Deep Sea Diver - Airline Pilot

[bubble0seven]

I know I know it looks as if i choose my careers based on how they look, i asure you i dont, I change the subject when my current job is brought up...

It appears to be the same as flying, I pay for all my own quailifications, styaing in bed and breakfasts 350 days out of the year - am never home, have to fight for jobs when you start... beleive me i have been there I have to be honest I have had to work through out deep dark africa, the middle east ( guys taking pot shots at you in the water ) and worse in the gulf of mexico with the american divers.... I can take the ****... I've done it once already and am now the boss offshore.... but its cold, its wet and its full of numpties, the money is good now, but i remember diving in efluent for £80 a day to get a start with a company....

I am now here, I need a change, i am not scared and i have read all the posts regarding how crap hard and expensive this game is and yet I still post....

In short I in a modular way what is the best ( in terms of quality of training ) shortest na dcheapest way to become a professional and skilles pilot?

I have a romantic pull to career flight instructor as I really enjoy developing young baby divers currently and am sure that would traverse into life as a FI... although if attainable I would love to fly - as would everyone else - airlines or at least private Jets - they thrill the little boy in me. I love to fly, have jumped out of plenty of cessnas, and been to dark places in africa to dive for dimaonds in some rickety old bangers from russia i think....

Please some inside advice to circumvent un necersary expense and time wasting would be really well appreciated...

In terms of steps is this the right order? PPL - IR - Night - Instructor - Comm - ME - Jets?

Then the point i picked up in a previous thread - IR and Night before instructor ( in terms of currency ) or will that enable me to teach IR and night sooner??

Sorry to be repetitive - but I ahev been stung by the sales spin on diving courses before!

With a view to gain the magic 1000 as a FI? Can you freelance - ie can I take 10-15 days divig work a month to pay the bills this meaning i am not worried about the money as a FI

I live in south east england 3 mins from shoreham to be honest... and plan to continue working as a dive superintendant to fund this unlavish and very ungreen pasture I pursue...

I am braced for the backlash but thank you in advnace for any really golden nuggets of info and guidance that will help me realise my dream.

Yours

Bubble0seven

[jarvis123]

I think pro diving and flying are quite similar in many ways. Except with flying you are more likely to one day (maybe) get a job where you are home almost every night.

With regards to instructing, I still think it is a good step after the PPL. You have the advantage of another string to your bow in that, to a certain degree you can subsidise your instructor's wage with occasional trips offshore.

But it can be a slog to the airlines...but I guess you are use to that. (And use to sharing confined pressurised spaces with other people).

[Re-Heat]

Get a Class 1 medical first. The CAA might be interested in your background, which with deep diving may have caused some brain lesions...once you are over that hurdle however, you seem to have a pretty good idea of what you need to do.

[AlphaMale]

First of all if you live only 3 minutes from a school like Shoreham I’d pop in for a cuppa and a chat with some of the instructors and current students.

As for the steps to getting to a jet;

Class 1 Medical
PPL
Night
Hour Building (100hrs PIC / 150 Total)
Study for your ATPL exams (14 exams)
CPL
Multi Engine IR
MCC

By the time you finish your MCC you’ll have 200+hrs and a fATPL.

If however you want to go via the instructor route and you want to get paid you’ll need to get the FI ticket after your CPL. However you’ll need 200 hours flight time with at least 100 hours PIC before getting on an FI course.

So your plan may change to this;

Class 1 Medical
PPL
Night
IMC
Hour Building (100hrs PIC / 150 Total)
Study for your ATPL exams (14 exams)
CPL
Hour Building to at least (100hrs PIC / 200hrs Total)
FI

Build up hours while instructing

Multi Engine IR
MCC

You must complete your CPL and IR within 36 months of finishing your last ATPL exam.

[HappyFran]

Only problem with mixing diving and flying is decompression. I am sure you will know the details; I think it is 24 -48 hours after 2 dives before flying.
So will need a bit of planning to do both regularly
Shoreham has a good reputation, though never been there personaly

[chris-squire]

If you dive to over 30ft then you are advised to wait at least 24hours before flying. Going from one extreme to the other in any less time would be very dangerous.

(Thanks to Happy Frans PPL Confuser!)

CS

[jarvis123]

Only problem with mixing diving and flying is decompression

Yep, sorry, I rather stupidly forgot about that

[Ja-Rusinga]

bubble0

First, have some respect for the dive-sites all over the world. That goes with the so called "rickety...." I drive B777 and got thru school by diving "in dark Africa". Wrong attitude about places from day on. There are much better dive sites in "dark Africa" than anywhere in Shorenham!! I went to RN dive school!