becoming a pilot
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becoming a pilot
hi people, i'm going to give my background quickly then i'll explain more.
my name is luke, I am 16, and have dreamed of being an airline pilot since I can remember! I am an air cadet and get as much gliding in as possible, and also visit bodmin airfield and work around the airfield in exchange for a flight if i can. I have gone from being an 18 stone 12 year old to a 12 stone british taekwondo champion, and also teach it 5 nights a week in my club. i am not opting to study a levels as im not 100% sure i could pass physics and maths at a high standard quite yet, I am going to do an exercise science course which i feel i am prepared to succeed in. it is equivilant to 3 a levels. I also have to option of doing an adult education course or distance learning course should it be vital to have the two a levels. i like many people cannot afford to put myself through training. i live in a single parent household in the bottom of cornwall, and work hard just to get the money to get up to bodmin airfield!!!! the CTC mcalpine scheme i have found confusing, with the repayments, and i am not sure if the BA scheme is still runnning?
Do you think the airlines would consider my with the course i am taking, it is eqivilant to more a levels than they all want.
Pleeease help
many thanks
luke Pollard
my name is luke, I am 16, and have dreamed of being an airline pilot since I can remember! I am an air cadet and get as much gliding in as possible, and also visit bodmin airfield and work around the airfield in exchange for a flight if i can. I have gone from being an 18 stone 12 year old to a 12 stone british taekwondo champion, and also teach it 5 nights a week in my club. i am not opting to study a levels as im not 100% sure i could pass physics and maths at a high standard quite yet, I am going to do an exercise science course which i feel i am prepared to succeed in. it is equivilant to 3 a levels. I also have to option of doing an adult education course or distance learning course should it be vital to have the two a levels. i like many people cannot afford to put myself through training. i live in a single parent household in the bottom of cornwall, and work hard just to get the money to get up to bodmin airfield!!!! the CTC mcalpine scheme i have found confusing, with the repayments, and i am not sure if the BA scheme is still runnning?
Do you think the airlines would consider my with the course i am taking, it is eqivilant to more a levels than they all want.
Pleeease help
many thanks
luke Pollard
Dancing with the devil, going with the flow... it's all a game to me.
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i like many people cannot afford to put myself through training.
As for your concerns about education background I would recommend the traditional 2 or 3 A-Levels. If this is not possible due to geographical location then I would opt for the science course you're thinking about which you say is the equivilant of 3 A-Levels anyway.
You sound like a very motivated and ambitious guy so I wish you all the luck in the world. Many people will try to quash your ambition, many will offer sound financial advice which you will have to ignore if you wish to see your dream come to fruition. Myself and many others are severely in debt and desperately seeking our first employment as the climate for commercial pilot recruitment is rather poor at the present time. However, by the time you have succeeded in becoming qualified (either by self sponsored route or airline sponsored) things shall hopefully have improved and the employment prospects could be very rosy.
G'luck!
VFE.
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Hi, I come from a council estate in the town of hartlepool (near newcastle/middlesbrough/teesside
I was an air cadet until circumstances of my own took over, got to Cadet Flight Sergeant by the time i was 17, then tragidy struck and BAM both my parents passed away.I didn't have the chance to go to college (my dad died 4 days into my first college year). I also had no money no nothing. But 2 and a half years on I own my own home, have a great car (punto, some people may not say its good but im happy) and am now starting to train and fly towards the long road to an fATPL.
I earn 12.5k at my current job, but despite this horrendous wage, can still afford to pay £400 towards training.
Couple of words of advice
Budget wisely (I'm a bank clerk so its easy for me to say)
Stay away from loose debt (ie cars, motorbikes, playstations) as these things as soon as you buy them are worth nothing. I bought a 2003 Aprilia RS125 Tuono for £3300, then only a year later had to sell it for £1200, due to financial difficulty. Despite getting rid of the bike i still had to pay off the loan for a further year until I finally saved up enough cash to pay it off.
If you really do want your licence, you have to work for it, no one is going to come along and give it to you, you have to work for it, either in strict budgetting and living on beans and toast, to pay for it yourself, or fighting between fellow competitors in a race for the sponsorships.
Whichever way you do take, do remember that even though the odds are stacked up against you, the option is still there, despite being so far away.
Good luck either way
Fretty
I was an air cadet until circumstances of my own took over, got to Cadet Flight Sergeant by the time i was 17, then tragidy struck and BAM both my parents passed away.I didn't have the chance to go to college (my dad died 4 days into my first college year). I also had no money no nothing. But 2 and a half years on I own my own home, have a great car (punto, some people may not say its good
but im happy) and am now starting to train and fly towards the long road to an fATPL.I earn 12.5k at my current job, but despite this horrendous wage, can still afford to pay £400 towards training.
Couple of words of advice
Budget wisely (I'm a bank clerk so its easy for me to say)
Stay away from loose debt (ie cars, motorbikes, playstations) as these things as soon as you buy them are worth nothing. I bought a 2003 Aprilia RS125 Tuono for £3300, then only a year later had to sell it for £1200, due to financial difficulty. Despite getting rid of the bike i still had to pay off the loan for a further year until I finally saved up enough cash to pay it off.
If you really do want your licence, you have to work for it, no one is going to come along and give it to you, you have to work for it, either in strict budgetting and living on beans and toast, to pay for it yourself, or fighting between fellow competitors in a race for the sponsorships.
Whichever way you do take, do remember that even though the odds are stacked up against you, the option is still there, despite being so far away.
Good luck either way
Fretty
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hi
Im also young, looking to get all the licences (aren't we all), and hopefully can give you a bit of advice. You certainly sound like a committed chap, which is important in this game.
Firstly, I am somewhat confused by this "exercise science course". If you could elaborate a bit more, perhaps we could help you, but if its what I think it is (a sports science type thing maybe?) then I don't think it will be all that useful from an airlines perspective. Bear in mind that the ATPL's are tough and require academic intelligence n all that. Your knowledge of maths and physics, although not required to be of PhD level, should be adequate, and a good understanding of scientific principles will be necessary - (trust me, having done all 7 PPL exams, I know how challenging Aircraft Tech can be). The BA scheme no longer runs, and the CTC wotsit still requires a wodge of cash from you. You cant get owt for nowt these days I'm afraid..
Airlines are concerned, among other things, with good ATPL results (with so many candidates, its one of the only things they can use in selection besides going "eeny, meeny.."), so you should be prepared for hard academic work.
Of course, the best thing to do would be to sound out a few airlines about it all. That what I did when thinking about choosing my A levels. I found the recruitment people at various airlines to be really quite friendly about it all.
Hope some of this has helped, and by the way, congrats on the taekwondo/ massive weight loss - impressive!!
ETC
Im also young, looking to get all the licences (aren't we all), and hopefully can give you a bit of advice. You certainly sound like a committed chap, which is important in this game.
Firstly, I am somewhat confused by this "exercise science course". If you could elaborate a bit more, perhaps we could help you, but if its what I think it is (a sports science type thing maybe?) then I don't think it will be all that useful from an airlines perspective. Bear in mind that the ATPL's are tough and require academic intelligence n all that. Your knowledge of maths and physics, although not required to be of PhD level, should be adequate, and a good understanding of scientific principles will be necessary - (trust me, having done all 7 PPL exams, I know how challenging Aircraft Tech can be). The BA scheme no longer runs, and the CTC wotsit still requires a wodge of cash from you. You cant get owt for nowt these days I'm afraid..
Airlines are concerned, among other things, with good ATPL results (with so many candidates, its one of the only things they can use in selection besides going "eeny, meeny.."), so you should be prepared for hard academic work.
Of course, the best thing to do would be to sound out a few airlines about it all. That what I did when thinking about choosing my A levels. I found the recruitment people at various airlines to be really quite friendly about it all.
Hope some of this has helped, and by the way, congrats on the taekwondo/ massive weight loss - impressive!!
ETC
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There is no real answer to your situation. If you are determined, and it sounds like you are, I’m sure you will find a way of becoming a pilot. I wouldn’t be too concerned about A levels, I did my ATPL subjects at age 19 with one A level in photography and passed them all with high marks. If you study them through a good provider they will teach you everything you need to know. I am yet to hear of an airline who gave a crap about what A levels I had and very few care what my ATPL results were. The situation is somewhat different if you intend to apply to the RAF or airline sponsorship (should this start again).
If you’re going to be self sponsored, which almost everyone is now, your biggest hurdle is going to be money as you going to need lots and lots of it. You will find nowadays, with no airline sponsored students, commercial flying is the realm of the rich kid or the disillusioned 30 something. Money talks and these people are able to comfortably buy a fATPL, MCC and Type Rating without bating an eyelid. This is what you’ll be competing with and talent and ability is not a precursor for success in this industry, unfortunately.
At 16 you’re very young. You have a good 10-15 years before you need to start worrying. In that time make a crap load of dosh, as many contacts as you can or marry a chief pilot’s daughter!
If you’re going to be self sponsored, which almost everyone is now, your biggest hurdle is going to be money as you going to need lots and lots of it. You will find nowadays, with no airline sponsored students, commercial flying is the realm of the rich kid or the disillusioned 30 something. Money talks and these people are able to comfortably buy a fATPL, MCC and Type Rating without bating an eyelid. This is what you’ll be competing with and talent and ability is not a precursor for success in this industry, unfortunately.
At 16 you’re very young. You have a good 10-15 years before you need to start worrying. In that time make a crap load of dosh, as many contacts as you can or marry a chief pilot’s daughter!
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Hi Luke,
In answer to your dilemna regarding whether or not to do A-levels I would strongly suggest that you do take some A-levels. If you're currently a bit skint then maybe consider taking a year out to work and get some money together and then go back and do 2 or 3 A-levels. A lot of the airlines and trainig schemes do ask for 2 A-levels though they also say that, although they would prefer maths or physics, you should take subjects which you think you will do well in. There are a lot of people trying to get onto schemes such as CTC and it is important to get yourself onto level footing in terms of education. Being in the ATC will definitely help as it will show commitment and enthusiasm for aviation but I'd also go for those A-levels too. Hope this helps,
Chocky
In answer to your dilemna regarding whether or not to do A-levels I would strongly suggest that you do take some A-levels. If you're currently a bit skint then maybe consider taking a year out to work and get some money together and then go back and do 2 or 3 A-levels. A lot of the airlines and trainig schemes do ask for 2 A-levels though they also say that, although they would prefer maths or physics, you should take subjects which you think you will do well in. There are a lot of people trying to get onto schemes such as CTC and it is important to get yourself onto level footing in terms of education. Being in the ATC will definitely help as it will show commitment and enthusiasm for aviation but I'd also go for those A-levels too. Hope this helps,
Chocky
