Our family is originally from Netley. My father was an apprentice at ACT at Hamble before the war. When war broke out, he was in protected service repairing Spitfires and wasn’t called up. So he resigned an joined the Fleet Air Arm. When I asked him why he just didn’t sit out the war at home. He replied that he was only getting airframe experience, and needed engine experience at wars end. This apple didn’t fall far from the tree I see. Like father, like son.
As teenagers we used to visit the BEA training faculty at Hamble, whilst visiting my grand-father. I remember sitting in a Beech Baron after talking to the students. My father was amazed that I plucked up the courage to go talk to the instructors. After all, he was just a ground engineer and my mother a former stewardess. But I never let a silly thing like class or status bother me. I will talk to anybody if it had something to do with aircraft.
I was a flight instructor briefly, until a Lear Jet opportunity arose. But I got into the airline cockpit via the flight engineers seat, so I never really experienced turboprops much. Respect.
When I’m not left seat of a Heavy, I’m right seat of a Cessna teaching youngsters that this is the best job ever, but only if you like being in the air. Because the life style can be brutal. First you’ve got to love doing it.
And only years in the business will teach you that you can’t live without it.
I believe you will be sorely disappointed if you believe it’s a glamorous profession. I also think the 19 year old co-pilot and 26 year old captain are in for one hell of a mid-life crisis as they face 40+ years of early departures.
I wish everybody would go modular, and there was a natural progression from instructor to turboprop to jet without training contracts attached. Everyone who bypasses a starter job, blocks an opportunity for someone else. Your right Redsnail (Brian from the Magic Roundabout?), they do look down on you. But they are mainly there because of the lucky sperm club of a wealthy family. It’s a sad fact of life. But I’m both old school boot strap myself and nouveau riche for my children, so I’ll be damned if I know the solution.
Last edited by button push ignored; 29th December 2017 at 18:01.