I did A-Levels in English Literature, Maths, Physics and Psychology. Got top grades then when to uni and got a first class honours degree in Aviation Technology. Completed my PPL while at uni and have now got 100hrs total time (doing a complex checkout on Thursday), but have never been able to afford or find time for the CPL stuff.
Now working as an avionics technician on Apache helicopters in the Army, desperately trying to scrape together money to do the ATPLs CPL and IR in one lump when I finish the army in four years (if I'm still alive
). I recently started the ATPL distance learning but have already found it impossible to keep up the study and book time off for the consolidation courses, so I shelved the idea of doing it part-time. I'll just save the money instead.
My girlfriend by contrast, has full JAA and FAA CPL IR MCC with 1000hrs instructing. She never did A-Levels at all, but got all her licences when she was 19-20, yet has never had even an interview with an airline, despite her CV being sent around. She's starting to become disillusioned and fed up with instructing, but she has no other profession to turn to.
Lack of further academic qualifications is proving a problem, and may well be one of the reasons she's not getting replies to her CV. Incidentally she found her ATPL exams a real struggle and had to resit the whole lot.
However, she's closer to getting an airline job than I am simply by having a CPL!
If I can raise the money for the commercial training I'm confident I'd find the training straightforward and could put together a pretty strong CV with the course completely paid for, although being 24 at the moment, I would be 30plus with only 220hrs by the time I completed it.
My girlfriend is still in her late-twenties (i think
) and has 1000hrs plus... but thats it, and she's still paying off loans.
Some food for thought here guys about the pros and cons of further academic study against plunging straight into flight training, particularly if money is an issue (as it is for most of us). If you find A-Levels and uni a struggle, getting a PPL will really cheer you up!