28th-february-2000-where-will-you-time-next-year
 

Remember this thread?

http://www.pprune.org/forums/profess...next-year.html

I started it and said

Maybe it's time for an update from the original contributors. Where have you all ended up? That might be very interesting indeed.

In my own case, indeed one year later. I was indeed flying jets. Now eight and and half years later. I'm a training Captain, flying A330s on the Atlantic now with over 7000 hours. I live the live I have dreamed of, flying for a living, with a nice house, a lovely wife, charming children..........................OK I'm lying:hmm: That never happened, well the wife and child did but the rest somehow failed to materialise:confused: I cannot even explain why or how. I do fly still and even make a little money from it. (Very little). I'm even considering walking away from flying once and for all. Enough is enough.

But enough about me. What about the rest of you. Where are you now?

I know where Redsnail ended up. But what of the rest of you?
It'll be interesting.

Well, back in 2000 i had just started secondary school, now im working to earn some beans to finish my ppl.

This time next year i will be sitting on here with a ppl thinking whether a new Seat Leon 1.8T cupra is a more worthwhile investment than an atpl.

I love blasts from the past posts! Although I didn't write in that post, I bet that like me, things didn't turn out quite so rosy as most people had planned.

I read my old posts (on here, and other websites) a while back - and things are very different now. I was so enthusiastic, and convinced that by now I would be flying for easyJet.

Reality is, it's now 3 years since I've started, and I've only just got my CPL. I'm trying to get my FIC done. And I'm hoping to have a FIC job in a few months.

I've decided that airline flying is not for me (is that a good or a bad thing?) and I'm now focusing on instructing which I feel suits my personality much better than airline.

Also, my perception of aviation and the people in it has changed quite substantially, which I think is a real shame. Don't get me wrong, I've met some fantastic people along the way, but there are a few who have really put me off flying.

Time, and plans are funny things!

That's interesting. Why do you think things didn't turn out as you expected? What delays did you come across that prevented you from applying to airlines?

For me - money, and having to work at the same time.

Unable to take holidays as and when required.

Having an ATPL brush up cancelled and having to reschedule months later due to having no cover at work.

Loosing the medical temporarily.

Getting screwed by one FTO and loosing almost £2000.

Having to wait 3 months for licence docs to come from another school (it's still not here!).

Also a long waiting list to get on one of my courses.

Partialling on a test too.

Now, my CPL will be issued over the coming weeks, but the IR is about to expire. So it can just expire - I'm concentrating on the FIC alone now. Running out of money again.

Even if I wanted to go straight to airline - I wouldn't be able to given the current climate.

Now as I'm up to my eyeballs in it, I've got to work full time in a car factory (exciting or what?) and I'm struggling to find an FIC school close to home to complete my course - and so, have to go all the way down south and complete - more money!

When I do finally get qualified - god knows what might happen! Not that I'm complaining!

It's one thing after the other! Why do I bother :-)

again - I missed that thread as I quit my comfortably paid job and started training in 2001. My goal was to fly for an airline eventually but wanted to experience all areas of flying if I could along the way.

It took me 7 years and finally this year a TP operator has taken a chance with me and I couldn't be happier.

It's not all doom and gloom:ok:

Back then I would have been 8 and the most important thing on my mind then was probably which sweets should I buy from the shop :}

Hmmmm . 8 years ago i was mortgage free and debt free thinking "wouldn't it be cool to be an airline pilot"

Now im mortgaged up to the eyeballs and full or debt thinking
"wouldn't it be cool to not be in debt"

Oh and i still aint made it, Still nevermind.

hmmm....let me think. In 2000 I took my first PPL lesson...had my little brown book a year later. Held down a full time career since and finally finished my frozen ATPL last April. Sitting in 2 hold pool positions now for airline jobs but beginning to get a bit worried about the ecenomic outlook. In the meantime, im glider towing and also about to start para dropping at a local skydive club. Its been a long hard slog but the light at the end of the tunnell is just about within touching distance.

So is money (the lack of) the sole reason why a) you haven't made it, or b) it has taken a long time?

Its taken a long time for the simple reason that I didnt make a serious commitment to do it until only a couple of years ago. I was(and still am) in an established career and only did my PPL purely as a hobby. As for the money....ppl to frozen atpl in 30k. I've no debt/loans to flying training, everything was pay as you go. 3 job interviews(turned down 1 which was Ryanair) but went to the other 2. Got 2 hold pool slots out of them. As long as the industry doesnt go further into decline then i should hopefuly have a right seat before the end of the year.