Originally Posted by
alexeyAP
I'm not sure what you mean by this. When I finish school I will be 17 and then I will pursue higher education in uni in something non-aviation related so I can have a secure stable source of income to fund my training and as a plan B if aviation doesn't work out. I am also committed to doing this with as little debt as possible simply because if I finish my ATPLs with 25k of loans (plus interest!) and cannot find a good paying job then I will not be able to pay it back (even if I do it will be a setback when it comes to mortgaging a property as I have additional loan repayments to make). Doing some quick maths:
4 years (if I'm doing a M) of uni brings me to 21 at graduation.
Best-case scenario of a £50k p.a. job - let's say £45k after tax - I can live 'frugally' on £25k and invest/save the £20k left over. (£50k per annum if I work 2 jobs doesn't seem unreasonable depending on the field)
20k for 3 years (24-25 years old now) makes 60k on the upper end of a modular course (which let's face it will probably be on the lower end when I start training)
Train modularly non-stop for 1.5 years (which brings me to 26-27)
Fly for regionals/sightseeing tours/skydiving/banner towing/literally whatever for 2 or 3 years then graduate to an Airbus.
50k p.a. (at 21 years?) is £ 34,465.92 after tax, if you're resident in Scotland and with a Scottish student loan.
https://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php
Working two jobs I do not think will bring you £50k.
ATPLs will certainly cost more than £25k in loans; you're probably looking at £100-80k.
I suggest revising your plan: I agree with most of it. But I don't think the maths adds up.
Originally Posted by
alexeyAP
So as you can see my long-term plan (which you heavily suggested I stick to) will see me in the RHS of a Bus at best case maybe at 27 if I can get an airline job right after finishing training (not impossible if I pick my flight school right) and maybe 35 if it drags on. However your suggestion for me is to leave school, take out bigger and bigger loans to up my credit score until I can pay for a PPL and then...what? As mentioned above, no matter how well I do in my ATPL exams, airlines will be looking for real-world experience (which is something that uni and a good job can get me). You make it seem like for some strange and unknown reason I'm intentionally putting off being a pilot until my middle years which is just untrue, every step in the plan above is one step closer to a seat in the cockpit. As I said already my family is not all that well endowed and there is absolutely no way I could have my mum sponsor me through modular right after I leave school (especially because she's just a few years away from repaying the mortgage and I'm not about to ask her to put the house down to fund me). And to add, if I had put in my top post that I plan to become a fully fledged pilot at 20 years old, I guarantee you that you would have tsked and thought "wow, that boy is naive". Motivation and perseverance are important but so is thinking realistically.
Airlines will 100% not be looking for real-world experience outside of flying (that you get from uni and a good job). They are looking for:
-has a CPL
-has the rating they need already, or is willing to self-sponsor a TR
-has hours (more = better) or jet experience
-(for some operators) been to the 'right' integrated school
-can pass an interview, group exercises, etc
-is likely to work well with other pilots
If I were you, I would follow the same broad plan, but find a way to get other people to pay for your training (not your parents) or reduce your costs considerably. The only immediate way to do that (that I can think of) is to get a PPL following the plan you've laid out. Then build hours as an FI or paradropping (glider tugging?) and then save up for the next bit (CPL, IR) etc.
The only problem with that is, it will take awhile, you will really have to work to find those opportunities, and you seem fixed on flying airlines, which may mean you won't want/be able to sustain the motivation to go fly light aircraft for years first.