The Future....

[Droopystop]

I have often wondered whether I would have progressed from wannabee to ATPL if I had known all along what the risks were. I still come to the conclusion yes, but I look at it now and wonder if I started now would it fullfill expectations.

I suspect for most of us the buzz comes from the actual poling - handling the aircraft smoothly and accurately. And yet these days, the cost of getting a CPL can only really be offset by flying the North Sea and the North Sea is seeing (for the first time in years) a mass influx of new machines. With autopilots. Which do almost all the flying. And we are going to become button pushers for three hours with 3 minutes for both take offs and landings.

So given a choice if you were starting now would you go for a professional license and subsequent career, or a would you invest that money in a career that could afford you the opportunity to fly purely for fun?

[Whirlygig]

So given a choice if you were starting now would you go for a professional license and subsequent career, or a would you invest that money in a career that could afford you the opportunity to fly purely for fun?
Er... I am starting now!

There's a difference between starting at 40-something and what I would have done if I had my time again. Perhaps I would have listened to my father!

However, please do not underestimate how soul-destroying it can be to do the well-paid-but-bone-crunchingly-dull job for 20 years even though it has meant I could later afford to fly!

Cheers

Whirls

[HillerBee]

If one could tell the future, live would be very boring as well.

I did change my career at 41 from a very well paid job to flying, I still love the flying but since the pay is 'quite' poor I decided to take an offer from a headhunter to get back to my old line of work. The result will be flying for fun. However I don't regret spending the money on the licenses, if I would have done it I would always have said I wish I would ....

[Buitenzorg]

So given a choice if you were starting now would you go for a professional license and subsequent career
Yes.

However,
would you invest that money in a career that could afford you the opportunity to fly purely for fun
is precisely the advice I have given to many who enquired about a career as a helicopter pilot - unless they are so obsessed by flying that they won't be happy doing anything else.

[doshgone]

I too am starting NOW. The CPL and any subsequent employment seems thesedays to be an almost impossible dream. But its exactly that, a dream that has meant i've waited 'till my late 30's to start. I'm under no illusions and my choice would be to fly for a living/paycut. I still without that choice will have an expensive hobby and fly for fun.........

[Brilliant Stuff]

Why is a dream to think to be employed in the future? There is always a need for pilots. You might have to serve a few years on the rigs but after that the world is your oyster. But maybe you meant the lack of an IR. Well I think there needs to be some movement on the part of the CAA since currently it's just to expensive to get.