Female wannabe - honest advice please.
 

Hi Everyone.

Great to be here. I'm looking for some really honest advice (good or bad). I'm a 40 year old female who for the past couple of years has had this vision of training to be a pilot. I'm very fit and train at least 5 times a week. I'm not one of those people who has wanted to do this from a young age, or even have any friends/family who are pilots. I don't know if I'm in the minority there. I just love travel and airports! I can't even explain the feeling of being in different airports and watching the pilots thinking how amazing it would be to do their job. Perhaps I'm having some kind of mid-life crisis, but I just have had this strong urge to do it. Education wise, I'm a primary trained teacher. I'm okay with maths and sciences, but not super amazing. In the future I would also like to live in a different country as a base. Is this possible with being a pilot?

I'm in such a fortunate position right now that I have the funds to do it - I got lucky with crypto a few years ago, so I'm financially secure. I'm a single parent to a 14-year-old. What is massively putting me off is being away for very long periods of time with the training. My child attends a private school, so boarding is an option and she is getting older and more mature.

Am I mad to even be considering this? What would your advice be for somebody like me. Is it a really bad time to try and get into aviation right now? I'm thinking of trying to get my PPL in the summer as a starting point. TIA.

No, I don't think you're mad, but there's a few things to think about.

You're 40, at the moment there's a retirement point at 60/65 for *some* forms of professional pilot, it'll take you 3ish years to qualify, so that's in the order of 22 years professional career - longer if you elect to go into something like flying instructing later on in your career. So you're not too old. You are likely to take a bit longer to qualify than a 25 year old, but not obscenely longer if you are dedicated enough.

In my opinion you want to start with one really important thing. Do a PPL. This will give you much more honest answers than any amount of aptitude tests and enthusiasm about whether you've really got the ability and dedication to go through flying training. Pick a reputable local school, make it clear you're considering going Pro, put the effort into both the ground studies and the flying training. At the end of that, review your position from a far higher level of personal knowledge.

You don't have to go fixed wing, you could go rotary. You also don't have to become an airline pilot, there are other FW jobs such as air taxi, fishery patrol, instructor. Get knowledgeable about all the options. Join the British Women Pilots Association - they're great with support and information.

After that, if you're still dedicated to this - go for it. No, you shouldn't need to live away from home: there are suitable schools across the UK, most of them basically do professional training in office hours. So you don't need to abandon your home life with your child - just treat the training as a full time (or part time) job over 2-3 years, and you'll get there.

Regarding academic skills, A-level standard maths and physics / general science is perfectly adequate for professional pilot training, and there's plenty of material out there to help you brush up if you need it.

G

Fab Response Ghenghis. Try it first. Although i do think you will have to have a lot of nights away to get professional unless you are luckily situated.

Oh and by the way, GO FOR IT. I grew up in a very working class background and was demotivated by all my teachers and peers all the way. I just ignored them. Been a professional pilot over 30 years now.

Speaking for myself, I've CPL/IR in the UK, USA and EASAland, with ME in UK and EASAland. Ignoring time that I just happened to be away for other purposes, my total time away to get all of that was probably about 4 months. I could probably have had that down to a few weeks if I didn't get the FAA licences, or take any overseas shortcuts. Of course, that's mostly living in the South of England, where the density of flying schools is relatively high, and before the UK left EASA.

G

Once you decide that it might be something for you, do a Class 1 medical

If you want to be - then be. Others have hit all the major points: Get a class 1 medical and a PPL, then you'll know for sure. Other than that, good luck! Your choice of gender will give you a huge advantage.

Absolutely, I should have said that also.

G

As others have said, do a Class 1 medical or at least research the requirements for it. :) No, you're not mad and it's probably not a bad time to start the process. Although, getting the timing right can be like playing the stock market. There's a lot of other factors that can affect the markets... Aviation is particularly sensitive to economic fluctuations.
Have a trial lesson. This way you're not investing heavily into it and you can assess the school too. Very important.

Yes, you can live elsewhere and fly. Although, your licence/passport may have more to say about that. Inquire about EASA/UK CAA licences,
Good luck

It is amazing to see people at this age, overcoming all the stereotypes and chasing their passion; Good for you lady!! I really hope you achieve your dream.
Whereabouts are you? The reason I am asking this is because U.S and Canadian market has picked up way better than Europe. If your aim is to become a professional pilot, you might have a better chance there.
PM me if you need any advice on picking schools.

Definitely go for it, but do some PPL flying and get a Class 1 medical soon, and before you give up your current employment.

I left a secure, interesting and well paid career to do an ATPL at a few years younger than you are now. I did a full-time integrated course at a good school, because I needed to get a qualification as soon as possible and start earning again, since time (age) was against me - I didn't want to spend 5 years doing it the modular way, and I wanted high quality training at ground school so I didn't waste time having to re-sit exams.

I got all of that, and at the time, (1997), it cost me between a third and a half of what it costs now, and I was able to get a job flying a shed (Shorts 360) , which got my foot on the ladder, which eventually got me into flying A330's, which was utterly fantastic.

You may find that the airlines are ageist - they are not allowed to be, but they find ways around that - so you will have to be persistent, and prepared for disappointments. They don't seem to value life experience either, they just want "cannon fodder" to populate their ridiculous rosters, and the much younger folk are easier to push around.

Airlines now subject you to lots of psychometric, and maths and verbal tests - even though you will have just passed all your ATPL written and flying exams. None of the psychometrics are particularly difficult, BUT they put ridiculously short time limits on the tests, so you need to practise, practise, practise doing psychometric, verbal and maths tests accurately and quickly. You can find most of the actual tests online by paying a subscription.

Don't let this put you off, just be aware of what lays ahead. The ATPL itself is very intensive and full-on. I was up at 0600 and not into bed until 2300 every weekday, (that included a 1 hour commute twice a day). Having got home, I spent 3 hours a night going over that day's lessons, and practising tests. Almost no family time at all for 18 months.

The very best of luck to you :ok:

I very much agree with Genghis, but, as rudestuff suggested, first get a Class 1 Medical before you do you PPL. Next, research the flying school, good initial instruction is most important. And, whatever you do, don't be put off by any antediluvian attitudes to women in aviation. I was taught by a women flying instructor a long time ago, and she was excellent, So - go for it and the best of luck!!

Word of caution about trial lessons, they’re useless as far as determining aptitude.
Trial lessons serve one purpose, selling flight training.
I’ve done 100’s.
Anybody who claims they can determine suitability by a 30-45 min flight are absolute charlatans and should never be dealt with again.
I’ve had many students who were slow to solo, I’ve had many students who were quicker to solo and most of them finished training within a handful of hours of each other.

There are many different flying jobs in aviation, “airline pilot” just being one of them.
I think your timing is pretty much spot on.
Depending on training you’ll be marketable anywhere from 3-7 years from now which will put your child in ‘leaving home’ age bracket.

Your PPL training needs to be ‘pleasant’ as it is both a recreational license and a first step towards a career. Find a club or school where you feel welcome.
After your PPL training have a serious conversation with yourself.
If you’re anything like a lot of us you can’t wait to continue.
Best wishes!


* Maybe consider doing your Private Pilot together with your daughter.

The trial lesson isn't to determine aptitude, it's to see if you'll enjoy flying and to get a feel for the flight school. There's one thing to think you'll enjoy flying, but another to actually strap yourself into an aircraft. ;)

I am 50 and used Covid lockdowns to study and obtain CPL..
Your life, your choice, your decision..
Good luck on your journey!

Go for it. In fact, with your background you would likely make a good instructor, and heaven knows we need them.

I assume that family commitments mean that you are planning on working from a UK base once employed? If this is the case then you probably only need train for a UK CAA licence, but a lot of cadets are currently choosing to get dual rated (UK CAA + EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) licences) in order maximise their employability across mainland Europe. Dual licence training is probably easier undertaken on an integrated course and so would be a prime consideration if choosing this route, but it's residential and with the exception of FTA-Global (Brighton) involves months overseas at a 'fair weather' base for basic flight training, which may not work for you. If it doesn't then the modular route will give you the flexibility you need and can be done at a pace that suits you. There are plenty of UK schools offering modular training and, as someone else wrote earlier, by joining the BWPA you will unlock a heap of expertise to help you choose your optimum route. Best of luck.

Echo the advice above. Take the PPL first.

How about a family holiday to Florida, flying & Disney? It will probably cost the same as staying in the UK. US has a bilateral agreement for license exchange with EASA (Private & Instrument).

Giod luck, and mostly - have fun

I tend to disagree with the second part of the advice here. Why?-

(1) Family don't take well to being second fiddle on their own holidays. In my experience combining family holidays with flying training trips seldom combine well. Do one or the other.

(2) The USA isn't the amazing cheap place to fly it once was. I've done two trips there in the last three years, and got a lot from both, but I don't think either saved me any significant money compared to doing the flying I did in the UK. The strong dollar, increasing fuel prices in the USA, increasing accommodation costs in the USA, have all conspired to end - for now - the cheap American flying holiday.

G

Sent a PM. best of luck!