Jar-fcl Ppl
 

I'm currently in my final year at secondary school. I was aiming to go straight into the intergrated course at OAA, CTC, Cabair, some place like that but after a long hard think i'm going to go to university and give the industry 4/5 years the improve. At uni i'll hopefully be studying aeronautical engineering or aerospace systems. However, just now i have a weekend job which is paying very well and I was wandering if it wouldn't do any harm buying 5 hours of PPL training? However, the uni i'm aiming to go to has a flying squadron and you can get access to flying there whilst doing your degree. Should i just wait for that or should i seriously considering starting my PPL or would the intergrated course be the best option?

why only intergrated?

Hearing what airlines have said in emails I have sent off and the Flybe pilot recruitment talk I went to the general idea was that intergrated way was very structured - you do flying day in day out after the ground school phase constantly honing the skills you've just learn't thus always practising.... not saying modular or not worth but intergrated looks the better option in incresing tough times.

Well, whatever you decide to do you'll need your PPL at some point...so if you decide to invest in those first 5 hours..then feel free. They'll always be there wether you decide to do your next bunch of hours pretty soon or in 10 years time.
Don't know if you've had a taster lesson or not yet, but definately invest in that before paying for five ormore hours...just incase theres the slim chance you don't like it!! Best of luck....its an expensive business, but worth it!:ok:

Scott I suspect you need to invest a few days reading the stickies at the top of the threads to understand fully the difference between modular and integrated as you are at risk of heading off on a very expensive path. Depending on where you go to train then there is no reason why you can't do a fulltime ground school for the ATPL's and be in at school each and every day flying (subject to weather) towards the ME/CPL and IR. This will cost you about half of an integrated course and you will have the same chance of working for the vast majority of airlines than someone that went integrated.

Don't be seduced by the marketing hype.

Thanks for your replies chaps! I have had 2 hours flying on 'taster' flights and 100% loved it. For my second hour the instructor knew i wanted to become a pilot so we did circuits and i have 7 take-offs and landings to my name. ;) I have thought long and hard about modular vs intergrated but the intergrated seems far more structured and with me at school/uni it seems good. I don't want to ne naieve about money etc but at my age i don't have anything to support such as a family, car, house so it seems in my eyes a better option going intergrated. I'll certainly have a look into the modular path.

If i went ahead with the 5 hours and didn't fly for say a few more months but came back to it would i spend most of my hours relearning what i had done in those initial 5 hours thus wasting money? My mum and dad said if i save my money sensibly from my job then they will see i really want to get my PPL and will contribute about half the sum. Should i wait until i have a nice lumpsum in my account then buy a good chunk of hours. I hope you see what i'm asking but would would be your take on it?

The top airlines only recruit from integrated courses. BA for example only recruits from Oxford, CTC, Cabair and FTE. The modular route may be cheaper - but much less chance of getting a job. In the current climate no one is recruiting, and once they start to again they will look at the integrated courses because they are more professional and get you in the right mindset to work in an airline. Also you do not need a PPL to do an integrated course...

I think that you may have been listening to too many salesmen selling integrated courses! AKA marketing hype!

Deep breath, don't rise to it. :ugh::ugh::ugh:

No marketing hype - was actually told that myself by the BA head of pilot recruitment that he only recruits from the top 4....