Yes, I know you've heard it all before! Advice please!

[Captain_Bolt]

Hello to you all,

Well, I've just joined after lurking for on and off for a few months...took me some time to bite the bullet lol...

This forum, its members have a wealth of knowledge and I look forward to learning and gaining much needed advice. I am hoping I can also contribute positively to this community while I am a member here (your going to be stuck with me for the foreseeable future!)..

I am currently 19 and studying a reputable degree at reputable University. A degree which is I.T. focused.

Like many of you I've wanted to be a pilot since I first saw that massive 744 climb out into the night sky at Heathrow at age four. The only worldly passion in my life which has remained (other passions have come and gone during my 19 years...) is aviation. My love for aviation has remained constant like an aircraft flying steady at FL350 (as cliché as that may sound...).

Why am I writing this post I hear you ask...

Well I'm just lost...I'm at a crossroads in life, I don't know which way I should go to be a pilot , before I always had people in my life nattering on saying "Oh no just go into XX.", "Forget being a pilot, look at the economy", "It's not a viable career path" and in the end I just had to drown their advice out, I used to let them talk, say what they want to say and then forget what they said. I didn't want any negative advice hindering me from being a pilot. It hurt me when they said stuff like this...

Then after all this advice I start questioning myself..."Hmm maybe these people are right", "Hmm, I do wear glasses maybe they won't accept me (I am within the CAA limits) or maybe Airlines prefer someone without glasses"...."I'm not a particularly exciting guy, just your average Joe, why would an airline want me as a pilot"..."My degree isn't good enough!"....these kind's of stupid thoughts go through my head..

Unfortunately, as I have now grown up, and for the first time in my life I am questioning my chosen career as an Airline pilot, I seek solace and reassurance online from forums but even by looking at the posts on PPRUNE the outlook for aviation looks bleak...all this modular vs integrated malarky (which I don't understand?), airlines going down under (and I don't mean starting services to Australia), pilots being made redundant, pilots not being given the hours makes me feel like the aviation industry is collapsing all around me, but a part of me still wants to go for it, despite all the bad stuff happening. How does one balance a passion with real life?

I'm planning on getting a job for which I hope to pay for a PPL with over the next few years while I am at University..

But when I get out of University at around 2012 I'll be at those crossroads...what will I do? How will I get an ATPL?

Thank you for reading my post...if you have any advice..please feel free to contribute. Thank you in advance.


It's weird, I feel slightly better after writing this post..like a weight off my shoulders?..

[Thick Blue Line]

Enjoy uni and and go out and get drunk with your friends. Sleep with as many people as you can.

Get a job and start a ppl if you want to - people will think you are cool if you say you are learning to fly.

DO NOT get loans/credit cards. Use student loan reasonably - you will never get a cheaper loan but it takes a LONG time to pay off.

Get the best degree result you can.

Keep fit.

Forget about economic problems, they are too difficulat to understand and if you do the above you probably wont have to worry too much about them anyway.

Read the other threads for answers to the same question, and what modular and integrated means.

Be cool - don't put pressure on yourself to achieve the impossible in record time :cool:

[Mikehotel152]

You're only 19 years old, so I agree wholeheartedly with Thick Blue Line.

[hooligan88b]

I just bet O'leary loves reading posts like that, it must make him feel all warm inside

...just join the queue with all the other mugs and you'll be fine

:8

[Thick Blue Line]

Ignore the above post. ;)

[ba038]

Hi there joe,


Your pretty much more or less in the same position as me ....im just going to get stright to the point....my advice will be enjoy your uni life finish your degree and see how the economy is then by 2012 hopefully we should see some signs of the upturn if not then find a job, work for a year or so then start training and be ready for the peak times around 2015 - 2016.

remember patience is the key to all of this...something that i lack of at this given time and moment.

hope my advice is ok to some extent and good luck!;)

[Captain_Bolt]

Thank you all for the very positive replies. You guys are right with regards to finishing University and get a good degree before I cloud my head with these dreams...

I'm really going to go for a job and get a PPL...

Thanks Guys!:ok:

[disco87]

2016 isn't that a bit a little bit depressive?

[BHenderson]

Is there a university air squadron? Is there a gliding club, either affiliated with the student's union or at a nearby airfield? These should help you gain experience without great expense.

If you're going to be working 15hrs a week (the maximum recommended to me), this is going to give you probably one lesson a fortnight if you don't spend any of it on living. The chances are that you will spend some of it on living which means that you would be flying less than fortnightly. At that rate you'd be spending your money on refresher lessons rather than new material. So the way I see it working would be to work through term and fly powered aircraft in the holidays - gliders during term. Should get your PPL after 18-24 months?

[INNflight]

2016 isn't that a bit a little bit depressive?

Why is it?! Just because he's not with the "I want an ATPL by next year and sit in a 737, here's 90k my parents worked for" brigade?? :uhoh:

[disco87]

Well before you jump to any more conclusions, what I was saying was that shouldn't things be better for the low houred guys before then. But yes, it may be that he is not in a position to do anything untill then.

[Bambe]

Enjoy uni, try to get an interesting and decently paid job then go back to dad and Mum's and start saving money for your training.
I first flew in 1999 and started my training 10 years later so there is no rush mate.
And forget about integrated vs Modular it is all the same, just organised differently. I am integrated but if I were to start again I would definitly go modular and save 10k (maybe 20k).

Good luck, take it easy now is the perfect time for studying!

[betpump5]

Crossroads at 19 :uhoh: Kids grow up fast these days.

Well done though for deciding NOT to train now. Even if there was no financial crisis, starting to train after A-Levels (i.e 18/19) is far too early. You just do not know whether you really want to be a pilot or whether it is purely just a kids dream you have always had.

I wanted to join the RAF 1 second after I watched Top Gun. At 13 when I joined the Air Cadets, I quickly realised that even though I ran for Essex county, my asthma would mean I would never be an air force pilot :{

Having a dad as a pilot at the time (even though he had been made redundant twice) meant the flying bug was always there. Had a PPL at 17, hours building during last year of A levels. Full time mod for the CPL/IR ME and a RHS on a 732 at just over 19 and a half. Now I am starting to feel the boredom at the tender age of 29. I often wonder what would have happened if I gained some life experience. Perhaps Uni, maybe a completely different job first after A-Levels.

Anyhoo I digress with my musings. I have just written on another post that if you do want to train, forget about going integrated (regardless if you can afford it or not). You will be ready in 12-14 months time - the industry will not.

Go to university is a definite. Good that it is not Aviation related. IT is something that will be around forever. A great fall back. If you get 1 year in industry during your course, you may actually wish to put off flying for a bit. During that time, you could save shed loads in IT and if you still wanted to be a pilot, you could even go integrated without a penny of debt!

This is exactly what I want to see if I had the power to change the face of Airline Pilot recruiting. Starting professional flight training at 19 is just not right in my personal opinion.

P.S When I mention a little boredom, I don't want to make it sound like everyone has this after 10 years of flying. I have many possible reasons why I feel like I do. Maybe I still pine for the excitement that would have been if I went into the RAF. Perhaps the fact that I've been 'monitoring' the 744 on 10 hour+ flights since I was 25 adds to the boredom. Without doubt Take-off is still the most exhilarating part of flying and I am certainly jealous of my fellow SH aviators who get to T/O and land 4 times a day!

[AndoniP]

betpump5

wise words, it's always good to give young ones who are keen on flying some sort of perspective. however i'll give you my perspective from the other side.

i've always been into aviation since I was young. I did IT at college / university and now work in the city for a trading firm. it has been enjoyable but now i'm dead bored of it and just want out.

i did some flying lessons last year and loved it, and will hope to finish my ppl after my honeymoon in august. then try to go modular, as i can't have a mortgage and go into a fulltime course, much as i'd love to.

captain bolt- go to uni, and enjoy it, these are the best years of your life, you don't need financial hassles this young. do the odd flying lesson to see if you really like it, you may find that you're too scared or just not up to it. maybe do a uni course that gets you your PPL as well. or just get an IT job and eventually realise just how boring it is regardless of the amount you're being paid. most importantly make sure you decide that you want to be a pilot before you have a wife, kids and mortgage :}

[Aerouk]

Although things on this forum and other sources say the job market is poor (which it is) I would just add that the majority of industries are being affected by it right now. I have staff below me who are very smart, some of them with post grads, but are struggling to find jobs!

Give it time, things will get better. Until then, enjoy your student life and perhaps get some travelling done.

[Captain_Bolt]

BHenderson- I have never actually thought of it like this, that is absolutely right, there is no point in flying fortnightly as I will only be paying for refresher lessons only...that would be a right waste of money.
Since your post- I have been looking at various gliding schools around the South East of England- it is far cheaper than powered aircraft. I think I may follow your plan of, powered aircraft during summer and gliders during term. Thanks’ for the great advice and eye opener!

Bambe- Thanks for the reply, after Uni I plan on getting a job in the I.T. industry just to build up funds, and then perhaps if I feel the same way about aviation, quit and get an ATPL...a very very risky move I think...
I did a bit of research and found that I kind of prefer modular training..I got a brochure from Oxford Aviation out of interest just to see how they do things. I quite like them..

Betpump5- Thank you for the very in-depth reply, I funnily enough kind of went through what you did. I knew I would never be a fast jet pilot after reading on the RAF website about asthma and potential pilots.
With regards to boredom- that is a scary thought at the back of my mind. Everyone on this forum has that passion when they are my age but then they get bored, so was it passion to begin with? I’m so afraid that I may leave a good job within the I.T. industry and become a pilot only to find out that within 5 years I get bored. I can’t just go back into I.T. again, nobody have me back! I guess I’ll reach the REAL crossroads when I have a job within I.T and I’ve built up the funds to finally become a pilot, will I actually go through with it? Stay tuned!

AndoniP-
Thanks for the reply, it is good to hear you’ve enjoyed your time within the I.T. industry, but it’s even more unfortunate to hear that you are getting bored of it! I’m definitely going to stay at University; I need that back up if my pilot dreams fail...
I hope I.T. isn’t that boring for me. I am however, slowly getting the hang of it...lol

AeroUK-
Thanks for the reply!
Before I try and become an airline pilot, of course there are some things I would like to do- and travelling as you mentioned is one of them.

Thank you all once again for the sincere words of advice.

[Captain_Bolt]

Well,

This is so so surreal. This nostalgia of my post in 2009...It feels like such a long time ago...

I posted this thread when I was 19 years of age in 2009. And now I've graduated, did an internship and have a job lined up for December 2012. If I'm honest, is the IT industry really where I want to go?

Reading my initial post just reinforces how much I still love the World of Aviation even today and how I still want to be a pilot.

Now that I've graduated, I really want to get my PPL. I have some cash saved up so I'll give it a go.

I'm not sure how working my PPL alongside my job will work?! Maybe it'll be too much to do...

I'm thinking of doing modular training so that I can work alongside my job. But I don't know if I'll be able to do so as the job I start in Dec is pretty stressful.

Any words of advice? How much time does one need to devote to a modular programme? Are weekends sufficient?

Any further constructive advice would be gratefully appreciated.

[A Pandy]

My advice would be to give it a go. There are many of us who started out doing a PPL on the weekends while holding down a stressful full time job. The only downsides to this course is the British weather which can interfere with numerous weekends and the extended time it may take to get finished. On the plus side doing it this way allows you to get a feel for your aptitude and to make a solid decision about whether it is a career choice you truly want to make.
This is the way I did it back in the late 80's and after a year or two of private flying decided to make the career change. There was then and there is now a huge risk involved as nothing is guaranteed but it can work out.
Twenty odd years later I am flying for a large International corporation and leave in 2 or 3 weeks time for type school on the Gulfstream G650.
If it is a dream of yours then be brave and go for it. It is no good looking back in 30 years time regretting what might have been.