about 4 people more than twice my age over 2 interviews for a highly respectable vacancy in operations control for the airline I handle boxes for in the bellys of aircraft. I'll be communicating with pilots, again, more than twice my age upfront and over the phone. I'll be part of the team that organises where they will go, if they can go, when they will go, and for how long.
Acne is not your fault. Tie picking taste at age 18 is like good beef - very rare. Sounds like you are gaining excellent experience.
Last Friday I got the phone call I wanted to here for a long time.
Spelling
They offered me the job in full knowledge that in the next 6-18 months I am going to have a frozen ATPL. Now why would they do this? I know I wasn't the only one who applied to this vacancy (in fact I have it on good authority that my competition was quiet fierce but I don't want to reason why on the forum for obvious reasons).
Unusual to find fierceness in dulcet tones.
I tell you this story in order for you to maybe learn from my experience (if you can possibly ignore my age for a second). You're a moderator yet I think there's a big gap in the advice you offer, and it makes me angry in a way. I'd hate another young ambitious future pilot to be discouraged from a dream job in aviation after coming on the wannabe's forum here at pprune and being faced with the Wee Weasley Welshman. I have wisely surpassed previous comments you have offered, and have never, and will never, look back.
Happy to ignore your age - I trained many teenagers to fly to CPL/IR standard for various airlines.
"It’s a much bigger handicap being say 19 rather than 29."
Maybe, in offering experience you shouldn't make these hurtful comparisons. I understand you're trying to help the original poster in making his decision, and offering him great advice but in return don't disown us youngsters...I could be flying your aircraft next year (still.....18).
Why are you hurt by the truth? I am not disowning anybody - I represent no particular group wider than Wannabes. It is - if at all - a bigger handicap being 19 than 29 when it comes to an airline interview. My belief. Should you present me with the simple case of do you want to be 19 or 29 then I would choose the elder age. I think it would be more advantageous. Simply you will probably interact better with the likely interviewers. Perhaps at 18 you believe this to be false. Maybe I would have done so as well when I was a teenager. Now I am pushing 30 I realise that age brings experience. Don't wish to be particularly patronising but in ten years time I think you will probably agree with me.
Anyway, my words of advice to the original poster.
Look at this way. Do you want to spend the rest of your life thinking "What if" or "I wish I....". I'm not telling you to go for it but think way ahead. Think about the risks. When I was summing up what to do I made a list of good against bad on a piece of paper. I made out a strategic career plan and up to now I'm about 3 months behind schedule but I've got all the ticks in the right boxes.
Sound advice
Think of it this way, if you start now, and finish say age 32...you've still got potentially 23 years left of flying in you! I think that's exceptionally reasonable for any reasonably sized outfit as I've seen guy's as old as 35 make it. However, I'm not the person reading your CV or offering jobs out.
If really want it that much and think positive then it will work! Just have a solid plan and prepare for those bad times (not many pennies, rejection letters etc).
Very best of luck.
cheers
obk
Cheers, WWW