I'm still researching stats, I'm interested in the numbers going through training, modular/integrated split plus numbers that don't gain employment. I appreciate I may have to do the number crunching myself but if it's already been done......
It's entirely possible that I can return the favour in one form or another:ok:

Edited to say I've done it now what a task it was too.

Lost in Transit Ireland
 

Hi, im an 18 year old student in Ireland and have aspirations to become a pilot. To make a long story short, I really dont know where to begin as regards training and qualifying as resources here are very limited to say the least. Just wondering if anyone in this forum has any tips for me or has been in the same situation. Im studying for my leaving cert this year, but what really grabs me is the asperation to become a pilot, i just need the knowhow! :)

Don't Know How To Get There....HELP
 

Hi Guys ,

Atm i am 15 and I'm studying for my GCSE'S i am really confused as to how i am supposed to get there , i know it is too early on to be doing this but its really because my parents are going to start saving for the fees of the flight school on the basis that i start studying hard to make sure i get the grades to get in , i'd prefer to go a course where you are put straight into the airline on completion for example CTC'S qatar airways or british airway's fpp because generally when you finish flight school you leave with not enough hours to fulfil the requirements needed to become a pilot for and airline for e.g 1500 hours on a turboprop etc and i have no clue as to how i would get my hours up to that much !! and the hours needed on a specific type basically sorry for the long explanation but being a pilot is the only thing i ever want to do when I'm older , i don't see myself liking or enjoying any other jobs apart from being a pilot its all i want so can someone please explain the best possible way to being a pilot ?

as i said i know its early but I'm going to be starting the procedure hopefully in about 1 and 1/2 years and i want to make sure i prepare in the best possible way to ensure i get into the route of becoming an airline pilot:ugh:

Good idea to apply yourself towards obtaining good grades at GSCE and A-level. The BA FPP scheme sets a particularly high benchmark in this regard, and obviously a good solid set of education certificates is only going to be a good thing generally.

Your presumption about airlines only taking on pilots with 1500 hours isn't accurate, however the routes into "cadet programmes" are very competitive and often very expensive. There is a lot of advice, comment and discussion on these boards. I would recommend taking the time to read through those that seem relevant to you (particularly some of the longer threads.) You will find many of your questions have been answered time and time again. Once you have a better understanding generally, post on the many specific subject questions that you will no doubt have.

Thanks so much , ill spend lots of time looking through the forums until i have a good understanding :8

Aspiring pilot needing advice
 

Hi guys, i'm new to this forum but require advice from commercial pilot's.

I'm 19 and have been granted a place at Pan Am Intl' Flight Academy in Florida after passing the initial aptitude tests. I have also got my class 1 medical and i've been approved my M1 visa to study.

I have good A-level qualifications from a grammar school here in the UK. I've wanted to be a pilot for some time now and unfortunately have just stumbled across this site. I've read many posts from current and retiring pilots suggesting that the Aviation career is not what it used to be. Obviously, i dream of finishing my ATPL pro-pilot course and becoming a first officer ASAP. I understand that this is very difficult in the current climate.

However, i've read that the demand for pilots is set to soar over the next 2 decades or so. I just want to ask the question: Do you still believe that it is faesible for me to think that i can secure a first officer position after i complete my course (hopefully). I am being sponsored by my parents and the estimated cost will be ~£60k. I wouldn't want to finish my studies and then wait years on end to secure a first officer position. After all, training isn't cheap.

I'm after some impartial advice, i've been told by the reps at Pan Am that the demand for young pilots will be there in a few years time, but i know that they are there to convince you to do your training with them. I've read on this forum that young pilots find it extremely difficult to find jobs due to the flying time that companies are seeking. I don't necessarily want to finish my training and find out that i need to spend x amount on time building etc.

Thanks in advance, i hope that you guys can provide me with a bit more info.

Jee
Check exactly which licence you will have upon course completion. Trawl the internet to see if any airlines are recruiting with the quals / experience you will have. Is there any particular reason that you haven't considered the BA FPP, even the most cynical on these forums agree it's one of the best deals around.

sudden twang, i appreciate the reply.

after completing the course, i will have a "frozen ATPL license" with MCC and JOC includes 40 hours in full motion Simulators.

I first looked into BA fpp at the start of 2013, but i was still at sixth form then, so didn't meet the full entry requirements. I didn't finish my a-level by mid 2013 and had already stumbled across pan-am. I attended seminars held by BA, CTC and many other american schools.

I understand that BA fpp has a much better chance of getting me into employment, but i've also heard that it is extremely difficult to get to that position (which seems logical)

It's just the employment bit that is slightly worrying for me tbh, i don't want to be in the situation where after my training, i have to keep building hours just to be able to apply for positions.

If you apply for the FPP you may get it.
If you don't apply you most certainly won't.
If you fulfil the entry criteria apply and do absolutely everything to get it.
You asked for advice , there it is.
Best of luck.

Accessing student loans
 

Buggington or anyone,
Can you give more detail on how you access upto £42k on the student loans system?

Many thanks

Help me realise my dream
 

People of pprune, if possible I would appreciate some serious advice.
Like many of us I have always dreamed of being a pilot, I wouldn't quite call this an obsession but it is certainly a burning desire, and I do want to do it as a career.
Background information, I am in my early 30's and already have a relatively well paying career. I have made the choice to stay in the family home and save very hard for 10 years, this has meant a lot of sacrifice, and for me this was better than doing local modular with a poor training organisation. I am now in the fortunate position of being able to afford either modular or integrated training, I have passed my class 1 medical and gapan aptitude tests.
If I am going to spend my life savings then I want to give myself the maximum chances of successfully getting a cadet ship at the end followed by a long career at first officer and hopefully captain level.
I sometimes feel that a lot of pruners don't respect the cost of the training, or the nature of the industry, I do, and it scares me. I have a degree in mathematics and physics, and am currently doing my ppl for fun.

I've contacted many airlines but can't get any dialogue going.

Is there anybody in the know who can advise me, either on this thread or by pm on the best route for success. I will relocate and do whatever is necessary for a bright shining light at the end of the tunnel.

if you have the cash personally the CTC waypoint programs are probably your best bet to be honest if you can get on them.

If you don't get into the top level course your going to have to go away and re think.

Unless your on a cadetship or that top of the range course you pretty much stuffed at the moment and relying on luck and networking to get a job. The method of training outside these methods doesn't really give you any benefit on that first job front.

Pilot Recruitment
 

Evening All,

For many years, like many who will read this, I have wanted to become a pilot. I have disregarded anything else, it has been my only ambition.

Well, I have got the stage where I have the money I would need to train, however, after looking well within this forum I can't say i'm very confident that I will reach my end goal which is to make a decent living through aviation. Not because I lack the ambition but because there's nowhere for low hour pilot to go anymore.

What should I do?

Where do freshly, trained, low-hour pilots look to to find a job?

Everywhere you look nowadays you either have to have 1500+TT & 500 hours on type to get a job with the airlines. Is it really necessary to factor in the cost of a type rating into the cost of training?

Look outside the airlines and look everywhere. Search for the lesser remaining piston operators, even turbo prop operators, look in Africa and Asia, look for the jobs that the percentage of new licence holders think themselves too good to do*.

I'm not saying it is easy, it's far from it. I know people who have put the effort in and have struggled to get the return. Some are still struggling, but that is life, not everyone can achieve their goals, but if it's a true goal and you are prepared to put the effort in, you'd probably kick yourself not to have tried. If you have any doubt, don't put yourself through it in the first place cos it can be draining at times and depressing at others.

*I think there is a decent percentage of these people, probably more so from bigger integrated schools (not all of these people though!). I have met quite a few that think they shouldn't go through "The system" of gaining experience and are inclined to believe that they have paid for top training to go straight to the top.

Many thanks for your reply OhNoCB...

I realise I may have to start at the bottom and work my way up. I would leave training without any debt and luckily i'm quite young so there's no immediate need for lots of money for a mortgage or children so I would like a job that would at least allow me a comfortable sum to live on and act as a stepping stone onto the next step.

Is this unrealistic?

It's tough to get a toe in the door, when I started back in the late 80s the market was buoyant and whilst you couldn't exactly pick any job there was some choice; however within a few weeks of getting on line the market died and friends just behind me in the system took years to get an airline job.

I think at the moment the cost of training is so high that people are looking for a high paying jet job immediately, an apprenticeship on the turboprops doesn't seem to lead through to the jets as it did for me. Indeed some people describe being trapped on turboprops, the jet operators are reluctant to train them and they cannot fund a further rating.

Being debt free at the end of training would allow you to work in some of the lower paid jobs to develop your skills and increase your experience, but then some operators only seem to want brand new pilots with no experience or habits. So you find yourself in that catch 22 situation, do you shell out for a Type Rating or hunt down an entry level job on old machines in sunnier parts of the world.

Only you know what would be "comfortable" to live on and that figure will vary depending on where in the world you find yourself, whatever you decide or find it's a fine way to earn a living, good luck with your choices.

Aspiring pilot!
 

Hey guys, first post here on these forums.

I'm currently 16, in my last year of school and about 5 months away from finishing. I've never really liked the education system as it never motivated me or anything like that, never really prepares you for the outside world. I also don't feel like going to college as I'm almost mentally tired from school, and I'm planning to take a gap year maybe to get my EASA PPL combined with a part time job, that way I can focus on that, then maybe go for the CPL couple years after.
Question: I'm currently 16, and I mainly wanna get into a charter company as I love to fly VFR and I love lighter aircraft. Would it be possible for me to get a job
without having the best college results?

Anything is possible, however you should consider the following.

Jobs in aviation are few and far between. Competition is extremely intense for the places that do become available. If you think otherwise, then spend a few happy hours reading these forums.

When competing for job placements and particularly attractive job vacancies, you are going to be up against people who will have attained a solid education foundation. Employers expect it. They see ample evidence of it every day. They will use it as a filter to whittle down the huge number of qualified applications to a manageable pile, from which they then make their selections for interview.

If you think education doesn't prepare you for the outside world, then you will quickly discover the harsh realities of what a lack of it is likely to mean.

The best advice I can offer you, is to stop kidding yourself, and knuckle down to achieving the best results you possibly can. That won't guarantee anything either, but having these basic weapons in your armoury will likely save you a lot of time and having to revisit these same fundamentals later in your early adult life.

Just as Bealzebub mentions, going to college or do some additional studying is always good. You'll always have that extra point on top of non-high educated candidates. Being 16 and 'school tired' is surely possible, I guess everyone at that age has that feeling. However, if you truly want get a job in the aviation sector, motivate yourself to do additional studies by realizing it will help you get this aviation job faster (of course it's not a magic formula, but...). Make sure you don't hasten everything and ending up with no 'decent' college degree, an ATPL but no job.

Of course, this is all your decision. But if you think about it, when 2 persons are competing for a job, having the same flight experience but one has a higher education degree, the choice would be pretty much already be made.

I don't want to be disrespectful for people without any higher education, but as you're already planning on doing a modular course, I would suggest you do some studying and in the meanwhile get you PPL, IR etc. I know it's hard postponing your true passion, but it'll be worth the wile (I am in the same situation ;))

You may not like the education system, but in life you can't always just do what you like. Sounds a bit like you need to grow up a bit and learn what the real world is like.

The type of job you're talking about is often only done by some of the most experienced pilots, as it's single pilot low level stuff so a lot more risky than two pilots up high with autopilot where they are little more than systems operators. It's rare these days to get into single pilot vfr operations without some serious contacts, so you really need to start networking.

If you know the right people, school qualifications aren't particularly relevant, but if you don't have the contacts then good school grades could be the difference between being phoned for an interview or your cv going straight in the bin.

No reason not to do your best and get good grades. I hated school, still worked hard and got As and Bs, a good mental attitude to hard work can't be beaten in the real world.

Chances of becoming a military pilot/airline pilot?
 

My dream is to be an airline pilot but I'm worried about the chances I'll even make it. Don't get me wrong, I will do anything to make it that far but will I ever get a chance? So I looked it up online and saw a yahoo answers for it so I don't know if you guys agree with the answers or not but the answers aren't to optimistic. What are your thoughts?
Here's the link: Air Force pilot chances? Commercial pilot? - Yahoo Answers

Thanks

Oh and I forgot. What is the average monthly or yearly salary for a regional pilot?

I'm sure that somebody else will be along in a minute to lock, delete or move this thread.

But in the meantime - as a general rule, the odds of somebody incapable of doing a bit of basic homework for themselves successfully training for and landing a highly skilled and competitive job, are vanishingly small. The questions you've asked can be answered in 5 minutes with google.

Need for Guidance
 

Hi everyone

I am a 20 year old Japanese/Israeli male citizen currently living in Japan.
It has been my dream to become an airline pilot since I was little, and I intend to become one. After taking a few introductory flights, I decided I want this as a carrer. However, I don't really know the most efficient way of becoming an airline pilot since I'm not an American citizen or European citizen.
I really need guidance.

I looked up in the Internet and found out that basically I either have to go to a flight school, which I previously planned to, or to a college/university that offers flight training along with a degree/associate.
I am planning to go to a community college and do the flight training and then transfer to a four-year degree program while working as a commercial pilot or an instructor(assuming I will earn the certificate for it).

I have about 50000 dollars that I earned in the past 2 years after graduating high school(in Israel) so I'm a little worried about the budget since there aren't that many scholarships for international students in the states. I know that universities or four year colleges will cost me more that community college. However I'm concerned with the quality of the flight training that community colleges offer.

Lately I have found that there is an airline sponsored flight training in Japan that All Nippon Airways offer which I didn't know of. But they require their applicants to have a degree(which I don't have) and be less than 25 ears old. This I don't have a chance because I will need four years to obtain a degree. Had I known about this earlier, I would have taken action.

I also thought about going to austalia, but since there are even less scholarships offered to international students then in the states, I simply won't be able to pay for the education.

Since I am already 20 years old, I'm beginning to worry about time running out and I really need guidance about this. Is going to a community college and start working as a pilot while earning a degree is the best option for me( assuming I will get a working visa)? Does anybody have any recommendations for community colleges? Or should I just go a flight school ? In that case not having a degree be a problem?
Or should I try another country?( military is not an option)

I really need guidance please!!
Looking forward for help

Thank you

Airlad,

I came across this company the other day - they may be exactly the sort of people you want to talk to.

ƒgƒŒƒ“ƒhƒxƒNƒ^�[ƒGƒrƒG�[ƒVƒ‡ƒ“ ƒCƒ“ƒ^�[ƒiƒVƒ‡ƒiƒ‹:::TOPƒy�[ƒW:::

I can vouch for the fact that they really exist, own at-least 3 aeroplanes, and really are where their website says they are. After that, you're on your own I'm afraid.

Good luck.

If you want to be a commercial pilot, just do it. Follow your passion, although remember as some previous members told here that it won't be easy to find a job. It might take years to find one.

My story
 

Attempting to join SAAF (South African Air Force) "minimum requirements - I am less than a year by 6 month's(26), meet all other physical requirement's, except for one thing, maths and science in high school, however I took HG mathematics's but dropped after 3 year's (damn quadrilateral equations), have a bachelors degree (not aircraft related).

Geography has always been my passion in high school and it show's in my knowledge of thermals and wind prediction and precipitation (damn Bravo Charlie's), and my history (also taken in high school), so over my year's Iv'e concentrated on WW2 and a little bit of WW1 plane models and parameters and unique and innovating points in the design, my 1st class oral (presentation in grade 3 was on the ME 262, class fell asleep but I got an A+).

Sorry for the long post, but I am hell bent on becoming a fighter pilot, so if any advice on how I should present myself to the recruitment office in writing, eg. do they want someone who they can mold from scratch, or will they prefer someone who has some knowledge of aviation?

Warm regards

P.S ANY SAAF MEMBERS PLEASE ASSIST!

How to start
 

Hey my name is Orya and im 18 and im from israel and i want to start a career as a professional pilot.

but tall you the truth I dont know how, i was looking around and I thought going to do a degree in the feild and get the flight houres you need, and i really liked that idea but the price for the degree is right at 220k $ witch will take about 12 years to get by working here or abut 7 with loans so an less i can get a scholarship i dont think i will by able to do it... :sad:

also im sure there are progrems that just get you a licence you can work but probbly with minimum flight houres and that its really hard to get the remaining hours

in israel the only thing you can learn abut flight is PPL so i have to go somewhere else, but its really hard to chack the options from the internet (I tryed for like 5h :ugh: )

so if any one can help me even a little bit it will by great

ADVICE NEEDED
 

Hi Guys,

In the near future I am going to make a very important decision and I was wondering if any of you could help me with it.

Shortly about me:
- 26 years old
- SPL (Glider Pilot License) + FI rating (about 300h TT)
- PPL(A) student pilot (should finish in upcoming months)

I have gained most of this flying experience during my B.Sc and M.Sc studies which were not related to aeronautics. I simply wanted to have a Plan B if anything would go wrong at any stage of my training... or later.

At that time I did not have enough money to even think about something more than flying gliders and a little single engine planes. Now, after graduation my finances got better and since flying is my biggest passion I am highly motivated to start training for serious. What is more I am getting older and I realize that soon it might be too late for me. But I know how terrible the current market looks. I have lots of friends with many hours and licences who are unemployed for a long time. That made me think - is it because they did their training as cheaply as it could be at unknown to anyone flying clubs.. with no reputation and connections? And if I will spend some more money but will attend to more famous foreign FTO (operating by an airline) I will be in different position? Or it does not really matter and in the end CPL/ME/IR + 250h = CPL/MR/IR + 250h.. and you are unemployed anyway?

Thank you!

Hi, I am 32 yr old citizen of Russia. For a variety of reasons pilot career path in my country is closed for me. I was reading pprune for a while, and have a question. I can pay my training all way through, including p2f. But again, I am not an EU/USA citizen. Is that an obstacle for applying for a p2f scheme? Do these p2f schemes still exist at all? Can a non-eu citizen find a job anywhere in Asia with ca. 800TT and 500 on type? I am ready to submit myself to several years of flying for peanuts somewhere in Asia. The main question, is citizenship an obstacle for this. And if the whole plan makes sense. Thank you.

new to pprune,new to flying,a risky dream?
 

hello,being a PPRuNe reader for many years,on and off,I decided to join.

since I was a child,before setting foot on one of these wondrous flying machines I would always be amazed at each sight of any aircraft in the sky,then setting foot on a Boeing for the first time to go on holiday,going to RAF cosford,meeting and speaking to pilots,and visiting bobbington airport a fair few times,its safe to say I caught the bug before I sat in a cockpit.

my questions are to you,which will most probably have similar experiences,but have taken the plunge into the world of aviation,what are the chances of gaining a office in the skys,but,is it outweighed by the chance of disappointment.

I have seen a lot of posts on here,of people that have given up,all I seem to see is people aiming for big airline jet vacancy's,I wouldn't mind any job,such as a ag pilot in the us,a water bomber in Australia etc,obviously id love a job with british airways,in a lovely cockpit,but I just love the aviation world.

I dont want to not try and achieve my dream,but I don't want to attempt it,15 years down the line,broke,no job,cant afford to stay current.

the market isn't exactly booming,pilots are not in big demand,but still,I feel I need to attempt this,should I aim for my ppl,see how the market goes while flying for pleasure,gain my cpl then attempt to get a job,or go all out,get my ppl,cpl,aim to get a job instructing,put all of my money into hour building,and get it out of my system.

the problem with option two,is right now i could pay for my ppl,but thats 4 years of saving,so for my cpl id literally have to sacrifice everything to get it done even within 5-6 years.

what did you do?did you wish you had done it differently,and any advice for a newbie?

also if anyone flys from bobbington,or owns an aircraft there and would offer some advice or to help in anyway,it would be appreciated.

Huge assistance please
 

Gooday everyone

I am currently in grade 12 doing physical science and mathematical literacy.I decided to change pure/core mathematics due to my average marks.I'm concerned if I will still be able to persue my dreams as a pilot or there are steps I must take first to become one.Help anyone?

Where should I begin?
 

Hi, It's time to start planning and I'm stuck for what to do. I've wanted to be a pilot for a long time and although the costs involved are discouraging, it hasn't deterred me. There's so many opportunities, but aviation is the only one that truly excites me. I'm nearly finished my exams and then I'll be onto my last year of school and I need to make decisions. I'm currently sitting my Higher exams (equivalent to A-Levels) and next year I'll be doing Advanced Highers (almost university level).

Like the majority I don't have the money to take the integrated route just now, so we can cross that off from the list. A solution to this would mean finding a job and saving up until I have enough to pay for integrated training, which could take a while, or I could use that money to pay for modular training and in addition would also be cheaper.

I've heard that many airlines are now beginning to accept mostly pilots with a degree, which puts me one step back as it adds time. If I went to University and did a degree it could land me a slightly higher paying job, helping to save up quicker. But if we add the time it would take to do a degree, and then the time it would take to save up the money, that could turn into quite a while.

I think I have found a solution though; an apprenticeship. If I were to do an apprenticeship in aircraft engineering, I would be paid during it and it would not take as long as university. In other words I'd get a job with a higher salary than if I didn't do uni or an apprenticeship, and comparing an apprenticeship to university it would take less time and I'd be paid during it. But, would airlines consider this as valuable as a degree as it is also to do with aviation, especially since a lot of people who for example apply to airlines or tagged integrated training schemes and have degrees that are irrelevant to aviation.

To summarise the options:

• Grab any jobs I can and save for intergrated training.
• Grab any jobs I can and do modular training.
• Get a degree at Uni, get a job from it and save up for training.
• Find an apprenticeship related to aviation and save for training.

Anything involved in saving up and achieving my goal will be good experience, but which is the quickest and most effective way forward? any guidance would be really appreciated, thanks. :)

Plenty of info on here about integrated vs modular. A popular opinion (aligned with my own personal opinion) is that if you can get on a tagged integrated scheme then go for it, otherwise you pay a lot less to end up in the same situation by going modular.

I disagree with needing a degree for airline jobs. I can barely think of any in Europe, although it is more often a requirement outside of Europe.

Out of the options you gave, I would do an apprenticeship and then do modular training. Reasons being that an apprenticeship should give good skills, a decent job, decent wage (afterwards anyway) and good experience. Make sure it is something you enjoy as I wouldn't personally pick aircraft engineering unless I thought I would enjoy it. Doing it this way means you can save and start flying training. You may find you want to continue it, you may find you are happy with a PPL for spare time, or you may not want to pursue it at all. If you do pursue it then regardless of the outcome you have something to fall back on.

Any pilots willing to have a chat
 

Hello

After several years working in finance I have now decided to fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a pilot. I am looking at a number of schools that offer integrated ATPL. I would really appreciate if there are any pilots willing to talk about their work experience as well as the training. Please send me a private message and I can give a call.

Many thanks

Kurt, there are too many other dreamers which means the job no longer pays what it should. Spend your money and effort getting a job that pays enough so you can fly privately. Not until the supply matches the demand will it be worth doing.

As for the schools, virtually all of them can turn out someone with a frozen ATPL. Also, with very few exceptions, they can teach anyone. Flying is easy, it is getting a job that is the hard bit. Maybe only a third of those who embark on the route of getting a commercial license actually end up with a job. But ALL of them are saddled with huge debts. Unfortunately because of the huge number of dreamers, those actually flying find it difficult to live let alone pay down their debts.

Don't do it but if you do then consider the Modular route.....it will save you a fortune and when you can't get a sensible (by that I mean not pay to fly) flying job you would not have wasted so much money. Piltdown Man is totally correct I am afraid.........

It may take you a couple of hours, but read through the discussion on the "modular versus integrated" thread at the top of the page.

read the modular versus integrated thread, and do what you want to do, do not listen to anyone about not getting a job.

You will get a job but not as quick as doing something else like accounting and etc...

And another thing, do the training IF(and only IF) you got the money, otherwise it's not worth it... Making a loan will set you back not only financially but also with the rest of your life.

Better to do something and regret it instead of wanting it so bad and never do anything about it.

Start by doing a class 1 medical before anything else.

How to get started?
 

Hi,

Bit of a background, I've been into flying since a young age and been playing flight simulators pretty much my whole life. Which just fuels me to want to fly more, especially for a career.

I was scammed last year with the whole "Senior Aviation" thing. I'd been unemployed for around 5-6 month and saw the advert and thought it was too good to be true, turns out it was...

I haven't played any simulators since, it sort of ruined the spark for me as it just makes me want to fly as a career even more so it's quite saddening sitting on my pc doing it!

I've been unemployed another 5 month now due to a motorcycle accident which caused my to lose my job due to my injuries at the time so I'm currently in the market for a new career.

I don't want to go back to a factory job, it's dire and I drowse off into my own little world. I need something exciting. Like flying.

There is no way I could afford a private pilots licence, never mind a commercial licence (fixed wing or rotary) due to obvious reasons meaning I currently have little money.

Is there anything out there that would give me a shot? I've considered the RAF but due to doing nothing for the past few month my stamina is pretty much non-existent so I would never be able to pass the fitness. I'd never be able to get a bank loan and there's no easy to get to airports that I can volunteer at in return for the odd lesson.

Is it really just one of those jobs where you have to be well off already or just plain lucky to get into?