The full story from start to end

[fonawah]

Pilot Pete,
That was absolutely amazing! That is just what us wannabies need. I know everyone says "follow you dreams", "listen to your heart" etc etc but to read about someone who has gone through and made it is just so inspiring. I am also in a similar position as you were before you started. I WILL be here oneday posting my story of how I became an airline pilot.
Well done to you and best wishes to your wife and 2 kids.
Fonawah

When your story is published please let us know which magazine/newpaper it is in.
Cheers again
Fonawah

[icebox]

PP

Well done mate!! Truly inspirational. This post definately belongs in the Archives.

Your wife Suzie is a magnificent person. I think without her support, things may have been very different.

Best wishes to you all !!

Icebox.

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

There no longer is a Wannabes Archive as all posts are stored forever now we have a CRAY VI running PPRuNe.

Pilot Pete - That is without doubt one of the top ten posts I have read on this forum in my many years here. Thank you.

Also congratulations. Your path seems to have been harder than most and you should be very proud of yourself and your family for sticking to it.

Wannabeism has a distinct element of Greek tragedy to it. I have heard several stories like that of Pilot Petes. Nice guys who work so hard against such huge odds. Sometimes they never make it. Contrasted with others who go from school at 18, via a cadetship to a flag carrying 35 year career, without seeming to give it a second thought.

All part of lifes rich tapestry I guess.

I would think the guys at Flyer Magazine might be interested in publishing your opus Pete. I can arrange a contact if you like.

Cheers,

WWW

[DoleBoy]

PP Superb stuff, It has inspired me to write something similar.
hopefully I too will soon be at the big stuff stage of my chosen career, but for now instructing is great fun. Anyway good luck for tomorrow and I am sure it will all go smoooothly.

Regards

DB

P.S Hmm I suppose I should be InstructorBoy now

[Tight Slot]

Bloody hell PP if you can post that amount of posts in the summer, then your roster can't be that bad! Sleep when you can is my policy!

PS - 757's are good fun to fly but look out for sonic cruisers!!!!

[BrettInLJ]

Great story! I am a career changer from the IT industry as well and it is indeed inspiring.

It would be great if you could post this as an article on http://www.jetcareers.com

There are a lot of wannabees from the States on this site, and there's also a forum just for career changers.

Thanks for your words,
Brett

[TheNavigator]

PP,

In one word - "BRILLIANT"

Whenever your nick shows up in the forum, there is always good reading involved!

Thanks for that!

Good luck!

[simon brown]

PP

I have to say this is the most inspirational post ive seen on this site for a long time , and it appears that your preseverence has paid off. Theres a saying isnt there, that if your patient you always get what you want in the end...

I too am in the IT industry and have been wanting to pursue a career in avaition since a was 17 (rejected by the RAF on eyesight grounds). I am now in my comfort zone earning good money , company car , house etc etc but am bored beyond belief ,and to be honest have been put off somewhat by many of the posts on various forums in pursuing this route, 9/11 etc etc etc.

Due to my current circumstances, this has tipped the balance for me personally and am now determined to take strides to pursue my goal.

If under your circumstances you can do it , then I certainly can (newly single , 60K equity in a property plus some savings)

If I wore a hat I would take it off to you big time,and agree with others that your post should be published in "The Flyer etc

The very best of luck in your career....

SB

[IanSeager]

Pilot Pete

Could you email me?

[email protected]

Thanks

Ian

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Ian, thanks, that saves me the bother. Please print this. It may not be snappy journalism but it will hit home with thousands of your readers..

Cheers

WWW

[tailscrape]

What happened next?

Pete,

As both you and I know, that is not quite complete! We have been in the thick of all sorts since those heady days in summer 2001!

You gonna tell the rest?

Lunch on Tuesday could be a winner mate, my missus just "humphed" and shrugged the shoulders when i told her. That is a positive sign!

Matt

[Tight Slot]

Guys, use the phone or text! Its much quicker. Anyhow, you've set a precedent now so - bbq round my gaf tomorrow Matt if you're around, then the pub quiz.

Arh chat rooms hey?

[Pilot Pete]

I'm not sure how this all got raised again, for those who have not seen it before, check the dates out on the last few posts; we have jumped from August 2001 to August 2002!!

I did update here this is it for those who couldn't be bothered to click the link!;


Here we go again then?

Where did I leave you all last time? I think I was extolling the virtues of flying the 757 on line. Nothing has changed in that department. She’s still the beauty she always was. She hasn’t changed her colours, moved the goalposts or dropped me right in the clag!

Life however, has a strange way of biting back, just when you least expect it.

With the line training behind me I really started to enjoy the life as a First Officer flying holiday charter. I’d spent my time giving my all to my employer, delirious at being able to carry these passengers to and from their holiday destinations. I sat in the cruise going over the ‘recall’ items whilst the captain read the Daily Telegraph. I knew my technical knowledge was my weak point so I’d committed to brushing that up on the ‘long’ sectors.

Suzie and the boys had really started to appreciate the hard slogg that we’d all been through to get where we were. The mortgage was a huge stretch on an F/O’s salary, despite our substantial down-payment, but I knew that cometh the ATPL cometh the £10k pay rise, so we’d gambled in the rising market and found our current house which would save us moving again for a few years at least. Poor Harry deserved a bit of stability for once in his life having moved house three times in as many years. He was becoming a bit of a serial ‘play grouper’, never staying long enough to be recognised anywhere!

September was a big month for more than one reason. Harry started school at what can only be described as the ‘ideal’ primary school (within the state system). It’s two miles out of town in a little village called Marton which boasts the oldest timber framed church in England, down a country lane, surrounded by farmland with Friesians leaning over the fence chewing the cud in the playing field. He was smaller than just about every other child due to his illness when aged one year (all covered in previous postings!) and this was the first time that we’d really noticed it. He was also very shy and his natural character is to be unwilling to try anything that he perceives to not like………………………..…99% of which he subsequently finds to be ‘excellent’! School was no different. A number of days crying his eyes out into mine or Suzie’s leg at ‘departure’ became the norm for a week or two. Being the cold hearted father that I am I found it a lot easier to walk away mumbling “he’ll be fine”. As it transpired I was proved right and he was. He was very advanced academically but very restrained socially and school has proved the best thing for him.

The second reason for September proving to be a big month was for the reason that does not need stating in aviation circles. Like Kennedy being assassinated I will always remember where I was on September 11th 2001. New life was due to be delivered yet again in our household, for the last time I hasten to add! Suzie was pregnant with our third, due in march 2002 and things had not gone to plan. I recall a ppruner who’d said how lucky I always was, being in the right place at the right time (with regards to employment I guess), but it didn’t feel like it on September 11th.

Two months earlier in the pregnancy Suzie had gone for a routine scan and they had found an ‘abnormality’. It was called a Neucal Translucency, which is a thickening of the back of the neck in the foetus. They don’t know what causes it but know that it can lead to a number of very unpleasant problems. We were sent to Manchester for a scan on a more powerful machine and to take a biopsy of the placenta to see what was happening and try to pinpoint any problem. The appointment was booked for September 11th at 10am.

We arrived at the hospital having dropped Harry at school and enlisting the mother-in-law to take care of Edward, parked the car and wandered into reception. Suzie was very worried, as was I, but it’s different for a mother-to-be and nothing I could say would have really helped. We were seen and then sent to another department to have a quite painful sample of the placenta removed for chromosomal testing. As we walked round into that department we checked to see what all the nurses were watching, hands on mouths, on the television.

Some time earlier the first aircraft had smashed into the WTC. CNN was live on the BBC. All we could see was the burning tower, oh my God what a terrible tragedy I thought. Little did I know what effect the unfolding events would have on the lives of so many people.

Suzie was incredibly brave during the very nasty procedure and we walked out surprised to see people still crowded around the TV. Another quick glance and they were saying that a another aircraft had crashed into the second WTC tower. It still didn’t really register with me the impact that this was going to have. We drove home frightened about the possible events that the test results could be laying before us. Down's Syndrome was the most likely if a chromosomal disorder was found. If clear, no guarantees could be given with still an increased risk of abortion, genetic abnormalities including heart disorders and a host of other increased risks.

By the time we reached home Suzie had to run through the debrief with mom and I felt a bit left out so put on the TV and thought I would follow the breaking news.

My God, I could not believe the tragedy that was unfolding in front of my eyes. The first tower dropped as I watched intently, followed by the second, I was lost in this horrendous screenplay, my mind diverted from my own mini-drama.

It didn’t take long for the UK airlines to latch on to this downturn that the market was ‘bound’ to experience and for those who’d messed up prior to that date the perfect excuse was there. By October we had a new MD who was brought in to ‘save’ the airline from this make or break situation that threatened the industry itself. He was full of good rhetoric and impressed with his maiden speech about how tough times were ahead but he would steer us and save us with his ruthlessness.

Within a week I found myself on a shortlist for redundancy. Costs needed to be cut and I was one of those costs. It was a kick in the teeth that I didn’t need right then.

Negotiations started through Balpa and the statutory 90 days began on 2nd November. Towards the end of October I was frantically trying to find someone who would provide me with payment protection insurance for the mortgage. At the time we decided we just couldn’t afford it, but now we just couldn’t afford not to have it. A broker tried but found that the companies were cherry picking and not touching anyone in the aviation industry. A colleague put me on to another broker who secured me a deal starting on Nov 1st with a 90 day ‘no cover’ period. Phew.

Christmas approached and we were determined to enjoy it, being the first in sunny Congleton, but the axe over my head left me always thinking about other things. My first revalidation in the sim came around very quickly and I took a good few days out to put in the required work to achieve a decent grade. I flew the profiles well and got the required ticks. My weakness was not being forceful enough with my captain when he deviated from the required STAR. Lesson learned.

New year came and went and my winter roster showed a sad lack of flying – 3 trips in December and 3 in January. Apart from the fact that I could do with the hours this type of roster creates added stresses at home. I always seem to be under her feet, I can’t afford to join a gym or anything else, I’ve painted everything that moves at home (and plenty that doesn’t) and spent far too many hours checking the latest negotiation position via the Balpa forum and Pprune.

As we stand today I have a one-on-one with my base captain this afternoon – another step in the legal process and I expect my redundancy notice in the post imminently. I still can’t see the justification for my redundancy, especially on a cost basis when you take into account relocation costs and type rating costs (all those to be laid off are 757 rated and those at the closing bases who are more senior are A320 rated), but hey, no one said life would be easy……………. don’t I just know it.

I just want to fly, professionally, with a determination to succeed and do the job as best I can. I don’t want to be involved in all the politics, but unfortunately it comes with the territory so the cv’s are out and I’m looking for a carrier who’ll just give me an easy time whilst I give them exactly what they want.

It doesn’t get any easier Wanabees. Good luck.

PP

which brings things slightly more up to date, but things have moved on considerably since then also, as Tailscrape alludes to. All I can say is watch this space..........

Thanks again for your replies, I'm glad the story has helped encourage many of you to 'keep on digging' once you've appeared to hit rock bottom!

PP

[Spit15]

Nice to see the good guys do win.

[onedaymaybe?]

I have not had the opportunity to fly for a commercial carrier yet, although I remain hopefull.

I have had however similar events happen in my life, such as a 4 month old son end up in hospital ( 3 hospitals in fact by the end of it all) just as I was about to do my ATPL's and have had to delay and re-brush up for my exams.

I too have had to spend 6 weeks at Kings College hospital lying on the floor by my sons bed, not knowing what his future was to be, whether he would come out of hospital or not.

The fact that he recovered was the best thing that could of happened in my life, and all the examinations and flight tests took on an air of insignificance afterwards, I had my son back and that was the most important thing.

I think what you have written has been great reading and having seen some of my own life in your story, I can only feel great respect for what you have gone through,

[Pilot Pete]

onedaymaybe

I thank you for you kind comments and your post certainly assists those who are struggling with the ATPL exams to keep some perspective.

I wish you and your family continued good health.

PP

[Bovey]

PP's wife here

Icebox, thank you for your kind words, one doesn't realise how much support it takes for somebody training to be a pilot except when one meets other wannabees that have had support that wasn't prepared to stick around, and there appear to be a lot of stories like that about.

fonawah, best wishes to you too with your training, work hard and it will pay off... eventually.

salapilots's wife - one would think PP had done it all on his own, but I guess it isn't me that has a shiny blue licence, feels like it sometimes though. I take it you are where I was a few years ago. The thing is I had a dream too and I didn't want to marry a shotblaster! plus he is not bad looking and is able to cope with my pmt (just).

And we have since had our third and last healthy baby, little Thomas who has just started walking.

Admittedly my story is somewhat different since there was a ton of support from both sets of parents my eldest brother and his sisters so I guess we have all done our bit. It certainly helps to have a supportive family especially if there are children involved.

And if Pete had not worked as hard as he did and took every single opportunity and meticulously thought about every single option that became available for the various bits of training it would have worked out differently, I'm sure.

Thank you everybody for all of their very kind comments and I wish you all the very best of luck to achieve your dreams. If you want it enough it will happen.

Kind regards

Suzie
x

[LawMaker]

pp.

I'm the newest wannabee on this forum and was guided to your post by some helpful ppl on the chat forum.

IT to Lawyer to ... Pilot hopefully.

I've got your age at starting. 29 as opposed to my 31.

Could you please elaborate (in detail) on the cost of the training you had to pay for, from start to finish, as my basic research suggests I can scrap any chance of sponsorship at my age.

A bit scary though to pay £xx,000's without any surety of a job at the end of it.

Thanks in advance PP

(and also to the friendly crowd here. Not the pompous legal sharks I'm used to.)

[Pilot Pete]

LawMaker,

I think all in it came to about £50k, which was everything attributed to the training; ie. flying training, CAA fees, travel expenses, accommodation where necessary, books, groundschool courses, equipment (headset, CRP-5 etc etc), but did not include the loss of earnings for two years and everyday bills which still needed paying like mortgage, utilities, council tax etc etc. So I suppose you could say the true cost was much higher, but there again, no matter if I did it or not I would still have had these bills to pay.

There is not a lot of point in me giving you a full breakdown of costs/ fees as the whole system has changed since I trained and you will find answers to the 'how much' question if you use the search facility, with much more up to date costs (which I believe are considerably higher under JAR.)

It is an awful lot of money to outlay without any guarantee of a job, but that's the nature of the beast and you are right in thinking that sponsorship is a non-starter for you at your age. It boils down to how much you want to do it. Many of today's pilots in the UK have gone down this well trodden path selling the shirt off their back to get to the point of being employable with the airlines. It takes a dedication that will stand you in good stead. Times will be tough and you can't expect to waltz into a jet job on as much money as you currently earn as a lawyer. Some people spend years trying to get into the position I am very lucky to be in now.

I do wish you the very best of luck with whatever you choose and the whole thing was certainly worth it from my point of view.

PP

[VFR800]

PP,

Top man, an inspiration to all wannabe's.