A moan about modern day
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: North West, UK
Age: 56
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My story
First of all, apologies for my spelling mistakes, I am not the brightest guy in the world.
I left school at 16 with poor CSE results. Got a CSE grade 3 in math's
My dream at that time was to be a long distance lorry driver.
At 17, I got a job driving a van. At 19 I got a job at a haulage company driving 7 and a half tonne trucks which you can do on a car driving licence.
At 21, I got my HGV licence and that was the beginning of 10 years as a truck driver. I drove tankers for 6 years carrying chemical waste and also drove for 3 years for Eddie Stobart Ltd.
When I was 18, I use to go to Manchester Airport looking at the planes and never in a million years did I think I would one day be a pilot.
When I was 30, I began to get fed up with being a truck driver and I thought that my next career would be as an aircraft refueller. I applied to Esso, Shell and BP at Manchester Airport and was lucky enough to get a job with Shell starting on May 13th 1998.
6 months after starting this job and getting to know a few pilots, I realised that to be a pilot, you did not have to be anything special with regards intelligence. It was then that the dream to be a pilot was born.
I did my PPL at Welshpool in Aug-Sept 1999. I did a 4 week intense course which was not enough time. I ended up being 3 hours short and had to go back to Welshpool for 2 days to finish it off in Oct 1999. I did my PPL in 45 hours.
In Jan 2000, I bought a share of a Cessna 150 G-BBKY for £1300 which was based at Barton and my idea was to tell as many people as poss that I was looking for anyone interested in flying to come with me and share the cost. I use to get billed £35 a month even if I did not fly it and then get charged £35 an hour to fly it. I use to take people up for an hour, show them how to fly it and let them have a go at the controls. I would ask them for half the cost. I was happy as I was getting hours in my log book and they were having an hour’s flying cheap.
I sold my share of this plane in August 2008 for £1600 and had logged 400 hours in it in 6 years
Welcome to the G-BBKY web site
Gallery
I did this for the next 5 years helping me build the hours I needed for starting my CPL course. Your need 150 hours total before you can start a CPL course.
Also before you start a CPL course, you need to have passed 14 ATPL exams. To do this I started a correspondence course with Bristol Ground School. This correspondence course took me 3 years to complete as I was still working full time at Shell whilst I was doing it. It was very hard for me.
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When I had passed all those exams, it was then Sept 2005.
I then did my 5 hour night rating course at Ravenair at Liverpool.
I then did my 28 hour CPL and 55 IR courses at Ravenair, Liverpool.
Ravenair Air Charter and Flying Training
Ravenair Flying Training
I then did an MCC course at The flight Centre at Wolverhampton.
The Flight Centre at Halfpenny Green : Private Pilot Training PPL : Commercial Pilot
That was it, all completed after 6 years of hard part time work, I had a Commercial Pilots Licence.
I then carried on as a refueller for Shell whilst I looked for a job.
It took 18 months to get a job and was in fact offered 2 at once. One with BMI Regional on their Embrear 145's and also one with Thomsonfly on their Boeing 737's. It was a no brainer.
I joined Thomsonfly as my first job aged 39, moduler and with only 440 hours.
You don’t need math’s to be a pilot, you just need determination and a will to make your own luck in this world.
http://www.pprune.org/3821823-post640.html
PM me if you like and you can give me a call
Rob
First of all, apologies for my spelling mistakes, I am not the brightest guy in the world.
I left school at 16 with poor CSE results. Got a CSE grade 3 in math's
My dream at that time was to be a long distance lorry driver.
At 17, I got a job driving a van. At 19 I got a job at a haulage company driving 7 and a half tonne trucks which you can do on a car driving licence.
At 21, I got my HGV licence and that was the beginning of 10 years as a truck driver. I drove tankers for 6 years carrying chemical waste and also drove for 3 years for Eddie Stobart Ltd.
When I was 18, I use to go to Manchester Airport looking at the planes and never in a million years did I think I would one day be a pilot.
When I was 30, I began to get fed up with being a truck driver and I thought that my next career would be as an aircraft refueller. I applied to Esso, Shell and BP at Manchester Airport and was lucky enough to get a job with Shell starting on May 13th 1998.
6 months after starting this job and getting to know a few pilots, I realised that to be a pilot, you did not have to be anything special with regards intelligence. It was then that the dream to be a pilot was born.
I did my PPL at Welshpool in Aug-Sept 1999. I did a 4 week intense course which was not enough time. I ended up being 3 hours short and had to go back to Welshpool for 2 days to finish it off in Oct 1999. I did my PPL in 45 hours.
In Jan 2000, I bought a share of a Cessna 150 G-BBKY for £1300 which was based at Barton and my idea was to tell as many people as poss that I was looking for anyone interested in flying to come with me and share the cost. I use to get billed £35 a month even if I did not fly it and then get charged £35 an hour to fly it. I use to take people up for an hour, show them how to fly it and let them have a go at the controls. I would ask them for half the cost. I was happy as I was getting hours in my log book and they were having an hour’s flying cheap.
I sold my share of this plane in August 2008 for £1600 and had logged 400 hours in it in 6 years
Welcome to the G-BBKY web site
Gallery
I did this for the next 5 years helping me build the hours I needed for starting my CPL course. Your need 150 hours total before you can start a CPL course.
Also before you start a CPL course, you need to have passed 14 ATPL exams. To do this I started a correspondence course with Bristol Ground School. This correspondence course took me 3 years to complete as I was still working full time at Shell whilst I was doing it. It was very hard for me.
Welcome to Bristol.gs
Bristol.gs
Bristol.gs
Bristol.gs
ATP Forum - Powered by vBulletin
When I had passed all those exams, it was then Sept 2005.
I then did my 5 hour night rating course at Ravenair at Liverpool.
I then did my 28 hour CPL and 55 IR courses at Ravenair, Liverpool.
Ravenair Air Charter and Flying Training
Ravenair Flying Training
I then did an MCC course at The flight Centre at Wolverhampton.
The Flight Centre at Halfpenny Green : Private Pilot Training PPL : Commercial Pilot
That was it, all completed after 6 years of hard part time work, I had a Commercial Pilots Licence.
I then carried on as a refueller for Shell whilst I looked for a job.
It took 18 months to get a job and was in fact offered 2 at once. One with BMI Regional on their Embrear 145's and also one with Thomsonfly on their Boeing 737's. It was a no brainer.
I joined Thomsonfly as my first job aged 39, moduler and with only 440 hours.
You don’t need math’s to be a pilot, you just need determination and a will to make your own luck in this world.
http://www.pprune.org/3821823-post640.html
PM me if you like and you can give me a call
Rob
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Europe
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I've had Ds in Maths for the last three years in school and still fly, don't worry.
edit: It's not true that you have to be an ace in maths to be a good pilot. There is certain types of maths you need for flying, and I am sure you'll easily get into that, because it connects you to what you like to do. Most of the stuff in school isn't all that important.
edit: It's not true that you have to be an ace in maths to be a good pilot. There is certain types of maths you need for flying, and I am sure you'll easily get into that, because it connects you to what you like to do. Most of the stuff in school isn't all that important.
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Just a bit lower than the point where the falling angel meets the rising ape
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i dont know the difference between modular and integrated training
On the subject of OAA and their entry requirement: Well, good for them. Have you found anyone else that has the same requirement?
The journey stories on this site make for excellent reading. Some will say they represent the exception rather than the rule. Fair enough. But they do demonstrate what is possible if you put your mind to it.
Regards, and good luck.
p.s. as mentioned here already, if you convince yourself you can't do something, then that conviction will almost certainly bear fruit. Balance your desire with a bit of realism, but don't write things off before they're begun.
JR
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Stoke-on-Trent
Age: 38
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Levy - I think that this link could help you out. It has a guide to what you would do via the modular and integrated routes layed out and also has info on the different steps at the side.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Ipswich
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EGCC4284 Thats a great story!!
Exactly the kind i needed to give me hope!
I have the detirmination, and now i know its achievable im pretty confident!
So thaks for sharing!
Exactly the kind i needed to give me hope!
I have the detirmination, and now i know its achievable im pretty confident!
So thaks for sharing!
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Solihull
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Well im sorted then, driving vans for Sainsbury's Online
Good story that, shows exactly what can be done. Then again, does help when you have a job to fall back on i suppose!
Good story that, shows exactly what can be done. Then again, does help when you have a job to fall back on i suppose!
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Colorado
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Well said Rob. People need to see that it is possible to get there by hard work, taking the slow road without incurring large amounts of debt and buying type ratings etc.
Well done.
Well done.
