Mods, I'd appreciate it if you left this post up as I don't believe it to be the usual "So I'd like to be a helicopter pilot..." question. I won't make this a long post
Let me first start by saying that those rose tinted glasses that I (and I think all of us once wore) at age 18 are fully off and in a drawer somewhere. What I'm after is the same dose of reality I received on these forums at aged 18 as the itch to fly professionally has not gone away and I'm now aged 30.
I posted here back in 2010 as an 18 year old kid looking for advice on becoming an airline pilot. At the time I was advised by members of this forum for both sides of the argument and I took the decision to go to university and get a career in something else. I couldn't afford it and wasn't willing to laden my parents with debt. Over the years I've applied for the BA scholarship twice, and the Aer Lingus one. Most recently Bristow (all unsuccessful - perhaps someone is trying to tell me something). I went to university and studied geology, joined the UAS and was paid to fly for a bit (thanks Liz), met amazing friends and after graduating had a 7 year career as a geologist. Money is good, I don't dread my job but that itch will not go away. I am always looking sky bound.
Here's the thing. This is probably my last chance to go for it before life gets serious and kids come along (probably got around 7-8 years). My goal has changed and I'd like to become a helicopter pilot. The flight school I've been looking at (Helicentre Aviation) are offering a fully integrated CPL and appear to be selling the same dream as the likes of CTC did back in the day. They are also quoting the ever echoing 'pilot shortage' which makes me nervous! These are the facts that I'd like checking:
- Is there an impending shortage of pilots in the rotary world? They are quoting that 2/3 of pilots in the UK are aged 50+ and nearing retirement.
- What are job prospects like? I was told on one of their seminars that due to the aging work force and a lack of military pilots coming into the industry, this shortage has exacerbated the situation
- What advice would you give me?
Thanks for reading