Originally Posted by
Capewell
I started my flying career in 2016 on a semi sponsored scheme with a big airline. I did an integrated course at Oxford. I am now 45 and am a senior first officer on the A320. The day job is great and my colleagues are brilliant. The pay is more than double what I was earning in my former career and I am home a lot more and a lot less tired.
However your training is a big investment and may never pay off if you dont have the right aptitude for the job. If he really wants to do this then he'll have to make it happen for himself and not rely on his dad to do the research. If you want a flying career these days your options are: join the military, self sponsor in the hope you hit the Labour Market at the right moment when you have your fATPL or do some thing else till an opportunity comes your way. BALPA and the Honourable Company of Air pilots are two bodies he should have a look at. Especially the aptitude testing day the latter offers. Don't believe any of the hype from the big flight schools. The industry is volatile and as mentioned above luck and timing has far more influence on your career than competence.
Does that mean you were 39 when you started your career back in 2016? How did you find it starting at that age?