I DON'T want to be an airline pilot!!

[justcruising]

Ok i realise how much difficulty there is at the moment in getting in to the airline buisness, and as a result I have come to the conclusion that I would be quite happy flying small GA stuff. The salary and the rest of that doesn't bother me at all, I just want to fly and the more hands on the better.

I am currently half way through an Aerospace engineering degree, but really I'd rather be flying so am unsure as to whether to continue as it's really deadly boring.

Could anyone advise me on the likelyhood of gaining such employment after getting a CPL/ATPL, and do you really think its worth continuing with my degree to further my chances in this area. I've heard that some flying schools take you on as instructors after you graduate.. any ideas who?

Sorry for the fact that there's loads of questions here but I would also be interested to know if there's anyone in the same boat, at the PPL stage with no great plans for world domination and the suchlike!!

Thanks all,

Take it easy

[VFE]

Depends where you want to work.

In the UK you'll need at the very least a CPL and IR which is a pretty damn expensive outlay for the prospect of such small renumeration. You have to ask yourself whether it's worth the substantial outlay and hard work? You can get work doing air taxi stuff and instructing but unless you are very lucky you're not going to be earning enough to pay back the debt and survive on unless you've got other substantial incomes which brings into play your degree - you should finish it and see how you feel when you've left Uni.

VFE.

[MikeSamuel]

Wow, what a co-incidence, I come back to reading the Wannabes forums after about a two year gap and the first thread I read is a guy in exactly the same position as me!

I'm in year 2 of my Aerospace Eng. degree. All I want to do is fly, particularly on the GA side. I think it's a case of weighing up the investment side of things really...

Uni has cost approx £10k so far so it would be a bad idea to just give it up, especially as I do enjoy the lifestyle, even if the course content does bore me to death.

In terms of the flying side, I guess the options are a self-funded ATPL which I could no way do, or the very narrow chance of picking up a sponsorship of some kind, almost certainly requiring some kind of investment on my part also.

I suppose the result of the exams I'm currently in the middle of will be the decider; re-doing a year of Uni would be a painful experience.

Being a Uni drop-out might not look too good to a potential sponsor who is expecting you to go through the ATPL groundschool.

Take heart justcruising, you're not alone. Incidentally, where are you studying?

M

[lscajp]

justcruising

All I can suggest is carry on as one would hope your degree is more important to your ideal job/dream job/wish list (I don't know) than say a non-aviatation related degree.

If you can afford giving it all up (money wise) then OK. But, if you can't then.....I would stick at it. Maybe I am wrong. I have no idea. I'm just thinking "outside" the box.

C

[justcruising]

Thanks all and keep the ideas flowing...

Mike, I'm at southampton at the moment.. and yes, I'm in the middle of exams too, and I can see exactly what you mean about the outcome of these exams affecting where you go from now on!! I also know what you mean with being a Uni dropout not looking too good with sponsors but really.. would anyone actualy use what you've learn't in your course at all? I think it's much more likely that you'll use all the other skills you've learn't doing everything other than studying. It's annoying really cos I know i can get through this course.. I just find it seriously uninteresting as it is not practical in any way at all

Stick with it for the moment though buddy, we've gotta try and pass these exams!!!

[Leo45]

Guys, if I may suggest something... finish off your engineering degrees. At least it will provide a safety net, should things not work the way you hoped in your aviation career.

As for GA flying, suffice to read the Bizjet & GA forum to realize that GA flying can be the degree zero of aviation sometimes... Read threads like "weight and balance, you're having a laugh.." to enter this particular side of aviation with open eyes.

I can assure you that a substantial number of GA commercial pilots would give their blood to fly for a half decent airline. Believe me, I sometimes regret the days when I had the opportunity to work as an engineer for a leading aircraft manufacturer.

I wish you all the best. Just be aware that flying is what we love, of course, but it's not always fun...

[Send Clowns]

Hi Mike, your degree going OK then?

Get the damned thing done, you'll manage the ATPL, although it may mean a wait. As an engineering graduate, assuming you are in the right field, you should get a good job. At least you're not studying underwater basket weaving!

[MikeSamuel]

Hiya Clowns,

Long time! Yeah the degree is proving quite difficult at the moment as I'm doing everything at the last minute due to being a bit lazy in the last couple of months!

I have an exam tomorrow which could be a fail so that will mean coming back in the summer for re-takes etc. I don't mind doing that, but if I fail more than two (I think) I would have to look at re-doing the year.

That's a pretty daunting prospect as it's a 4 year course anyway, and it could end up being a very long time before I finish it!

I guess it's just going to be a case of getting on with it!

Finish PPL this summer with luck, need to get back flying!

[Genghis the Engineer]

I'm a Southampton graduate in aerospace engineering. And, when allowed out for good behaviour, I do flying for a living as well as engineering.

There are jobs that want both - they are few and far between, and largely all oddball, but they do exist. I know this because I've got one and know several other engineering graduates in similar roles. Most of us work in GA, it's the only sector of aviation that this is really still possible.

Also, aeronautical engineering is very interesting, demanding, and often damned good fun. Studying aeronautical engineering is however a very hard slog - but thankfully you only have to do it once.

So I'm not talking you out of either an engineering or flying career - but I am saying is don't drop out now. You are in the middle of the hardest, least pleasant thing that you'll ever do - after you've graduated it does keep getting much better (I've just finished a PhD in my spare time, which was an incredibly hard slog, but even my PhD viva was a walk in the park compared to Southampton's end of 2nd year exams).

Finally, in my experience, the best and most exciting engineering jobs go to people who also know a lot about flying. So there is no need to only be an Engineer, honourable calling though it is.

And, incidentally, the only bit of that degree that I've never used professionally was 2nd year maths.

G

[JamesTigris]

Hey Guys

I'm also at Southampton Uni and evidently one of many right in the midst of a technical degree that I'm only doing "because flying is no career to base a living on right now unless you're qualified" kind of reasons.

I'm keeping as close to aviation as possible, ops work over the summer, reading FI and all the traditional wannabe activities.

I've known guys take on the aditional commercial pilot loan on top of crippling University debt and I think its insanely risky considering the employment prospects (White Van Man?!). I have personal experience of just how raw a deal it is to be a PPL instructor cosidering all the training you've managed to suceed at!

I'm madly in love with flying and will be doing the whold CTC thing next year, but it seems like a pretty bad case of poor timing to be a wannabe. Anyone got any more uplifting Uni flying stories?

And like the original poster, I'd love to do humanitarian aid flying or something other than the airlines. Fixed or rotary wing....

[Oggin Aviator]

Ever thought of joining the UAS? Southampton has a half decent one (not as good as Liverpool of course but hey the flying's free!)

p.s. my mates dad is or was one of the Prof's in Soton Aero Eng department and he is a top bloke.

Oggin

[GRANTS]

I know a few very happy people that hold other jobs and do flight instructing for fun as well as traffic radio flights and sruff.
take your time, finish your degree, get a nice job, do the modular while working and enjoy aviation without the stress.

Grants

[justcruising]

Thanks all

Thanks everyone for your advice.. its really great to hear what people think, both those in a similar position to me and those who have been here before. Hopefully I am not the only one to be benefiting from this advice so if you still feel you want to add you twopence worth then go ahead!!

Take it easy

[Flying Rasta]

Hello Gents/Gayls..

Funny, how things seem to go in a circle.. at one point one may think that the problem at hand is completely unique... but when you come on to pprune you realise its not so.

I just graduated from Lufbra with AeroEng under my belt (2003) and have taken a year out from the rat race.. i got a bog standard PPL from EGNX, .. and at the mo find it quite difficult even to do an hour a month. Iused to pay £70ph (hire) at EGNX and pay £140ph at EGTB, along with a £121 annual membership...

Bloody awful man,..anyone else fly from EGTB?

[offspring]

As a long in the tooth GA pilot I would suggest you avoid GA if you can.

Finish your degree.

With this in the bag, if you still want to fly, your degree will open doors on airline sponsorship courses eg, BA, First Choice. BMI ect.

You could always try the RAF. They like degrees in flight crew too.

[Martin1234]

If you want hands on and really do the flying yourself helicopters are much more of that. On a side note, if you just as easily as possible want to get into the flying business then please disregard this post.

[Farrell]

"At least you're not studying underwater basket weaving!"

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Hey! I make a good living out of that here in France!