Commercial or Military Pilot?

[Aerospace101]

Dear All,

You have left School or University with all the essential qualifications & life skills and want to live the dream of being a pilot!

Your dilemma: Where do you go, Military (RAF) or Commercial (Airlines)?

We all know the cyclic nature of the aviation industry, but looking towards the immediate future the RAF is on the downsize, cuts and tough recruitment whereas the Airlines are soon to be picking up growth and recruitment.

I would like to get your personal views of which choice you would make tomorrow?


I know that this ‘Topic/Theme’ has been done before, but thought it was time for updated views, in light of post 9/11 airline growth and RAF cutbacks.

Lets get some top quality advice/views flowing….


Keep the dream alive!


Previous Threads;

‘Join RAF or BA?’ (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=48091)

‘Going for ATC RAF or ATPL?’ (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=165972)

‘Quit RAF FJ training for the Airlines’ (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=163757)

[Pub User]

If you have to ask this question, you're not suitable for the military.

[Re-Heat]

If you reply like that you don't live the reality of the modern world. Go back to the stone age.

[Pub User]

That's an interesting angle.

Despite being a fairly introverted and modest person, I do believe I have sufficient experience of the miltary to reply as I did.


During 17 (and a bit) years of service in the RAF, I only met a tiny number of pilots who displayed such a non-committal attitude as Aerospace101.

The vast majority of my comrades-in-arms were whole-heartedly military, and I was happy to serve with them both in peacetime and in conflicts of various intensities.

The reality of the Modern World is clearly something you have to come to terms with. In this Modern World, politicians of various creeds send their militaries to war for the flimsiest of reasons. In those wars the military are expected to use their skills to the utmost, and to kill as many of the enemy as possible, without being killed themselves.

The Stone Age, the Modern World and the miltary are very much intermingled.

The flight deck of a commercial machine is an altogether more civilised and relaxing place, but with its own commercial and economic pressures. As a forty-something family man, I find it a more appropriate occupation, now that I have 'laid down my sword and shield'.

I stand by my intitial response. If you have to ask, the military life is not for you.

[Tarnished]

Aerospace 101

You said:

"You have left School or University with all the essential qualifications & life skills and want to live the dream of being a pilot!"

Two burning questions slap me in the face after you say that:

1. what the hell do you consider to be the "all the essential life skills" that you have accumulated at this early age- do you imagine that once you (or anyone) has done with uni that you have learnt all you need for the rest of your life??

2. if you "dream of being a pilot" what on earth are you doing worrying about the cyclic nature of the airline world.

I would suggest what you really dream of is being handsomley paid for doing what you perceive to be a glamorous job.

Flying is without doubt one of the most addictive pastimes known to man, it breeds a level of perfectionism like no other occupation I have encountered. This explains some of the snobbery that exists on these forums between the private and professional aircrew.

In this world I have found you don't get "owt for nowt". The remuneration offered for either a professional military aviator or an airline pilot reflects fair market value for the level of effort and ability required to achieve the grade in each sphere.

There are no certainties in life, it would be boring if there were, live your dream, don't live for what might happen in 12 years time.

Always wear clean underware - 'cause your mum knows best.

T

[Maude Charlee]

I can't think of a single person I know who ever dreamed of being a mil pilot, who also got all excited about flying civvies. There just isn't any comparison. You either want one or the other, and as they keep saying, if you have to ask.........

:rolleyes:

[John Farley]

Well said Tarnished

The only thing one could say in defence of such young remarks is that without the arrogance of youth the world would probably not make much progress!

Regards

JF

[Genghis the Engineer]

without the arrogance of youth the world would probably not make much progress!
Aint that the truth, would many of us have set out upon our chosen careers with the enormous work that it took to succeed in them, and slender chances of success at many junctures, if we'd really understood that when we started?

Also, I think that here in Britain at-least, awareness of the military and what it has to offer a young man or woman at the start of their working life is probably at an all-time low.

I'm not going to try and answer the original question, for the simple reason that my own career path has been extremely non-standard and hasn't prepared me to answer either very well. But, may I suggest that in this current time of poor public awareness of the military, probably highly under-resourced school careers departments, and let us assume a school leaver with considerable enthusiasm but no personal contacts in either military or civil flying.

In that context, I'd venture that this is a fair question that deserves an honest, non-patronising answer.

G

[Old Smokey]

I agree with Genghis, this is a fair question that deserves an honest, non-patronising answer. If Aerospace101 has indeed just left School or University, some advice from those who have 'been there' would certainly be beneficial, I see no indication that he or she is undecided upon a flying career, or for that matter, undecided, merely facing the dilemma of not having the facts available to make a reasoned decision.

Aerospace101's choice is a personal one, and I can only answer from my own personal aspect of some 38 years ago when in the same position. I wanted to fly, there was no other option, it was as simple as that. My choice between Air Force or Civil (Airline) flying was equally simple, I would happily accept the first one to make me a job offer. In the interim, I invested every penny that I could earn into learning to fly.

In my case the Civil job offer came first, which I eagerly accepted. The Air Force offer came 2 weeks later, which I declined. I would have accepted the Air Force if they had responded first. Now, 3 decades later when I swap stories with fellow crew, of both Civil and Military backgrounds, all are happy with their 'life paths'. The ex-military guys have the advantage of having had a much more varied career, but the disadvantage of losing seniority relative to their 'pure civilian' colleagues of the same age when joining the airlines, which most Air Force people inevitabely do.

That's the long answer, the short answer to the question of which career to follow - Whichever one is first available.

One final remark to Aerospace101, which "essential qualifications & life skills" are possessed by School Leavers / University graduates with the dream of being a pilot? Your qualifications are probably such as to enable you to COMMENCE pilot training, and don't speak of life skills until you've been married, raised a family, paid off a mortgage, managed staff, and been an Airline Captain / Squadron Leader. Unless you realise those limitations, your dream of being a professional pilot will remain just that - a dream.

Regards,

Old Smokey

[Wingswinger]

Do both. Start in the RAF or FAA ( If it still has fixed-wing types).
You'll never forget your military career but when you're a better-paid and older airline captain you'll be bored out of your skull.

[Genghis the Engineer]

With any luck our hypothetical or real school/college leaver has three basic life skills, which will be essential.

(1) Capacity to learn

(2) Capacity for hard work

(3) Ability to get on with other people.


The rest will come.

G