Help!!!!
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Join Date: Aug 2003
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Help!!!!
I am a 19 year old girl, with my main goal in life to become an airline pilot.
I’ve always known it would be a tough goal to achieve, but only now, the time in my life when I can begin my career, am I realising just how hard it is, mainly due to the financial barriers.
I have spent the last year, since completing my A-levels in geography, physics and Physical Education, trying a variety of occupations and have spent many hours on my own and with the aid of a careers development officer trying to decipher if becoming a pilot is all I want in life of if there are any easier avenues I could go down.
I am fortunate enough to have a variety of options available to me due to my 2A’s and D at A-level, and got accepted into every university I applied to. However, I simply couldn’t not spend the rest of my life in a career where I’ve settled for second best.
Flying is the only career opportunity that makes me look forward to the rest of my life.
I play hockey for my local team next to an airfield in Bournemouth, Dorset. Every time a commercial jet takes off, I get that adrenalin rush that no one should live without.
Most of my friends do not understand my passion for flying and tell me that “I will get bored” and “its just like driving a bus”. I only way I can explain it to them is to describe how I feel. Most people will fall in love one, twice, maybe several times in their life times. You see that person across the room and you get a warm rush that goes right through your body that excites you and just feels perfect. That is how I feel every time I hear an aircraft take off, and I don’t see that feeling ever fading. It certainly didn’t for my grandfather who was a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm and never lost that “rush” from flying right up until he was grounded at the age of 45.
Sadly I have not been born with a silver spoon in my mouth and so have to find the funds to pay for my training off my own back. This is where I am stuck. I have the ambition, academic ability, and aptitude to achieve my goal, but sadly not the funds.
So this is where I am now. And asking for help. I know I can achieve my goal and will make an excellent commercial pilot, so long as I can overcome this financial barrier.
I’ve always known it would be a tough goal to achieve, but only now, the time in my life when I can begin my career, am I realising just how hard it is, mainly due to the financial barriers.
I have spent the last year, since completing my A-levels in geography, physics and Physical Education, trying a variety of occupations and have spent many hours on my own and with the aid of a careers development officer trying to decipher if becoming a pilot is all I want in life of if there are any easier avenues I could go down.
I am fortunate enough to have a variety of options available to me due to my 2A’s and D at A-level, and got accepted into every university I applied to. However, I simply couldn’t not spend the rest of my life in a career where I’ve settled for second best.
Flying is the only career opportunity that makes me look forward to the rest of my life.
I play hockey for my local team next to an airfield in Bournemouth, Dorset. Every time a commercial jet takes off, I get that adrenalin rush that no one should live without.
Most of my friends do not understand my passion for flying and tell me that “I will get bored” and “its just like driving a bus”. I only way I can explain it to them is to describe how I feel. Most people will fall in love one, twice, maybe several times in their life times. You see that person across the room and you get a warm rush that goes right through your body that excites you and just feels perfect. That is how I feel every time I hear an aircraft take off, and I don’t see that feeling ever fading. It certainly didn’t for my grandfather who was a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm and never lost that “rush” from flying right up until he was grounded at the age of 45.
Sadly I have not been born with a silver spoon in my mouth and so have to find the funds to pay for my training off my own back. This is where I am stuck. I have the ambition, academic ability, and aptitude to achieve my goal, but sadly not the funds.
So this is where I am now. And asking for help. I know I can achieve my goal and will make an excellent commercial pilot, so long as I can overcome this financial barrier.
Join Date: Jan 2002
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Hi,
Well there are several options available to you right now.
Have you done any actual flying yourself? (Trail lessons etc?) Maybe get one or two under your belt. (
What University are you going to? If you are interested in joining the RAF, SERIOUSLY consider the UAS (University Air Squadron). Its excellent training. Free and i think you now get a bounty payment.
If you more inclined towards civilian, do the very best you can at your degree course. Get the best job you can and save up! Theres not much else i can suggest as now the sponsorship route has virtually dried up. But if you do well in everything, it all counts.
One possibility is the GAPAN sponsorship. (Do a search on here). Either way its worth continuing your degree as a fall back if the industry slumps again.
Best of luck!
Well there are several options available to you right now.
Have you done any actual flying yourself? (Trail lessons etc?) Maybe get one or two under your belt. (
What University are you going to? If you are interested in joining the RAF, SERIOUSLY consider the UAS (University Air Squadron). Its excellent training. Free and i think you now get a bounty payment.
If you more inclined towards civilian, do the very best you can at your degree course. Get the best job you can and save up! Theres not much else i can suggest as now the sponsorship route has virtually dried up. But if you do well in everything, it all counts.
One possibility is the GAPAN sponsorship. (Do a search on here). Either way its worth continuing your degree as a fall back if the industry slumps again.
Best of luck!
Join Date: Mar 2003
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Hi lucieross,
I agree... uni first, perhaps some PPL lessons or UAS while you're there.
Who knows, the industry may have plenty of sponsorships on offer in three years' time.
Check your private messages.
Best of luck,
flyer
I agree... uni first, perhaps some PPL lessons or UAS while you're there.
Who knows, the industry may have plenty of sponsorships on offer in three years' time.
Check your private messages.
Best of luck,
flyer
Join Date: Jun 2002
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Flying or University
I agree, (at 45 with 26 years of flying behind me) - it should be either the RAF or University. Airlines will probably not take you at this age and experience when they have a huge unemployed but experienced lot to choose from.
Wishing you all the very best
Wishing you all the very best
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lucieross,
your post certainly convinced me that you have the passion for a career as a pilot! It is a very expensive thing to try to fund yourself unfortunately.
Some people have suggested going to university and joining the university air squadron. Its an excellent idea. The UAS will give you some good flying experience and a degree is always worth having. Problem is, university is not cheap. Thats why I didnt go, and chose to use the cash to become pilot.
Do you have a PPL yet? If not, it would be worth saving a few thousand and going overseas for a few weeks to do one. Then you should get in touch with Atlantic Flight Training in Coventry. They are part of atlantic airlines which operates Electra's, DC-3 and DC-6, C-404, C-406, Citation, Metro and others. They run a full sponsorship and usually take on people from 18 to 25. They provide all the training, a spending allowance and accomodation. In return you do driving jobs, work in ops and do loads of other stuff for the company with very little time off. They will also bond you for a few years after completion of training. Its one of the few airlines that is currently sponsoring people however it doesnt make an effort to advertise this! Their training is excellent and I wouldnt hesitate to recommend them. Even without a PPL you should contact them and find out when the next sponsorship is.
I wish you all the best!
your post certainly convinced me that you have the passion for a career as a pilot! It is a very expensive thing to try to fund yourself unfortunately.
Some people have suggested going to university and joining the university air squadron. Its an excellent idea. The UAS will give you some good flying experience and a degree is always worth having. Problem is, university is not cheap. Thats why I didnt go, and chose to use the cash to become pilot.
Do you have a PPL yet? If not, it would be worth saving a few thousand and going overseas for a few weeks to do one. Then you should get in touch with Atlantic Flight Training in Coventry. They are part of atlantic airlines which operates Electra's, DC-3 and DC-6, C-404, C-406, Citation, Metro and others. They run a full sponsorship and usually take on people from 18 to 25. They provide all the training, a spending allowance and accomodation. In return you do driving jobs, work in ops and do loads of other stuff for the company with very little time off. They will also bond you for a few years after completion of training. Its one of the few airlines that is currently sponsoring people however it doesnt make an effort to advertise this! Their training is excellent and I wouldnt hesitate to recommend them. Even without a PPL you should contact them and find out when the next sponsorship is.
I wish you all the best!
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Lucieross,
Like many others before on this thread, I would suggest you seriously consider Uni and joining the UAS.
The reasons are,
Joining the UAS does not have any commitment to join the RAF, but it will give you an insight into joining the Forces which may appeal. Not only do they train you to fly but they also pay you to do so. This helps restrain the overall costs of 3 years at Uni.
The UAS fly the Grobb 115 Tutor which as far as I am aware are civilian registered aircraft and thus hours can be transferred over directly into civilian flying logbooks.
The only downside is that the debts accrued after 3 years at Uni may just hinder further efforts to get funding when you leave. At your age and with your circumstances, the only way you could secure suficient funding would be through a secured loan which means talking very nicely to your parents and the banks.
In terms of sponsorships, they are few and far between and most still need considerable financial input from those who suceed (normally in the region of £30K). Details of these are normally advertised in Flight International.
Visit the website www.Gapan.org as they have a "How to become an airline pilot" document which is a very good start, whilst they also do several PPL sponsorships and at least 1 ATPL sponsorship per year. As a first step into flying you could also look into the following who do awards/sponsorships http://www.airleague.co.uk/scholarships.html
Hope this helps,
Obs cop
Like many others before on this thread, I would suggest you seriously consider Uni and joining the UAS.
The reasons are,
Joining the UAS does not have any commitment to join the RAF, but it will give you an insight into joining the Forces which may appeal. Not only do they train you to fly but they also pay you to do so. This helps restrain the overall costs of 3 years at Uni.
The UAS fly the Grobb 115 Tutor which as far as I am aware are civilian registered aircraft and thus hours can be transferred over directly into civilian flying logbooks.
The only downside is that the debts accrued after 3 years at Uni may just hinder further efforts to get funding when you leave. At your age and with your circumstances, the only way you could secure suficient funding would be through a secured loan which means talking very nicely to your parents and the banks.
In terms of sponsorships, they are few and far between and most still need considerable financial input from those who suceed (normally in the region of £30K). Details of these are normally advertised in Flight International.
Visit the website www.Gapan.org as they have a "How to become an airline pilot" document which is a very good start, whilst they also do several PPL sponsorships and at least 1 ATPL sponsorship per year. As a first step into flying you could also look into the following who do awards/sponsorships http://www.airleague.co.uk/scholarships.html
Hope this helps,
Obs cop
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Lucieross,
Unfortunately there are loads of people unemployed in aviation right now, or backed up in the RAF waiting to leave - when it does pick up again, not only will there be these high-houred people in the queue first, but also those who have been fortunate enough to have their own funds for the licence. It could be an awful lot of demand met by these.
My best advice is as above - university - do it and finish it. If recruting starts in 2 years, what's a year's seniority less. When the market goes as it is today again, a degree will serve you well - and the market will go bad again, it is simply the nature of the business.
Otherwise, whatever you do, make sure it is constructive. Don't work at a gas station, but get into something that you could consider a career - otherwise you will bore yourself silly if it does end up as a career due to the job market.
Get a PPL - it shows commitment to the industry. Go and work at weekends at your local airfield - whether it is the airport or a small grass strip - get contacts. Don't waste time, but don't get impatient - otherwise you could end up with no cash and no job.
UASs desperately need females - there are so few that you should find it simple to get in if you display the necessary commitment - it is counted as single-engine piston time for a PPL.
Look at www.dur.ac.uk/nuas
Good luck
Unfortunately there are loads of people unemployed in aviation right now, or backed up in the RAF waiting to leave - when it does pick up again, not only will there be these high-houred people in the queue first, but also those who have been fortunate enough to have their own funds for the licence. It could be an awful lot of demand met by these.
My best advice is as above - university - do it and finish it. If recruting starts in 2 years, what's a year's seniority less. When the market goes as it is today again, a degree will serve you well - and the market will go bad again, it is simply the nature of the business.
Otherwise, whatever you do, make sure it is constructive. Don't work at a gas station, but get into something that you could consider a career - otherwise you will bore yourself silly if it does end up as a career due to the job market.
Get a PPL - it shows commitment to the industry. Go and work at weekends at your local airfield - whether it is the airport or a small grass strip - get contacts. Don't waste time, but don't get impatient - otherwise you could end up with no cash and no job.
UASs desperately need females - there are so few that you should find it simple to get in if you display the necessary commitment - it is counted as single-engine piston time for a PPL.
Look at www.dur.ac.uk/nuas
Good luck
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hiya lucie.
going to uni is all well and good but make sure its for the right reasons rather than just following the crowd, I made that mistake and decided to go to uni before following the flying career and had 2 years great fun drinking myself into a 10k debt before i realised that i didnt have the commitment i needed to finish the course. Luckily i got a HND for my troubles and things are working out carrer-wise too. Im surprised no ones mentioned the main current sponsorship available, have a look at www.ctc-mcalpine.com and see what you think.
If you want any more info, theres a large thread on it, or feel free to PM me
cheers
FREDA
going to uni is all well and good but make sure its for the right reasons rather than just following the crowd, I made that mistake and decided to go to uni before following the flying career and had 2 years great fun drinking myself into a 10k debt before i realised that i didnt have the commitment i needed to finish the course. Luckily i got a HND for my troubles and things are working out carrer-wise too. Im surprised no ones mentioned the main current sponsorship available, have a look at www.ctc-mcalpine.com and see what you think.
If you want any more info, theres a large thread on it, or feel free to PM me
cheers
FREDA
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I can see your problem lucie,
I packed in work some 2 1/2 years ago now to train as a pilot, and despite being somewhat older than you are now, I too had no funds of my own to pay for training, nor did I come from a wealthy background.
I did however, have two wonderful parents, who despite having finally rid themselves of their mortgage, kindly remortgaged the house (on the understanding I make the repayments
), which allowed me to complete an integrated course. If this is an option which may be open to you, I would urge you to take it. No bank will ever lend you money on the same understanding terms as your parents.
Passing the course was OK, the hardest thing was living away from my wife for 15 months, and effectively funding two homes and two lots of living expenses from my wife's rather modest income. However, I got a part-time job while I was away, which was a significant help in paying bills (and buying beer
), and in all honesty, it didn't affect my progress on the course.
Having been through the system now myself, I would suggest the biggest mistake new entrants make is not giving enough thought to what happens after you qualify. The job market is still very difficult even now, and I doubt it will improve significantly for a number of years yet. If you borrow the money from someone like HSBC, debt repayment starts immediately and you must consider how you intend to do this if you don't find employment straight away. Even in a healthy job market, you could reasonably expect to wait several months for that first opportunity.
It is a very difficult choice you have, but fortunately time is on your side. If it were me, I would consider either Uni, or a couple of years worth of work. The experience will do you good, and it never hurts to have other avenues to explore. I went to Uni and had a great time, joining the UAS which was a blast(Lucifer it was NUAS - maybe see you at the next dining in night). Part-time work means you can earn enough to have a good time and leave with minimal debts without ruining your education or social life.
Either way, I wish you luck.
I packed in work some 2 1/2 years ago now to train as a pilot, and despite being somewhat older than you are now, I too had no funds of my own to pay for training, nor did I come from a wealthy background.
I did however, have two wonderful parents, who despite having finally rid themselves of their mortgage, kindly remortgaged the house (on the understanding I make the repayments
), which allowed me to complete an integrated course. If this is an option which may be open to you, I would urge you to take it. No bank will ever lend you money on the same understanding terms as your parents.Passing the course was OK, the hardest thing was living away from my wife for 15 months, and effectively funding two homes and two lots of living expenses from my wife's rather modest income. However, I got a part-time job while I was away, which was a significant help in paying bills (and buying beer
), and in all honesty, it didn't affect my progress on the course.Having been through the system now myself, I would suggest the biggest mistake new entrants make is not giving enough thought to what happens after you qualify. The job market is still very difficult even now, and I doubt it will improve significantly for a number of years yet. If you borrow the money from someone like HSBC, debt repayment starts immediately and you must consider how you intend to do this if you don't find employment straight away. Even in a healthy job market, you could reasonably expect to wait several months for that first opportunity.
It is a very difficult choice you have, but fortunately time is on your side. If it were me, I would consider either Uni, or a couple of years worth of work. The experience will do you good, and it never hurts to have other avenues to explore. I went to Uni and had a great time, joining the UAS which was a blast(Lucifer it was NUAS - maybe see you at the next dining in night). Part-time work means you can earn enough to have a good time and leave with minimal debts without ruining your education or social life.
Either way, I wish you luck.
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Heya Lucie ...
I'm a 19 yr old gal from Sydney and I get where ur coming from ... most of my friends were fairly quick to dismiss my dreams of flying planes back when i first told them about it (in about yr 9) .... but after I started flying, they soon found that my enthusiasm grew, and they quickly became fairly supportive ... I'm sure your friends will come around similarly.
I'm currently doing a flying course through the University of New South Wales and while it is heaps expensive, I've really seriously asked all my relatives and my parents, etc and between them all, I've found the money - just got to pay them back sometime ..
As for scholarships ... here is a page of the links to scholarships that are generally open to women from organisations like the Ninety-Nines Inc. International Association of Women Pilots ... (It's from the Australian Women's Pilot's Association website)
I'm sure there'll be similar organisations in England where you'll find similar minded people who may be able to give you more answers and support ....
Feel free to email / PM me if you got any q's or something ...
Good luck !!
I'm a 19 yr old gal from Sydney and I get where ur coming from ... most of my friends were fairly quick to dismiss my dreams of flying planes back when i first told them about it (in about yr 9) .... but after I started flying, they soon found that my enthusiasm grew, and they quickly became fairly supportive ... I'm sure your friends will come around similarly.
I'm currently doing a flying course through the University of New South Wales and while it is heaps expensive, I've really seriously asked all my relatives and my parents, etc and between them all, I've found the money - just got to pay them back sometime ..
As for scholarships ... here is a page of the links to scholarships that are generally open to women from organisations like the Ninety-Nines Inc. International Association of Women Pilots ... (It's from the Australian Women's Pilot's Association website)
I'm sure there'll be similar organisations in England where you'll find similar minded people who may be able to give you more answers and support ....
Feel free to email / PM me if you got any q's or something ...
Good luck !!
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The British Womans Pilot Association offer various Scholarships for PPL to CPL Training
see http://www.bwpa.demon.co.uk
see http://www.bwpa.demon.co.uk
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I would suggest Uni as it will give you another option if the flying ambition goes belly up. It will also give you valubale 'life experience.'
The best thing you can do right now is join a flying or gliding club and start to mix with the people. By talking to others and sharing opinions/experiences, it will all fall into place and you will know what is the best course of action.
Personally speaking, I am not in favour of borrowing £60k to go ab-initio as it is one hell of a financial burden to have round your neck. That's my opinion though and others will disagree.
The best thing you can do right now is join a flying or gliding club and start to mix with the people. By talking to others and sharing opinions/experiences, it will all fall into place and you will know what is the best course of action.
Personally speaking, I am not in favour of borrowing £60k to go ab-initio as it is one hell of a financial burden to have round your neck. That's my opinion though and others will disagree.
Lucifer said this:
And we all know what the instructors do to innocent, wide-eyed young girls and why they are recruited at the Freshers' Fair... right guys!
UASs desperately need females - there are so few that you should find it simple to get in if you display the necessary commitment
And we all know what the instructors do to innocent, wide-eyed young girls and why they are recruited at the Freshers' Fair... right guys!
