Hi Gone,
Please don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying that an aviation career takes less effort a college degree. I realise it's a hell of a lot of work to make it in this game. On the other hand I know of a few university courses that have the local nickname "Bachelor of Attendance" - because all you seem to need to do to get one is show up.
I was responding to the statement
In Spain, pilots with 1500h (unfrozen ATPL) are considered Engineers with a University Degree. This is our aim.
Lets take the average degree programme which takes three years. In that time each year your "in college" for 7-8 months as you get 4-5 months holiday so lets consider that at 24 months.
Within that time you are not in lectures all day every day but im not going to remove that from the equation so we'll keep that at 24 months.
An engineering degree is four years. Yes, you are not in lectures all day, however there are tutorials and labs to attend as well as various projects to complete. Naturally students have to study the theory as well (I don't know a single engineering student who honestly never studied). I don't see how anyone could squash 4 years worth of subjects into 2 years.
Medicals, simulator checks, and flight training qualify you to be a pilot - they have
nothing whatsoever to do with being an engineer. If I spend 10 years as a carpenter, it won't help me be a good baker.
You as an engineer concentrate on one thing....engineering in what ever form it might take.
As a pilot we study a variety of subjects that leads to a whole ranging from the arts like law to the sciences including electrical mechanical and hydraulic engineering let alone psycological and physialogical matters like CRM etc etc etc. As one whit put it a pilot is a jack of all trades master of one
I think the vast majority of engineering programs make students 'branch out' rather then spend 100% of their time on the one specific area. Personally I'd guess I spent perhaps 35% of the time on my core major (electronics). The rest of the time got taken up with subjects on things like mathematics, project management, professional practice / legal issues, sustainability, physics, etc etc.
So is a fully issued ATPL the equivalent of a degree....who's to say. Certainly the lecturers at my flying college with engineering (electrical and aeronautical) degrees thought so.
I never said it wasn't the equivalent of a degree - just that it certainly isn't the equivalent of an engineering degree. For instance I can't turn up to an airline and say "I'd like to apply for the left hand seat please, I'm only a 300 hour PPL, but I do have an engineering degree" - I'd get laughed out of the place.
Don't get me wrong im not trying to degrade your career but i certainly don't think you have a FULL understanding of what it takes to get an ATPL issued. There is noting ostensibly difficult about the ATPL's but just an awful lot of stuff to learn.....i ended up with 14 full foolscap folders full of stuff to know.
I don't have a perfect idea of what's involved in an ATPL - only what I've read briefly here, and conversations I've had whilst flying privately.
I just went to my bookshelf and counted 21 textbooks from my university days. Earlier today I saw an advertisement on this site saying "0-ATPL in one year".
Making it as a professional pilot is a fantastic achievement. However I think anyone who things the academic side is comparable to a science/legal/engineering program is kidding themselves.