Kina

Hello everyone!

This is my first post... by the way, thank you very much for all your tips!
I'm having my Phase 2 (and hopefully 3) on 23rd July, is anyone out there going to Bournemouth on the same date?

jaimz1982

Hi I'm going to be heading out in November to NZ, anyone else on that course? (Starts 3rd Nov)

Any advice from anyone on the course at the mo? You know stuff to do before I leave? etc!

Also, this might be abit random, but does anyone know of people dropping out? or being told by CTC that they are just not good enough?

It's just CTC have an amazing employment record and I would hate to be the first lol!

Thanks,

Jim

daveandg

Anyone have any updated information with regards to the Wings partner airlines? With airline consolidations and new additions, I just want a bit of clarity. The list I have is: -

British Airways,
Easyjet,
Monarch,
Thomsonfly (Amalgamated with First choice to make Thomson Airways), Jet 2,
Thomas Cook (Integrated My travel),
Cityjet (separate selection/scheme- Cityjet wings),
JetStar (of Australia.......unsure of the relationship)

Anyone any more, and any clues as to the Jetstar partnership?

gkyip

Hi Jim. I'm on CP65 going out in September. I wouldn't worry about being told your not good enough! If you've made it through selection, then you have already shown that you are the right material for CTC. Remember that only around 4% of people who apply acually get offered a place so feel proud of yourself, well done mate! Also you have plenty of time before you go. Have you received your pack yet? If so then that details pretty much everything you need to do and it seems pretty straightforward. It's more important that you get your medical cos everything will come quickly after your medical. I'm pretty much done with everything. I've sent a cheque for insurance, met with HSBC for the finance, had my medical and sent off for the VISA. If you have any questions, ask Daphne. Finally, if you're on Facebook, join the CP groups and you start to meet the wonderful people who you'll be around for the next 2 years! I've also found it useful to check other earlier CP's facebook groups so you can see what is coming up and ask for advice if you're stuck! Just enjoy the fact that you're going to NZ in November and I'll see you out there!

daveandg: There are 8 partner airlines in total (officially) who are:

British Airways
easyJet
First Choice Airways
Thomsonfly
Thomas Cook
Monarch
Jet2.com
MyTravel

BUT it gets confusing as MyTravel and Thomas Cook have merged. The ones who employ the most are BA and easyJet with the main difference being that you need to go through BA's own selection to get a job with them (but well worth it I think). As far as First Choice Airways is concerned, I wasn't aware that they have merged with Thomsonfly. I think they are part of the TUI travel group but remain a separate airline. (Remember that they have ordered 787-8 Dreamliners, due for delivery in 2010!)

There is also CityJet but as you already know they have their own selection and scheme.

In addition there is Pacific Airlines based in Vietnam (which is where you will be based if you end up flying for them).

I'm not sure about Jetstar. I'm sure I read somewhere about them being associated with CTC but I'm not entirely sure.

The main thing to take away if that out of all of the airlines, easyJet is the most likely employer with BA being a good possibility if you pass their selection.

Hope that helps,

Gary

daveandg

I didn't quite explain.............Jetstar is Pacific. Pacific was taken over by Jetstar, and operates as a low cost Asian carrier under the title of 'Jetstar Pacific', based out of Vietnam. Hope this clears things up

waxytudes

Hello fellow enthusiasts!

Just booked into the Fisherman's Haunt for stage 2/3 on Tuesday... Whoop! Anyone else.......

Off for a flying lesson now Feel free to get in touch anyone else going down to Bournemouth next week.

Laters!

Waxy

R T Jones

jaimz1982, no selection is 100% perfect and there have been and will be people that either don't make the grade or personal circumstances mean they don't complete the course. Training 150 odd people a year you are bound to get this, I believe their record of 100% placement is of people who have completed the wings course. What will happen over the next year is anyones guess, personally I think we may be in for a bit of a wait for a job. I do think we'll get there, just a little later than we all thought! see you in November!

watchmysix

Anyone here going to phase two or know what to expect on the assessment day? (other than the bill for £172)

dragonfly6

jaimz1982,

ye there have been cadets not finish the course. Its not a secret that some dont make it through. i think the failure rate is somwhere in the vicinity of 4-7% ish - dont quote me. In the two years i was there id say about 13 cadets didnt finish. Thats out of 2 or 3 hundred cadets though. Its a fairly tough course but if you mean business and combine hard work with stamina youll be fine and will enjoy alot of it.

Im sure it will go well for you. id say if your thinking about this stuff already then youll have no problems.

Any advice before you go out there?
The best tip ive got is take plenty of plug adaptors, a good sense of humour - you will need it! some sort of pooleys plate book/folder to hold your A5-aerodrome plates in (dont be like me - get one at the start and save yourself months of having paper flying round the cockpit every flight). Also youll need some bulldog clips for your maps. Invariably theres a rush to buy this stuff when you get there.

You might need an unlocked mobile phone handset aswell to put a pay as you go sim card into to save you buying a mobile out there. And dont spend too much money in firecats (youll find out).

Youll have a testing but positive few years.

thats all i can think of.

dragonfly6

no it not like that. they are sensible about it. Everyone runs into problems in thier training at some point, its to be expected - there are very few cadets that havnt. they arent out to chop you or give you a hard time. you can fail somthing a few times and it can be remedied and forgotten about. It depends upon the circumstances.

dragonfly6

oh i forgot,

motoring is really cheap in NZ, you can pick up a used car for next to nothing. A kiwi MOT requires somone kicking the tyres and if it doesnt fall apart it is passed with flying colours. All the cars out there are cheap used japanese imports. Insurance is totally optional and very very cheap. Petrol is less than half what it is here.

It can become quite awkward at times sharing a vehicle between so many people, especially when everyone has a different flying schedule and somone needs to go to the shop and somone has a day off and wants to go out etc etc.

If you can find maybe £500 to put aside to take out with you that should get you a car and make life alot easier. Its quite easy to sell it on to incoming cadets when you leave. I bought a surf bus covered in flowers for about £300. Although it sriously questioned my manhood it did the job and had plenty space for the surf boards. (raglan; good surfing beach 1hrs drive west of hamilton)

jpunteney

Is there anyone else booked to go down for selection on 23rd July? Have found 1 other person and sort of trying to organise something like a taxi into CTC in the morning, but are there any other people set to be joining us for the day?

Robbo0885

I'd be interested in hearing what "flight stuff" you get from CTC- I;ve got a heap of stuff from doing the PPL, as well as some stuff in prep for distance learning ATPL with Bristol GS that I dont know whether to keep or sell. If you have stuff already, will CTC give you new stuff anyway? OR if you have books, kneeboards, rulers,plotters, CRP5, Bristol GS CD-Rom etc will they give you £££ back fo rthe stuff you dont need?

I'm guessing they will give you stuff anyway, so I will probably sell all my stuff on eBay before I go

Kerosine

Just received this!

Edit: to clarify, from the insurance company

ElSupremo

Hi, I'm not sure that this is the correct place but hey ho...

I've recently completed my university law degree and currently deciding what to do with my life career wise and it's currently lawyer v pilot. Piloting would be a dream job (I've always loved planes and airports) and it would pay similarly to law. Therefore, I'm currently contemplating applying for CTC Wings (or the one or two others out there like Netjets) as a way of avoiding the massive costs of training. However, I have noticed that these schemes do require a full security bond to be payed (usually around £60,000). I know that after 'graduating' I'd get the money back from my employer but the idea of £60k floating over my head until that times worries me significantly.

So I ask, what do you guys make of this? Is there anyway around it(perhaps by insuring oneself against non-employment etc)? It's a mighty big gamble!

Kerosine

Hi Elsupremo, the simple matter is (when we remove the airy-fairy bits), it is a loan to be paid back with interest. CTC allow you to obtain the loan at a low (but variable) interest rate that you begin to repay 2 years after your training starts.

ElSupremo

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate that it's a loan to be paid back but it's just the thought that I will have £60k hanging over my head that I'm worried about. For example, if I can't find a job or am unable to complete training (for whatever reason) then wouldn't I be responsible for the money?

dragonfly6

ctc gave me every last peice of flight equipment i needed apart from a book for A5 aerodrome plates, some bulldog clips, and some fine coloured permanent markers for keeping a map and plog filled in. They will provide everyhting you need for ground study including study guides, online learning systems crp5's rulers compass, calculator etc. They even give you the uniform; in fact if you turned up in your underwear youd be fully prepared.

They were very thorough in giving information concerning what you need to do or take to NZ during meet and greet, they gave me a full checklist, however i did my meet and greet two and a half years ago.

El supremo - your opening a can of worms there. The inherent risk in deciding to train as a pilot is ever present whether you think your on a sposored scheme or not. The industry can be extreemely dynamic and somtimes not in a good way. Something you think stands one day turns out not to be the case the next with little or no warning. The course rarely follows the planned schedule, and the financial logistics present their own issues in an industry and economy that is constantly shifting.

Whether your position at the end of training puts you in a circumstance that still matches up with your initial contract with the bank is somthing you need to think about. You have to take a look at the industry, where its going and the economic climate and wiegh that up against how much you want to be a pilot. No short cuts or fail safes im afraid. Even on a sponsorship scheme like ctc the bottom line is you dont have a job secured when you take out the loan.

craig2210

Hey guys. Just wondering who is going to the CTC assessment on Tuesday 8th July as I am all booked up to go and was just wondering who else was joining me.

bjkeates

I seem to remember it being a plain grey to start with. On the evidence of how it turned out, re-painting by hand is definitely to be encouraged. If only I had a photo of it to upload...

You mean we weren't already?!