Robo1996

Hi guys and gals,

I am new to this page and this is my first post so i am looking for a little advice...

So my story..

I left school at 16 years old on completion of my standard grade exams (GCSEs) and joined the British Army as a boy soldier. I am currently still serving in the Army Air Corps (now 21 years old) and in my final 12 months of service. I am studying for my PPL and hopefully have it completed by the end of this year.

My question is - In what order did or are you guys completing the rest of the courses that make up a fATPL?

My Plan is PPL - Hour build/ATPL theory/Night rating - ME/IR - CPL - MCC/JOC - Interveiws... and i am planning on doing this the modular route too!

Any advice and tips would be very grateful!

Lunak

Hi,

I am sorry if this post is unsuitable here.

I am 40. I work my whole life in IT; technical, now management, project management, generall my career is well-developed, established and safe.

And I think it's time to change to something I love.

I don't have PPL, don't have any license. Once I began the course but didnt finish it. I skydive, I love flying, fortunately I have pilot colleagues who sometimes agree to fly with me.

Now; how my dream looks like; I would like to FLY planes, in any place in the world.

And the question; Is it realistic to learn flying, get license, and get the job as pilot, in some reasonable time? I am not interested now in serious big aircrafts, but rather small ones. I am able to sacrifice up to 1 year for trainings and pay for it.

Does any company provides course of trainings and then offer the position? I don't have to earn a lot of money.

What are the options (if any)?

thank you!

Shagpile

Hi - welcome to aviation!

At 40 my recommendation is to keep your "well-developed, established and safe" career and pursue a life of recreational flying! It's very satisfying and there are plenty of options to choose your own adventure, for example formation flying, aerobatics, club flyins & tours. Or just smash the circuit area for an hour on Sunday before having some beers and talking aircraft with fellow owners (set aside an entire day!).

Plenty of people build their own. Vans RV Series are very popular although there are dozens of others. The Sports Aircraft Association of Australia (SAAA) have loads of members to provide help and advice on your build. Sports aircraft are wonderful: they do everything decent. Decent speed, slow takeoff/landing, decent cargo, good handling, light aerobatics, etc. Do your own maintenance if you built it.
You can buy one already built for $80-200k depending on the size / quality / engine / avionics fit out.

Operating costs are about 35L/hr @ $2.10 per L. Plus the odd $15 quart of oil. Hangarage roughly $200/month (varies). Insurance 2-4% of hull cost depending on experience & type (varies). Add $220 every 2 years for a security card (ASIC) if you intend to land at any security controlled airport (most regional airports). $100-200 a year for maps/charts. Flight review every 2 years: another $200-300 if you use your own aircraft. Aviation medical $300 (varies) every couple of years. Annual maintenance: $500-1000 if nothing goes wrong (varies massively - expect bill shock here!). Varying airworthiness directives: anything from $200-1000. Miscellaneous additional requirements to install new boxes in your aircraft, comply with CASA directives - [insert bill shock here].

If you choose an aircraft, my recommendation is to have one where you fill it up with fuel and can happily stick the docket in your pocket without looking at the bill. If you have to analyse at the fuel docket, you can't afford it. Get something smaller.

If you're after something smaller, ultralight's are also popular. There's some advantages to ultralight aircraft such as dealing with the excellent RAAus (https://www.raa.asn.au).

But saying that, I'm framing my answer around my life circumstances (family etc), not yours. If you're a free spirit, then the world is yours. Get a good instructor and learn to fly properly, then head to PNG, Africa, Northern Territory - go and see some crazy stuff that nobody will believe!

B2N2

Let me encourage you the other way, yes it is possible.
Question is if you are willing to make the sacrifice?
And you have to be realistic and not give it one year but 5 years.
Are you willing and financially stable enough to give this an honest try?
I would suggest you maintain some level of income and switch to part time or Consultancy work and train part time.
Review you lifestyle and see what expense you can do without.
Without getting into all the details your training will cost approximately 60-70k euros which for 'normal' people is two years worth of income.
A type rating ( if necessary) maybe another years worth of income.
Try and do this with as little debt as possible.
Train modulair and not Integrated.
Get your PPL and you IR and make an honest evaluation.
Are you somewhat close to the minimum training acquirement or did it take you double the amount of hours?
With enough time, money and patience anybody can be trained to fly, even on instruments. But that's not the point.
Point is are you good enough to make this a career?
if the answer is yes then continue, if the answer is no back to full time previous career and fly for fun.
You may very well be too old for a career with a major airline because they usually have age limits for entry level pilots.
However plenty of other companies not afraid to hire a more mature pilot then a 21 year old with an attitude problem.

Lynx320

Hi Lunak....some cadet program accept people in their 40s...so strive for that road, otherwise it is difficult.

Piltdown Man

I'm afraid B2N2 is as correct as he is sensible. There is no guarantee of a job after training and there is fierce competition for jobs that do exist. But let's say you get one 18 months after starting, which is quick, consider how much you will be paid. Also, do not be swayed by any rumours of any pilot shortage. Any shortage will be of experienced pilots. Yes, it does filter down to the new entrants but at a glacial speed. Only when you see European airlines recruiting for fully sponsored ab-initio courses will a real shortage exist as they panic to fill vacant seats.

My advice would be to fly for fun. Go gliding, get a PPL, do aerobatics and possibly, and very slowly, earn a CPL. This will put you a position whereby you a can jump into an aviation job if one comes up, if not you can continue to enjoy your or flying and current career. Furthermore, doing things this way will place you closer to the inside so you can hear of more opportunities as they arise.

Best of luck!

dreaadnoult

Hi Jack. Think about a Blue Card. It's a working residence permit that you can get in the EU as a highly qualified worker if you fullfill some basic income requirements (around 37K euro p.a. in Germany). You are obliged to work within your education field, i.e. engineering or medicine or whatever. However particularly in Germany after 21 month of posessing of the Blue Card (Blaue Karte) you can get a permanent residence permit without any limitations and do what you want, i.e. pilots training.

Piloto10

Hello everybody.


It would be a dream for me to become a plane pilot in Europe now that I could gather the money (my idea is to course integrated ATPL) and I have some important questions which are not so clear for me. I hope somebody can help me.


I am 35 years-old (which means that I would begin to look for a job being 37) and my height is 162 cm. Do you think this would be a handicap for European job calls? I know that I would be directly rejected by the Spanish airline Iberia because of my age, but I would like to know whether this is a rule or an exception.

I have checked the Internet, but I have not found the chance to get a job. For example, I know that Ryanair has hired around 800 pilots during the last year (if I am not wrong), but do you know approximately how many candidates there were? It would be very important for me to know against how many people I would have to fight.

In case I cannot get a job at an airline, would it be easy to get one out of airlines to gain hours? An example, cargo planes. It would be OK for me to go out of Europe for some years if needed, just temporarily.

The last question is: if I get a 737 type rating, do you think I would improve my chance? I heard that you can be hired in Asia if you have a type rating (as mentioned, it would be OK to get a job in Asia or anywhere else for a few years).

Thank you very much for your help.

superflanker

Hi everyone,

25(26 in december) years old. Work as a software developer since 2012. Very stable proffesion, not bad payed.

Obtained my PPL in may, now i am studying distance ATPL with CATS. I intend to keep working only to pay for the license. When i have it (or perhaps a little sooner ), i will quit the job and i will get any air job i can. I don't care if it's airline, instruction or other air jobs.

Good luck to everyone!

SpookyB

Hi,I'm 16 and I'm studing geography,ict,economics,and elective maths in my senior high school.
I want to know if i can be a pilot with these courses.?I'll

CAGS92

Hi,

New here but I've been lurking for many years. Look forward to becoming more active.

My situation:

25 and a half year old Aero Systems Engineer (British) with 2.5 years on the job. I have a matching BEng.

I obtained my PPL when I was 20 and have gained approximately 85 hours. I am thinking of trying airline pilot training, preferably in as short a time as possible from now onwards (factoring in a work notice period). I have about 60K (+/-5K) to use, and would like to go modular but full time.

I know OAA and CTC/L3 are considered 'top of the range' but any other popular ones to recommend? Sorry if the question appears gauche -I'm still learning the ropes about the current state of affairs in UK.

Look forward to further interactions

lee1321

Hello to every fellow enthusiasts out there!

I am looking for a little bit of help or suggestions you may have to kickstart my career in aviation.
It has been a dream of mine since a very young age to become a pilot. It is now that I am starting to put into place a pathway to succeed in my dreams. However, the sheer wealth of information out there at the moment can be overwhelming for a beginner like myself.

Okay, a bit of background about me. I have absolutely 0 knowledge of flying and no prior experience. I meet all the required criteria for becoming a pilot; EASA medical class 1, subjects and honours etc.. I am a European citizen with residence in both Finland and Ireland.

Now, where to begin? I have the opportunity (acceptance pending) to start my career with an ATPL certificate which is offered by programmes in Finland, Germany, Norway and the UK.
I also would have an opportunity to apply for a MPL license with Qatar Airways.

My question is, what route would you suggest I take? Is it risky to take an ATPL certificate at an academy that has no direct airline partners?

I'm sure this question has been asked plenty of times but each case is different. Any opinions or suggestions will be much appreciated!

Heimdal

Good evening. I would like to request some real life information.

As a 40 y/o female, dual citizen (German/Danish), with solid career (nothing fancy), a PPL-A and the funds to go on from there debt-free (modular), what kind of strategy would be the second-smartest (right after forgetting about it and saving the pennies )?

Any type of operations more likely to not rule me out? Any that are realistically out of reach (like the Legacy league)?

I know it starts with an ATPL course no matter what, but maybe there are choices along the way setting you up a little better or worse for specific operations. Niches that are worth using your resources for and others that are too unlikely to invest in (e.g. buying hours vs. buying a jet rating). I can move for opportunity.

Thanks.

JamesPEM

Hi everyone, new to this place!

Was wondering if there are any recommendations for flight schools in the US. i am looking to obtain CPL there with IR and ME rating. if possible even type rating to prepare myself for airline jobs.

The thing is most Schools in US do not have any reviews, so its kinda worrying to even bother trying. those bigger schools have varying reviews from very bad to very good. Good reviews for big school is not surprising but bad reviews are what i am concerned about.

I understand most people who intend to flying are taking a huge risk if they are not under any airline cadet program and worst, an expensive risk.

Is there anyone out there who is looking for FAA CPL program? Do you mind sharing your knowledge about the schools?

Cheers.

positive vibes

hello I am 27 years old .. I am doctor, single and don't really have any responsibilities ... I would like to be a commercial pilot its my dream job but I am not sure if its too late ? any suggestion will help. Thanks

rudestuff

^^^ what he said.
Definitely get an FAA IR. Then you can do a CBIR in 10 hours instead of 45/55.
Consider getting some multi time as well. It'll cost a bit more, but it's a really good insurance policy: just in case you don't get straight onto a jet there are still piston twin jobs in the UK, and if you've got 30 hours pic you can become an MEP CRI.

Heimdal

@button push, sorry for not replying, not checking here daily. Thank you for your contribution.

You mention Maersk/Star because it is a Danish company operating from Cologne. This is a good starting point for discussion, for is it really THAT simple? Me being affiliated to those two countries and speaking the languages, plus being a "just good enough" pilot earns you a seat? Pardon me for finding that thought connection a bit simplistic - I stand to be corrected.

On the other hand, IF it is really true that non-flying factors like languages will really seriously help, then that would be good to know. Aptitude and effort is for me to come up with. Other considerations, especially those that will help overcome the age problem in my case, are more on the employers side. What are those considerations?

coopR

Hi,
There are pros and cons of both really. If you opt for the MPL route you have more security of obtaining a job at the end compared to the standard White Tail Route as its sometimes referred to. But, have in mind that you are usually bonded to the airline (Qatar) for x many years and also you will have to do UK ATPL exams if you wanted to come back. If you do the standard ATPL route you have more freedom on who you want to work for, but you will then have to find a job after you have spent a lot of money for your training.

A bit of advice from me would be that you are choosing a career and there are many ways to get there. However, there are some options or routes you take which the career will also dramatically affect your lifestyle. For example if you chose the quatar MPL you would have to live there and would your views and lifestyle fit in with theirs?

Feel free to pm me if you have any other questions.

grumpie70

Curious to know if anyone has any advice on schools, that teach ATPL theory based in Europe that accept non- EU students.

I'm on the verge of completing my PPL training and would like to continue and get my ATPL theory exams done so then I can move on to securing a CPL/IR/ME but that's not offered where I am. Basically looking for a school that will assist in obtaining a student visa so I can study + sit my exams.

Everyone seems to recommend Bristol Ground School but they don't qualify for a student visa according to their site.

Taepodong

Hello everyone,

I am 30 y.o. living in Zurich, Switzerland and working as business analyst in Swiss bank. Looking for a good school for PPL(A). I searched through this forum and checked many flight schools and getting more and more confused which to choose... Can anyone advice which school in Europe is the best from quality/costs perspective? So far, I understood that Flying-In-Spain can be the best option... (learning in Switzerland is not an option). Can you please recommend?

Thank you for your answers.