PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - My partner wants to retrain as a pilot and I'm not sure
Old 1st Jun 2022, 23:46
  #12 (permalink)  
Uplinker
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: UK
Posts: 2,471
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Sorry to sound negative:

He has been told by friends he knows who are QFI or pilots that he'll get snapped up for work as he is ex military-
But not actually a military pilot ?

they have told him that he can be captain in 5 yrs
Highly unlikely.

that from start to finish 18 months of training and he can get his cpl.
Yes, and an ATPL actually, but only if on a full-time integrated course costing ~ £100k. Note, this only gets an ATPL licence. He will need a type rating on top of that ~ £30k.

He was also told by one of his friends that he can choose short or medium haul flights
Highly unlikely.

......they'll typically be 4 on 4 off or vice versa, or fly in one day and be home in the evening.
Unlikely. Or set off in the evening and get home at 0600 the next morning.

For what it's worth, I think 43 is pushing it for a novice pilot. Airlines are not allowed to be ageist, but trust me, they find ways of getting round that.

You might have to move country, as someone said. At this age, you might be thinking about starting a family. If he starts flying, this might never happen because you will be too old by the time he has got through the training. The massive outlay of money required for the training might prevent you buying a house or paying for a family. He will be stressed during all the training and all the other hoops to jump through, so getting married and starting a family will likely be compromised.

The training is very hard and intensive work. You will hardly see him for several years. Driving to a simulator at 0200 in the morning for a 4 hour session, repeated the next day. He might not be up to the grade of ATPL, but he won't get back the money already spent.

If he gets through all that, and then manages to get a job offer, and then manages to pass all the hoops they put in the way, the flying initially might be in quite sh*tty conditions. And at his age, will he be able to take commands from a much younger Captain? You will not see him at weekends or bank holidays, or Christmas.


Flying is not what it used to be. It is a hard slog now, for very few rewards. It will put a huge strain on your relationship - if not break it. He will not have time to work while he is training.

He MUST pass a Class 1 medical before going any further. I would then advise some sort of competency test in a simulator before committing to any huge outlay of money.


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