Dyslexia and commercial flying

[Red_Organ]

Hi there :O
I've just joined here but I’ve been browsing these forums for a while now, great place! :ok:

Anyway, i was just wondering what the general opinion is in regards to commercial aviation and dyslexia?

I found out I had dyslexia in about primary 7 and I’m now in lower 6th in the middle of A/S exams, still waiting to finish school. Being dyslexic hasn't really affected my school life that much, only when it came to mathematical stuff. It's the maths that I really struggle with. Reading, writing, and spelling I can manage no bother. I passed all my GCSEs, with a C in maths. I don't think I can go down the sponsorship route with grades as average as mine but forking out for the training myself might be a possibility.

I've always wanted to fly, for as long as I can remember. I'm lucky enough to have been able to start my ppl. I've done about 23 hours 3 of which were solo but I haven't flown recently because the idea of flying for a career seems to be getting harder to achieve. I was always 100% confident, “I’m going to be a pilot", never "I want" or "I hope to be" but I do realise how hard this could be for me now

With mental arithmetic as poor as mine, I’m beginning to think i'm way in over my head :sad: I *really* want to do this but I’d hate to find myself stuck in the situation someday were i've made a huge mistake and put peoples lives in danger.

I've tried to reconsider my career path over and over again but i always end up coming back to the same conclusion, "i'll try my hardest and hope that no one will ever notice" and I’d probably end up doing it over and over again until it is too late so I want to get it sorted now quickly before I start making decisions that will effect the rest of my life.

This is where you guys come in.

What are your thoughts on this? What possible career route could I take? It is unlikely that I’d be motivated enough to do anything e lse successfully so what can I do to help with my arithmetic? My school knows **** all about this, they don’t want to hear it.

Any thoughts/ideas are really appreciated for morale is at an all time low atm.

Thanks

PS Sorry if this is the wrong forum.

[FakePilot]

I can certainly see where math, flying, and dyslexia wouldn't mix. However, providing that there are no regulatory problems caused by the dyslexia, that leaves trouble with math!

I've had the pleasure of teaching learning disabled students; one thing really seems to work with them. Persistence! Persistence! Persistence! As long as you keep working on an academic subject and do not quit, you *will* get it. If fact, you may get the topic better than someone who aced it right away. (I certainly don't mean to imply you are learning disabled!)

I'm a FakePilot, which means instead of flying I play computer games. One of the delights I get out of MSFS is the amount of math that can be used while "flying." Therefore I would suggest finding or making exercises in MSFS for yourself. Some examples (I did to myself):

1. Fly to an aribitary location using only VOR's
2. Turn off the ATC, and decide a destination and runway. Then, extend the centerline to a good distance for approach. Figure out when and where you need to turn to get to this point!

3. Come up with a general formula regarding fuel usage. Does it always work? Why or why not?


After a while dealing with headings, courses, altitudes etc etc became completely reflexive.

Just some ideas. Sorry if I grossly misjudged your math skills :)

[keithl]

I'm not a fake pilot, I'm a retired one - but oddly enough I partly agree with Fake's analysis. Dyslexia shouldn't be too much of a problem as nearly all exams are "tick the right box". I agree that MSFS can be used very effectively to practice the sort of in-flight maths required in flying.

My reservation would be this: If you are paying your own way then can you afford the "persistence" that FakePilot speaks of? Time is very much money in this case. If you get your licences OK, then you have to convert to a commercial type. Companies run conversion courses for their aircraft types and cannot afford for this to take too long. If your maths difficulties would really slow you down here it may be better to limit your ambitions to PPL.

But you mention your motivation. If that's strong enough it will overcome all your difficulties. I know that because I've seen it so many times.

Best of Luck.

[Red_Organ]

Thanks for the replies.

I've actually been using flight sim for many years. I started way back with Flight unlimited 2.

I normally try to fly "to the book" with the complex add ons such as the PMDG 737NG, DF737, PIC767 etc. Flight sim has taught me quite a lot, VOR nav, Airways etc so I've sort of had a head start and starting the PPL has helped too.

I do practice decent rates quite a lot when im flying aircraft without FMCs etc. I can do it all right but that is all i know really. That and the opposite headings of a compass.
I need to find out what sort of math needs to be done on a day to day basis for the average airline pilot so i can practice at it.

I'm thinking about buying one of those mental maths for pilots books. I bought one a while ago but I didn't think it was very good. Do you have any recommendations? There are a few available.

The standard GCSE math revision books help a bit too.

Thanks again :) I really appreciate it.

[MidnightSpecial]

Red_Organ

Don't let dyslexia stop you. There are other dyslexic pilots out there. Mostly, they just can't spell. It does not affect their flying.

Go get your ratings and go get hired. :cool:

MS

[Stall Inducer]

Sounds like more of a Maths problem as said above. In day to day flying advanced maths is not required. Basic ability for mental arithmatic is useful. As long as you know your 3x table for working out a TOD and you can +/- a few miles for wind correction and slowing down you should be alright. 5x ground speed is useful for a rate of descent for a 3 degree approach. Other than that as long as you can do basic a +-x / you will be able to adjust performance figures, cross check load sheets and fuel uplifts without to much trouble. Having said that selection procedures with some airlines require a greater knowlege but nothing that a good brush up on GCSE maths wouldn't resolve.

[Boss Raptor]

I am dyslexic and yes I had real problems coming to grips with NDB and VOR tracking (because I would 'lose the plot'), although I also feel the lack of explanation from instructors did not help...

Eventually I made myself models of a beacon and a plane and explained it to myself and broke it down into into simple understandable/repeatable chunks/actions/methodology which I still used to the day I stopped flying...

The real knack with dyslexia is exactly that...learn to work around it and devise your own methods/systems to do so...and most important never be rushed into an action as you will inevitably make an error...so you take 5 secs longer than your colleague to work out a bearing/heading etc. so what at least you have thought it through and it will be right :ok:

[wbryce]

going by what you've said, i would agree its not really dyslexia thats holding you back. Grade C in maths is still seen as a pass by many.

It depends how much you want to be a pilot. Maths is a problem for quite alot of the students, (incl myself) why dont you book in for some nigh lessons at your local college, or higher a tutor? It can only be worth it in the end.

[Formally Known As]

Well I know a chap, not a million miles from here that left school with no qualifications whatsoever and he is dyslexic.

Come to do the ATPL subjects, having a foreign cp licence and attended one of the well-known schools in a JAA member state, before they become JAA. These courses catered for the person who had a local Cpl so he had the added law etc etc.

The 1st week of navigation was maths, including basic algebra, revision. For him it was learning. He got through, much to the disgust of some of the academics, who not only had the school qualifications, but took the precaution of having private maths revision on the side before attending the course.

It shows you what can be achieved with hard work.

What a lot of people forget is this. Just because one is academically qualified does not me to say they are exceptionally smart and vice versa.

One of the comments above was quiet correct though, as you need to convince a prospective employer you can pass the examinations put before you. If you pass the APTL subject that should not be a problem.

On the job, if you can do simple arithmitic thats all that is required. BTW get rid of the caculator if you can, now, if that is your weakness.

So don't be put off by the profits of doom. Where ever there is a will there is a way my friend.

[Red_Organ]

Thanks for all the comments guys. It really helped a lot. The PPL is going remarkably well. I'm fairly confident I can take the training as far as I want!

Sorry for the .... err ... delay of a few months
:O

[quifflegend]

Sounds like you are prepared to put the effort in to master the skills required so just wanted to say 'go for it,' and 'good luck.'

Happy flying

[Lou Scannon]

Red_Organ.

Ever heard of "Colonel" SF Cody of Farnborough fame? He couldn't read or write and yet was the first person in the UK to fly a powered machine.

Your postings do you credit and set an example to some of our other listers on other threads for both grammar and spelling. My bet is that you have worked your b******s off to achieve this standard and you will also make the grade with arithmetic.

What you need to do is to sit down with one of us and get some idea of which bits of arithmetic you will need for the job. After all, no one wants to fly with a first officer who can't work out the allowances!

Give a hint as to what part of the country you live in.:ok: