Failure ?
foldingwings and BEagle have once again got it right.
If I can add my threepenn'orth, another ever-present factor is the lack of foresight of our political masters.
My flying career was constantly messed up by both me and the present Government.
At 16 (and one day!), I went through the old pre-assessment scheme and was told to apply for a Cadetship when I was old enough.
At 17, at the time of the Duncan-Sandys' White Paper, I washed out completely at Hornchurch.
Not to be put off, I took a year out and reapplied to our Naval brethren in the January, was in uniform by the end of April, and had my Wings via
a through-jet course within two years. ( No holding then!)
Denis Healey (Labour Defence Secretary then) was, by this time, delving into the time-honoured pastime of screwing the FAA by scrapping five of the seven carriers we had when I joined.
I mentioned earlier that I never made things totally easy for myself either and, as a result of not being able to face being washed out of the Strike world, just short of CR (to fly Gannets.) I let myself down at a pre-chop interview by sounding off about our political masters and trying to blame them.
I was out - totally - on the street.
Took me a year to get it together and then got myself a Commercial instructing job prior to a successful Airline career.
I'm out to grass now, too old at 60, and am enjoying my continuing career as much, if not more so, than ever before, with work every day mainly teaching IF and Aerobatics.
The Moral ? DON'T EVER GIVE UP. If you want to fly as much as I did, you'll find a way.
Good Luck, Sleeve.