Looking for a way
 

Hi everybody.
I have always been determined to be a commercial pilot and i am fortunate enough to be now 17 years old, and to have my first solo as a 16th birthday present, and a PPL(A) license as a 17th birthday present. I'm currently doing a IMC, that i really enjoy.
I am hugely committed to flying, and it's just a matter of juggling with my up and coming AS exams.
I have received some great advice from my superb instructors on how they made their way, but I am still a little daunted by the road a head. I am Writing to ask for any advice that you may have as to how to progress into commercial aviation.

Thanks for your time

I'm not really sure what knowledge you currently have of the routes into commercial aviation, however I would add this link to your favorites:

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=131649

Are you thinking about Modular or Integrated? Have you seen any schools you like?

modular or intergrated
 

To be perfectly honest I'm not sure what the difference is between modular and integrated in terms of flight training.

I'm pretty sure integrated is like lectures and theory mixed in with flight time where you follow a structured course compared to modular which is pay-as-you-go lessons and you self study.
Correct me somebody if i'm wrong please!

Thanks,
Peter

about £30,000.

Jonburf

Could I respectfully suggest that you use the search function to do a little research through this forum?

I think you will find a lot of the answers that you need.

HWB

Lol @ Moona

This question is asked all the time, so you really need to have a search around the forums as there are hundreds of posts about this.

However, to make it brief. Modular is when a student does all the training himself, so he may go to schools such as Tayside, Multiflight and many other schools and do it all himself. The main advantage to this is the cost, £30-40,000 cheaper!

Integrated is when a school is put into a zero to hero (as CTC put it) course, where you do your PPL etc in the same school. Usually costs about 75k plus interest on your bank loan will probably be about £30-45k. Check out www.oaa.com and www.cabair.com

Most people will argue which one is better, you really need to make up your own mind.

As this bloke already has a PPL surely modular would be a more sensible option. Both the above integrated schools also have a modular course as do zillions of others. Also from your position (PPL holder) modular would also be quicker. You could do what i'm doing and get a taste of what it's like at oxford by doing their groundschool and then choose whether to continue to do the flying side of the training (the expensive bit!) with them or someone else. In my case I'm choosing someone else, but there's quite a few on my course who are staying on with OAA. which is what modular training is all about, picking and choosing which is the best school for you at any given phase of training.

Not quite. You'll never sit a PPL exam or do a PPL skills test as far as I am aware?

You'll begin with the ATPL theory and then go on to start your flight training. You'll come out the other end with around 200hrs a CPL and a ME-IR and an MCC which will give you a fATPL and enable you to apply to airlines with only 200hrs under your belt.

If you quite the integrated route half way through you'd be wrong to think you'll come out with a PPL.

jonburf - where are you currently getting your training from? Cardiff?

I know CTC offer a shortened integrated course, where ppl-holding pilots join the ad-hoc pilots part way into the course. At the ME-introduction stage I would expect

Sorry I dont know any details off the top of my head, but im sure all the info is on the CTC website

But, as has already been said, modular will save you some serious wonga! however, as i see it, the advantage of modular is that you do it while you work another job. At 17/18, Id have thought a determined young pilot such as yourself would want to get his derrier onto the flight deck asap! If this is the case, id get a loan and go integrated! :ok:

JB

Wow…. I must be so blinkered, really I must - How can anyone even consider the option of an integrated course in this current economic climate? Integrated course prices are so inflated at this present time, all those considering such a route would certainly require a professional loan I would expect - £80,000min + £15/20,000 interest with a predicted minimum repayment of £1,000 each month. Yes, of course if you successfully finish the course and obtain employment Brilliant, nevertheless, what would happen if your personal circumstances changed, as result you did not to finish the course!!! Huge debt coupled with limited job prospects.

IMHO – If you or your parents have sufficient assets to cover potential losses, then fine go for it, if not think carefully of what could be!:=

One could always consider the ‘structured’ modular approach offered at BGS!!

Sorry, I don’t mean to be so negative, I appreciate the benefits of integrated courses; I just think the potential risks are so high at this time!!

nothing ventured, nothing gained!

If youre not prepared to take the risk for, what I assume, is your dream job (I cant imagine anybody in our position [yes, im starting an integrated course later this year] who would say "hmmm piloting? yeah I guess i could give that a go....) then Id doubt whether your commitment is great enough for a course anyway.

80k+ is an obscenely huge amount of money whether the country is going into recession or not. So you can dilly-dally around looking up at the sky and dreaming - or you can do something about it and take the hit.

Or you could wait to win the lotto of course... but then you'll be posting on the "am I too old?" thread asking whether 62 is a reasonable time to start...

Follow your dream! The consequences of failing should be motivation for you to do well!


JB

One mans dilly dallying is another mans waiting out the storm. At 17 you'd be mad to throw a lot of money at flying training. If you have the cash then maybe to a PPL and see how you go. If you later go Integrated the PPL hours all count.

WWW

You don't need a PPL to be separately issued from an integrated course, as the CPL then ATPL give you PPL privileges as well.

There is a difference between risk and a calculated risk. Taking an 80k loan with no income, during a credit crunch with no promise of a job at the end is, to me, above and beyond a risk.

Anyway... I would say you should get your PPL and see what you want to do after that.

Re-Heat. Thats true but what you don't get is a single engine piston rating. So what you can do is spend £300 or so an hour zooming around for fun in a twin. What you can't do is spend £80 an hour zooming around for fun in a warrior. Although to be sensible about it i wouldn't have thought it would cost much to actually get a SEP rating, especially if it's an integrated student who's just spend 80k or so, whats another 500 quid?

Yes, but if you are looking to do it for fun as well, an SEP rating checkout is hardly extortionate...besides, at the point at which you are flying for fun, you can probably afford it!

Balad, what rubbish!

You pass a test equivalent to a SEP CPL. As long as you make sure the guy who does the test is a CAA examiner (all the schools have several) then all yoo need to do is send another £108 off with your licence appliction to get the SEP added to your licence.