So this is what you get for £40k
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: North by North West
Posts: 141
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So this is what you get for £40k
I have just finished the training necessary for getting a CPL/IR and have calculated that the actual cost was about a tenner under £40k. For this I did PPL in America, 100hours P1 in the UK, IMC rating, JAR ATPLs at PPSC, CPL and IR at Leeds Flying School plus Instructors rating with night and applied instruments. Plus of course licence issue and medicals. This is approximately 30% more than I initially thought, but given that it has taken me over four years, it doesn't seem so bad.
I have earned £4k as a flying instructor (before expenses) and had a great time. The real cost of course is loss of earnings (estimated at twice the cost of the cash I handed over for training etc). So will I get a job as a profesional pilot?
Yes...eventually. I am 42 next month, young family etc...and I really believe that long term there are jobs out there for wannabe pilots. Short term, I am not so sure. Even getting an instructing job this year has been impossible.
Would I do it all again knowing what I know now? Yes...but I would have started younger and aimed initially to be an instructor...leaving IR etc for when the market was bouyant.
Still thinking about whether to do an MCC (no cash at the moment).
Don't let my experiences put people off nor encourage you to remortagage your house. What I have done is right for me and I do not regret it...but I have seen a lot of enthusiatstic wannabes fall by the wayside over the last four years of posting on PPRUNE.
p.s. I didn't mention, total time now 650 hours and looking for a flying job (of almost any description) if anybody knows of one!
I have earned £4k as a flying instructor (before expenses) and had a great time. The real cost of course is loss of earnings (estimated at twice the cost of the cash I handed over for training etc). So will I get a job as a profesional pilot?
Yes...eventually. I am 42 next month, young family etc...and I really believe that long term there are jobs out there for wannabe pilots. Short term, I am not so sure. Even getting an instructing job this year has been impossible.
Would I do it all again knowing what I know now? Yes...but I would have started younger and aimed initially to be an instructor...leaving IR etc for when the market was bouyant.
Still thinking about whether to do an MCC (no cash at the moment).
Don't let my experiences put people off nor encourage you to remortagage your house. What I have done is right for me and I do not regret it...but I have seen a lot of enthusiatstic wannabes fall by the wayside over the last four years of posting on PPRUNE.
p.s. I didn't mention, total time now 650 hours and looking for a flying job (of almost any description) if anybody knows of one!
Guest
Posts: n/a
Congrats Aces,
Believe it or not and considering the oldie wannabe threads or yore (I am virtually 36), you are an inspiration. Better let us know when you get the first RHS job. However, you're 'only' 50 hours short of insureance nivana (or so other threads would have me believe) - 700hrs min for air taxi work. Are you thinking of that?
Me? Well I am still struggling to get compatible wx to get the nav stuffcomplete in my final 15 hrs of PPL training.
Longer term I have to agree with your thoughts about the IR. So far, your idea is in my game plan: MCC and IR when the market looks good.
Best of luck!
Believe it or not and considering the oldie wannabe threads or yore (I am virtually 36), you are an inspiration. Better let us know when you get the first RHS job. However, you're 'only' 50 hours short of insureance nivana (or so other threads would have me believe) - 700hrs min for air taxi work. Are you thinking of that?
Me? Well I am still struggling to get compatible wx to get the nav stuffcomplete in my final 15 hrs of PPL training.
Longer term I have to agree with your thoughts about the IR. So far, your idea is in my game plan: MCC and IR when the market looks good.
Best of luck!
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: UK
Posts: 272
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I stand to be corrected, but do you not have to take the IR test within 3 years of completing your first ATPL exam? I would have thought this would limit how long you could wait for the market to start looking better before doing the IR.
DIRECTOR
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: U.K.
Posts: 664
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Aces Low At age 42 I would have thought a job in the long term was not a good option!!
I have to say if I was an Employer you would probably be the last person I would look at as by the time you are ready for command you might be 'over the hill'
I have to say if I was an Employer you would probably be the last person I would look at as by the time you are ready for command you might be 'over the hill'
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Somerset England
Age: 62
Posts: 349
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well here it is for what it's worth.
Reckon mine cost the best part of £55,000 including the £15,000 or so lost with SFT going down the pan.
Aces Low I'm 41 got the MCC and getting closer to that rhs all the time and certainly hope gypsy is wrong on the age issue.Keep the old ear to the ground and get out there instructing again, am lucky with my instructing job, work should pick up now the weather's getting better.
Reckon we both have over 20 years of work in us, plenty of time to get to the lhs !!!
Still love every minute of it and yes would do it again, although my wife might have a word or two to say against it.
See you up there
FF
Reckon mine cost the best part of £55,000 including the £15,000 or so lost with SFT going down the pan.
Aces Low I'm 41 got the MCC and getting closer to that rhs all the time and certainly hope gypsy is wrong on the age issue.Keep the old ear to the ground and get out there instructing again, am lucky with my instructing job, work should pick up now the weather's getting better.
Reckon we both have over 20 years of work in us, plenty of time to get to the lhs !!!
Still love every minute of it and yes would do it again, although my wife might have a word or two to say against it.
See you up there
FF
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: uk
Posts: 524
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
No offfence to anyone, and I don't mean to "dampen" things out here but the maximum age for application into an airline, is 45? I suppose there is a good point and a bad point to this. Good point is you still have 3 years of job searching to do. Bad point is....you only have 3 years. 
I wishyou the best of luck however in the job search.
I wishyou the best of luck however in the job search.
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Asia
Posts: 135
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
you're 'only' 50 hours short of insureance nivana (or so other threads would have me believe) - 700hrs min for air taxi work.
aces low, well done and the very best of luck
Flying Farmer, age is no barrier, you are right, every day you are getting closer to the rhs.
Good luck guys
Guest
Posts: n/a
Aces Low At age 42 I would have thought a job in the long term was not a good option!!
Your attitude determines your altitude
Speaks true of just about anything you care to mention when talking about things vertical though.
High Wing Drifter, this is a JAR restriction, the reason I know is that I have done my single pilot AOC work and we had to get exemption for the pilots who had under the 700 TT while we moved to JAR OPS.
Join Date: Dec 1997
Location: Suffolk UK
Posts: 4,927
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Each airline sets its own maximum age limit for each individual recruiting drive. My own airline's limit is usually 57 (but you need over 3000 hours, mostly on multi-jets). I can't remember reading of any UK airline limiting applicants to age 45, but I may have missed one. BA used to limit to 39, but that was raised to 48 a few years ago. The point is, there's no overall industry limit (and even where you exceed the limit - slightly - you may be in with a chance).
Scroggs
Virgin/Wannabes Moderator
[email protected]
Scroggs
Virgin/Wannabes Moderator
[email protected]
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: ex EGNM, now NZRO
Posts: 551
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
At last a geriatric thread!
Good on ya guys. Me, 40 this October, just won a scholarship for part of my PPL, looking at doing the CPL exams and getting the hours in, so by 42 I might be getting close. Feel that things are just starting to happen after the earlier (read years ago) rejections. E.g. I was 28 when the BA scholarship was around (you had to be 25) - they raised it to 32, I was 35! Still got a letter from Cathay stating they would reconsider me once I got my ATPL (is 12 years a bit late!)
PS was on the Emirates site. They accept up to 48 (I think) but they want type ratings and lots of multi jet time.
PS was on the Emirates site. They accept up to 48 (I think) but they want type ratings and lots of multi jet time.
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 870
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Aces Low
Reckon you got a steal at £40K for all the stuff on your licence now - do you need anyone to carry it?
My fATPL cost £48K 2 years ago (go on, I'll give you 3 guesses where you had to go to pay that - hint: they all wear masks, ride black horses and have this really neat catchphrase!). I'm a mere young'un at 32, but age counts for ****** all when you don't have experience.
Wish I had 650 hrs.
Best of luck, WD
Reckon you got a steal at £40K for all the stuff on your licence now - do you need anyone to carry it?
My fATPL cost £48K 2 years ago (go on, I'll give you 3 guesses where you had to go to pay that - hint: they all wear masks, ride black horses and have this really neat catchphrase!). I'm a mere young'un at 32, but age counts for ****** all when you don't have experience.
Wish I had 650 hrs.
Best of luck, WD
PPRuNe Knight in Shining Armour
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Everywhere in the UK, but not home!
Posts: 503
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nice to hear how you're getting on Aces.
Me, I'm CPL/IR (fATPL) with MCC (37 year old), and I'm four fifths through a FI Course.
Probably cost me £40-£45,000, (daren't add it up), and I'm still looking for that elusive job.
Boy-o-boy there are a lot of us out there!!
Keep flying people, and hope!!!
Snigs
P.S. Don't worry about the MCC, it's not worth the paper it's written on. Note that most adverts now don't mention it. The airlines will do their own multi crew training during the type rating. Save your money!
Me, I'm CPL/IR (fATPL) with MCC (37 year old), and I'm four fifths through a FI Course.
Probably cost me £40-£45,000, (daren't add it up), and I'm still looking for that elusive job.
Boy-o-boy there are a lot of us out there!!
Keep flying people, and hope!!!
Snigs
P.S. Don't worry about the MCC, it's not worth the paper it's written on. Note that most adverts now don't mention it. The airlines will do their own multi crew training during the type rating. Save your money!
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Portsmouth, UK
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have to agree with Snigs about the MCC.
I did it at one of the major uk schools straight after passing my IR and didn't think much of it at all. I can think of a lot of better ways to blow three grand in the space of two weeks!
My advice would be to only do it if you get a firm job offer from a company, and they tell you that you need it.
All the best from Joe Bolt (38).
I did it at one of the major uk schools straight after passing my IR and didn't think much of it at all. I can think of a lot of better ways to blow three grand in the space of two weeks!
My advice would be to only do it if you get a firm job offer from a company, and they tell you that you need it.
All the best from Joe Bolt (38).
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: europe
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
never give up if you want it......I was 38 before I even started. 44 before I got any sort of paid flying work at all. You name most awful jobs, single crew in dodgy piston twins etc I've done it. I'm now over 50......lhs for the past 3yrs in a shiny bizjet............I pinch myself sometimes. Of course it could all come to an end tomorrow, there are no certainties in this game, but I like it. 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: south West UK
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Don't Give up
I got my first proper flying job at 43 I'm now 46 and have just moved on to King Airs . I was 30 when I got a PPL and had no intentions of becoming a professional pilot . Having been made redundant about 10 years ago I had time to think about my future . To cut a long story short I took the slow route as I only had 300hrs at the time I could only get a BCPL and an Instructor Rating so I duly started work as an AFI . Then the CAA/JAA started moving the goalposts about a bit so I bit the bullet and upgraded to a CPL and did the ATPL exams just in case . At this point I still had no intentions of doing anything other than instructing. By 1998 I had cleared all my loans , so I took out another to get an IR . The last school I worked for closed at the end of October 2000 and I was considering giving up flying when 1 phone call changed everything . After two years or so flying piston twins I now have a command on King Airs with nearly 4000hrs in my logbook . Like the Lottery you have got to be in it to win it , stay with it you never no what tomorrow might bring .
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: asia
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
after 8 years of hard flying and eating dog food and having a miserable life to save money to fly, I got a job on a light turboprop.Fired like most of us after a while, I am considering now to fly for a corporate.
if it worths? no!!! I would give up if I knew it was so hard and do something else. so give up before to lose a life.Why I continue? I have been to far.
if it worths? no!!! I would give up if I knew it was so hard and do something else. so give up before to lose a life.Why I continue? I have been to far.
Guest
Posts: n/a
This obsession with youth amazes me. I'm still on right side of 30 aby a year or so. If my co students are anything to go by the over 30s were all top of the class bar none.
Ryanair didnt touch any of them, why?
My local FI tells me he knows of people he'd trained over the last ten years who've found their first jobs in their late forties.
I'm sure when it comes down to it you've either got it or not regardless of age.
Ryanair didnt touch any of them, why?
My local FI tells me he knows of people he'd trained over the last ten years who've found their first jobs in their late forties.
I'm sure when it comes down to it you've either got it or not regardless of age.
