Hi guni83. My 10 cents about your situation.

TheOne83 is very right with his statement, based on that I did already a lot of decissions in my flying career(heck, if I don't do this now I will regret it forever) that at the end turned out to be not the best choice I could have done.
But that's the life of a pilot I guess.

The dream of being a pilot - I am sure a lot of individuals have this dream. Often they have a different idea how this pilot life really will be. Or they see some lucky guys who made it into that big outfit(put any flag carrier of your choice in here) and stay happliy ever after ;-) (and even there are some pilots who look for that "special" outfit to fulfill their dreams).
I met quiet a lot pilots that changed over from other jobs. Some even being a lawer, made double the money in his old job. And sometimes he regrets what he did. Because dealing with some lousy airline/biz jet operator sometimes goes on your nerves. They do not keep their promises, e.g. off days(which is important if you have family/kids) or a promised upgrade.
Life as a pilot is hard, full of hard choices(again, except the few lucky ones that somehow made it in that big company and enjoying their boring but rewarding flying life - and even this ones argue about seniority, pension plans, bidding, all the other not really important crap).

Depending how happy you are at your current job I would be carefully. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
You wrote that you have already a PPL, why not go slowly for a CPL/ME/IFR and find some local sidejob to "sniff" into this business a bit and gain already some hours.
You get as well in touch with some first "dubious"(normally they are) operators that usually will be always found in a pilots life.

It is always good to go for a dream, but if you have a kid and a wife it is as well very important to take care about them.
I missed so much of the precious "growing up" years of my first child, simply because my company(ies) kept me flying like crazy, sent me on never ending nightstops,...
I managed change that with our second child, but at the cost of my career by downsizing a lot.
It might be that now I finally found a good job that let me stay on my homebase AND keeps me flying on a nice aircraft. But it took me a lot of years to reach that and it is pure luck to be at the right time at the right place.
This might be the case with a normal job as well. But normally it is easier to find a new oportunity in the same area/city. With flying this usually never happens.

Have a look into your current situation, try to figure out how "badly" you really want to be a pilot and about possible changes for your family if you really walk that line. Be sure to include your wife into that and consider all worst case scenarios - I have seen enough divorces from "understanding" wifes after they realized in which situation they ended up. Not many women are very understanding if the husband might be away for 2 weeks in a row(yes, as well that can happen, my previous job was like that). It does not help if you are afterwards there for 12 days if you are needed in your "away" time.

Lots of things to consider....Good luck with your life and decission!

From a perspective of someone who is not a pilot yet, but has started the same road and reading replies with interest I have this question, if you answer yes the same as me then your answer is obvious.

Some mornings I have roughly 5 blissful seconds where I think of nothing but the fact I'm alive and have no worries. Then all of a sudden my brain switches on and I begin to think of how I'm going to pay for my CPL etc,what I need to do, how long its going to take, how I can help myself, what is the right path throughout my training and how I can speed it up to achieve my dream of flying.

From this point on I research topics, learn my ppl books for my exams, stress that I might not be able to do the ATPL theory, how much its all going to cost, how I can make more money to speed up my training and the absolute abject fear I cannot do it, up until my head hurts and I need a break. This takes me until 5pm. After this I practice on flight sim, think some more, run through my procedures for my PPL check ride. Then when I get into bed it is the very last thing I think about and how good it will be in a few years time to be stood in that uniform flying something, and hope and pray nothing upsets this plan and dream and all the effort ive put in and will continue to put in. This happens every single day of the week, no matter what.

If this is your day then yes you want to be a pilot, more than anything in the world.

Just "fell" over this thread here in the forum. I admit, I shared his thoughts sometimes, especially on my job which kept me away for weeks at a time.

Read by yourself. And don't forget, something that is new and interesting now might be boring and repetitive after a few years....

http://www.pprune.org/questions/5754...ould-like.html


I am especially interested in that discussion because my oldest son want's to become a pilot as well. I tried everything to talk him out of this, I guess I will let him read obove thread. I hope that makes him think and he decides for a "proper" profession(no offence intended, but older chaps will know what I mean).

Opinions on my chosen pathway?
 

Hi Everyone,

First and foremost, my name is Jason and I have only recently joined the forums, although I have been lurking in the background reading posts and information for quite some time now.

I have recently immigrated from Australia to London and am looking to undertake my coveted Professional Pilots License. As I am not British (Irish by birth) and I do not own property, getting a loan for my training is out of the question, so I am looking down the pathway of the modular training route. I have spent the last few months researching different options, school and fees so that I can properly plan my journey and was hoping that perhaps some of you may be able to have a quick look over it to make sure I haven't missed anything?

I know there are many threads on the forum about training options, and I have read as many as I can find, however I just wanted to make sure that my decision was in line with these and that I haven't left anything out.

So without further delay, here we are:
Location - Stapleford Flight Centre

Cost Breakdown - Estimated Completion Length - 4 months if I able to fly every second weekend


Location - Stapleford Flight Centre

Cost Breakdown - Estimated Completion Length - 1 month based of the same parameters as above

Do everything at Stapleford. CTC is just a sausage company, Stapleford is one of those places that when I visited gave me a great impression as far as quality of training goes. The only thing preventing me from training in the UK is the horrendous exchange rate with €, otherwise either Stapleford or PAT would be the place I would train at. They have excellent pass rates.
On top of that, they're part of the Wings Alliance program – something I put hope on against over-priced sausage factories like CTC.

Thanks everyone for your comments.
I ended up seeing a few instructors at different schools and booked to start flying again after the Easter holiday.

I am sure I will regret it. But I either regret doing it, or regret not doing it.
Hopefully it will all be worthwhile in the end.

guni83, that sounds good. I am glad you made this step.

I hope and wish everything works out for you as desired. Good luck!

Thanks very much. Would you consider Stapleford Flight Centre to be as well recognised internationally as CTC or Oxford? I only ask as I want to make sure I increase my chances of finding a job after the completion.

They give the same licence? CTC supply sleazy jet directly seemingly. There are hundreds of threads here regarding this issue and it comes down to whether you believe the conspiracy theorists or your own ability in passing everything and sourcing a job yourself. There are other schools, look to the eastern block, which have a good tie with other LCC, many successful students now flying, and will save you A LOT of money.

It is surprisingly difficult to work out the total cost of training because the various ATOs' websites include or exclude different elements. We have spent some time trying to create a budget calculator, it's only for Wings Alliance schools, not CTC, but it will give you an idea of the total costs including test fees, accommodation etc. We include a 10% contingency as well, just in case, but even without that the figures for Stapleford that we calculated are a bit higher than those you quote.

guni83, you're in Australia right? Be cautious of advice from other countries as their aviation scene is different to Australia's.
I worked in Australia for 10 years and now I am in the UK working as a pilot.

First things first. Where do you see yourself working once you have a CPL and on what wage? If you can't afford to support your family on that wage, think very carefully about getting that CPL.
OK. So you can afford it, how about that Class 1 medical? Any conditions such as colour blindness, diabetes etc.
I believe Australia is going through some interesting times WRT general aviation etc. Have a look at that market and see how the employment is. Your first job is likely to be as an instructor (more costs) or out bush flying. (Distance? Family?). What are the current requirements for Virgin or Qantas? If you can't get in with them, Cathay?

You must discuss this with your family as this will affect them significantly.

Redsnail gives wise counsel -as always.

Forget the starry-eyed dreamers. In the end you are sitting in a flight deck driving a jet and managing systems. Yes it is most certainly the best view from any office window but it is not without drawbacks.

May I suggest you read through some of the threads on PPRuNe which may cause scales to fall from your eyes.

I speak as one with both military and airline careers and over 12K hours on jets. I thoroughly enjoy all my flying but I can only suggest that you research all aspects thoroughly and discuss it fully with your family before you commit to such a life changing move.
HWB

FAA vs EASA again, with a minor catch
 

Hey guys,

I've been reading through the few major threads and decided to ask for some advice on my own situation..

Turning 25, USA/Finland dual citizen, no college degree(had the chance:ugh:), 0 experience so far.

Basically I have been saving up for sometime now and I had planned it quite through: going to FL, getting my licenses and start building those hours by instructing. I've visited a few schools onsite and got a good vibe off one operating out of LNA at West Palm Beach.

Sounded pretty straight forward and a good option for me as I have the right to work and live in the US.. But then it hit me, the lack of a college degree got me thinking again. That basically means I won't be able to get a job at major airline in the US.

There are many options as I see it:
-Go through my original plan, instruct and maybe land a job at a regional for some years and possibly go on outside the US to a major airline in the ME/Asia. Also there are possibilities to get a 4-year degree off an online program while doing my training(too much work with the flight training going on?).

-EASA licenses via US school. If I got EASA instructing licenses, could I instruct in a US school(..teaching EASA)? I guess it could be a good chance as I have the right to work in the US? No hassle of obtaining work permits for a instructor, in the eyes of a school. Get a good amount of hours and come back to Europe.

-Do the FAA route, build some time and eventually do the conversion or is that just unnecessary work compared to going with EASA from the start?


Any thoughts?

Thanks!:)

Is a degree necessary?

If you are going integrated in Europe the costs are extremely high but less need for a degree as training is aimed totally towards Airline recruitment with less than 300 hours flight time.

The rest I cannot answer as don't have experience.

You don't need a degree in Europe and a modular trainee will have the same credentials of an integrated trainee.

Well the degree point of view was more towards future employment in the US market and specifically talking about major airlines. I believe you have a good shot at getting a job with a regional but the big guys require a 4-year degree.

So you are answering your own question. If you stay in US you need a degree. As I said, if you plan to do an integrated course in EU you won't need a degree for a FO job with a LCC, it means very little after training. Maybe try more US based forums, this is very euro centric.

Thanks jamesgrainge, but I have already decided that a high priced integrated course in Europe is out of the picture. I feel it is not worth it, especially in my case as I have a US citizenship. I should have also probably stated in my OP that returning to Europe is not a must for me. I'll definitely also try jetcareers etc for some advice.

Any other thoughts?

What would you tell your younger self?
 

Hi all,

This is my first post, so apologies if tacking my question onto this thread isn't the done thing. It seemed like the most sensible place to put it, rather than starting a new thread.

Here is my situation, I am 25 and currently working for my father in his independent business. For various reasons I have decided to pursue a career as an airline pilot. A dream I had as a child, but with 9/11 and the 2008 crash, a career path that during my formative years seemed unrealistic. I therefore concentrated on taking over the family business.

I have got my first class medical and have passed the skills assessment at CAE OAA, so I'm pretty much ready to go. I have a target start date of September as I have agreed to help my dad run the business until then. I have to keep him sweet after all.

My question is, what can I do to immerse myself in the world of aviation? Firstly because I am fascinated by it all but also because I worry that my CV will look a little sparse at the other end of flying school. I want to make sure I start giving myself the best possible chances to land that ever elusive first job. Unfortunately I will be working full time, including Saturday's, pretty much right up until I start my training so will only really have 2 days spare a week. Also, financially, every spare penny is being squirrelled to try and keep my debt as small as possible.

Obviously I have made my mind up on being a commercial pilot and going the integrated route. So I guess I am looking for any advice you wish you had received when you were in my position. Whether you're a seasoned captain with thousands of hours or you're treading water in the holding pool at the other end of an Ab-Initio course.

Thanks for your time!

For something comparatively cheap, pop over to your nearest gliding club. You'll learn stuff (eg what the rudder is for) and chat to folks who may be of some use.