PTF, is not the right way, it is not the only way, but it is a way to get in the industry.
Mr. Curd does make money. He does "sell" his course and of course he cares first about himself, his business and his bottom line.
So do I, I wanted what was best for me. I did the type rating and line training, I paid for it by getting a loan, and yes I did wait around for 7 months after the line training to get a job.
The extra £ 36,000 was not that much more to invest on top of the £ 70,000 already paid.
Mr. Curd did not help me find a job. He never promised me that you would either. I did it on my own. His course facilitated my search. I sent over 200 CVs, and every time it landed on a chief pilot's desk it had an airbus 320 Rating and 150 hours on it.
Finally I got my break, I sent my CV so many times to the same companies, that I got a call for an interview. I did the assessment, and I passed it. No one seemed to care that I had paid for line training.
They saw me as some one who had time on type, was well trained, and was very determined and ready to go.
I fast tracked my career. I do not regret it. Twenty of us went through the BMI line training last year, 16 have jobs now. That speaks volumes in itself.
As with everything in life, it is about timing and right place right time. easyJet needed pilots for the summer, they wanted pilots who were trained by a good reputable airline. They found them. The guys who did the course took a risk, it paid off. Did Mr. Curd help them? Who cares? They got what they wanted, and the course helped them as well.
Mr. Curd used me, and I used his course to get what I wanted. I am now flying an a320 in the far east for a good salary and I am enjoying not just my career, but also my life style.
My good friend who did the assessment and decided not to do the scheme, does not have a £ 36K loan, but then again he does not fly a plane either.
He regrets not doing the course with me, but guess what, he does not think the time is right to do it now..... It never is the right time. You either make the most of it, or you find excuses not to take charge of your life.
I am a pilot, and I want to fly. No one owes me, or any of us anything. I knew what I was getting when I did the course, and I knew that it would take a lot of hard work to get the 1st job.
I never believed that Mr. Curd would help me, I believed in me. I knew that with a 320 type rating and time on type I would be very marketable.
I also knew that if I did not do it, I would not be flying now. Every one makes choices. I made mine based on what was good for me.
I used the system, and I am not bothered about Mr. Curd, easyJet, BMI, Mr. Jones, or BALPA. I am too insignificant to stop the airlines doing apprenticeships.
I just get on with life and enjoy every day as it comes. Stop worrying about Mr. Curd and easyJet, BMI, Thomas Cook, Monarch British Airways...... Focus on what you want in life. If you want to fly, try to get in as soon as possible. If you like money, and a stable 9 to 5 job, then you are not in the right profession.
