Dear applicants,
As one (now retired from BA) who continues to give advice in schools to those aspiring to a career in aviation, can I offer a few comments of my own?
With the opening of applications for the next FPP courses, I have taken some time to read all of the posts on this thread. I would suggest that anyone who is thinking of submitting an application takes the time to do likewise. This, together with careful reading of the official FPP site, including the FAQs, will address most of your basic questions.
If you have any doubts about your state of health a Class 1 medical examination now will hopefully put your mind at rest, or at least save you any further expenses which may be incurred during the selection procedure, before finding out at a late stage that you do not meet the requirements.
BA are not seeking to employ the cheapest co-pilots in order to satisfy legal crewing requirements; they really are looking for those with at least the potential to become aircraft commanders - in every sense of the word. Whilst once the answer to the question, 'Why do you want to become an airline pilot?', might suffice as a part of the selection procedure, they are now seeking applicants with a far broader skill set, which will encompass commercial knowledge and awareness plus management and interpersonal skills, as well as those in the traditional areas of piloting ability; with both the ability and motivation to acquire those skills in a very rigid time frame, on the ground, in the air and also during the simulator and route phases of training. In the area of pilot training time is most definitely money; resits and retakes are to be avoided at all costs.
The basic sifting by academic qualifications, on-line selection by essay writing, psychometric and Compass tests, together with the interviews, will seek to explore all of these areas in some depth. Assuming you score highly in all individual processes, it will be your personality (or lack of) which will determine your ultimate success.
I wish you all good luck. It is a brilliant career, which I was able to enjoy for over 35 years.
I do not usually comment on here too much but having read this I felt the need to. Fantastic post. I advise all aspiring BA pilots to read these kind words of wisdom.
Thank you