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Originally Posted by wiggy
(Post 10331745)
Just a question - has he?
He mentions he is on a 4 year contract and is aiming to transition to his "other" career (I believe it is app development?) at the end of the contract. |
Becoming a pilot.
Dear all,
I am sure this has been asked many times and infact answered many times throughout the journey of this forum. However, if you could take the time to answer for my specifics it would be greatly appreciated. I did look at the stickys and wondered if posts or replies from 2013 could perhaps be outdated? I'm not going to waste your time telling you my story since I've already wasted enough time. So I finished mech engineering and now I want to be a pilot. I want to do it ASAP so preferably a fully integrated course as I'm already 24. My father can pay for it but obviously, cheaper the better. I've spoken to a few pilots and they all point towards America. I am from the UK so that would mean I need to do a conversion course which i am not fussed about but, however I've recieved mixed answers from a few people I know. Some say conversion courses cost no money but a bit of time and some say it is really expensive and not worth it. I really cannot see doing it in the UK and paying up to 95k when doing it in America could be as cheap as 50k. Obviously accommodation and food needs to considered into the overall payments. So I really would like someone experienced to shed some light into this please. Furthermore, if America is the most optimal place to do it, or wherever it is, would someone mind shedding some light into any good academies that I should be looking into? And before anyone asks, this is the only thing I want to do. The pilots I spoke to said there is a "shortage of pilots in the near future" but of course I won't go forward fully dependent on that. I want to go forward as I'm sure this is the only thing I want to do. Sorry about the long post and thank you very much for reading. Kind regards, Newbi |
Hey joshua
Yeah as I was researching further today. I think modular is the best approach. I'd like to do it ASAP, preferably within a year if possible. The whole thing I mean. But it's so confusing. If someone could list me the detailed breakdown, it would be amazing. For example I read a post where someone would do their ppl in South Africa. But my friend who's a pilot says you'd then need to convert that back to uk which costs more money. But simply doing a ppl from uk is vastly more expensive than doing it anywhere else it seems. Furthermore, what is with the exams? Can I do it in my own time and just attend the exams? Would that be cheaper? And then the hours later on, can I do that anywhere or does that somehow need to be converted to UK too? And then just do the cpl in UK? What about the things you do after cpl to get you fATPL?
I must be annoying you by now Joshua, but I'm really really confused. Thank you very much for your reply though. Hopefully you might be able to provide better insight for me. |
Hello everyone!
I would like some advice, regarding my situation. I'm currently finishing my Bachelor studies in Business, but for sure I want to be a professional pilot. As i have heard from some pilots, the integrated training is a better choice right now to be in a f/o seat. Do you know, which schools/trainers do financial help, or any state that provide financing or bank loans, that doesn't neked to be payed back until I start working? I live in Budapest now, but willing to move in the EU. |
The search facility is a little bit old and throwing up responses from 2004 etc. 18 months etc.
In today's market what is the expected wait time from fATPL to first job? |
Funding advice and training advice
Hello,
I am 34 in a week, from the UK and want to train to be a commercial pilot. I have worked in other careers in the past but nothing I have done has given me enough job satisfaction and I end up doing something else. I have worked in hospitality, as a hairdresser and as an outdoor education instructor (which I have a degree in). I do enjoy Outdoor ed but the pay is terrible, you would be lucky to earn 24k a year in a well paid job. I love travel and have been traveling for about 5 years now. I worry that if I became a pilot I would get bored of it or would the job keep me interested? I would like to fly smaller aircraft's (such as the twin otter) as I would like to fly in more remote places. Also i worry about funding. I have some savings at the moment (35000 GBP) but the modular training costs between 50-60k.Is it best to wait until I have all the funding before I start training in case I can not finish due to lack of funds or is it a good idea to get a loan for the last 20k or so? I would rather not wait another couple of years to save the extra money as I will be 36 before I start training. Also is it difficult to find a job as a new pilot? If I did get a loan I would need to start paying it back quite quickly so would need a job. I wondered about becoming a flight instructor but I see its still more money than I have saved to do this so I am a bit stuck on what to do. Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you |
Thank you for your reply being very honest.
I didn't expect it to be glamorous to be honest, its not really what I look for in a job, job satisfaction is one of the key points as like I said, I get bored easily which is why I think smaller aircraft and more remote flying would suit me better. I have a trail lesson booked for next week and as you suggested I will go ahead with my PPL and see how I go from there. I don't think it sounds cool or fun and its something I had not thought of doing before. I think it could be interesting and challenging. I recently was working in a very remote place and they had pilots there that worked on twin otters, dash 7 and the bazler BT-67 and i never knew about this side of aviation before. I figured pilots flew large aircraft's from airport to airport and if you flew remote you had to be in the forces or something, naive I know but I never really thought about it. What are the major difficulties in becoming a pilot? Thank again |
Originally Posted by stephxox
(Post 10434970)
What are the major difficulties in becoming a pilot? 2. Mental arithmetic - you say you have a degree in PE, any maths in that? Can you do distance/speed/time problems while under pressure. Some people have all the hand-eye coordination but no mental maths ability! 3. Deep understanding of meteorology, aircraft tech and performance - lots of studying involved. 4. Resilience - can you bounce back after a good sortie, or a failed test flight? 5. Attitude - can you get on with all types of people? If not, can you compromise and learn to make the best of a bad pairing with a difficult Captain/Ops Manager? These represent about 0.001% of the possible difficulties in becoming a professional pilot. I was a military pilot for 5 years, then moved to a ground-based Ops job. I didn't even attempt the CPL/ATPL exams because I had started a family and just didn't want to fly for Lyin'Air or Sleazyjet. You must prioritise according to your age, commitments and cash! |
Type 2 Diabetes - UK & Ireland ONLY
So I am type 2 diabetic. Not insulin dependent. I take a couple of tablets a day. I have good blood sugar control.
Question is has anyone with type 2 diabetes gained their Class 1 medical and went on to the flying. Plenty of posts about being a pilot and becoming diabetic but I am looking before the horse bolts! The rules are different in the US and other countries so thats why I am asking about the UK & Ireland only. |
Although you are not too old, age isn't on your side and of course your primary concern must be for the family. You need to nibble away at it. 1. Start down the PPL route with a Class Two medical. Your AME will know whether you qualify for a Class One. Obtain this by the time you obtain your PPL DECISION TIME: 2. Head in the books with distant learning for the EASA exams DECISION TIME: 3. CPL followed by FI part time keeping your well paid job or Potentially more risky CPL/IR + MCC route impacting finances & family stability. 4. One step at a time |
Flying career advice needed!
Hello everyone
I'm thinking of starting flying school this or next year but I get more confused the more i dig the info about flying. I'm a Pakistani i can't get a flying job in EU,Getting a visa to fly in NA is almost impossible for a Pakistani without any connection in the states,My country has only one airline airline hiring and they require 1,000+ hours on A320 for F/o so that's out of the option,other airlines are on their way to bankruptcy, i really want to pursue this career but if i do my nationality will not get me a job almost anywhere except a few places,I'm thinking of either going to ATP for 0-1500hrs course for FAA ATPL or L3 for iATPL or MPL for EASA ATPL but I'm not sure wether i should do it or ditch my lifelong dream.. |
The MPL route is only available if you are attached/sponsored by an airline.
So age, academic qualifications and ability to pass a medical are important factors. You might consider being employed in aviation on the ground first, and taking it from there? |
Originally Posted by parkfell
(Post 10456652)
Youu might consider being employed in aviation on the ground first, and taking it from there?
My questions is are their any other options like CATHAY which takes new pilots regardless of their nationality,Or wether should i go for ATPL at all or wait join a University get a job work my way into getting a green card or blue card and then start flight training because if one can save up 500,000$ he'd get a US greencard or 250,000€ for a belgium Blue card.. |
Frustrated, lost, and a bit angry
Hi everyone,I'm posting here out of desperation, because I have no more ideas and I'm frustrated. I'd like some advice, options and opinions of my fellow aviators.The long story, short... Background: -always wanted to be a pilot (cliche, but true)-went to ERAU, but found out the week before classes started, that flight training costs were NOT a part of tuition (I had no parents to read the fine print or anything - obviously my 18 year old self missed something important).-transferred out of Riddle, worked towards a BA, started flying lessons - got up to 40 hours (inconsistently) & ran out of money.-got a BA-got a job at a flight school in the marketing dept., full-time, and was looking forward to discounted flight training - or at least being able to finally afford it. However I let my naive self be taken advantage of - was paid way under any normal rate for my job & the living area. Left after 3 months. Where I'm at now (in Europe): -got a masters degree & a decent paying job (work in an office full-time). Still want to do nothing but fly.-my finances: make about 44K before taxes, after all bills & everything, I'm left with about $1400 (thanks also to GF just moving in!)-got the ppl and also work at the flight school as a Radiotelephony instructor, I also get to ferry the plane to and from maintenance when needed - not much, but 30 min here and there is better than nothing.-43 years old, 1st class medical-taking ATPL classes (well, only 80 hours of classroom instruction are required for this program). I've got 17 big thick binders & the corresponding online question bank trainer as well as AviationExam App. But it's me alone to study & prep.-pre-tests (with 80%), need to be taken by Nov. 3, before I can take the actual real tests (75% = passing).-In about 3 subjects I'm at or near 70%, with the others, I'm between 50 & 65% (flight planning and mass & balance I haven't even touched yet, aside from the classroom stuff). The dilemma:-I feel like I don't have enough time to study. I'm lucky if I can squeeze out an hour a day going through the question bank trainers. I'm seeing improvement, but it's very very slow and I've only touched on a few of the subjects.-I've been giving this my all, literally. All my money, most of my time and most of my effort. I study most every night after work, and on weekends for 2-4 hours...but it doesn't seem to be enough.-Just this week I've tried studying an hour or so before work, and just going in & staying later so work tiredness/stress won't affect my studying. My thoughts:-maybe I should just quit - obviously the universe doesn't want me to be a pilot, because no matter what I do, bigger and bigger walls get put up in front of me! (But then again damnit, it's all I want and I've already put in so much)...-quit the ATPL, buy a plane, fly for fun - cut my job hours in half (and pay and vacation time) - and gain extra time to study... -other than that, I'm not sure what else I can do or what else there is to do...Like I said above, I'm very frustrated right now and feel like I'm running through mud and the faster I try to run, the more walls get thrown up in front of me.So, if anyone out there has some good advice or novel ideas, I'd really appreciate hearing it. |
Career switch (Europe)- advice
Hello everyone,
I know there are a lot of similar threads like these, but some advice would be very much appreciated. So here's my situation:
Could you guys please advise me on the next questions?
Being an airline pilot is still my dream job and during my studies & current career I felt I should be flying and persue my passion. Yet as you have probably mentioned my family has priority and I don't think I would be able to move to another country which is 10.000km away, leave everyone behind and see them like once every 3 months. So you can be very honest to me: is becoming an airline pilot something realistic considering I would be able to commute, yet not move to another country? I have been breaking my head around this for quite a while and some advice of people in the aviation industry would helpful ;-). Cheers |
Highflyer, I also saw your post on airwork.
Apply fast to the Tui Belgium MPL program. It will close soon. Commuting to Brussels shouldn't be hard at all. |
A few questions before i make the big expensive decision
Hi guys,
From the age of around 5-6, I have always wanted to be a commercial airline pilot, its always been a dream of mine, yet I have always just considered it a dream, as I always knew my family would never have anywhere near the required funds to support me. I recently have decided to look into becoming a pilot now that I am at a point of fairly high earning, with the possibility to pay over the next few years while training, I'm absolutely hooked, for the last couple of months, I have gone to bed dreaming about being a pilot, and waking up thinking about it. I am going into my mid-twenties, and considering buying a house with my partner, I have recently discussed with her that I might consider spending my savings, and working a lot harder to try to fulfil my dream as a pilot, yet shes very considered and worried about if it does not work out, as we will still be renting a property and be in our late 30's, this has made I have to consider this decision a lot. My questions! : 1) When I was at high school it was a very bad time for me, my mother was very ill, and my mum and dad were going through a divorce, meaning my dad had to work nearly every hour to try to get himself another property to live in. So I had a very bad experience in school and ended up working 3 days a week, and doing school one day a week, I left school with little to none GCSE's, do you think this would be a major issue for me?, and if I was to go to college to sit GCSE'S, would a airline consider this as a bad thing?, thinking I was unable to complete school normally, and had to retake at college? 2) I am self-employed, and earn a relatively high rate of pay (approx £3200 p/month) I live in a very expensive area of UK meaning that a large portion of this going on housing and general day to day living, I would still have to work a lot while training to pay for the majority of training, I am wondering if somebody else has done that in here, and would be able to share their struggles, is it possible?, is it worth waiting around 5years to save up for a integrated course instead of doing modular at a slower rate? or is it possible to do it while still maintaining a good amount of work time, (obviously taking time off around exams). Thank you all for reading the post! any other suggestion's and or advice you can give would be gratefully appreciated! |
ATPL career advice, job market
Hello everyone, my goal with this post is to hear your opinion about my plan, as most of you guys are already working in the aviation sector and got more life experience than me.
I'm currently 23 years old and soon to obtain my master's degree. My dream has always been to become a pilot (like almost everyone's dream here on this forum) and I'm planning to go the modular way to get my ATPL.My biggest concern is the job market. I always keep an eye on the development of the job situation for pilots, but it really came to my eyes, that there are only a handful of airlines that offer jobs to "fresh out of school low hour pilots". As the job market is facing a slight downturn in the coming years (just my perception), it feels impossible to find a job in 2/3 years by the time I'll be done with my ATPL. Is it just the fear that makes me think like this (impossibility finding a job) or will this never change and taking the risk is just a part of becoming a pilot?As I'm able to work in the US, I was thinking, if I shouldn't find a job after two years of having my ATPL, I would convert my license to FAA and try my luck there. Would cost me a bit but as the job market is in a better condition over there, the chances of getting a job are higher. Is there any advice you guys could give me? Is the situation here in Europe really as hopeless as it looks on the first view?Thanks in advance ! |
EASA or FAA PPL training
Hi guys,
I have been researching online for a long time now regarding taking up PPL training, due to work annual leave constraints, I have decided the best course of action for me would be to take up a 'fast track' program later this year or early next year. Having done plenty of reading online I have decided that the best place for this would be in the US. I have a couple of questions in regards to this, and I know it may have been asked many times before on these forums, but I decided to join the PPRune community knowing that there will be plenty of honest, accurate knowledge and answers to help and guide me along. Just to note, I am Irish and currently reside in Ireland, it would be my ultimate goal to fly for an airline based in Europe. 1. FAA or EASA PPL, which ultimately would be more sensible, hour building and value wise? 2.with a view to go professional and achieve CPL level sometime after completion of the PPL, would it be wise to take up the FAA licence, which I believe has additional night flying privileges, and build hours whilst achieving instrument rating? 3. I have read that once 100 hours TT has been reached it is Possible to convert the license including IFR to EASA, is this true? Is it a costly Process?The same rule across all EASA members states or it depends? 4. There is some schools in the US that teach the EASA PPL course,and at a bit of a premium too. but is there any point to travel all the way to the states to do this, rather than do it in the EU somewhere, when the FAA licence is taught pretty much everywhere of course in the US? 5. Recommendations for schools? I've researched a few, but any lessor known ones with a good reputation anywhere in the US would be appreciated. I have so many thoughts and questions in regards to this training, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of info online, I just wish to clarify some of these issues before I take the plunge, and commit to any training. Any help at all would be great. Thank you |
If you're going to train in the US, get an FAA private certificate. There's no point in getting an EASA one as you're only using it as a stepping stone.
You will save both time and money: There aren't meant EASA schools, which makes them among the most expensive. FAA only requires one exam and focuses on flying. You also won't need a night rating. |
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