Hi there !
I´ve been on this forum before a while ago, but then things got a bit busy and I lost track on how things are progressing on this thread...
...but here is the truest truth about how things are handled now (I know since I am there and doing that), regarding the PPL & Sponsoring thing:
You can do your PPL costing around 13K€ (call/write JAFlightSchool for the exact numbers !), you then do a selection and if you do well and pass, you`ll get a contract to fly for JetAlliance after completion of the ATPL/Type Rating (C525) for 5 years - a job guarantee ! However you
do not get this for free anymore (they stopped this program). If you continue after the PPL, the ATPL+Typerating will cost you another 60K€ (call/write JAFlightSchool for the exact numbers !). JetAlliance
does give you a grant for a loan at the bank of your choice though. Meaning that you won`t have to worry about not being able to afford it, because JA takes (part of) the resonsability that you will pay back your loan, since it is granted that you will work for them. This way you will end up with a depth at the bank but a job in the cockpit for sure ! And I think the whole thing is calculated in a way that you`ll be finished with your loan at the end of the 5years. Be aware though, that if JA grants for you at a bank, this still means that you are held fully reponsible for finishing your ATPL as fast as possible (allthough I belive this is what everyone wants anyway) and that you have to pay the full amount if you drop out before completion for whatever reason...
If you`ve got enough cash and don`t need a loan - well don`t worry: you`re a lucky bastard anyway
So in the end this means that you can take the risk of paying 13€k for the PPL and then not being selected and you payed a bit more than usual for your PPL. Or you do get selected, won`t have to worry about getting the cash together but being sure that you`ll end up flying... sure, this is not as good as getting it all for free, but it does sound like quite a fair deal to me !
One thing you should consider though is: this is business aviation! Make sure you know how big of a difference this is to a "regular" airline job before you decide. I personaly love it ! It is just so much more exciting than just being a "bus driver". But it also means that there isn`t really such a thing as a schedule or a flight plan...
If this helped you any and you want to know more and/or the exact details - pm me and I can tell you who to contact.
rgds
"Captain" Bluebear