Maths and Physics required?

[ElSupremo]

Hi, I've had a look on the forum for a similar topic but to no evail...

I'm basically enquiring as to how important having a Maths and/or physics A level is for pilot school (i.e. ab inition schemes). is it key that you have one or both? What is the level of maths taught on these causes? Do companies tend to always ask for these qualifications?

I'm a little worried as although I had good A-levels (AAB - Economics, Geograghy and ICT) i only did physics at AS-level. My degree is in law which obviously isn't maths based.

Should I be worried?

[99jolegg]

No.

Maths and Physics are sometimes required for airline mentored (sponsored) schemes through OAA or FTE. This is by and large to whittle down the number of applicants and ensure the best of the best are selected. However, you are far more likely to go places if you show potential as a good pilot with aptitude, motivation and application.

AAB in any subject is fine for the most part, any higher level maths and physics is a bonus.

You could have AAA in maths, physics and chemistry but that won't help you one bit in the aptitude assessment and group tasks. Qualifications are great on paper, but they remain there, on paper.

[preetham]

For maths its here is the topics which help pilots

1. Linear equations
2. Polynomials
3. Quadratic equations
4. Solving algebraic inequalities
5. Roots simplification
6. Differential equation
7. Integral and derivate
8. Function analysis
9. Trigonometry
10. Exponential
11. Basics of complex numbers
12. Basics of probability and statistics

physics topics as follows

1. Basic Physics sizes (length, mass, angle, t°, volume, speed, acceleration)
2. Units (meter, kilogram, second, amps)
3. Distance traveled, speed, acceleration
4. Weight, mass, density and volume
5. Newton’s laws, inertia, forces
6. Determination of center of gravity
7. Work, energy, power (kinetic energy, pressure energy)
8. Thermometric scales: °C, °F, °K
9. Pressure, density, t° of a liquid or a gas
10. Perfect gas laws, Boyle-Mariotte law, Gay-Lussac law, Dalton’s law
11. Change of state of a liquid/gas/solid
12. Basics of electricity: DC and AC, tension, equivalent resistance, Ohm
13. Basics of magnetism: magnetic field, permanent magnet, lines of flux

Hope this helps. And this topic r given from the airline cadet program.

[eoincarey]

Was in a similar position to you last year. I had done Maths at A level, but Physics only up to AS level.
What's been said is right - sometimes schemes appear (notably Thomas Cook and others at OAA) that require Physics, or another Science based subject. This requirement is often put in to whittle down the numbers.
Thing you need to ask yourself is, should more of these schemes crop up, you wouldn't want to be rejected on the basis of that extra qualification. No one can predict the future, but its a fairly safe bet that more of these schemes will be run, with similar requirements. Don't do yourself out of a good deal by neglecting that part of your CV. Even if it doesn't get you onto that scheme particularly, it still makes up what you might term the complete pilot CV.
Talking to some of the experienced pilots at GAPAN, they all emphasised the importance of box ticking. There might not be much between two candidates, but if you can show you've gone that little extra further in making yourself the more qualified candidate, you've got it sorted.

In the end, I did my A-Level in Physics with a distance learning provider whilst still at Uni. Awful lot of work on top of my other commitments, but its a personal choice. I'm glad I did it. PM me for details.

ETC

[underread east]

All as Preetham says for the exams (and only really to GCSE level)...

In practice if you understand the 3X table and inertia, you are pretty much set. I find pretty much anything else can be done with a calculator

[Nubboy]

Three times table is an ABSOLUTE neccessity. Also an ability to divide or multiply by .8 when you move onto turbine powered aircraft. After that, if you're not going on a specific cadet program, then it's a basic understanding of principles thats required.
Also bear in mind that skills needed to pass the theory exams are not normally used on a daily basis. A good example being that you can steer a heading of say, 270 degrees without needing to know that there's 360 of them in a circle. If however you didn't know its 360 degrees all the way round then you'd have a pretty big hole in your knowledge base. As for quadratics, polynomials and other exotic mathematical animals, they're just tools you don't need for deciding on the fuel uplift for the next sector. Simple addition(hopefully error free) to put all th requirements for your company fuel policy though is again an absolute must have.

With the physics side, it's great knowing all the background theory, but again a basic understanding is what's needed. The practicality of understanding why the V speeds are so much higher and the runway sooo much longer at say Johannesburg in the summer than say Birmingham (UK that is) in the winter. This also carries on into the technical side, in that you really just need a good idea of whats in that little box marked Gen 1 on the systems page, and what comes out of it when it's working. Where to get a replacement source of the goodies it supplies if it stops working is a useful thing to know. You don't have to be able to either design the blasted thing or even fix it if it's broke. However the IMPORTANCE of what it's doing for you is again a MUST have.

If you understand the difference of what comes out of the electric sysytem, and why thats different to the water mains, then you're a lot of the way there. Motivation to get the job should provide the necessary urge if you not very scientific, but really want to fly

Having said that, bear in mind what other people have quite rightly said. The higher the qualification you can show a future employer or sponsor, then normally the better.

[ElSupremo]

Wow, so it seems that only basic mathd/physics is required. So why do airlines often want maths/physics at A-Level? I got an A in maths (GCSE) and an A* in physics (GCSE) and a C (AS-level). Will an airline think this is enough?

I got an A in economics (which is all maths/logic based - it's all graphs) at A level if that helps (along with an A in geography and B in IT). Will my law degree help (I constantly have to process a lot of information and provide an answer in a very short space of time i.e. in exams I'll have to read a A4 scenario and provide a legal answer - will this help?).

It sounds silly but will extra things like passing my driving test first time (with 1 minor) and obtaining a scholarhsip to uni (based on grades) help my application?

Is it worth my while applying to any sponsorship schemes?

[Hufty]

All good advice, although I think that Preetham's post is slightly misleading....I agree with the notion that some knowledge of his "physics topics" would be helpful, but the idea that you need to understand complex mathematics is just incorrect.

I was a finance geezer before becoming a pilot (bonds...lots of curves etc.) and all it is useful for now is boring my colleagues with in the cruise.