What career options are open for a pilot?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Sheffield, UK
Age: 37
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What career options are open for a pilot?
So, I’ll just set the scene a little:
I’ve wanted to be a pilot my entire life (haven’t we all?), but so far I haven’t done anything about it besides dreaming, playing flight-sims and taking the odd ‘trial flight’ given as a gift.
While I’d no doubt love to be an airline pilot, I’m already 22 which I’ve heard in the past could be a bit too late to get started. However, that might not be such a problem. I have no requirements on what class of plane I’d want to fly, I just want to be up in the air and make a career out of it.
I’ve just finished my last major year at university in the UK (on a course unrelated to flying), with only a dissertation project to complete next year, so I’m thinking this summer is the time to make a good go at it and start achieving my first license. I’m just not sure where to start looking, or what license to aim for.
Despite being a student, I’m not in any sort of debt and have enough cash for at least a PPL if I went for one of those first. I’m also aware of the Cabair-style courses which include PPLs as part of the training for an fATPL, so I didn’t want to just jump into a local flying school and block off other options by doing so, before asking any questions.
Becoming a flight instructor would certainly be something I’d be interested in, even though I’ve heard the income isn’t exactly fantastic; I’m not too bothered about that right now and just want to be gaining the experience and hours that might lead me somewhere else. It would be a great start anyway.
I guess what I’m asking is:
Thanks in advance for your help, I’m sure these sorts of questions get asked often but I did check the FAQ before posting and couldn’t see anything about the different career paths available.
*I do have a slight amateur interest in photography, so that could be perfect if such a career exists...
I’ve wanted to be a pilot my entire life (haven’t we all?), but so far I haven’t done anything about it besides dreaming, playing flight-sims and taking the odd ‘trial flight’ given as a gift.
While I’d no doubt love to be an airline pilot, I’m already 22 which I’ve heard in the past could be a bit too late to get started. However, that might not be such a problem. I have no requirements on what class of plane I’d want to fly, I just want to be up in the air and make a career out of it.
I’ve just finished my last major year at university in the UK (on a course unrelated to flying), with only a dissertation project to complete next year, so I’m thinking this summer is the time to make a good go at it and start achieving my first license. I’m just not sure where to start looking, or what license to aim for.
Despite being a student, I’m not in any sort of debt and have enough cash for at least a PPL if I went for one of those first. I’m also aware of the Cabair-style courses which include PPLs as part of the training for an fATPL, so I didn’t want to just jump into a local flying school and block off other options by doing so, before asking any questions.
Becoming a flight instructor would certainly be something I’d be interested in, even though I’ve heard the income isn’t exactly fantastic; I’m not too bothered about that right now and just want to be gaining the experience and hours that might lead me somewhere else. It would be a great start anyway.
I guess what I’m asking is:
- What sub-careers are there for a pilot? (i.e. flight instructor, airline pilot, aerial-photography*? Etc.)
- What sort of training should I be looking at? (i.e. go straight for a PPL, or something else if I was planning to be an instructor straight after my training?)
Thanks in advance for your help, I’m sure these sorts of questions get asked often but I did check the FAQ before posting and couldn’t see anything about the different career paths available.
*I do have a slight amateur interest in photography, so that could be perfect if such a career exists...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Sheffield, UK
Age: 37
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
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After browsing around for a bit and reading this thread, it appears that the general consensus is to not go anywhere near an fATPL course at the moment, due to the down turn. A few people seem to be suggesting that just gaining a PPL and having fun for a few years is the best thing to do, so I guess I better start looking for a decent nearby flight school...
If anyone has any tips on how to decide which school would be the best for me I'll be happy to hear them!
Cheers,
Dan
If anyone has any tips on how to decide which school would be the best for me I'll be happy to hear them!
Cheers,
Dan