I cant help thinking that this indusrty seems to be so similar to that of music?!
- in terms of getting that shiny jet job
I mean all the critics love to criticise and condem all those 'manufactured' pop artists and so on these forums there is always criticism for the 'elitism' that is OAT and the other institutions pumping out pilots onto jets!
Take my comparison;
The 'traditional' almost oldskool approach;
Music Bands form, practice for years, do all the gigs around pubs & clubs for years, then they get their lucky break or their experience & fan base grows to get them featured nationally; then they live their dream!
For pilots you spend years working and saving up; dish out 30k whilst working to do a modular course. Then go join a turbo-prop small regional operator. Once enough experience is made; then off to the RHS of a shiny jet.
The zero to hero approach;
You sign up to Pop Idol, go through a tough selection procedure, get trained to sing*, make it through the manufactured pop school, public loving you, record label loving you, then live the dream!
For pilots you go through a tough selection procedure, dosh out 60K (either a huge loan or daddys wallet), manufactured pilot in a year, through the school contacts youre put into the RHS of a shiny jet.
*debatable!
The 2 approaches seem so identical?!?