Hey everyone,
I'm posting here as i just want some seasoned advice from people in the loop as to whether i have a decent chance of making it into the pilot seat of a 737 or whether id be better of trying something else.
My situation is - 26 years old. Live in Melbourne, Australia. Have always had a moderate interest in flying but never thought about it as a career. I don't have my PPL or any flight experience either.
After browsing the forums a bit id seems that my options are...
- Go for private lessons out of my own pocket and get my PPL and CPL, get as many hours as i can as an instructor or up north flying tour groups, once i hit 500 (or 1000?) hours, apply at the major regional airlines such as QantasLink, Rex, Skywest, etc and then progress to the major airlines a few years after that.
OR
- Apply and get a cadetship at Qantaslink, Skywest, Jet*, etc
I understand that both of these routes are very very competitive and require a HUGE HUGE HUGE!!! financial and time commitment with no guarantee that this big investment will get in with the major airlines aka Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar, Tiger, etc
I have almost $50,000 in savings and the means to save a lot more so i could realistically pay for my PPL and CPL but being a bit older at 26 years, i'd be throwing everything i have into this with no guarantee (or even a decent chance?) of getting in due to massive oversupply of young pilots all trying to get in as well as ongoing cost cutting by major airlines.
The one ace i have up my sleeve is that i have 2 family members who are pilots with Qantas, one who is a Captain (who ill be speaking to soon) who might be able to pull some strings to help get me in if i did get my PPL and CPL.
So taking all this into account would anyone here (especially those who work for the major airlines, or work in airline management, HR, etc) have any advice, would this be a smart investment for me that will pay off or are the odds small enough that'd id be better finding something else?
My biggest fear here is spending all my time and money to get my license only to have no career at the end of it. - Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated
C