Am i good enough ???

[HPSC]

Hi everyone im new to this fourm :)
Im really interested im becoming an Airline pilot in the future! Im 16 years old and im my last year at high school, im also 'head boy' at my high school. This year im off to sixth form college to study for my A-levels :eek:.This summer after raising £3,000 by myself by doing various fund-raising events including 150 mile bike ride ! im off on an expedition in Uganda (Africa) i shall also be doing charity work there too.
I have researched the options i could take to become a pilot.


Will these things be helpful to me in an interview ?
What qualifications will i need ?
How do i become a pilot?
Should i get my PPL first ?
What is the best route should i take ?P.S Sorry for all the questions ! haha

Thanks :ok::ok:

[ford cortina]

Hi HPSC, before you get flamed to death by everyone else you should find answers to most, if not all your questions here:
http://www.pprune.org/professional-pilot-training-includes-ground-studies/131649-archive-reference-threads-posting-guidelines-read-before-you-post-question.html

Enjoy your trip to Uganda, I have not been that far down, but pretty near.

I know I will regret this, but you are welcome to PM me with any questions. I am a line pilot on the 737 Classic and NG and old enough to be your dad!!!! but I don't feel it.:ok:

[HPSC]

Hi,thanks for the speedy reply!, il check that link out :)

thanks for the offer, oh dont worry i wont ask too many questions haha, its good to know theres someone who can answer my questions :ok:

i realy hope i can get a career as a pilot !

[CathayBrat]

EJECT, EJECT, EJECT! If i knew what i did then, i would have stayed out of the industry. Been lucky and had a good time in the dark continent, but its not for everyone, if you want to be a shiney airline pilot be prepared to pay ALOT of money to bean counters and nasty mgt. But at your age by the time you have finished training it mite be better, but i doubt it as there are too many dodgy people out there happy to take money of wanabee pilots, SSTR is the work of the devil. Bust your arse, never 'pay to work' and have fun.
Cheers
Drunk Brat out!:}

[HPSC]

Cheers for the comment :ok:
True, theres always someone somewhere trying to take as much money from you as you can :suspect:

Before i pay out alot of money (thats if i actually will) i will always research and double check the companys etc, never can be too careful!! :}:ok:

[Heliskier]

Hello,

Good luck to you! Have you thought about joining cadets? You get to do the odd free flight and there are free gliding scholarships up for grabs too. Also, from all the extra-curricular stuff that you are doing this is the sort of thing that comes across very well in RAF interviews. I know the military is not for everybody but you may find it a good way to start flying without having to spend loads of money.

Have a great time in Uganda.

Heliskier

[HPSC]

Thanks for the tips guys !:ok:

[tggzzz]

Consider learning to fly gliders at your local club:British Gliding Association - UK Map (http://www.gliding.co.uk/findaclub/ukmap.htm)
It is surprisingly inexpensive for juniors, e.g at my club it is £40/year and £6.50/launch (or fixed-price-to-solo is £775). All the clubs I've seen welcome youngsters, e.g. at my club last year two people soloed before they could start learning to drive a car.

It is also great fun
0-40 in 3s, 0-1500ft in 45s
every flight is different, one is 5 mins, the next is 5 hours
my daughter was flying aerobatics (not solo!) when she was 15
having a bronze or crosscountry certificate before being interviewed for the services will definitely help you stand outAs to what interviewers like, at the risk of generalising, I'll divide jobs into two categories: those where the employer wants you to just do what you are told, and those where the employer wants you to take on responsibility and show leadership and imagination.

For the latter type of job, obviously you have to do what's necessary (e.g. pass exams), but they will be very interested in anything that indicates you take the initiative and set yourself targets that beyond the "minimum necessary". All the things you've mentioned fit into that category, especially if you know how to present them in a CV (I suggest you get help doing that; my daughter thought the things she's done are "normal" and "uninteresting", but they definitely aren't).

[HPSC]

thanks :ok:...id never really thought about gliding ? :} haha

Its not too expensive :)

[Booglebox]

HPSC-

I'm in the same boat as you, but a few years further down the line!! Hopefully you'll find these points useful.

- There is so much material / advice on here, it's unreal. Dig around. If you see someone who appears to be posting useful advice, click on their name and find posts that they have made.

- Find your nearest airfield, walk in the clubhouse and say hi. As you will probably have already gathered, pilots love to... spread the word? to those who are new to, but interested in, the aviation world.

- See if you can volunteer / get badly paid job at your local airfield. It worked for me!!! You may even get paid in flying hours. If you get paid 15 mins of flying a day, and you work weekends, you will get your PPL done in two years.

- As you are already doing, ask questions and be interested.

- Listen to the old fogies. They know what they're talking about.

- Stick at it. Don't get disillusioned.

- Be assertive, don't be a doormat (not saying that you are).

- Don't be afraid to move on- be careful of getting stuck in one place.

:)

[tggzzz]

What do I mean when I say gliding is fun?

Well you'll do the things in these videos before going solo
YouTube - Gliding - Segelflug (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYTK0vVUrUM)
YouTube - Segelflug, Trudeln mit Fox (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKWuS_jLFHE)But this "gliding porn" isn't on the syllabus :)
Aviation Video: Sailplane Fun | Patrick's Aviation (http://www.patricksaviation.com/videos/Force_Feedback/403/large/)

[flyhelico]

the best way to be paid to work is to ask money!!!