Damn ! Another PFO... Confidence = nill........
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Damn ! Another PFO... Confidence = nill........
Yet again I receive another lovely "PFO" for my attempts at gaining sponsorship ! This is becoming routine now ! I really can't think why I keep stuffing up - I always feel that I've done okay, and then whap !! Unsuccessful. Thing is, it's really beginning to knock me now, my determination gets higher (To prove 'em wrong eh !?), but my confidence is depleting. Especially when people at work seem to laugh at my misfortune and say such 'encouraging' things as "..Ha..Ha.. you flying..don't make me laugh..blah blah..." (I've had two of those already in one day) Why is people seem to go out their way to discourage people who want to fly ? I'm sure you've all experienced this. I know there's other ways into this flying lark, and I'm wondering whether to just bite the bullet now and get as much flying done as possible even if it takes 10 years. Thing is, I just about break even every month so what do I do !?!? There is not a hope in hell of being able to save/borrow for an integrated course, a PPL is going to be hard enough. So what do I do !?!? It may sound stupid, but age is becoming a concern and I'm only 25 !! Anyway, thanks for reading my rant - I hope I don't come accross as irrational ! Just needed to air my situation and get some advice from others in a similar position.
Cheers all,
An unhappy NB.
Cheers all,
An unhappy NB.
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First people at work, sod them, who cares what they think ? Just smile to yourself knowing that one day you will leave them all behind for an office at FL350. Keep that thought in your head, "One day mate, one day..". Sorted.
Second, sponsorships are hard to get (I know I don't need to tell you that), if you get one great, if you don't, don't be too hard on yourself, keep it in perspective yeah ?
Third, work out the cost of the modular route (like a lot of us here), aim to do it a step at a time, save what you can, look into bank loans/Professional Studies, aim to get to a level where you can instruct i.e. no IR required (yet), work your way through.
Fourth, keep plugging away at sponsorships, work at your weaker points, and your age sounds fine, a good few years on your side yet.
Most of all, stay focussed enough to keep plugging away, it is hard, no one will tell you otherwise, but keep at it, you will get there. I'm sure it gets to everyone once in a while, but keep at it, a bit at a time.
...and have a pint too, works wonders.
All the best.
Second, sponsorships are hard to get (I know I don't need to tell you that), if you get one great, if you don't, don't be too hard on yourself, keep it in perspective yeah ?
Third, work out the cost of the modular route (like a lot of us here), aim to do it a step at a time, save what you can, look into bank loans/Professional Studies, aim to get to a level where you can instruct i.e. no IR required (yet), work your way through.
Fourth, keep plugging away at sponsorships, work at your weaker points, and your age sounds fine, a good few years on your side yet.
Most of all, stay focussed enough to keep plugging away, it is hard, no one will tell you otherwise, but keep at it, you will get there. I'm sure it gets to everyone once in a while, but keep at it, a bit at a time.
...and have a pint too, works wonders.
All the best.
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I am a student studying for a degree in Belfast. I get no money from my parents and only have a job in Sainsburys for cash. Sure it can be tough at times but I am still managing to get through my PPL and rent a house at the same time. You can do it, everyone can, you just have to budget well and live on a shoe string.
My suggestion is contact your local flying club and get a price list. Even if you can only afford one lesson per month. Go for it. At least you will be getting some experience. Which will also be an advantage on your next sponcership application.
Happy Flying
My suggestion is contact your local flying club and get a price list. Even if you can only afford one lesson per month. Go for it. At least you will be getting some experience. Which will also be an advantage on your next sponcership application.
Happy Flying
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I am ten years older and just starting out. I was laughed at when I was 16 when I announced that all I wanted to do was fly for a living. The mistake I made was taking notice of these tossers and thinking my dream really was just that. Don't let the bas%$&ds grind you down. I did and I regret it. You've got age on your side, stay focussed and turn the dream into reality.
Of course, getting a class 1 medical pass before you embark on all this goes without saying!
Best of luck
Nigel
Of course, getting a class 1 medical pass before you embark on all this goes without saying!
Best of luck
Nigel
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Cheers guys... I feel a tad better now. Just needed a moan this morning. I have my class 1 so I know It's only a case of motivation/determination. I only have a few hours so maybe I'll just build up by doing an hour a month !! I know others maybe in a far worse financial position than myself and still manage it so I didn't mean it to sound like a "I haven't any money and it's not fair !" thread. Just that sometimes it makes me wonder whether I have got what it takes !! God I hate work colleagues !!
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NewBloke, what you're experiencing is what every single Wannabe goes through at least once in their arduous task to become a pilot. I posted a similar msg to yours last year when I, too, failed all of the sponsorship tests and the reponse and words of encouragement from fellow Wannabes worked wonders. Give yourself a couple of weeks. Mope around, be grumpy, do whatever you need to do to feel sorry for yourself (it worked for me!) and then start thinking about how you're going to achieve that RHS. If you're doing your PPL, focus on that. If not, consider starting it. Do something that will at least get you that little bit closer to your goal.
Don't give in. You sound as if you've got the determination/motivation to succeed so keep at it.
Why the nice words? Simply "passing it on". :-)
MB
Don't give in. You sound as if you've got the determination/motivation to succeed so keep at it.
Why the nice words? Simply "passing it on". :-)
MB
The idiots who try to drag you down are scared. When you make it they will feel uncomfortable that you went for your dream and succeeded while they didn't have the guts to go for what they wanted. In most cases they don't even know what they want, so they'll veg out in front of the telly waiting for opportunity to knock at the door, and opportunity won't knock unless you know what you want. And when it does knock it comes disguised as hard work...so they go back to their telly and sit on their behinds again wondering why life passes them by.
Then when you have the guts, conviction and intelligence to decide what you want, make a plan to get there, and start on the road...they try to drag you back down to their level because if you succeed you make them feel bad. Well that's just tough - it's their decision!
The Hawaiians have a word called "Ohiki" (I think it's called that, maybe our cousins from the States would correct me if necessary) - Black crabs from Hawaii, if you put them in a bucket they'll clatter around the bottom for a while until one manages to climb up to the top and sees a bright new world out there. What do the others do? Do they climb up and look too, hoping to escape? Do they heck! They pull him back down into the bucket!
Everybody on this planet in 100% responsible for how their life turns out. You having a goal and going for it is a painful reminder to those others that they haven't taken control or responsibility for their thoughts and actions. Pity them and get on with your life. As they say, "obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goals"
Go for it, and sod the nay-sayers
It's 20 years since I got my PPL, now I'm in a 757/767. We all did it one step at a time - make the first step.
FL
p.s. I only looked at this thread because I thought "why would anybody's confidence be dented by going to Paphos (PFO)" !
Glad I did. Good luck...
[ 09 August 2001: Message edited by: Floppy Link ]
Then when you have the guts, conviction and intelligence to decide what you want, make a plan to get there, and start on the road...they try to drag you back down to their level because if you succeed you make them feel bad. Well that's just tough - it's their decision!
The Hawaiians have a word called "Ohiki" (I think it's called that, maybe our cousins from the States would correct me if necessary) - Black crabs from Hawaii, if you put them in a bucket they'll clatter around the bottom for a while until one manages to climb up to the top and sees a bright new world out there. What do the others do? Do they climb up and look too, hoping to escape? Do they heck! They pull him back down into the bucket!
Everybody on this planet in 100% responsible for how their life turns out. You having a goal and going for it is a painful reminder to those others that they haven't taken control or responsibility for their thoughts and actions. Pity them and get on with your life. As they say, "obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goals"
Go for it, and sod the nay-sayers
It's 20 years since I got my PPL, now I'm in a 757/767. We all did it one step at a time - make the first step.
FL
p.s. I only looked at this thread because I thought "why would anybody's confidence be dented by going to Paphos (PFO)" !
Glad I did. Good luck...
[ 09 August 2001: Message edited by: Floppy Link ]
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What stage of the sponsorship are you stumbling at? Is it the aptitudes or the interview. Either way, you can improve and become better at the selection process.
If you know you're the sort of person who could succeed at the training course and airline world, then you will eventually get sponsored. I did.
It's a pretty unique profession that persistance is rewarded, and applying many times will tend to go in your favour, not the other way round. Committment is very important, and that shows it. In fact, persistence is probably one of the most important characteristics in a wanabee pilot!
Applying for sponsorship is almost a full time job in itself (but unfortunately doesn't pay the rent)!
Try to find out where you went wrong. Contrary to what they might say, most airlines / flying schools will discuss your performance in the selection process, so at least you can know where to focuss your efforts for the next one.
bmi british midland may be recruiting again from this Autumn, and is one of the best. go for it.
If it's your aptitudes, then there are lots of books out there to help (usually the mental maths is the problem).
If the interview, again, lots of things you can work at. The selection process is a game, you just have to play it, jump through the hoops. You can get better at it.
If you know you're the sort of person who could succeed at the training course and airline world, then you will eventually get sponsored. I did.
It's a pretty unique profession that persistance is rewarded, and applying many times will tend to go in your favour, not the other way round. Committment is very important, and that shows it. In fact, persistence is probably one of the most important characteristics in a wanabee pilot!
Applying for sponsorship is almost a full time job in itself (but unfortunately doesn't pay the rent)!
Try to find out where you went wrong. Contrary to what they might say, most airlines / flying schools will discuss your performance in the selection process, so at least you can know where to focuss your efforts for the next one.
bmi british midland may be recruiting again from this Autumn, and is one of the best. go for it.
If it's your aptitudes, then there are lots of books out there to help (usually the mental maths is the problem).
If the interview, again, lots of things you can work at. The selection process is a game, you just have to play it, jump through the hoops. You can get better at it.
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Thanks for the boost of confidence from everyone - it's really what I needed. The problem really is I honestly don't know where I'm going wrong - I pass some aptitudes and fail others !? For instance, I got an interview at Oxford last year for BM - aptitudes I felt fine with and they were my first sitting. (Obviously have to practice the interview technique as well !). But most of the others (BA, Cabair) it's like banging my head against a wall !! I wouldn't mind if I could get a stage further each time maybe !! I have many books which I practice from so I do put in the work. I guess it's simply a case of what you do on the day, and even if I do well I'm sure others do just as well and have more experience/PPL etc..(I've only 12 hours). So at the moment I'm going to concentrate on obtaining my PPL whilst still applying to these schemes. Be more fun anyway... It's good to hear from people who have made it via sponsored/self funded/modular routes who have made it - it does brighten up my outlook. So thanks for that. I know It's definitely what I want to do so what the hell - I will try to ignore the ignorant eh !? Anyway, I shall bore you all no longer with my self pity, I'm off to dress up in my finest micro-skirt, red lipstick and stilettos to earn some flying cash down Southampton docks. I'm a bloke by the way but I look good in a wig......
Seriously - A big thankyou to you all.....
Seriously - A big thankyou to you all.....
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NB, Porstmouth is your best bet, there are a lot more sailors down there, you should have a little more luck dont be afraid of street corners too!
good luck and keep your chin up!
good luck and keep your chin up!
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Give up if you are not mentally strong enough for the setbacks you will inevitably have along the way. I started flying 9 years ago and I have been instructing full time for 5 months. I am finally in a holding pool for a midlands-based airline, so hopefully my hardest days are behind me. If I knew it would take nearly ten years to become a junior pilot at a medium-sized airline I don't think I would have bothered at the time. I have kept going because it is what I want to do and I am going to prove every ****er wrong. I am listing a few of my highs and lows, so you understand that any advice I can give comes from experience and is not of the 'just keep at it - you'll captain concorde one day' type.
1991 Passed the BA aptitude tests - all courses cancelled due Gulf War
1995 Passed the BA tests & interviews
1998 Failed BA jet conversion course - booted out
2001 First flying job - instructing
To pass the aptitudes, I made sure I was good at what was required. There are books of tests (maths, IQ, english) out there - buy them and practise. Practise hand/eye coordination on a pc flight program.
Get interested in flying, and be believable - subscribe to magazines, go to air shows, hang out at your local flying school
If you are failing in interviews, get books on interview technique. If necessary apply for a job or two just to get interview practice. Ask for feedback from failed flying interviews.
Work in the industry. At anything. Sweep the floors at Gatwick if you have to . You will meet people who are sympathetic. Prior to my interview for my 'midlands-based' airline, I spoke to someone I had met twice in 1992 making tea in my local flying school, and he is now a training captain there. Get a job at BA if you really want one of their sponsorships. They recruit internally for it - usually two people annually. You will have less competition
Finally, save your money. Do not do an hour a month. Save for six months and go to Florida and get half your PPL done at once.
One more thing - GOOD LUCK
1991 Passed the BA aptitude tests - all courses cancelled due Gulf War
1995 Passed the BA tests & interviews
1998 Failed BA jet conversion course - booted out
2001 First flying job - instructing
To pass the aptitudes, I made sure I was good at what was required. There are books of tests (maths, IQ, english) out there - buy them and practise. Practise hand/eye coordination on a pc flight program.
Get interested in flying, and be believable - subscribe to magazines, go to air shows, hang out at your local flying school
If you are failing in interviews, get books on interview technique. If necessary apply for a job or two just to get interview practice. Ask for feedback from failed flying interviews.
Work in the industry. At anything. Sweep the floors at Gatwick if you have to . You will meet people who are sympathetic. Prior to my interview for my 'midlands-based' airline, I spoke to someone I had met twice in 1992 making tea in my local flying school, and he is now a training captain there. Get a job at BA if you really want one of their sponsorships. They recruit internally for it - usually two people annually. You will have less competition
Finally, save your money. Do not do an hour a month. Save for six months and go to Florida and get half your PPL done at once.
One more thing - GOOD LUCK
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Mole
I was intrigued by part of your response in this thread
I quote;
"Get interested in flying, and be believable - subscribe to magazines, go to air shows, hang out at your local flying school"
Surely everyone here is interested in flying? You can't hold the buggers back for Christ's sake!! If there's a single person in the wannabes section that hasn't got an interest in flying then this world is all the more crazy than I realised.
Sorry, minor rant..
Nige
I was intrigued by part of your response in this thread
I quote;
"Get interested in flying, and be believable - subscribe to magazines, go to air shows, hang out at your local flying school"
Surely everyone here is interested in flying? You can't hold the buggers back for Christ's sake!! If there's a single person in the wannabes section that hasn't got an interest in flying then this world is all the more crazy than I realised.
Sorry, minor rant..
Nige
