No BA

[JT8]

Just got the thanks but p**s off letter from BA and I'm completely gutted. Failed the aptitudes.

So after plodding my way through a degree in Aero eng hoping to go onto a flying course this summer I'm now stuck.

What do I do?? Spend a year passing time to re-apply or get on with other sponsorships?
What if I was to wait the year and fail again?!? I've been dying to start a course since I started uni, but felt I should always have that security a degree provides.

The aptitudes were the main worry for me. I was (and still am) confident I would be able to pass the final board. As well as being in my final year of an Aero Eng degree, I spent last year working for Big Airways, I have a PPL& night rating, ABC at ALevel and have represented my county and university in sports. I know Ive got the right stuff :rolleyes:

So what would you do?? Wait a year for another chance at the best scheme out there, or just get on with what you've been dying to do for half your life.

I know many of you will say, spend the year wisely so your in a better position next time. However, in my opinion at the end of the day its just a matter of passing time until the next shot. If I failed that Ive wasted a year.
I am young though (22) so I do have time on my side I guess.

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

...and if I'm not making sense appologies, but I just got the news..

A distraught JT8 http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif

[damiank78]

Sorry to hear you didnt make it mate. I didnt try for sponsorship after my degree I did the work hard and save thing im 22 and just finished my CPL still a way to got but its another choice.
Good luck and keep your chin up.

[Final Destination]

I'm sorry to hear about your news.I hope to apply to BA in August and although I don't know how you feel I can imagine how gutted you are as I myself can only see myself flying with BA.
There are other sponsorships out there maybe not with BA but if you really want to be a pilot then I know I won't be fussy in who I get the chance to fly for(hopefully)
Now that you have your degree why not apply to BAE systems and work for them for the year. I myself worked for them (only as a storeman) and have known people to be accepted for BA sponsorships schemes. As I have not sat the BA aptitude test I do not know what they contain and any feed back on this would be great. At BAE systems you will learn a lot more on the technical side of an aircraft then you did at Uni and this might help your aptitude for next years tests.
Good luck in what you decide to do and I hope this helps.
Cheers FD. :)

[steven]

Hang in there mate we are all in the same boat. Its a hard game to get into, but then again no-one said it would be easy. I would say apply for everything. anything under the sun. None of us are in a position to turn opportunities down. If you've got that far in your degree you might aswell finish unless a golden "yes you've been accepted" letter comes through the post from a sponsoring airline. Keep you're flying current if you can, but if that gets hard and there is nothing about, why not look at self sponsoring. If you've already got your PPL, you could get your frozen ATPL from the states in less than a year. meanwhile stay at uni and keep your eyes open.
good luck

[jollygreengiant]

Welcome to the BA rejects club. The p**s off letters get easier to deal with after you've had a few.

Go and get a job that will give you a career, save up as much as you can and keep trying the sponsorships every year. If all else fails you'll still have a career.

[Lucifer]

As a graduate, get a high-paid city job, which although will work you a ot, will give you the finances for self-sponsorship in 2-3 years. Re-apply every year anyway, and good luck.

[smoothkpilot]

Hello Mate

As jollygreemgiant said welcome to the club. There are many people who think that failing to get into BA is the end of the world, I know I failed earlier this year, but lets get things into context, we used the word failed as if it were our driving test or an exam. To a certain degree getting into BA is pure chance. In one year they had well over 10,000 applicant apply for 200 positions. You might as well play the lottery and hope to win that as well. On average you have a 1 in 50 chance of getting in if 10,000 people apply. Don't be dishearted and continue on your path. Yes getting into BA is good but lets be real. There are more airlines out there and all of those that offer sponsorship are ALWAYS well over applied.
I would recommend continuing your degree, I graduated last year from the University of London with an Aerospace Engineering degree, the security that having a degree provides is unbelievable. OK it doesn't guarantee me a job but if all goes wrong at least I won't be working in Tesco. So get your degree, do a GAPAN aptitude test, get a Class 1 then keep trying every airline that offers sponsorship. NEVER GIVE UP.

All the best,
SmoothK

Giving you the smoothest landings worldwide.

[Token Bird]

JT8,

I'm sure you have got the 'right stuff' but do yourself a favour and don't get cocky and just assume that you'll be able to pass the final board and that the aptitudes are your only problem. There are lots of other people applying to BA with the right stuff and the selectors will use some obscure things to decide between people,

Token Bird
:)

[Lady Heath]

JT8

Since I know you fairly well from our BA placement together I can honestly say I am really truly upset for you - like I said, I wanted you more than anyone else to make it and I know you fit the profile. Did you contact BA to find out what went wrong http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif maybe you can let us know!
At least next time round you won't have to re-sit the MICROPAT.

http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/confused.gif http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/confused.gif



[This message has been edited by Lady Heath (edited 18 January 2001).]

[JT8]

Thanks for the replies people. They are all encouraging and appreciated.

and TB,
Sorry to offend if I did. I wasnt saying if I got to the final board I was 'in'.
And I aint really in a 'cocky' mood mate.

Happy Flying
JT8

[Oshkosh]

Get yourself another job for the next year, and if you still want to go for the flying, apply again. Something like half of BA's successful applicants had failed first time, at various stages. And good luck!

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Welcome to the club friend. The majority of pilots out there have had many many rejection letters over their career - you are in good company.

If there is a will there is usually a way.

Good luck next time,

WWW

[Captain SZ]

Here Here!!

JT8, keep your chin up. I was in your shoes about 5 months ago and found it to be quite demoralising and annoying at the same time.

Get feedback, and work on your 'weakness'(Based on BA Standards) for next time. I faultered on the Verbal stuff. I'm determined to get in next time.

The good thing is that you are still young and seem to have the motivation. You can apply to almost anyone out there.

Get a job as suggested by the many wise PPRuNers in here. Start making money now and keep on applying to everything you get your hands on.(Wehay :))

I am just about to follow this plan myself.

Here's to flying!!! :)

Captain SZ

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50,40,30,20,..10.......
Are we on the ground yet?

[JBravo]

Aaaah, I know that letter, got it this week too. My situation though is different, I already have a job garantuee with another airline in another country (something to do with a blue swan). And it was nice if I would be hired. It just wasn't ment to be.
But I just like to say the following. As you already noticed, you are not the only-one that has been rejected. But then again, BA isn't the only airline. It is just how eager you are to become a pilot. If it is the one and only thing you'd like to do, go try somewhere else. I don't know how the opportunities are in England, so I can't really judge that. But I'm for sure you have to follow your dreams. I did too, and I have an CPL/IR with ME now, and it is the best thing that could have happened to me.

Hope that you make the right decission, and that it may be your own decission. Nobody can do that for you..

Best of luck an regards
JBravo

[Joystick Wiggler]

JT8 and everybody else!

Keep trying but remember that there are more jobs in the UK outside of BA than there are within. The trick of the whole sponsorship deal is to get somebody else to at least pay for some of the training. You are fools to believe that the only company to work for is BA, stop wasting your time and get the KLM UK, Virgin, Jersey, Air 2000 etc applications and fill them in asap! You have nothing to lose. It may get you a job whereas you may wait all your life for BA, so don't !

I am speaking from experience, I applied twice to BA and to BM, (the only two at the time) and eventually ended up spending my own money. For the record I have an honours degree in Aeronautical eng, a masters in Aerodynamics, but that will only help you for the ATPL tech exams!!

SO remember, 90%+ of all airline pilots at the moment did not get sponsored, so if you really want to fly I suggest that you SERIOUSLY start planning to spend your own money too. In the meantime if you get sponsored then great, have a party, otherwise it is a long hard road and a lot of work.

Keep your chin up though all you wannabes, it IS WORTH IT in the end. I made it myself, the hard way, but when you get to fly A320's for Sir Bishop and have a great time doing it then the hard work has payed off.

Good luck for the future, (JT8 at least you have started off in the right way)

[JT8]

Well thanks for all the advice folks.

For now I'm going to concentrate on completing my degree. I will be keeping an eye open for all sponsorships at the same time.

Following graduation I'll be seeking a job and start saving, whilst applying to any schemes that appear. If I haven't been successful by this time next year (i.e 2nd application to BA a no go as well http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif I'll go self-sponsored once I have the cash.

There's a right hand seat waiting for me somewhere, and one day I'll be sitting on it with a big cheesy grin on my face... :)

Cheers,
JT8

[This message has been edited by JT8 (edited 20 January 2001).]

[AssumeCrashPositions]

Joystick Wiggler,

I assume from your post that you work for BM. I've just had an interview at OATS for the BM scheme and hope to get through to the next round. I'd really appreciate it if you could drop me a line and let me in on a few of the BM interview trade secrets. My email address is [email protected]. Hope to hear from you soon (and thanks in advance!).

Andrew

[low n' slow]

Hey mate! Sorry to hear 'bout your failure.
You say that you're confident that u would pass the final board. In that case, at the age of 22, I would spend the year waiting.
Keep your skills up to date and just do something else for the time being. I don't know alot about how these things work but that's what I would do. One year... How much is that if u hold it up against the rest of your life and a potential career? And if u fail again? perhaps u could spend the time working out a second plan if this one fails... Keep your chin up and put it all behind you.
Good luck!

[Mister Geezer]

Sorry to hear about your bad news.

However I would just like to echo the comments that were made earlier on by some others. You must not think that BA is the be all and end all. Ok if you get the sponsorship then superb, however if you don't you must look forward and set-up your next plan of action.

You must not spend time on where you went wrong, instead use your experience to enable you to be better prepared for the next time. I feel that there jobs out there in the UK, that I feel are just as good as BA in one way or another.

I wish you all the very best for the future!

MG

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...For Radar identification, throw your your jumpseat rider out of the window...

[Airbus_319]

JT8

Sorry to hear about the aptitudes. It's happened to all of us, and that includes me as well. I failed the BA final board twice before being third time lucky. As other pruners have said get feedback and try and work on those areas. The one year gap before you can apply again does go by quickly. The best thing i can advise is for you to gain some valuable work experience (doesn't have to be aviation related), so when you apply again, the key skills BA are looking for in the final board would have developed so much more.
And whatever you do, don't give up hope. A very small % actually get in first time around.