which training route?

[NYCSavage]

I am a newbie to all this stuff.

I want a career as a pilot and so I have been looking around for the best options.....

I figured it would cost me £3000(ish) to get my JAA PPL and from there I could go to get my CPL so that I could fly frieght whilst building hours to finally go for an airline pilots license.

But SilverKnapper decided to play with my head and explain to me that there is another, cheaper way....

ICAO PPL

what is this? is it cheaper? could I still go for an airline job eventually? if it is cheaper than what is different to the JAA? Can I use it in UK? Can I train for it in UK? Or is it cheaper to go to USA?

Could someone please answer this in laymens terms? (In basic english for me as I am a newbie remember lol)

[Crashondeck]

I would suggest taking the Queens Shilling if you are young enough. Failing that, make sure you have a well paid job and fly for fun, slowly building up towards your ultimate goal.

[NYCSavage]

im afraid im too old to take the queens shilling
(that means go into the forces doesnt it?)

I heared that the recruiters used to put a shilling in a pint of beer and give it to the locals, if the locals took the pint then they had accepted payment to enter the armed forces (the Royal Navy)

Im 26 so the RAF say im too old, the army say i can fly helicopters and i was medically discharged from the navy so ill have to think of something else

thanks anyway

[Genghis the Engineer]

£3k will about get you a JAA PPL(A) in the US, double that for the UK.

An ICAO compliant PPL, means one that meets certain international standards. This includes the JAA one, the old UK one, the FAA(US) licence, South African, etc. Those nice chaps at UK-CAA will allow you to fly a British registered light aircraft on a non-JAA / non-UK ICAO licence so long as you stay with it's limitations, and inside UK airspace. But, to upgrade to a commercial licence, you'll need the JAA licence anyway, so you may as well start with that.

Costwise it gets worse. You've spent £4k getting a JAA PPL (£3k doing it in the USA, then another £1k to learn how to fly again in British airspace). To fly commercially, you then need another 150+ hours (costing an absolute minimum of another £8k), about another £8k to do a CPL course, then....

£20k+ in debt, you have to fight it out amongst everybody else, who almost certainly has more experience than you, so the only way to get work is probably as a flying instructor, which means another £5k for the course.

PLUS if you were medically discharged from the Navy, you may not get the class 1 medical certificate needed to be paid to fly anyway.



In what appears to be your position, combined with a deep desire to fly for a living, I'd suggest:-

£3k for a microlight licence
Another £5k or so to buy a cheap aeroplane and hoursbuild.
Another £3k for a flying instructor course.

Then, about £11k later, you are in a position to work as a microlight instructor. The money is liveable on, and the work is guaranteed - there is a big shortage of instructors all round the country.

Or possibly look at hang-gliders, paragliders, balloons - where similar costs and medical requirements will apply.

Good luck,

G

[NYCSavage]

my medical discharge was for a dodgy ankle but its fine now (In my last job, medicals happened once a year and I flew passed every time(sorry no pun intended))

microlights dont really appeal to me, so ill have to go along the JAA route even if it is a greater expense initially.

hour building wont be much of a problem as i dont live far from my local flying club and i have an understanding partner who knows that i often work away from home anyway

thanks for your great insight tho

[mstram]

>microlights dont really appeal to me, so ill have to go along the JAA route even if it is a greater expense initially.

G.'s description of a micro light instructor actually sounds great to me. You'd actually be doing some flying !

I'm curious, what do you envision as your "ideal" pilot job?

Big jets ?

Long haul ?

Freight ?

Biz Jets / Corporate flying ?

Air show pilot ?

Mike