Ermak

That's quite unfortunate, thanks for the information though.

I still have the reserve option of going to a Russian aviation university, but there's a hiccup with obtaining a medical (could possibly get eye surgery to circumvent that).

The main reason I wanted to try EU is because I believe that the Russian aviation philosophy is incorrect and unsafe, starting from the way pilots are taught to fly and going all the way up to how management treats safety-related issues.

I guess there's no easy way, haha! Either way, I'll give it a try. "Make them tell you no", as C. W. Lemoine says...

If I do get in somehow, be it in EASA or Russia, I'll check in here with my experience in a couple of years.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

parkfell

William Pitt the Younger, gave some accurate advice (1806) which is probably apposite for those thinking about embarking on a flying career. “Roll up the map of Europe.......”

He quoted 10 years. Plan on somewhere in the region of five years.

flystar320

i am currently in air arabia with the temporary contract and i wish i didnt spent all those money for such.
First of all, you need to know 1500HRS ARE NOT GAURANTTED. Knowing this must be the most important before you make a decision. many of cadets have been terminated without completing 1500hrs nor ATPLl.
You can be terminated during alpha training as well as line training. even after line release, you can be fired any time.

This is a fact. as a second officer or first officer trainee(this is the designation till you get a permanent contract, if you ever get it) you can be fired any time without completing your hours and i have seen those a lot.

When I registered alpha aviation academy, I was told that the course takes 2years and 98% of people get the contract. it took 4years for me and my batchmates. 16 of us started at the beginning but they terminated 2 after ground school(already paid 2 installment) and continuously fired ppl till the end of the course. I know those who completed entire course got terminated and people who were under line training as well.

Probably only a little more than half of us survived till now and no one received the permanent contract. Some got terminated due to attitude problem (don't you think this attitude problem can be very personal? Sometimes you say something right and can be considered as a person with attitude problem) and others got terminated due to performance matter.


You never know if you are going to be outstanding, average or below standard in terms of flying skill. Some are gifted others are not. Ive seen people who got fired even after line training as well.
I understand you all want to see the bright side of the school because you want to become a pilot so badly and i was the same. but reality is different from what they say or what you think.

You really have to have a plan B if you are going to step into this program. with this pandemic i know guys who got terminated without completing 1500hrs and some without ATPL as well. Anyone tell me what these guys going to do, after spending 5-6years and AED 700,000.

This MPL license without 1500hrs is nothing. If you are serious about this program at least you can call or visit school and ask them if this is true or not. if you end up without ATPL after all, you just wasted your time and money and i have absolutely seen them and i am not talking about just 1 or 2 persons.

Now what options do they have? I guess they will go to USA and do CPL and build the flying hours till they make 1500hours, which means they will most probably need minimum of 100,000 dollars and another 2years more.

flystar320

They used to pay AED5000 per month but now they reduced it till 3500 prorated. if you fly for 10days a month, your salary will be AED1170 only. I think they can eventually remove this as well because no one will brave enough to complain when you need your hours to get your ATPL.

Once you enter this MPL cadet course, you become their slave. what I mean is you cannot be against whatever they do whichever they change regardless of whatever was said in the beginning. You won't be able to say anything to them because they are the one who evaluates you, decides your sequence for the training.

Now I heard even the batch number is not considered for the training sequence. they made the list and now everything depends on it. Now the important things are when you made a payment and what marks you got on the exams only. this is ridiculous. at least it was fair before when I was in alpha. right now it is absolutely unfair and you never know when your turn to be for your next training.

I heard students complain but now sure if they are going to change this any time soon. imagine even for your graduation certificate and any letters you request for cost AED100 from some day. this is really shocking. after taking AED700,000, they cant even offer the certificates. they were free previously. they decided to make money using every single stuff. visa renew is 2000 every year and medical is 1500 every year.

if you already entered school i'm sure you already figured out what kinda world you stepped in.. But if you still have a chance not to enter this academy, you better look for something else. or you get all the information about how it goes there and see if what i mentioned is true or not. after all, if you still want to join alpha. I respect your opinion by all means. but don't just step in without knowing what is waiting for you. I have to say it used to be a lot nicer but right now it isn't clearly the best choice, till they change many things.

mizzist

can this be legal? One of my friends in this MPL course is suffering a lot from the delay. planned for 2 years but Already been more than 3years and not done with the coarse spent all the money he prepared and has to start returning the loan Now if they don’t provide salary he will be really in deep Already looks so bad though

Igor2909

rudestuff

Well actually Wizz Air is sponsoring training program... is not just the upfront cost as you say

gpiper

Eventually the market will pick up and return to the pre Covid 19 rhythm. A brief background about me, I have been through the modular route from 2013-2016, September 2016 was my last session if I remember correctly on my MCC course, in November I was called for an interview by 3 airlines, one major low cost airline the other a flag carrier of a Southern EU country and a small ACMI operator in the Balkans.

Decided to go all in with the flag carrier, learned the profile, had covered my ATPLs already(this should be a continuous process after you are done with the course) and I was already fresh with my IR flying. While abroad going through the interview process of the Southern EU flag carrier I was called by the other 2 carriers for an assessment, I had to close the doors to the other 2 which was a foolish and risky move but I was very short of money, couldn't learn the profiles that they have sent in a week and did not even have the money to travel there and stay in a hotel for 2 nights just to go through the interview process which I knew I wasn't gonna pass as I was unprepared and needed at least 2 sim sessions just to get familiar with the scanning of that aircraft but also with the profiles(gone through a generic MCC course)

Needless to say the only reason it took me 3 years to get the CPL was because I did not have the money from the beginning, had to interrupt my training several times, but I though if I stick to one flight school then I could at least continue my training without delays when I had the funds to continue and to control the only variable which I could which was consistency.

Bear in mind that my school did not offer integrated training at all, and it only received the approval for the CPL and IR right when I finished my hour building there. So I was the first student pilot to have done all the training at that school and was the first to obtain a CPL/IR in that country from a local school.
So I have done my PPL Night Rating Hour Building MEP CPL IR and MCC at that school (outside the UK but within EU) no one knew the school apart from the locals and I only did my ATPLs in UK specifically at a school which has been bought over by CTC back in 2015.

In December 2016 I began my type rating on the A320 and I have been flying ever since( Although I am on unpaid leave now for almost a month...)

The reason I briefly discussed my training background is to make everyone both experienced and aspiring pilots understand that there is hope. It's not about how much money you have, nor at which school you did your flight training or how smart or stupid someone is.

Employment in aviation has never been easy and it might be at it's worst now, but for the aspiring pilots, if you got the aviation bug inside you, if you know that this is what you want to do for the rest of your life then go for it. Ignore what other people say, once someone makes it on the seat they start discouraging other people forgetting that before they managed to get their first job, they have been hearing the same BS from others.

Important points that you should keep in mind which I wish someone has told me before I even started my training.

1) Confirm with your self first of all that this is indeed what you want to do for most of your career.

2) Confirm that you or your family can finance the training, it's only gonna make it harder if you don't have the money from the start and will stress you and demotivate you.

3) Obtain a Class 1 Medical before you do anything else.

4) Preferably start your training after you have finished school, regarding going to Uni for a degree, I tend to believe that this is unnecessary, reason being that you will waste 3 years of your time and money for something that you are not planning to do for the rest of your life as your goal eventually is to sit to the right hand seat of an airliner. Having a degree with no experience it's the same as not having a degree. You always have the option to do a top up degree or even a masters after you start flying, plenty of Uni's out there who offer descend courses online, much cheaper for experienced professionals.

5) Stay on top of things, always study hard, read the books and manuals you paid for, never leave anything behind and if helpful always have a note book for each subject which will help you save time in revising for an exam or an interview for that matter. Question banks should be referred to after you have covered the syllabus for each subject, aim is to learn something along the way not memorize, pass the exams then forget.

6) Be punctual and act professionally from a young age, refrain from acting childish, or exhibiting a risky behavior, keep fit, eat well and chase girls.....

7) Do a research on what each school offers, number of sittings for the exams, experience of the instructors, type of aircraft they use weigh the pros and cons and compare them to what you thing it's best for you (everyone has different abilities and capacity, don't do what others do, do what's best for you), an integrated course might be good for someone who has a truck full of money, or isn't a punctual or disciplined enough, modular schools on the other hand offer this and this but not this.. it's up to you to decide, just do not get in the trap and choosing a school purely because they advertise that they will get you a job eventually once you finish your training, if it's one thing I hate about the aviation industry is that training organizations just want your money and they are masters in marketing, you need facts and guarantees which no one will give you unfortunately. Chase quality and consistency, find one school that offers all modules if you decide to go modular or at least most of them.

8) If it takes you longer to complete your training as it happened to me, use this to your advantage, if it's one thing I believe has helped me during my training was the bad weather, and lack of funds to continues plus a few other things. These setbacks gave me the time to revise, stay at home read ahead of the syllabus, and keep my knowledge up to standard and fresh both for my skills tests, and interview in the long run, nothing goes wasted, the more effort you put the more the chances are to succeed. Success might not come immediately, but eventually will come, after you are done with your training, and it's time to to apply for an airlines for a job, keep revising, if you have the money invest into other books which will help you in passing the technical assessment of an airline. I recommend "Handling the big jets", "Get a Head for the sky" and "EASA Professional Pilot Studies"
Also some other books I found useful particularly for my IR training are "Air Pilot't Manual Radio Nav and Instrument flying" , " Never get Lost" and ICAO DOC 8168 Vol 1

9) Last but not least, do not expect any instructor whether in theory or actual flying to spoon feed you. You need to be prepare on your own, they will teach you the bear minimum, it's your job to revise at home before and be prepared for the next day, once you star training, it's always nice to know that until you get the first type rating on your cpl, you got no life...(It really helps if you start training with that mind set, these should clear the lamb from the sheep)... Also, one you get your CPL, consider saving money to keep all of your rating valid, and interview might come days, months or years after you obtained your CPL, and usually it comes in a very short notice with people panicking and going for an assessment totally unprepared, so plan your training wisely from the start and be prepared for the long run(validations) .

Now I know I keep repeating what other people have said in this forum, but I felt the need to contribute into this matter as now it's the worst time in history for someone to get involved in aviation and still no one should discourage others, this is my personal view, and I believe all the points I mentioned above plus my past experience will greatly help people who really want to fly some day.

I apologize if the order of my post is confusing, I did the best I could to make it as clear and as understandable as possible.

parkfell

gpiper

An interesting read which demonstrated that you indeed have the ‘bug’ to succeed.

Your 4) Whilst there are some individuals who are quite mature aged 18, this is generally not the case.
Going into higher education prior to flying is all part of becoming a more rounded individual, and is probably not to be discouraged.
After all even with a degree, you have 40+ years of potential flying ahead.

Your 6) Time keeping is a critical aspect of professional flying. A small measure of OCD probably helps? Arriving in the crew room a minute before Report Time will not endear you to your Captain for the day. Word will spread.
Generally speaking arriving before the Captain gives the impression of being keen & eager. Apply common sense to this issue.

As for flight school, if you are not (at least) five minutes early,
YOU ARE LATE.

I shall refrain from making comment about ...”and chase girls”...
as this comes under the heading of ‘shark infested custard’.

gpiper

parkfell

thank you for taking the time to read my post and reply,

indeed with (4) what I think is that it's not black or white, each individual should weigh the pros and cons of going into higher education, and be aware of what they are about to embark in.
I my self made years ago the decision to join higher education purely for obtaining a degree which would help me eventually to secure a job as a first officer faster, never though about the part of becoming a more rounded individual, but it is something that an 18 year old should consider.
It did not wok out, while it was a reputable university(again another reason why I decided to join uni), in the end I just didn't like the course and financially it was a dead end, it was either the one or the other.

Bottom line is that I agree with you, it's just down to each individual to decide what it is best for them, a distance learning course after getting a job is always available but I can tell you with
much certainty the university life years are irreplaceable, fun and they only come once...

As for the rest, you summed it pretty well!

G1raffee

Hello guys,
I have just turned 18 and I'm in last year of HS in my country which is Poland. That means I am just now in a position I have to make decicions regarding my future. I've been decided on going for it for a long time. I was about to go to the college that would make it possible for me to get ATPL frozen. However due to a situation with the global pandemic I am not sure anymore if I should keep going. What are your predictions regarding aviation overall? Is it going to be reborn like a phoenix and if yes when?

Or is it gonna fall to the very bottom and there will be no job even in like 5-6 years, especially for a possible newbies in the industry, freshly became pilots? Shall I look for something else facing those kind of doubts in future like no job after difficulties of aquiring license?

Thanks for any future answers

crbnftprnt

Haven't read this entire lengthy thread, but I'll throw in my experience. Finished my ratings at age 30, retired 10 years ago as captain on the 747-400. Flight instructed for a year and 600 hours, flew piston twin charter 3 years and 2500 hours, corporate jets for 10 years/4000 hours, then 121. Had the 4-year degree.

gpiper

G1 raffee

There is not one answer to your question.
You are 18 so you are very young, you got plenty of years ahead of you and fortunately for you, you got more options available.

When I say options, I mean like enrolling in a 4 year Bachelors Degree, then later on maybe a Masters Degree or even get a job right after your graduate with your undergraduate degree build some experience, put some money on the side then do you pilot training and apply for a first officer job.

In a few years aviation will recover we just don't know when, so a safe bet is to do something else before your pilot training. On the other hand, you could go straight into pilot training after your graduate from HS and hope for the best.

Unfortunately the aviation industry is very dynamic, especially in EU, no one can predict when it will recover or collapse, this makes it very hard for ab initios to secure their first ever job, no one is going to put their head under the knife and give you a clear cut answer, it's a gamble and you have to decide what's best for you. No ones knows your financial state this is also another factor that your should take into account when deciding what to do, and I suggest you talk about it with your parents.

When it comes to a degree do at least something you enjoy, you can even go through a professional qualification like the ACCA for example instead of a degree, become a charter accountant save some money then do the rest. There are infinite possibilities, I got my first flying job when I turned 26, I wasn't that old but also I wasn't 18 or 20, so you are good with age.

I suggest you read my last post along with the replies I received from other more experience colleagues.

G1raffee

Actually in Poland, college takes around 5-6 years, and we do not have to pay for it. That is why I am wondering if the aviation will be reborn in such time and would there will be a possibilities to be employed right after receiving license. I've heard a lot about pay to fly system and that really made me confused regarding the decision I got to make quite soon, which will imply the way my life will go for couple of next years at least. You would recommend me to rather get a degree in something else, and make license on my own after couple of years of work, have I understand right?

Marco10_

Hi Everyone,
I'm Marco from Italy, 21 years old dreaming to become arline pilot. During last year i've started considering Lufthansa's flight training in europe: one among the few that guarantees an employement after the training. They pay the hole cost of it and the sum will be given back by working for the airline once hired.
I thought that was the best way to get to the cockpit, thus I started learning german about one year ago, reaching quite good results. Of course the Pandemic ruined all my plans and Lufthansa has momentarily cancelled the flight training. I'm keeping learning german hoping that with the coming of the new year they'll recall the training, but that's quite unlikely.
Thus i started considering different ways like getting a PPL and do time building in order to avoid wasting time and money with other flight schools in Europe which offer 0 to ATPL FROZEN without having neither the needed hours to make the license effective nor the job they promise.
I'd like to know your point of view about which is the best way to get the ATPL.
which is the better choice? Getting the PPL in US or in EU?
Is it possibile to get a CPL if one only holds a PPL? In my best scenario I would get the PPL before, the CPL later, building time by working with the CPL and than apply for ATPL once i have the necessary hours.
Thank you all for the attention, i'm looking forward for your advices!

robby239

Start with PPL now and when times become better then you continue with CPL. Invest wisely your money.

Newpilottt

Hi guys , how are you ?

i know that this is my first post here my name is tarek and i live in uae , you could say that i am crazy but my dream since i was young to become a pilot now in order to achieve that and due to the un-sufficient funds to do so i spent the first 40 years of my life saving for this moment and now this moment come on the covid19 era where no one would possibly think to do this at all ,

no to make the long story short i know that no one in 40`s will never think to do this but i am trying to do my dream if i will work or not 90% not by i am living for the 10%

so my question is , to do a ppl in uae it cost around 20 KUSD can i do it less than that in any country near to uae , and also i heard about flight academy in prague but i heard posts here that its not good so i am looking for something really authentic and good to start from the scratch

Capt. Ali

Hi! I am an aspiring aviator, and have a burning passion for aviation, which I obtained at the young age of 6. I would do anything to become an airline pilot, but worry about if its a realistic goal to achieve. My question is: how possible is it to become an airline pilot if we disregard the current global situation? Is it realistically a very likely goal to achieve, and how hard is it to become an airline pilot.

Any responses would be greatly appreciated, have a nice day!

Olympia463

There is another thread running on this topic I suggest you look at it, you will find some sound advice there. In the meantime, since you live in England, I would suggest finding out if you have the mental and motor skills to fly before spending too much money.. The cheapest way to do this would be to find your nearest gliding club and sign up for a week's course - normally these run in the summer only, but some clubs do them all the year round. You won't go solo in a week but you will get plenty time with your hands on the controls and you can decide if you are up to this sort of thing. Health warning! I did this and liked gliding so much I never went on to power flying.

nick1368

Hi
I am a 31 year old iranian male and been living in the uk since 2011 Running my own business which I sold it a few months ago and now I want to fulfil my childhood dream and become a commercial airline pilot.
I know a lot of people from the UK do their training in other European countries because of better weather and cheaper fees but unfortunately that is not an option for me because I don't have a British passport , I only have my iranian passport plus uk residence card which means I can live , work and study in the UK but if I want to travel to other countries I will need a visa which narrows down my options in terms of which school to choose .
I came across FTA Global in shoreham near Brighton and they seem like nice people , they do the whole training in the uk which suits my needs .
they offer modular and integrated training .
I wanted to ask your advice , would be great to know if anyone had experience with FTA Global and whether you would recommend them or not ?
also would like to know if I should choose the modular or integrated course ?
if modular how should I go about it and where to start ?
fortunately I don't have any problem In terms of finance at the moment and have funds ready even for the integrated course but I don't mind saving my hard earned cash if at all possible by choosing modular .

any advice would be highly appreciated .

Alex Whittingham

In my opinion FTA are nice people, as you say. Whether you should gve them your money or not is another question. Most would say stay away from expensive integrated training and go modular for the reasons of cost, and because you can control your training path more. A quick look at FTA's website suggests they would charge about £65K for a series of modular courses. In my opinion this is far too much and typical of the 'modular offering' that schools that pre-covid only offered integrated training have put together to try and attract business. You should be able to sort a series of modular courses for considerably less than £50K. You may decide to pay the extra £15K for the convenience of having only one training provider - but that is up to you. In summary, I have never heard any bad reviews of FTA, but they may overcharge you compared to what you could buy elsewhere.