Started in 2003 when i was 27 - PPL with 48 hours on C152 by which time I was hooked. Left the Office every Wednesday and Friday Lunch time to fly or even sometimes just sit next to friends building hours before admitting to myself that driving to work on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday was getting increasingly difficult!
Finished ATPL/ME/IR/MCC in Mar06 with a big hole in my pocket and plodded around for nearly a year on the edge of giving up and going back to the office which would allow 2 hour lunches on Wed and Fri
Starting on Jets next week with my new company.
Sounds great to a wannabe but pleased be warned It hasn't been easy - I have experienced real highs but paid the price with some of the lowest lows I'll hopefully ever feel and some very big demands on my physical and mental state.
- 4ft high text book pile
- 16 hour days
- 4am starts - 4am finishes even!
- 110% concentration for hours on end
- Constantly asking yourself the question "Can I really do this?"
- Constant pressure to ace it first time.
There is a reality to this path which everyone will tell you but you won't believe until you do it (The "Don't touch that Paint it's wet" syndrome) On the flip side, however,consider this:
I used to drive to work from my nice GradeII listed house to my marketing job in my BMW - Now I drive a rusty wreck with bald tyres and a large hole in the exhaust from my rented cottage with green furniture - and I'll be smiling all the way to work no matter what day it is
