One thing to bare in mind:
Find a branch that has "pilot friendly" management who actually know what they are talking about!
I went to my local HSBC and the 3 people I saw basically didn't have a f**king clue. They turned down the application quoting "you do not qualify for such a loan as it is now some 5 years since you graduated" and according to them they had checked with the central lending unit and the only thing they could offer was for my folks to remortgage their house and move their business banking to the HSBC.
I have yet to try another branch.
There are some "very friendly" branches - you simply need to find them.
PFO