OK So who's step is faltering??
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Desk-pilot,
Yes, as you know!
Am replying to your post to kick start this a little. My view is that it is just impossible to call most employment markets, especially aviation.
There are convincing arguments either way. Whilst BA shed jobs, there is no doubt the Euro low cost operators are eating into their routes, so arguably, BA's loss is easyJet's (plus others) gain. This is only an example, but it highlights one possible development - many agree that there will be an overall expansion of air traffic, although the market may continue to fragment with carriers becoming more and more route/price specific. The impact on this development for employment depends upon where you stand. Overall, the logic would state that there will be a need for more pilots overall, but individual carriers may well need to trim heads to exploit their increasingly niche markets.
As to what it may mean for low time newly qualified's, who knows? I'm an economist by training but not by profession so am happy to be shot down in flames over this theory.
Reading it back, I'm not even sure if I've given any sort of answer.
sydneyc
Yes, as you know!
Am replying to your post to kick start this a little. My view is that it is just impossible to call most employment markets, especially aviation.
There are convincing arguments either way. Whilst BA shed jobs, there is no doubt the Euro low cost operators are eating into their routes, so arguably, BA's loss is easyJet's (plus others) gain. This is only an example, but it highlights one possible development - many agree that there will be an overall expansion of air traffic, although the market may continue to fragment with carriers becoming more and more route/price specific. The impact on this development for employment depends upon where you stand. Overall, the logic would state that there will be a need for more pilots overall, but individual carriers may well need to trim heads to exploit their increasingly niche markets.
As to what it may mean for low time newly qualified's, who knows? I'm an economist by training but not by profession so am happy to be shot down in flames over this theory.
Reading it back, I'm not even sure if I've given any sort of answer.
sydneyc
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You and everybody else!
Either do it or don't do it, but you won't do yourself and favours by hovering in the 'pain zone'!
If you really want it, I don't need to tell you what to do. Dive in and ask questions later.
Good luck Sir.
Nish (With lots of debt, but happy!)
Either do it or don't do it, but you won't do yourself and favours by hovering in the 'pain zone'!
If you really want it, I don't need to tell you what to do. Dive in and ask questions later.
Good luck Sir.
Nish (With lots of debt, but happy!)
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Thanks for the replies guys - I'm almost certainly going to confirm my SFT place in the next week or so - it is after all the only job I have ever wanted to do and I certainly don't want to spend the rest of my working life not enjoying my career as I have the past 10 years.
I suppose it's only natural to have a moments trepidation when about to take the plunge and I have a number of personal issues which are proving difficult to sort out at present.
Desk-pilot - on the hold for departure...
I suppose it's only natural to have a moments trepidation when about to take the plunge and I have a number of personal issues which are proving difficult to sort out at present.
Desk-pilot - on the hold for departure...
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People really think about this. The more I read, the more I think many people have a romantic view of flying. This is a business like any other and is prone to economic factors. In fact more so than many - aviation is a service industry and severely cyclical.
Great, go chase your dream, after all you've only one life etc, but for God's sake don't go careering into something with your head stuck in the sand with regards to post-training opp's.
Desk Pilot has posted an interesting subject and Rich Tea seems to agree. It would be good to gather some more educated and realistic opinions rather than this constant "chase dreams at all costs" theme.
Great, go chase your dream, after all you've only one life etc, but for God's sake don't go careering into something with your head stuck in the sand with regards to post-training opp's.
Desk Pilot has posted an interesting subject and Rich Tea seems to agree. It would be good to gather some more educated and realistic opinions rather than this constant "chase dreams at all costs" theme.
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Deskpilot, from your last post:
it seems as though you do have another skill to fall back on should the worst happen. Personally, I think this is vital and there are still too many people out there selling their soul at HSBC for a career in the clouds.
There's been much written about the current economic climate and I'm certainly the first to admit that I'm no expert; but simply from my own experience (currently redundant, albeit voluntarily) I know there's no assurance in anything.
Flying is seen as a romantic career and that's a view that's not going away soon. The harsh reality is that there are real, commercial, money-making corporations out there who's first line of cutbacks is the workforce. It's encouraging to see BA has specifically not cut back from the flight crew, but one can one speculate at how much longer they can justify 56000 worldwide employees in these hard times. (Incidentally, what's the percentage of those that are flight crew... I've heard about 3000, so that's about 5%..?)
Having said all that, I'm about to head off to Jerez to start an ab-initio course with BAe. I've had 8 years in the IT industry, my own house for 6 years (no prizes for guessing where the funding's coming from!) and a very supportive family. Who knows what state the airline industry will be in at the end of '02, but I'd like to think I'm well prepared for the worst... obviously I'm hoping it won't come to that and I'm gonna work damn hard to make sure it doesn't, but I'm under no illusions of "falling into" a right-hand seat in 15 months' time.
Just my 2¢ worth...
not enjoying my career as I have the past 10 years
There's been much written about the current economic climate and I'm certainly the first to admit that I'm no expert; but simply from my own experience (currently redundant, albeit voluntarily) I know there's no assurance in anything.
Flying is seen as a romantic career and that's a view that's not going away soon. The harsh reality is that there are real, commercial, money-making corporations out there who's first line of cutbacks is the workforce. It's encouraging to see BA has specifically not cut back from the flight crew, but one can one speculate at how much longer they can justify 56000 worldwide employees in these hard times. (Incidentally, what's the percentage of those that are flight crew... I've heard about 3000, so that's about 5%..?)
Having said all that, I'm about to head off to Jerez to start an ab-initio course with BAe. I've had 8 years in the IT industry, my own house for 6 years (no prizes for guessing where the funding's coming from!) and a very supportive family. Who knows what state the airline industry will be in at the end of '02, but I'd like to think I'm well prepared for the worst... obviously I'm hoping it won't come to that and I'm gonna work damn hard to make sure it doesn't, but I'm under no illusions of "falling into" a right-hand seat in 15 months' time.
Just my 2¢ worth...
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This is turning into a very interesting thread - it is fascinating to get a feel for how others are approaching this.
I agree wholeheartedly it is reassuring to have another skill to fall back on should the whole thing go belly up - in my case IT and Project Management, I'm just not sure how favourably exercising that option after a few months unemployment would be seen by prospective pilot recruiters. I also suspect the disappointment of having to re-enter 'civvy street' would be a bit much to take. Personally I'd rather try to eek out a living as a flying instructor I think for a year or so after my course. If I'm still not getting anywhere then I think I'd try and get a job as an IT contractor to pay off all the debt!
I am pretty certain however that as a Graduate of an intensive flying course you are at your most marketable in the first few/6 months after Graduation when your skills are still highly tuned. The only way to maintain that level of currency is to get a flying job of one sort or another.
If you accept the argument above then timing your exit from college to coincide with the next upswing in the market affords you the best chance of being hired.
However domestic considerations also influence the decision such as age/future plans on kids etc.
Desk pilot
TOWER "Desk-pilot 903 will you move off the God-dammed hold and line up for 27L?"
I agree wholeheartedly it is reassuring to have another skill to fall back on should the whole thing go belly up - in my case IT and Project Management, I'm just not sure how favourably exercising that option after a few months unemployment would be seen by prospective pilot recruiters. I also suspect the disappointment of having to re-enter 'civvy street' would be a bit much to take. Personally I'd rather try to eek out a living as a flying instructor I think for a year or so after my course. If I'm still not getting anywhere then I think I'd try and get a job as an IT contractor to pay off all the debt!
I am pretty certain however that as a Graduate of an intensive flying course you are at your most marketable in the first few/6 months after Graduation when your skills are still highly tuned. The only way to maintain that level of currency is to get a flying job of one sort or another.
If you accept the argument above then timing your exit from college to coincide with the next upswing in the market affords you the best chance of being hired.
However domestic considerations also influence the decision such as age/future plans on kids etc.
Desk pilot
TOWER "Desk-pilot 903 will you move off the God-dammed hold and line up for 27L?"
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I agree with you DP, there are some interesting posts coming out. It can only be a good thing that people are being honest.
FlyingG you say that the romanticism of flying will not go away and I agree with you, but I've a question to ask that may ruffle a few feathers:
How many people out there on this forum are seeing training for a CPL/IR as a substitute for not securing fastjet training with the RAF? I know they all have 2 wings and go up and down pretty much the same way, but the other similarities are few and far between. I know there a lot of ex-mil pilots now flying commercially who frequent this website so they are prefectly placed to kick me into touch. But my family has had 2 ex fastjet pilots move into commercial flying. And the both hated it.
My point here is that whilst they both did chase their dream to hare down a Welsh Valley at X00knts and then stop on a sixpence (yes, both Harrier pilots) they saw commercial flying in the airlines as a meal ticket. Nothing more. It was not chasing a dream. There people on this site who liken comm' training to some sort of Top Gun programme, but I think you are all going to be disappointed. People have to realistic as to what this career means. It is as much about a certain lifestyle than about the actual job of flying. The continuing motivating forces for many are the money, relative security, not pushing paper around a desk and not having to commute into town on the 0720 service.
As my family members say, pushing the envelope and tolerances of a civil a/c doesn't go down well with the businessman in 4c who promptly spills his coffee and gets clocked on in the head by a bottle of Drambuie.
All that said, if your dream is to steer a considerable piece of hardware through increasingly busy skies and ensure that pax don't notice the flying, then get in a nice car and head back to your home that is bigger than all your friends' who still have to live in London or the big cities, then this may well be your dream.
FlyingG you say that the romanticism of flying will not go away and I agree with you, but I've a question to ask that may ruffle a few feathers:
How many people out there on this forum are seeing training for a CPL/IR as a substitute for not securing fastjet training with the RAF? I know they all have 2 wings and go up and down pretty much the same way, but the other similarities are few and far between. I know there a lot of ex-mil pilots now flying commercially who frequent this website so they are prefectly placed to kick me into touch. But my family has had 2 ex fastjet pilots move into commercial flying. And the both hated it.
My point here is that whilst they both did chase their dream to hare down a Welsh Valley at X00knts and then stop on a sixpence (yes, both Harrier pilots) they saw commercial flying in the airlines as a meal ticket. Nothing more. It was not chasing a dream. There people on this site who liken comm' training to some sort of Top Gun programme, but I think you are all going to be disappointed. People have to realistic as to what this career means. It is as much about a certain lifestyle than about the actual job of flying. The continuing motivating forces for many are the money, relative security, not pushing paper around a desk and not having to commute into town on the 0720 service.
As my family members say, pushing the envelope and tolerances of a civil a/c doesn't go down well with the businessman in 4c who promptly spills his coffee and gets clocked on in the head by a bottle of Drambuie.
All that said, if your dream is to steer a considerable piece of hardware through increasingly busy skies and ensure that pax don't notice the flying, then get in a nice car and head back to your home that is bigger than all your friends' who still have to live in London or the big cities, then this may well be your dream.
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Just read my last post on here and it seems to be one of the 'cloud in the sky' posts. Don't really know why I said it.
The 'pilot shortage' that is banded around so often seems to be yesterdays news. Most of the literature concerning this shortage was produced in 1997 and 1998. If there was such a desparate shortage as some sources would have you believe, then why are airlines stopping sponsorship and why are some cutting back on recruitment?
In my opinion, for people in our position it is decision time. I read in the paper this morning yet more bad news about the US and Japanese economies. It doesn't need saying that commercial aviation depends upon a strong econonmy. When you are looking at spending x amount of money on training for a career with no guarentee of employment then a downturn in world economic fortunes and forecast is not what you want to hear.
Going back to answer the basis of this thread.....While aviation does have a certain romantic side to it, it is at the end of the day, an industry that suffers like anything else. If the economy goes t**ts up then those of us who borrowed 50k+ from a bank could find ourselves in a whole world of trouble. If the aviation industry is hit then it is more than likely the economy would be in deep trouble. 50k could suddenly look like a 100k when people are trying to pay it back in a struggling economy.
I think everyone who does ATPL training must have trepidations about spending that kind of money. If they didn't they must be either very rich or totally mad. Everyone on here wants to be an airline pilot but to go blindly into something like this without the proper sense of perspective would be utterly disasterous.
bow5.
The 'pilot shortage' that is banded around so often seems to be yesterdays news. Most of the literature concerning this shortage was produced in 1997 and 1998. If there was such a desparate shortage as some sources would have you believe, then why are airlines stopping sponsorship and why are some cutting back on recruitment?
In my opinion, for people in our position it is decision time. I read in the paper this morning yet more bad news about the US and Japanese economies. It doesn't need saying that commercial aviation depends upon a strong econonmy. When you are looking at spending x amount of money on training for a career with no guarentee of employment then a downturn in world economic fortunes and forecast is not what you want to hear.
Going back to answer the basis of this thread.....While aviation does have a certain romantic side to it, it is at the end of the day, an industry that suffers like anything else. If the economy goes t**ts up then those of us who borrowed 50k+ from a bank could find ourselves in a whole world of trouble. If the aviation industry is hit then it is more than likely the economy would be in deep trouble. 50k could suddenly look like a 100k when people are trying to pay it back in a struggling economy.
I think everyone who does ATPL training must have trepidations about spending that kind of money. If they didn't they must be either very rich or totally mad. Everyone on here wants to be an airline pilot but to go blindly into something like this without the proper sense of perspective would be utterly disasterous.
bow5.
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I have never subscribed to the notion of a 'pilot shortage', ether in the past, now, or in the future. Such shortages as there are, or will be, are of experienced, type-rated jet pilots. There is no liklihood of there being a demand for all the 200-hour fATPLs the system can churn out - and that's when all is well!
The next 12-24 months are likely to be very hard for any industry that offers a luxury product - that is, something that most people don't need. Holidays and foreign travel most certainly come under that banner, and that's probably 50% of all the air traffic out of UK. The rest is business travel, much of which is not strictly necessary and a lot of which is more expensive than it needs to be (at the choice of the businessman, it has to be said). Businesses are already retrenching, and the business travel sector has shrunk and moved down-market as a result. Consumers haven't yet been seriously worried by the prospects of unemployment, so the holiday market has held up well, but that won't last. With the unremitting cries of 'RECESSION' from all the media, consumers will start to rein in their spending and the service industries will start to hurt - and aviation will be in serious pain!
If the underlying world economy is in fact fairly sound, and I think for the most part it is, then businesses will soon realise that they can actully afford to invest to chase future profits and the seige mentality will lift in a relatively short time - say 8-12 months. Business travel will pick up again in the same timescale. The consumer will allow another 6 months or so of improving news to go by before he/she starts loosening the purse-strings, and we start getting the leisure customers back. So I think we're looking at a 12-18 month slowdown, during which jobs will be scarce.
However, God help us all if they start discovering fundamental problems with major economies (like they have in Japan - they've been in recession or stagnation for 10 years!). Keep your fingers crossed!
The next 12-24 months are likely to be very hard for any industry that offers a luxury product - that is, something that most people don't need. Holidays and foreign travel most certainly come under that banner, and that's probably 50% of all the air traffic out of UK. The rest is business travel, much of which is not strictly necessary and a lot of which is more expensive than it needs to be (at the choice of the businessman, it has to be said). Businesses are already retrenching, and the business travel sector has shrunk and moved down-market as a result. Consumers haven't yet been seriously worried by the prospects of unemployment, so the holiday market has held up well, but that won't last. With the unremitting cries of 'RECESSION' from all the media, consumers will start to rein in their spending and the service industries will start to hurt - and aviation will be in serious pain!
If the underlying world economy is in fact fairly sound, and I think for the most part it is, then businesses will soon realise that they can actully afford to invest to chase future profits and the seige mentality will lift in a relatively short time - say 8-12 months. Business travel will pick up again in the same timescale. The consumer will allow another 6 months or so of improving news to go by before he/she starts loosening the purse-strings, and we start getting the leisure customers back. So I think we're looking at a 12-18 month slowdown, during which jobs will be scarce.
However, God help us all if they start discovering fundamental problems with major economies (like they have in Japan - they've been in recession or stagnation for 10 years!). Keep your fingers crossed!
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Does the prospect of recession tip the balance in favour of modular training plus FI rating if money is tight? I could just about afford the integrated course at SFT, but not the FI rating as well if a job was not forthcoming. I would then be well and truly stuck. Would it be better to spend my money on modular + FI and have the option of deferring the IR and MCC if the airlines suspend recruitment?
If there are no or few opportunities available in the next 12 - 18 months is it also likley that what opportunities do appear will require a bucketful of hours?
Perhaps the moderators could help here. For a cadet starting training in the next few months and planning to qualify approx. 12 months later, do the current economic circumstances favour the cheaper modular route plus FI rating, for the reasons I've mentioned? It seems to me that if you can secure good passes in ground exams and flight tests, the choice between modular and integrated becomes academic, in which case might as well pick the cheaper/flexible option?? Of course, it all becomes academic if there are no jobs.
Having written this I still say good luck D-P. If I could afford to do an integrated course and have some cash left over I would, but there you go! You're in good position D-P if you can afford both the integrated course & FIC. Whatever happens, don't look back mate, it's the end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end
Cheers
[ 09 September 2001: Message edited by: The Islander ]
If there are no or few opportunities available in the next 12 - 18 months is it also likley that what opportunities do appear will require a bucketful of hours?
Perhaps the moderators could help here. For a cadet starting training in the next few months and planning to qualify approx. 12 months later, do the current economic circumstances favour the cheaper modular route plus FI rating, for the reasons I've mentioned? It seems to me that if you can secure good passes in ground exams and flight tests, the choice between modular and integrated becomes academic, in which case might as well pick the cheaper/flexible option?? Of course, it all becomes academic if there are no jobs.
Having written this I still say good luck D-P. If I could afford to do an integrated course and have some cash left over I would, but there you go! You're in good position D-P if you can afford both the integrated course & FIC. Whatever happens, don't look back mate, it's the end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end
Cheers
[ 09 September 2001: Message edited by: The Islander ]
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Inevitably as the market tightens up, the employers will be more choosy about who they employ. At the bottom of the market, where you guys are trying to get in, relevant hours will become the deciding factor. I don't mean 1500 C152 hours, but those guys with significant complex single or twin time, current IFR experience etc. You get the drift. Obviously, the nearer a new employee is to the required finished article on hiring, the better.
You may have a point in saying that a modular, flexible approach might be more appropriate in these circumstances. Do remember, however, that we are speculating. The jobs aren't turned off instantly, and the airline requirements don't get tougher overnight - these things take a little time. It's an evolutionary thing - but keep your eyes open and watch the ads carefully.
You may have a point in saying that a modular, flexible approach might be more appropriate in these circumstances. Do remember, however, that we are speculating. The jobs aren't turned off instantly, and the airline requirements don't get tougher overnight - these things take a little time. It's an evolutionary thing - but keep your eyes open and watch the ads carefully.
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Well guys & gals, I'm in the fortunate position where I hate my job that much that I don't worry about leaving it and the associated uncertainties.
As the saying goes, If you want something badly enough you'll get it.
I personaly think that's crap.
But you only live once and you don't want to live the rest of your short, sorry life, thinking.. What If?....
If it all goes belly up , at least you can justify to yourself that you had a go .. Then go do something else.
Onward and upward.
Goodbye house. Hello debt and unemployment.
Jim
(I appreciate the above may not be factualy very useful)
As the saying goes, If you want something badly enough you'll get it.
I personaly think that's crap.
But you only live once and you don't want to live the rest of your short, sorry life, thinking.. What If?....
If it all goes belly up , at least you can justify to yourself that you had a go .. Then go do something else.
Onward and upward.
Goodbye house. Hello debt and unemployment.
Jim
(I appreciate the above may not be factualy very useful)
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Going off on a slight tangent (but not too much), i'd be very interested to know how many people here have some form of self-funding for an ATPL. Obviously, by self-funding I mean a tangible asset such as a house or the required money saved in the bank. If so, how old are you?
Obviously, if the job market does go for a burton then the people who are largely self-funded will in a far more favourable position than those, like me (and I know there are plenty of us), who are currently looking largely towards the HSBC for solice.
If there are more people getting the money first and then doing the training then maybe the rest of us should re-consider our plans.
Obviously, if the job market does go for a burton then the people who are largely self-funded will in a far more favourable position than those, like me (and I know there are plenty of us), who are currently looking largely towards the HSBC for solice.
If there are more people getting the money first and then doing the training then maybe the rest of us should re-consider our plans.
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I think what it comes down to is:
If your seriously going to start training now then hope that you ride out the economic storm while you are training and hope the job market is promising for graduates when you finish; and hope that your FTO doesn't fold while you are training IF things get rough...
I must admit I don't fancy the idea of being sponsored at the moment with the knowledge that your course maybe cancelled if anything serious happens with this slowdown. After all it happened overnight with the Gulf War. That said, if offered, I still wouldn't turn down a place. Prepared to crash & burn if justified or you think I'm wrong, I'm uncertain at the moment.
SS
If your seriously going to start training now then hope that you ride out the economic storm while you are training and hope the job market is promising for graduates when you finish; and hope that your FTO doesn't fold while you are training IF things get rough...
I must admit I don't fancy the idea of being sponsored at the moment with the knowledge that your course maybe cancelled if anything serious happens with this slowdown. After all it happened overnight with the Gulf War. That said, if offered, I still wouldn't turn down a place. Prepared to crash & burn if justified or you think I'm wrong, I'm uncertain at the moment.
SS
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I say you should neither be too negative nor too positive about job prospects. Really it is as much to do with the person you see in the mirror in the morning that ultimately decides your fate.
I do agree with Scroggs that this pilot shortage thing is a bit of a myth. There will never be a shortage of 200hr fAtpl holders whilst people are prepared to spend up to 70k on their own training. Then it is supply and demand, and obviously the former would be far greater than the latter (in the short term) if the recessional pressure bites hard.
I used to think along the lines of yes it would be good to walk into a job with 200 hours. HELLO WAKE UP!!! Yes we have all read the people posting here who have walked into their 737’s on low hours, but they are the exceptions to the rule. They do show that it can be done, if a whole lot of circumstances happen to be right. Of course nobody bothers every time they get the PFO, as these would rapidly become dull to read. The only luck involved for them is that they have timed their training to perfection to coincide with a marketplace desperate for good low hour candidates. This will not be the case for much longer many people say.
I suggest anybody contemplating this venture need to plan for, as a minimum, a year’s worth of instruction after licence issue and if you cannot tolerate this do not get involved, as you will be taking a huge risk.
I appreciate that not every commercial pilot wants to step back into a light aircraft during his or her time off, but personally I feel that this is an excellent way to maintain the raw seat of the pants flying experience. My attitude may change in due course, but I can see PPL instruction being a very enjoyable activity as an aside to commercial flying, which offers a completely different set of challenges. A modern pilot’s role is becoming more and more a logistics manager, and I would also like to keep the raw skills honed. Let’s face it you can’t do stall turns in a 737!
So don’t knock instruction. Have a think about what you want to achieve. I used to be of the walk straight into job attitude. I now am really looking forward to doing instruction; think how rewarding it will be to teach your skills to others.
You cannot control the world economy. You can make sure you are suitable for the job you are going for. Why not try the sponsorships if you are young enough – if nothing else you will find out how you fare in the world of psychometrics, which you will end up needing to be good at if your are to get ahead of Joe Average. If not then consider Gapan. Remember 50k is a great commitment. Do you have a desk job you could do maybe even part time, or work as a consultant, when you have qualified to bolster the finances? If you have passed through all these checks then you are going to be in a far better position than many.
World aviation will continue to grow. Long-term prospects are excellent. Ride through the (hopefully) short-term recession, and endeavour to be one of the best candidates out there, not just another.
Bow5, in short I will be more self-funded than I will borrow, as I was saving up for an imaginary house. I don’t see any reason why borrowing the money should disadvantage you except maybe a few more sleepless nights. I assume that you are able to borrow as much money as you would need? I do admire you courage though – it is a hell of a burden to take on. Not being airline material will be a far bigger hindrance IMHO.
I leave you with this.
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”. (Sir Winston Churchill)
Happy flying.
I do agree with Scroggs that this pilot shortage thing is a bit of a myth. There will never be a shortage of 200hr fAtpl holders whilst people are prepared to spend up to 70k on their own training. Then it is supply and demand, and obviously the former would be far greater than the latter (in the short term) if the recessional pressure bites hard.
I used to think along the lines of yes it would be good to walk into a job with 200 hours. HELLO WAKE UP!!! Yes we have all read the people posting here who have walked into their 737’s on low hours, but they are the exceptions to the rule. They do show that it can be done, if a whole lot of circumstances happen to be right. Of course nobody bothers every time they get the PFO, as these would rapidly become dull to read. The only luck involved for them is that they have timed their training to perfection to coincide with a marketplace desperate for good low hour candidates. This will not be the case for much longer many people say.
I suggest anybody contemplating this venture need to plan for, as a minimum, a year’s worth of instruction after licence issue and if you cannot tolerate this do not get involved, as you will be taking a huge risk.
I appreciate that not every commercial pilot wants to step back into a light aircraft during his or her time off, but personally I feel that this is an excellent way to maintain the raw seat of the pants flying experience. My attitude may change in due course, but I can see PPL instruction being a very enjoyable activity as an aside to commercial flying, which offers a completely different set of challenges. A modern pilot’s role is becoming more and more a logistics manager, and I would also like to keep the raw skills honed. Let’s face it you can’t do stall turns in a 737!
So don’t knock instruction. Have a think about what you want to achieve. I used to be of the walk straight into job attitude. I now am really looking forward to doing instruction; think how rewarding it will be to teach your skills to others.
You cannot control the world economy. You can make sure you are suitable for the job you are going for. Why not try the sponsorships if you are young enough – if nothing else you will find out how you fare in the world of psychometrics, which you will end up needing to be good at if your are to get ahead of Joe Average. If not then consider Gapan. Remember 50k is a great commitment. Do you have a desk job you could do maybe even part time, or work as a consultant, when you have qualified to bolster the finances? If you have passed through all these checks then you are going to be in a far better position than many.
World aviation will continue to grow. Long-term prospects are excellent. Ride through the (hopefully) short-term recession, and endeavour to be one of the best candidates out there, not just another.
Bow5, in short I will be more self-funded than I will borrow, as I was saving up for an imaginary house. I don’t see any reason why borrowing the money should disadvantage you except maybe a few more sleepless nights. I assume that you are able to borrow as much money as you would need? I do admire you courage though – it is a hell of a burden to take on. Not being airline material will be a far bigger hindrance IMHO.
I leave you with this.
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”. (Sir Winston Churchill)
Happy flying.
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TGG; I agree with you. Personally I quite fancy the prospect of being an instructor, originally in gliders but if the needs must I would, given the chance, instruct in power. It'd be something I'd think about once had finalised a training plan, etc etc... I guess its all a risk anyway so, as you say, you can't be too optimistic or pesimistic.
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Its not as bad now as when Debonair went bust a year ago - many unemployed type rated pilot desperate for a job oh and AB airlines
This jam yesterday thing is tosh.
There is no jam and there never was.
I am not an economist but Britain is nowhere near a recession according to the experts
and we are well placed for the future.
The biggest danger is we all talk ourselves into one (SCROGGS)
IMF and Ecomomists agree..
Read this Sunday Times extract if you dont believe me
Forecasters are still generally upbeat about Britain. While the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised down its prediction for growth this year to 2%, and forecasters in general have come down to about that level from 2.5% or 2.6% a year ago, this is in the context of a halving of world growth. Britain is expected to outperform America, Japan and euroland.
Next year, if anything, is even more surprising. Consensus expectations for growth in Britain have been edging higher, while those for the world have slumped. The IMF has Britain growing by 2.4% next year.
If it is right, Gordon Brown will be able to chalk up another victory on the "no more boom and bust" slate.
As for Japan its very sad their post war boom
seems to have come to an end. Remember the
70s and 80s they were doing so well and we were doing badly now its OUR TURN to do
well
..Just keep clear of the euro..
The French could elect to join the
'sterling zone' - sorry
couldnt resist that
[ 10 September 2001: Message edited by: RVR800 ]
This jam yesterday thing is tosh.
There is no jam and there never was.
I am not an economist but Britain is nowhere near a recession according to the experts
and we are well placed for the future.
The biggest danger is we all talk ourselves into one (SCROGGS)
IMF and Ecomomists agree..
Read this Sunday Times extract if you dont believe me
Forecasters are still generally upbeat about Britain. While the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised down its prediction for growth this year to 2%, and forecasters in general have come down to about that level from 2.5% or 2.6% a year ago, this is in the context of a halving of world growth. Britain is expected to outperform America, Japan and euroland.
Next year, if anything, is even more surprising. Consensus expectations for growth in Britain have been edging higher, while those for the world have slumped. The IMF has Britain growing by 2.4% next year.
If it is right, Gordon Brown will be able to chalk up another victory on the "no more boom and bust" slate.
As for Japan its very sad their post war boom
seems to have come to an end. Remember the
70s and 80s they were doing so well and we were doing badly now its OUR TURN to do
well
..Just keep clear of the euro..
The French could elect to join the
'sterling zone' - sorry
couldnt resist that
[ 10 September 2001: Message edited by: RVR800 ]