MH152
Sound advice there. In all aspects of life there are people whose sole aim is to part you from your money. Aviation is no different.
40 or 50 years ago there were two ways into a flying career-just about-a sponsored scheme or the forces. There were a few who had the money to pay, but from the average lad's POV those people were almost super rich. If you didn't cut the mustard and managed to get someone else to pay for your training you looked for another career-by and large, there are always exceptions.
I think a large number of people should be asking themselves...If I'm not a cut above the others and can get into the forces/a sponsored scheme should I really be spending all this money on a dream.
Many of my friends dropped by the wayside at Biggin Hill/Hamble/Oxford/Perth in the '60's. They all picked themselves up, went elsewhere and were successful in other fields. Some got a PPL in later life and thoroughly enjoyed their flying. Parents didn't have large sums in house equity and struggled to put more that one child through university.
With the dips in economy even then the wash out rate on sponsored courses/forces was horrendous too-40% to 50%% wasn't unusual as the airlines/RAF didn't need all those new recruits. The sponsoring deals stopped and airlines didn't recruit. Flight decks went from 3 man to 2 (eg Trident/Vanguard to 737) and the airlines were overstuffed with pilots for years.
It's the same today, but the view has been skewed as people have other/more sources to large sums of money. The schools are bound to tell you that you have the potential to be the next Tom Cruise. Without your money their business plan is tanked.
And so the race to the bottom continues. People desperate to get a foot in the airline door will sell their souls/their granny/their integrity when in truth they shouldn't be there in the first place.
We don't see this in other 'professions'. There doesn't seem to be the equivalent of a P2F scheme in the medical profession-not good enough and you don't get in.
Maybe it's time for aspirants to smell the coffee.