Callsign Kilo,
I have been thinking of putting my experience on this site and Callsign Kilo your post has spurred me to actually do it!
So often you read on this site desperately miserable posts which make you wonder what an earth you’re doing, so maybe I can at least show some light at the end of what can be a very dark, worrying tunnel at times.
Firstly a bit about me, I am 32 married with a 5year old which certainly hasn’t made life easy being away from home at times. I left school at 16, have no A-levels or a degree. I spent 5 years in the Forces and then 6 years in Medical sales. I started my PPL at 29 although I had wanted to fly since I was 24 but funds and other commitments prevented this. I left full time employment in March of this year to finish off my commercial flying full time.
I chose Bristol Flying Centre, and can certainly recommend them to anyone trying to decide where to go.
The 3 months at Bristol were a roller coaster ride of highs, lows, even lower lows to feelings of total elation when you pass the IR and the CPL and walk out the doors for the last time, with your pass certificates to go home. Being married with a child made being away really hard at times but also motivated me to get it done as quickly as possible, which I think only added to the stress at times. I met many others in the same boat, and if you’re reading this as a married man or in a serious relationship you really do have to make some pretty big sacrifices for this career if you really want to do it, depending on your situation. If you’re young free and single it is definitely going to make life easier, but I wouldn’t change my situation as my wife has been a brick throughout this whole ordeal.
I then did the MCC with Jetlinx on a B757, it was great fun and in a way was a treat to myself for all the hard work, it in no way has helped me get a job doing it on a jet, and if you are on a tight budget by this point I really wouldn’t spend the extra. That in no way is meant to knock Jetlinx who provided a great and enjoyable course, it is just not essential to spend £3,500 to get a tick in the box.
So that brings me in a very long winded way to actually starting to answer Callsign Kilo’s question, as I now had everything I needed to send out my first and (only batch of CV’s) to the aviation world. I sent out around 80 to everybody I could and waited! Started getting responses about a week later with a fairly steady flow after that of one every other day, all saying the same thing, sorry but we have no vacancies blah blah….. In other words you have 203hrs go away.
This was a depressing time, one where I really did start to think what the hell have I done here, I have a licence that is not worth the paper it is written on! Oh I forgot to mention earlier that we sold our house at the beginning of the year to move into a rented property to fund this little adventure, so I really was getting worried.
But slowly I began to gather names, I then got a response from Jet2 saying my application was being processed so not a go away which was a morale booster. It was also July so a really bad time to be looking as well.
I new before I started this that networking would be the key to success, the phrase “It’s who you know not what you know “really does apply in Aviation. I was lucky enough to know a guy at Ryanair, so after thinking about the implications of funding the type rating etc…. asked him to get my CV on the right desk. He kindly did that and in August I got the first break of an assessment at the end of September. I remember thinking when I was doing my IR and CPL that if things got really bad I could apply to Ryanair or even lower myself to a Turbo Prop, how naïve and arrogant of me!! Because less than 2 weeks after finishing my MCC I would have given my right arm for a job on a TP, and if I had not known anyone at Ryanair I would not have got an assessment, down to earth with a bump for me that’s for sure, as the reality set in.
Meanwhile I managed to organise some safety pilot work on a King Air, which really was a life saver, as I was flying, for free admittedly, but for short term experience in a proper aircraft it was invaluable. I was also very fortunate to be flying with a guy who let me fly when we had no one on board, so first tip, if you can do some safety pilot work, DO IT it is great fun and even better on your CV. It shows you have not sat around doing nothing but have got up off your backside. I totally understand though that this cannot be sustained long term, but anything is better than nothing.
I did the assessment with Ryanair and passed. It was a hard assessment and required a lot of preparation for me anyway. I am due to start in December. I paid to go in a sim, but I met guys on the day who had not, who did not know the profile, who had not flown for 3 months. Tip 2 If you get a chance, don’t worry about spending £400 – 500 on a sim, think how gutted you will be if you fail, £500 will have been well spent. Getting in a jet and flying accurately requires practice, and unless you have experience or are extremely talented you will fail.
My second break came from sending an email to Flyglobespan back in July when I first finished. The Captain was kind enough to respond to my email which again is quite rare, although it was sorry we have no vacancies I sent one back asking some advice, which again he responded to. I saved his details and the email. Then 4 months later I sent him another email, stating I had emailed before, that I had passed the Ryanair assessment etc….. And that I continued to at other companies, how did the waters lie now? Whether it was luck, the fact we had emailed before, or it just landed in his inbox at the right time, he emailed me back with an offer of an interview. I don’t know anyone in the company, so it felt good to have got it totally off my own back.
In the end however I cancelled the interview as I had a firm start with Ryanair, which FGS were unable to match even if you were successful, you get placed into a holdpool. It was also a SSTR like Ryanair so I would have been foolish to accept it over Ryanair. I rang and spoke to the captain at FGS and explained my situation who agreed I should go to Ryanair, but to call him in 9 months time, when I have some experience, another contact one day, who knows.
My third break came from knowing a Capt with Bmi Baby, through my Mother. Something my Mother forgot to mention until I was close to slitting my wrists in August, when she suddenly announced, oh I wonder if it is worth calling …… her sister is married to a pilot. I said it might be a good idea, why haven’t you mentioned it before!!!!!
Sorry I am turning this into an essay here, I contacted him, we talked (he decided whether I sounded like a tw*t and whether he was willing to recommend me to his Chief Pilot, so I sent him my CV. He forwarded it for me and the rest was really up to me. I emailed the Chief Pilot and discovered he was going to attend the Balpa Conference in September, so off I went. I ended up queuing 2hrs 15mins to meet him to have a 10 min chat. But it was worth it and there were many others who did the same that day. There were no promises made, even though he had my CV, and had been recommended. Worth pointing out that he was impressed I had done the safety pilot work, I had managed to accrue 40hrs on the King Air, and although they don’t count to your total time it is all experience. Anyway I never let up, I emailed that night thanking him for his time, I then emailed again 3 weeks later asking for news and any update. Each time I waited for a response; which I got eventually, but days later making the wait agonising for any news. After about 5 or 6 emails, 2 phone calls, he finally agreed to see me for an interview.
Now I persevered to get that interview but at times sending these emails and making phone calls was really awkward. I was really worried I was going to P*ss him off and blow it!! No advice with that it’s a judgement call I’m afraid with how far you should push. Although I had got to a point where I had nothing to lose with my start with Ryanair looming ever closer.
I had the interview last Friday and got the call and conformation this week that I had been successful. I was practically shaking when I got off the phone, suddenly all the heartache and frustration was worth it. The best feeling in the world. I was pleased when I passed Ryanair, but the edge was taken off it slightly with what it was going to cost us, but I would have done it, and felt fortunate to have it and in a strange way it is partly responsible for pushing the guy at Bmi baby to see me before I started. I start next Feb, and the real work and learning curve will start.
So that is my story, I feel very very fortunate, and I am at the start of my career and in no way do I pretend to be an expert with recruitment. I am sure others have done all of the above and have not had their lucky break yet, but hopefully it will happen soon. It is not easy and it is a hard slog. But I think it is important to share the good news as well as the bad (and there is plenty of the latter on this site at times).
Never give up, and don’t be afraid to chase people or ring people, they’re after all only human. If you can get recommended by someone fantastic, but don’t think that will be enough on its own, follow it up, make yourself standout. Show you’re hungry for it and want it more than the next person. There is no shortage of low houred pilots with 200hrs looking for a job, so you have to make yourself standout. I apologise for the length of this, I got slightly carried away!! I hope this has not come across as being arrogant to others waiting for their first break.
Be lucky
