JpQuealy

Hi, im an 18 year old student in Ireland and have aspirations to become a pilot. To make a long story short, I really dont know where to begin as regards training and qualifying as resources here are very limited to say the least. Just wondering if anyone in this forum has any tips for me or has been in the same situation. Im studying for my leaving cert this year, but what really grabs me is the asperation to become a pilot, i just need the knowhow!

asap_maz

Hi Guys ,

Atm i am 15 and I'm studying for my GCSE'S i am really confused as to how i am supposed to get there , i know it is too early on to be doing this but its really because my parents are going to start saving for the fees of the flight school on the basis that i start studying hard to make sure i get the grades to get in , i'd prefer to go a course where you are put straight into the airline on completion for example CTC'S qatar airways or british airway's fpp because generally when you finish flight school you leave with not enough hours to fulfil the requirements needed to become a pilot for and airline for e.g 1500 hours on a turboprop etc and i have no clue as to how i would get my hours up to that much !! and the hours needed on a specific type basically sorry for the long explanation but being a pilot is the only thing i ever want to do when I'm older , i don't see myself liking or enjoying any other jobs apart from being a pilot its all i want so can someone please explain the best possible way to being a pilot ?

as i said i know its early but I'm going to be starting the procedure hopefully in about 1 and 1/2 years and i want to make sure i prepare in the best possible way to ensure i get into the route of becoming an airline pilot

Bealzebub

Good idea to apply yourself towards obtaining good grades at GSCE and A-level. The BA FPP scheme sets a particularly high benchmark in this regard, and obviously a good solid set of education certificates is only going to be a good thing generally.

Your presumption about airlines only taking on pilots with 1500 hours isn't accurate, however the routes into "cadet programmes" are very competitive and often very expensive. There is a lot of advice, comment and discussion on these boards. I would recommend taking the time to read through those that seem relevant to you (particularly some of the longer threads.) You will find many of your questions have been answered time and time again. Once you have a better understanding generally, post on the many specific subject questions that you will no doubt have.

asap_maz

Thanks so much , ill spend lots of time looking through the forums until i have a good understanding

Jee

Hi guys, i'm new to this forum but require advice from commercial pilot's.

I'm 19 and have been granted a place at Pan Am Intl' Flight Academy in Florida after passing the initial aptitude tests. I have also got my class 1 medical and i've been approved my M1 visa to study.

I have good A-level qualifications from a grammar school here in the UK. I've wanted to be a pilot for some time now and unfortunately have just stumbled across this site. I've read many posts from current and retiring pilots suggesting that the Aviation career is not what it used to be. Obviously, i dream of finishing my ATPL pro-pilot course and becoming a first officer ASAP. I understand that this is very difficult in the current climate.

However, i've read that the demand for pilots is set to soar over the next 2 decades or so. I just want to ask the question: Do you still believe that it is faesible for me to think that i can secure a first officer position after i complete my course (hopefully). I am being sponsored by my parents and the estimated cost will be ~£60k. I wouldn't want to finish my studies and then wait years on end to secure a first officer position. After all, training isn't cheap.

I'm after some impartial advice, i've been told by the reps at Pan Am that the demand for young pilots will be there in a few years time, but i know that they are there to convince you to do your training with them. I've read on this forum that young pilots find it extremely difficult to find jobs due to the flying time that companies are seeking. I don't necessarily want to finish my training and find out that i need to spend x amount on time building etc.

Thanks in advance, i hope that you guys can provide me with a bit more info.

sudden twang

Jee
Check exactly which licence you will have upon course completion. Trawl the internet to see if any airlines are recruiting with the quals / experience you will have. Is there any particular reason that you haven't considered the BA FPP, even the most cynical on these forums agree it's one of the best deals around.

Jee

sudden twang, i appreciate the reply.

after completing the course, i will have a "frozen ATPL license" with MCC and JOC includes 40 hours in full motion Simulators.

I first looked into BA fpp at the start of 2013, but i was still at sixth form then, so didn't meet the full entry requirements. I didn't finish my a-level by mid 2013 and had already stumbled across pan-am. I attended seminars held by BA, CTC and many other american schools.

I understand that BA fpp has a much better chance of getting me into employment, but i've also heard that it is extremely difficult to get to that position (which seems logical)

It's just the employment bit that is slightly worrying for me tbh, i don't want to be in the situation where after my training, i have to keep building hours just to be able to apply for positions.

sudden twang

If you apply for the FPP you may get it.
If you don't apply you most certainly won't.
If you fulfil the entry criteria apply and do absolutely everything to get it.
You asked for advice , there it is.
Best of luck.

krstill

Buggington or anyone,
Can you give more detail on how you access upto £42k on the student loans system?

Many thanks

papawhiskeyfoxtrot

People of pprune, if possible I would appreciate some serious advice.
Like many of us I have always dreamed of being a pilot, I wouldn't quite call this an obsession but it is certainly a burning desire, and I do want to do it as a career.
Background information, I am in my early 30's and already have a relatively well paying career. I have made the choice to stay in the family home and save very hard for 10 years, this has meant a lot of sacrifice, and for me this was better than doing local modular with a poor training organisation. I am now in the fortunate position of being able to afford either modular or integrated training, I have passed my class 1 medical and gapan aptitude tests.
If I am going to spend my life savings then I want to give myself the maximum chances of successfully getting a cadet ship at the end followed by a long career at first officer and hopefully captain level.
I sometimes feel that a lot of pruners don't respect the cost of the training, or the nature of the industry, I do, and it scares me. I have a degree in mathematics and physics, and am currently doing my ppl for fun.

I've contacted many airlines but can't get any dialogue going.

Is there anybody in the know who can advise me, either on this thread or by pm on the best route for success. I will relocate and do whatever is necessary for a bright shining light at the end of the tunnel.

mad_jock

if you have the cash personally the CTC waypoint programs are probably your best bet to be honest if you can get on them.

If you don't get into the top level course your going to have to go away and re think.

Unless your on a cadetship or that top of the range course you pretty much stuffed at the moment and relying on luck and networking to get a job. The method of training outside these methods doesn't really give you any benefit on that first job front.

Capt T

Evening All,

For many years, like many who will read this, I have wanted to become a pilot. I have disregarded anything else, it has been my only ambition.

Well, I have got the stage where I have the money I would need to train, however, after looking well within this forum I can't say i'm very confident that I will reach my end goal which is to make a decent living through aviation. Not because I lack the ambition but because there's nowhere for low hour pilot to go anymore.

What should I do?

Where do freshly, trained, low-hour pilots look to to find a job?

Everywhere you look nowadays you either have to have 1500+TT & 500 hours on type to get a job with the airlines. Is it really necessary to factor in the cost of a type rating into the cost of training?

OhNoCB

Look outside the airlines and look everywhere. Search for the lesser remaining piston operators, even turbo prop operators, look in Africa and Asia, look for the jobs that the percentage of new licence holders think themselves too good to do*.

I'm not saying it is easy, it's far from it. I know people who have put the effort in and have struggled to get the return. Some are still struggling, but that is life, not everyone can achieve their goals, but if it's a true goal and you are prepared to put the effort in, you'd probably kick yourself not to have tried. If you have any doubt, don't put yourself through it in the first place cos it can be draining at times and depressing at others.

*I think there is a decent percentage of these people, probably more so from bigger integrated schools (not all of these people though!). I have met quite a few that think they shouldn't go through "The system" of gaining experience and are inclined to believe that they have paid for top training to go straight to the top.

Capt T

Many thanks for your reply OhNoCB...

I realise I may have to start at the bottom and work my way up. I would leave training without any debt and luckily i'm quite young so there's no immediate need for lots of money for a mortgage or children so I would like a job that would at least allow me a comfortable sum to live on and act as a stepping stone onto the next step.

Is this unrealistic?

4Screwaircrew

It's tough to get a toe in the door, when I started back in the late 80s the market was buoyant and whilst you couldn't exactly pick any job there was some choice; however within a few weeks of getting on line the market died and friends just behind me in the system took years to get an airline job.

I think at the moment the cost of training is so high that people are looking for a high paying jet job immediately, an apprenticeship on the turboprops doesn't seem to lead through to the jets as it did for me. Indeed some people describe being trapped on turboprops, the jet operators are reluctant to train them and they cannot fund a further rating.

Being debt free at the end of training would allow you to work in some of the lower paid jobs to develop your skills and increase your experience, but then some operators only seem to want brand new pilots with no experience or habits. So you find yourself in that catch 22 situation, do you shell out for a Type Rating or hunt down an entry level job on old machines in sunnier parts of the world.

Only you know what would be "comfortable" to live on and that figure will vary depending on where in the world you find yourself, whatever you decide or find it's a fine way to earn a living, good luck with your choices.

Cloudious

Hey guys, first post here on these forums.

I'm currently 16, in my last year of school and about 5 months away from finishing. I've never really liked the education system as it never motivated me or anything like that, never really prepares you for the outside world. I also don't feel like going to college as I'm almost mentally tired from school, and I'm planning to take a gap year maybe to get my EASA PPL combined with a part time job, that way I can focus on that, then maybe go for the CPL couple years after.
Question: I'm currently 16, and I mainly wanna get into a charter company as I love to fly VFR and I love lighter aircraft. Would it be possible for me to get a job
without having the best college results?

Bealzebub

Anything is possible, however you should consider the following.

Jobs in aviation are few and far between. Competition is extremely intense for the places that do become available. If you think otherwise, then spend a few happy hours reading these forums.

When competing for job placements and particularly attractive job vacancies, you are going to be up against people who will have attained a solid education foundation. Employers expect it. They see ample evidence of it every day. They will use it as a filter to whittle down the huge number of qualified applications to a manageable pile, from which they then make their selections for interview.

If you think education doesn't prepare you for the outside world, then you will quickly discover the harsh realities of what a lack of it is likely to mean.

The best advice I can offer you, is to stop kidding yourself, and knuckle down to achieving the best results you possibly can. That won't guarantee anything either, but having these basic weapons in your armoury will likely save you a lot of time and having to revisit these same fundamentals later in your early adult life.

Jaspervp

Just as Bealzebub mentions, going to college or do some additional studying is always good. You'll always have that extra point on top of non-high educated candidates. Being 16 and 'school tired' is surely possible, I guess everyone at that age has that feeling. However, if you truly want get a job in the aviation sector, motivate yourself to do additional studies by realizing it will help you get this aviation job faster (of course it's not a magic formula, but...). Make sure you don't hasten everything and ending up with no 'decent' college degree, an ATPL but no job.

Of course, this is all your decision. But if you think about it, when 2 persons are competing for a job, having the same flight experience but one has a higher education degree, the choice would be pretty much already be made.

I don't want to be disrespectful for people without any higher education, but as you're already planning on doing a modular course, I would suggest you do some studying and in the meanwhile get you PPL, IR etc. I know it's hard postponing your true passion, but it'll be worth the wile (I am in the same situation )

RTN11

You may not like the education system, but in life you can't always just do what you like. Sounds a bit like you need to grow up a bit and learn what the real world is like.

The type of job you're talking about is often only done by some of the most experienced pilots, as it's single pilot low level stuff so a lot more risky than two pilots up high with autopilot where they are little more than systems operators. It's rare these days to get into single pilot vfr operations without some serious contacts, so you really need to start networking.

If you know the right people, school qualifications aren't particularly relevant, but if you don't have the contacts then good school grades could be the difference between being phoned for an interview or your cv going straight in the bin.

No reason not to do your best and get good grades. I hated school, still worked hard and got As and Bs, a good mental attitude to hard work can't be beaten in the real world.

Dillon318

My dream is to be an airline pilot but I'm worried about the chances I'll even make it. Don't get me wrong, I will do anything to make it that far but will I ever get a chance? So I looked it up online and saw a yahoo answers for it so I don't know if you guys agree with the answers or not but the answers aren't to optimistic. What are your thoughts?
Here's the link: Air Force pilot chances? Commercial pilot? - Yahoo Answers

Thanks