British Airways Future Pilot Programme.
Join Date: Nov 1999
Posts: 2,312
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Alex_95
No, you will train on light aircraft. Although you will likely get some limited exposure to airliner simulators, it is designed to give you a perspective of where your training is leading, and to provide additional motivation. Once you have completed the basic training (16 months or so,) the Jet orientation and airline preparation training will make wider use of these simulators. However the purpose is to introduce you further into the practical CRM aspects of airline flying, as well as providing a preparation into the common aspects of airline type training. It really doesn't matter a great deal which type you do this training on, since the broader importance and emphasis is common.
Type training is at the advanced stage. This is the point at which you are about to start work with the airline. At this point everything you have previously learned is intensified, sharpened, and honed towards the specific aircraft you are going to fly. During your career it is very likely you will switch between different types of aircraft. Whatever the differences, your basic training and the experience you have amassed along the way should make the transition a reasonably painless affair.
How is it decided if you will fly Boeings or Airbus's? Do certain flight schools train for Boeing or Airbus only? Does this give one of the schools an advantage? Is it better in BA to fly Boeing or Airbus? Does one have a better future? Many thanks
Good luck!
Good luck!
Type training is at the advanced stage. This is the point at which you are about to start work with the airline. At this point everything you have previously learned is intensified, sharpened, and honed towards the specific aircraft you are going to fly. During your career it is very likely you will switch between different types of aircraft. Whatever the differences, your basic training and the experience you have amassed along the way should make the transition a reasonably painless affair.
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: York
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"Morning everyone, applications will be opening very soon on the website.. It's great to see you so keen to get your applications in to us! Don't forget the window is open until November 26th".
...say CTC. Looks like quite a few people were around at 00:01.
...say CTC. Looks like quite a few people were around at 00:01.
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: uk
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
entry requirements
hey future piots, jus a quick question, i don have the entry criteria set out by BA. which are 3 A'Levels BBC or above or a degree. does this mean im gonna be knocked off in the firt screening proess.
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Over the moon
Age: 33
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nothing on bafpp website, still "no longer accepting applications" trying to apply through OAA which automatically directs to bafpp.
I did not accept the first hurdle in this process to overcome to come so soon.
I did not accept the first hurdle in this process to overcome to come so soon.
It'll open up soon enough.
Good luck!
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Oxford
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Applications for the FPP through the OAA website (top link) are open now! Is anyone else finding the application quite slow (I imagine it's because of the huge number of people trying to apply)? Just want to make sure it's not my internet.
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: York
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Has anyone been able to add their qualifications yet?
I am stuck. I've added my degree, the type and the grade. I click submit and I get an error message saying add the dates?! There is no box to add the dates? I don't believe I'm being that stupid...It's taken me 5 hours to get to this stage.
I am stuck. I've added my degree, the type and the grade. I click submit and I get an error message saying add the dates?! There is no box to add the dates? I don't believe I'm being that stupid...It's taken me 5 hours to get to this stage.
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
David Paul - everyone has their right to a different opinion, but I believe it deeply unprofessional of you to have written what you did write on this thread behind a pseudonym. I'm glad I don't fly with people like you every day, and it is perhaps worth reminding yourself that as the FO, you are the 2i/c and responsible for motivating the crew and teams around the aircraft every day. I hope your attitude to this is a great deal more positive than the impression you appear to give here.
If you want to leave to Emirates for a command in <5 years (as a handful have left BA), be aware of the grass seeming greener, and the reality of a non-seniority structure, and management who will fire you with no union representation should you fall afoul of management of make a mistake, the opposite of the no-blame culture promoted within BA. Good luck to you.
There's always a couple who slip through the net during recruitment.
The truth is that a few (minority of) BA pilots are very vocal on BALPA forums on various topics, but while pay rises have not met RPI since 2008, 99%+ feel extremely fortunate not to be in other European carriers with their contract / industrial / deep financial problems. To a [wo]man, everyone cherishes Bidline and the flexibility to work when they want to work. Beat that at Emirates or easyJet.
What a great motivator you must be. Present your arguments with balance. The truth being that all of CTC Wings and the majority of Oxford & Jerez will find a decent starter job with a lo-co, albeit at the cost of c.£110,000.
Yes, they exist. Undeniably. Again, balance is key. The top guys on the courses who perform are all in paid employment with airlines. The stragglers never had a chance and were conned.
First two are fine, but your final point is awful. Are you that resentful of the skipper sitting beside you? You really need to grow up and move on - there will always be someone on a better deal than you. If you really resent the skipper, and are a demotivational 2i/c for the rest of the team around you, you are in real danger of ending up on the eternal FO list or worse...
There have always been the Delsey diners, who were too cheap to eat out even on Worldwide contracts - Bidline does care about you and your lifestyle as you are in control of it. Furthermore it, as appears, you are a PP2/3 FO on the Airbus, you won't have been working a huge amount on reserve lines when you first arrived, but were paid full time. If you want a command, bid for GSS or Openskies. If you want longhaul and more time at home, bid 787. If you just want to be a 777 skipper, well suck it up and wait your turn like the rest of us!
MF crew are a pleasure to work with in general - there are always those who are clueless and unrealistic as to where they are living. It's their choice to get a coach instead of s/by. Nobody forced them to live in Glasgow.
Again, you must be a miserable individual - this is completely the polar opposite of my experience. Maybe it is just you with the problem?
Good. Please leave and I'll progress up the seniority list. My suspicion that you have no patience in life is confirmed. If you want C777 in BA, then just wait your turn like the rest of us. If you want to be a 777 skipper with minimum rest turnarounds in Africa with an Emirati ex-cadet FO who doesn't have any airmanship skills, again, be my guest.
Perhaps you should have remained at easyJet and taken a command with them to get to another airline. On their terms. At a European base. Away from your family & friends.
I'll bide my time at BA thanks.
Doing a job you love to do is the best advice you can give to anyone. If you don't love your job, please resign and stop bed-blocking my command.
That is how a seniority system works. Perhaps you need to read about deferred gratification and the Stanford Marshmallow experiment on children and its determination of development? Delayed gratification - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The detailed letter simply works through the retirements so you could guess-timate a time to command - if you join a seniority structure in a 40 year career, an average 20 year to command is a logical outcome.
Did you perhaps not do your research before you joined BA, just as you chastise those self-sponsored in the FTOs?
Somewhat ironic eh?
Everyone else - good luck with the application!
If you want to leave to Emirates for a command in <5 years (as a handful have left BA), be aware of the grass seeming greener, and the reality of a non-seniority structure, and management who will fire you with no union representation should you fall afoul of management of make a mistake, the opposite of the no-blame culture promoted within BA. Good luck to you.
There's always a couple who slip through the net during recruitment.
What you dont hear is this: 'A lot of pilots in BA are very unhappy and hate the job / airline / lifestyle'
I once spent the whole day dissuading a member of crew from applying to this or any other scheme and to not follow a career in aviatipon. He left by saying thanks for ruining my dream.
I have also spent the day with guys who hove spent over £100k mortgaged their parents home and have very little to show for it, who claim that nobody ever warned them, I ask them whether they feel that they should have done more homework and should they shoulder some of the responsibility, they usually feel that the school led them into it...
Firstly you must look at incentives:
The schools need your money or they will go bust quite quickly
The airlines need cheap first officers
The union needs subs and newbies to pay the old guys their salaries
The schools need your money or they will go bust quite quickly
The airlines need cheap first officers
The union needs subs and newbies to pay the old guys their salaries
Nobody buy nobody cares about you or your lifestyle, you only need to look at BA mixed fleet cabin crew to see that. I often spend time with these guys too, and they are often crying, catching a coach to glasgow to go home to save £15 on the cost of a stby.
MF crew are a pleasure to work with in general - there are always those who are clueless and unrealistic as to where they are living. It's their choice to get a coach instead of s/by. Nobody forced them to live in Glasgow.
Most people become pilots and crew because they 'know instinctively' that thats what they need to do. This is not the case, it will wear off very quickly.
I do not currently know a single person I trained with who doesnt want to get out of flying.
I do not currently know a single person I trained with who doesnt want to get out of flying.
A great many people (myself included) are now considering joining Emirates, this is a last desperate attempt to earn enough monrey to have any kind of lifestyle and a big part of that is that there you may get command quite quickly and be able to move if you have to. As a first officer you are basically worthless in the industry, and only jet command time on something over 50T will really help.
Perhaps you should have remained at easyJet and taken a command with them to get to another airline. On their terms. At a European base. Away from your family & friends.
I'll bide my time at BA thanks.
The only time I recommend this path now is to those who are not particularly gifted academically and whose parents cant help them into a professional career, to these folks the £80 - £100k may be a wise investment in increasing future earnings above what was likely to have been achieved.
For those with any kind of ability whatsoever almost any other professional path would be better.
For those with any kind of ability whatsoever almost any other professional path would be better.
This path will lead to a poor lifestyle, low earnings and a very disrupted life in general. Please also consider that the older pilots in any airline will also want you to join as they recognise that you are needed to keep the show on the road to pay their salaries.
New entrant pilots into BA can expect that throughout their entire career (job is a better word) they will have low pay and very poor prospects for command.
The recent BALPA letter highlights how dire the promotional prospects are.
Make no mistake, you need to be a captain in todays aviation world and in that respect you are far far better off joining easyJet / Ryanair or a ME carrier. Though as I say the best bet is to stay flying as a PPL and forget becoming a commercial pilot.
The recent BALPA letter highlights how dire the promotional prospects are.
Make no mistake, you need to be a captain in todays aviation world and in that respect you are far far better off joining easyJet / Ryanair or a ME carrier. Though as I say the best bet is to stay flying as a PPL and forget becoming a commercial pilot.
Did you perhaps not do your research before you joined BA, just as you chastise those self-sponsored in the FTOs?
Somewhat ironic eh?
Everyone else - good luck with the application!
Last edited by Always learning; 12th Nov 2013 at 14:45.
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: UK
Age: 31
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Does anyone else keep getting logged off their application? It's so slow and I'm finding it so hard just to get through the basic details, is the application open to everyone now or is it closed? which might be why I'm getting logged off.
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: london
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think I will come back tomorrow. It's just too damn slow what with everyone only just finding out how to actually apply.
Had it opened when expected, the demand would have been more evenly spread.
Hey ho. There's plenty of time and no advantage whatsoever to getting your application in first.
Had it opened when expected, the demand would have been more evenly spread.
Hey ho. There's plenty of time and no advantage whatsoever to getting your application in first.
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: England
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes it seems to be very slow. Just finished doing my job history which took about 2 hours to do because of slow loading and I appear to have been logged out without it being saved, despite me clicking 'save'
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Aberdeenshire
Age: 34
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cannot enter my Degree
I cannot seem to enter my degree details into the page.
It keeps failing page validation saying I need to enter dates however I do not see any input for inserting dates.
Have I missed something??
Thanks.
It keeps failing page validation saying I need to enter dates however I do not see any input for inserting dates.
Have I missed something??
Thanks.
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: ""
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello everyone,
I remember that last year, OAA told us that candidates who had done the COMPASS in the previous 12 months could go directly to Stage 1 - Day 2 (interview and group exercise) if they obtained a "Full pass certificate" on the test.
I went through the FPP selections with OAA last year and made it to the final selections at Waterside. Do any of you know if people in my situation will be able to go directly to Stage 1 - Day 2 this year ?
Here is what I found on OAA's website: "Please note that those who have completed Skills Assessment at CAE Oxford Aviation Academy over the past 12 months will be required to complete the full selection process for BA FPP in order to be considered for the programme"
So I am guessing the answer to my question is "no" but I just wanted to check as I live very, very far away (international) and not having to go to Oxford for the COMPASS again would be a tremendous help.
Thank you.
I remember that last year, OAA told us that candidates who had done the COMPASS in the previous 12 months could go directly to Stage 1 - Day 2 (interview and group exercise) if they obtained a "Full pass certificate" on the test.
I went through the FPP selections with OAA last year and made it to the final selections at Waterside. Do any of you know if people in my situation will be able to go directly to Stage 1 - Day 2 this year ?
Here is what I found on OAA's website: "Please note that those who have completed Skills Assessment at CAE Oxford Aviation Academy over the past 12 months will be required to complete the full selection process for BA FPP in order to be considered for the programme"
So I am guessing the answer to my question is "no" but I just wanted to check as I live very, very far away (international) and not having to go to Oxford for the COMPASS again would be a tremendous help.
Thank you.