Captains not just pilots are getting you
 

Today my family and I travelled back on a ME carrier, on the 777. When we landed I asked if my sons could visit the flight deck for a look and a chat with the guys.

When we visited there was a young british chap sat in the left seat, my initial reaction was that he was finishing paperwork etc. Until I looked closer at the 4 stripes! At first I thought he was 30, until I couldn't resist my intrigue any more and asked, the total shock when he told me he was 25!

So 2 questions;
1) is this possible? I'm guessing so but he must of started young!

2) can anyone beat that on wide body a/c?

Many 18yo skip university and go straight from secondary education/college to a flight school. They come out with a CPL/IR before the age of 20. Low cost carriers suck these people up from flight schools in great quantities whilst ignoring the huge supply of already very experienced pilots who could do the same job (but want/need a bigger paycheck). They then put them through a jet type rating. Four years at an airline like RYR as an FO, followed by one year as a captain will make him an ATPL holder with >4,000 hour total time and close to a thousand hours as a captain. He is perfectly eligible to apply for most DE Captain 777 jobs in the world. So yes it can happen, and it's the direct result of low cost airlines favouring young puppies over slightly mature ones.

Interesting what you say and how times have changed?

But from what I understood from him, he was flying for a european LCC at 18 before moving over to the Middle East at 21? How could this be if ATPL requires 21 years for licence?

I'm not doubting his credentials just pure interest really

Yep, you can hold a CPL at 18. Which is probably what this guy had when he was flying in Europe. He would have had the ATPL subjects done etc. At 21 years old + hours + CPL + IR, he could do the LST to get the ATPL licence. :ok:

Plus he would only have required the ATPL for command so if he'd joined his ME employer as an F/O at 21, would only have needed to accumulate 1500hrs multi-pilot experience (which he may already have had), and the ATPL would have simply been a case of completing the application form and paying the fee for Licence issue.