Prospective Pilot (newbie)

[Bacnka]

Hey, new to the forums

I have always been interested in becoming a pilot but have always thought a slight speech impediment would be a problem.

I wondered what routes I could take in becoming a pilot? I am currently taking A-Levels in Maths, Physics, Business (and ironically), Communication Studies. I am planning to go to university next year but wonder if it would be the right choice.

If I'm honest, other than having an interest, I don't know too much about the industry. What are the chances of becoming a pilot? What pathways lead to becoming a pilot? etc.

I'm sure I'll have more questions anyway, sorry if this thread is similar to others.

[744FO]

Hey,

Welcome to PPRUNE - Take most things said here with a pinch of salt!

Firstly, what sort of speech impediment do you have? Is it a lisp, Geordie accent or something that makes words you say hard to understand. I doubt it's much of a problem. I work with a pilot who's got a lisp so you're OK there!

With the question regarding University - you're in no rush to become a pilot. Most CTC cadets who are lucky/jammy enough to gain sponsorship have a degree even tho the minimum criteria is 2 A Levels. If your financial situation means you will never be able to pay for it yourself then I'd go to Uni. Saying that you're still going to get yourself into debt with your student loans etc, so some may argue that you're best getting out into the real world, working hard, making connections in the right place, saving money and getting a degree from the University of Life!

I'm 19 and left school with GCSEs after sitting the first 6 months of 6th form which I subsequently left. I'm now cabin crew for a UK airline whilst I'm saving money to pay for my licences. I've nearly finished my PPL and plan to start my ATPLs later this year. I'm telling you this because I'm glad I left school when I did. I've learnt so many important things in life. I've met and have made friends with the most amazing bunch of people - many who will be able to help me when it comes down to getting a job. I've also gained great experience in the industry which I believe will help me in my future career! Anyway enough of this self gloss! I'm just supporting the side of the argument that shows that education really isn't that important.

There's lots of paths to becoming a pilot. Apart from the military there's two main ways of getting a flying job - Integrated or Modular. The two both have pros and cons - mainly associated with the cost £££. I suggest you search the training forums and talk to people. Go down to your local flying club and ask some questions. Whatever you do, don't let a company brainwash you into thinking that their image and £75K price tag will get you a job - they don't have 100% success rates!

Don't worry about the lack of aviation knowledge. Captain Fantastic wasn't born with a wikipedia of aviation installed into his head. A friend of mine had no real knowledge of the industry, he went to a flight school and is now flying the Airbus for BA.

Hope this installs some confidence in you - feel free to ask all the questions you want. That's what the forums are for!

John

[Bacnka]

Thanks for an informative response, I have an inpediment that causes me to block, so no sound will come out of my mouth how ever hard I try to 'push' the muscles. It can be worked with therapy and my speech can be promoted by starting sentences with 'Erm' and 'Err'.

What are the chances of becoming a pilot if I do succeed in gaining a license? (regardless of the cost).

[MarkColeman]

Bacnka - its hard to say as we dont really know the full extent of your speech inpediment, if its something you can work on, and if you can speak sentences by adding 'erm' - you should be ok, but maybe itd be an idea to speek to an aviation medical specialist.

744FO - good post, youre a hell of a lot smarter and informed than i was when i was 19! youll go far me thinks