Thanks
 

Thank you ever so much for all the responses you have put on this thread. What people have said has been really supportive and it's good to know that I am not the only one in this situation.

Once again thanks.

:ok:

Now I am an old phart who went solo 52 years ago with the ATC in a glider at the age of 16 and then a Flying Scholarship (PPL) on Tiger Moths at 17 (which was the minimum age in those days). I went on to have a professional career in flying for 46 years and I am still using my PPL.

Not one of the preceeding posters on this thread has made any mention of the most important factor above anything in your future planning - your health.

There is absolutely no point in making huge plans for your flying future if you are not going to make the medical standards required.

I put my eldest son through a complete Class One medical when he was 14. I did that because I did not want him to get the professional flying bug when he was 18 or so and then discover that he could not meet the medical standards required. That would have pricked his bubble really badly. It turned out that he had a weak left eye and the highest expert in the land told us that he could realistically aim for a PPL only.

My next son was absolutely fine and went solo at 16, PPL at 17 and almost had his 737 rating before his 20th birthday.

So, get your ar*e down to a proper AME and have a very thorough Class One medical before you get your hopes up too high. It will be money well spent.

Once you have a Class One, the rest of the world is your oyster.

I have had a long and wonderful flying career and I wish you the same.

Good Luck,

JW411

Medical Standards Vary
 

If you do turn up some medical problem, run it through the Medical forum. In Canada I know of one person who earned his Commercial License even though he lost an eye in childhood.

Speaking up for the USA
 

You have outstanding advise here, medical, school, planning, Canada spoke up that training is cost effective(cheaper). No one from the USA yet so just to say if you get into gliders and get sometime logged I know that at least one Professional pilot from the UK at Oshkosh this year told the EAA members that she came here to get her private and commercial for the cost savings. There are a large number of pilot instructional colleges and there are scholarships, EAA (experimental aircraft association) has tuition and youth flying camps. Like the exchange students we housed in school in yesteryear I will bet there are opportunities to come fly the USA. Blue skies. Pete Z
P.S. EAA is International, there is no chapter in the UK, I can't believe it, but you could start one. As a EAA Chapter a member pilot who gives a Young Eagle,(youth 8-17) a ride in the members plane, the new Young Eagle gets both her/his name in the worlds' largest log book, and access to Sporty's Flight Instruction School's online PPL training course....a really good deal, I paid for mine. Check out; Neal Spooner, Colchester, Essex, UK He flies aerobatics behind a VW, he is part of our builders web group. Cheers again. Pete