Wondering What To Do Next (Finished ATPLs)
 

Hi fellow Ppruners!
I was wondering if some of the wiser members here would be able to give some advice. I am really unsure what to do. Totally torn in fact.
I'm Irish, but have spent most of my life living in the UK.

At age 18 (in 2010), I passed the entry requirements for the CAE easyjet programme. However, I wasn't in any financial position to join that programme. Several years on, I passed my PPL and night rating in 2018. I had always wanted to be a professional pilot, but things had never added up financially. I saved up and managed to pay for both. To be honest, it wasn't the experience I had hoped for. At my first flight school, I felt like a real failure. I got to 25 hours and had never soloed. It damaged my confidence pretty badly. However, I moved school and managed to come through relatively unscathed with a new FI who I managed to gel with much better and got through the PPL with basically minimum hours (excluding that first 25).

Then I did my ATPLs in 2020 and 2021. I started just as Covid began. It wasn't an easy journey and I ended up taking a six month sabbatical in 2021 from work as I found it a little difficult to focus on both work and the exams. In my mind, it was very much a now or never decision with my 30s very much on the horizon. It wasn't an easy journey (especially with Covid), however, I managed to finish all fourteen (as it was then) ATPLs with 14 first-time passes and a 92% average in late September 2021.

Obviously I was incredibly proud of this achievement. However, I still had so many niggles in my mind. Am I suitable to be a pilot? Over 30 hours to solo isn't at all normal I know. Plus being over 30 means I feel I've missed the mark somehow. I just renewed my class one medical as that isn't an issue.

Basically, my main question is asking for advice what do next. I have saved enough cash for the CPL-IR. Should I go for it? Is there anywhere I can test out my skills to see if I am good enough? My mind is spinning with this decision. Plus, September 2024 might seem a LONG time away, but I know that it isn't really.

Can anyone help with this conundrum?

There are some who think that you shouldn't go solo for 20-odd hours anyway :) That aside, I would probably try to find a sensible flight school who won't spin you any BS and take a couple of trips. In that respect, Euro Flight Training would be a good place to start (talk to Ellie O'Toole), but I'm sure there are others. You would have to visit them to see if you like them.

Good luck

Phil

You’re well on the way through the Modular route so just keep grinding through that and get your ME/IR as soon as you can, then with the MCC and into Ryanair/Wizz. Sooner you’re in and have 500 hours under your belt on a jet the better, then you can apply to the jobs you actually want to do long term.

Flying the big stuff is pretty easy, wouldn’t worry about the solo faf, especially if you had a rotten instructor.

Pull yourself together. You've done 90% of the work but you think 30 is old and you want to give up this close to the end when we're on the cusp of a massive pilot shortage?
Trust me, the ATPL exams are pointless for anything - except perhaps determining if you're 'good enough' - so finish the course, get the job, live the life.

...alternatively you could give up. Quitting is always an option. You'll still have the memories. Whenever you see a plane you can look back and think 'I was this close to being a pilot, but I couldn't be bothered.'

Agree with that - Neil Sedaka always said that there were better singers than him, but he had the motivation to stay the course. Same for pilots.

You had me until ‘when we're on the cusp of a massive pilot shortage’

If only :{

Let's wait and see shall we. These things are cyclical in slow moving waves. But the shortage always comes around. Air India just made the biggest aircraft order in history, RIA is going to suck up everything with a pulse, the US are giving green cards and paying $500k+ salaries. There's going to be a vacuum and those jobs are going to have to trickle down at some point.

hi mate been looking into this. Do you know where I can find more info about how one qualifies for a green card to move stateside? Things are pretty dire over here and I feel our best chances lie abroad.

A lot of older pilots have taken the opportunity to retire. Lufthansa was needing first officers some years ago, but were not allowed to hire them.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I have read every one, and advice from people in the know is always well appreciated.

Thanks for this advice Phil. I am super busy at work at the moment with a project, but will definitely reach out.
One thing I forgot to mention is that my license is with AustroControl. I transferred everything because of Brexit and did my ATPLs with Austro. I am also very budget conscious as I am not exactly swimming in money and don't have a bank of mum and dad to dip into if things go south.

MUCH easier said that done.
The truth is I know several people who started their PPL journey at the same time as me who have now completed everything. More than half of them are still unemployed many months after finishing their CPL-IR and APS.
It's a worry as it is a huge amount of money to invest.
I agree with the other poster too about the shortage always being around the corner. Training companies have been saying it for donkey's years, but we are still yet to see anything like it in Europe for newbies.
Sadly I am not American and the more buoyant US market isn't really accessible.

Any shortage at the moment would be for experienced pilots, I'm thinking. But then, I've seen the job pages in Flight turn around from nothing to several pages in the space of a week. All I could mention is that when they want you they want you NOW - they are not going to wait while to set things in motion.

Obviously it all depends how many hours you have. Effort-wise you're 90% there. But the fact remains that if you want to be a pilot and you don't pursue it, you'll always regret it.

You won't know until you actually do it. If that's what you've always wanted to do, having already done the hard work of ATPLs/earned a PPL, the worst thing you can do now is to not pursue it and then live with regret.

On the other hand, the fact that you're doubting yourself at this stage, could maybe indicate that you don't want it that badly after all? In which case stay clear, as it takes a lot self-motivation to get through the whole of what's to come.

I don't disagree with the above. Tough decisions to be made!

With respect to the topic, following covid, the collapse of Flybe and Brexit... it's very easy to question whether it's worth it anymore. One thing for sure is the airlines aren't doing low-hour, especially modular students any favours. There's currently plenty of openings, but they are purposefully shutting out low hour pilots in favour of poaching from the likes of Wizz and Ryan, they generally do this buy requiring the 500 hours. I have hope this will change, it is becoming more apparent every day, especially with the likes of BA's recent recruitment announcement that the shortage may actually finally be here... with some luck this winter the airlines will really start to feel it and will ramp up new hires and type ratings accordingly... I just hope not too many pay the 30k to Ryan before that happens / if that happens. But irregardless you've come so far, don't give up at the final hurdle, do the CPL-IR, you're on route for an EASA licence being at AUSTRO so I would say, don't waste your money, go to Poland, somewhere like Bartolini or Smart in Poznan and enjoy it, get good value for money and save the time with the weather. Then come back do the APS MCC at somewhere like VA... don't do a traditional MCC they're becoming useless.

Goodluck! Just think a few years time you could be in the right hand seat over the Atlantic!


Phil,
Apologies, completely off topic, is this the same Ellie O'Toole who has instructed at FTE Jerez, I'm looking to revalidate soon and would be nice to get some DA42 Sim time with a friendly face?

Thanks,
James.

Hi James

I don't know but there can't be too many people with a name like that. :) Unfortunately, with the demise of PAT and Bonus (with Pete Godwin) many moons ago there are very few schools I feel able to recommend to students - that's one of them.

You're not too old at over 30, although you will have less time left overall to recoup your investment. Don't worry about taking that many hours to solo; no one worries or cares. I'd guess (without knowing more) it might not have been your fault anyway.
If you really want to go for, go for it. It's a big chunk of investment in a volatile industry though. I wouldn't worry about your skills, by the sounds of it. Besides, if there are any issues, you'll probably know a fair while into the CPL anyhow.

Better to have given it all than to give up and wonder… 30 isn’t old, BA are hiring guys still in school currently!