paolylo,
being a son of a former pal pilot can really ruin your chances of making the cut. alot of deserving candidates have been turned down for this reason. THREE candidates from the last batch of applicants qualified but were turned down for being in the same situation as yours, so be realistic about your goals. those guys in management can be very nasty to guys like you. the dad of one of them was asked to give up his EK job to have his daugher accepted. now aint that sad?
yes pal believes that its cheaper to train new hires but then there are a lot of applicants willing to spend big bucks to fly airliners and the slots are quite limited. pal screens applicants thoroughly and it doesn't actually help when your last name ring a bell in management. i am sure your dad knows some people in pal who can assist you in your application. it would be best not to give up your present job until you actually get into av school. it's gonna be tough for you but then there's nothing wrong in trying ang giving it your best shot.
good luck!