It's been a bit of a struggle!
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It's been a bit of a struggle!
I was wondering just for a bit of fun who has faced the most arduous circumstances in their quest to become a professional pilot?
I started to fly helicopters 7 years ago aged 34 (having wanted to be a pilot from the age of 10),since then I have gained my ppl (h) accrued around 190 hours and passed my cpl (h) theory around 2 years ago.
I have not flown regularly for the past 4 years as since gaining my ppl I have had 5 jobs in 7 years with periods of unemployment scattered in for good measure (having had 4 jobs only in the preceeding 18 years!) my wife left me pretty soon after I started learning to fly,I was made bankrupt and re-married....now separated!!
I have 12 months or so left to do my cpl course and test....I will get there,it's just taken a tad longer than I thought.....can anyone better that??
I started to fly helicopters 7 years ago aged 34 (having wanted to be a pilot from the age of 10),since then I have gained my ppl (h) accrued around 190 hours and passed my cpl (h) theory around 2 years ago.
I have not flown regularly for the past 4 years as since gaining my ppl I have had 5 jobs in 7 years with periods of unemployment scattered in for good measure (having had 4 jobs only in the preceeding 18 years!) my wife left me pretty soon after I started learning to fly,I was made bankrupt and re-married....now separated!!
I have 12 months or so left to do my cpl course and test....I will get there,it's just taken a tad longer than I thought.....can anyone better that??
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nehp2,
Don't tell me you support Newcastle United too to top things off???
Seriously though, sorry to hear about your bad luck, did you do your training at Northumbria Helicopters?
K77.
Don't tell me you support Newcastle United too to top things off???
Seriously though, sorry to hear about your bad luck, did you do your training at Northumbria Helicopters?
K77.
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Did you accrue you flying hours after your PPL(H) with our friends at Northunbria Helicopters or elsewhere and what is your final aim once gaining your CPL?
The reason I ask is that i'm just starting out on my PPL(H) at NH!
The reason I ask is that i'm just starting out on my PPL(H) at NH!
Hovering AND talking
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I don’t think anyone really has an easy time of it (except those who learned in the Military of course 
).
Gained PPL in Sept 2003, separated from husband, moved house, made redundant, new job, moved again. Relocated to far away (it’s a long way to Norfolk from anywhere!), new job, new house, started studying for commercial exams Sept 2005. Father diagnosed terminally ill, 180 round mile trip 2/3 times a week to care for him. Wanted part-time work so lost job, new job, bought house, father died Feb 2007, sat first exams two months after, wade through father’s finances and attic, and finished all exams March 2008. Started CPL course June 2008, sat skill test Sept 2008 and STILL waiting to finish the night flying.
When people suggest allowing twice as much time and money, they’re not far off!
Cheers
Whirls
…and I’m older’n you!
).Gained PPL in Sept 2003, separated from husband, moved house, made redundant, new job, moved again. Relocated to far away (it’s a long way to Norfolk from anywhere!), new job, new house, started studying for commercial exams Sept 2005. Father diagnosed terminally ill, 180 round mile trip 2/3 times a week to care for him. Wanted part-time work so lost job, new job, bought house, father died Feb 2007, sat first exams two months after, wade through father’s finances and attic, and finished all exams March 2008. Started CPL course June 2008, sat skill test Sept 2008 and STILL waiting to finish the night flying.
When people suggest allowing twice as much time and money, they’re not far off!
Cheers
Whirls
…and I’m older’n you!
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Nehp2,
I hope you get out of as much as you've put in mate,
In a simliar "flying" position as you... soon to be looking at cpl(h) flight taining i.e not had the heartache you've suffered to get underway. (maybe it will come to me...)
Wish you all the luck in the world mate, sounds like you need it!
I hope you get out of as much as you've put in mate,
In a simliar "flying" position as you... soon to be looking at cpl(h) flight taining i.e not had the heartache you've suffered to get underway. (maybe it will come to me...)
Wish you all the luck in the world mate, sounds like you need it!
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Hi Gents and Ladies,
If it helps at all I learned to fly curtosy of the Queen in exchange for a few years of my life. I now help new people to learn the trade on the NS and it never fails to impress me the amount of dedication and hard work self improvers put into their chosen career.
I have posted a few jokes on this forum about civvies versus mil but the truth is the modern civvy helio pilot generally brings a wealth of life experience to the job and just reading your tales of woe you all seem to be good graduates from the university of hard knocks.
Its very dissapointing that in our industry, apart from Bond, nobody seems willing to offer sponsered training any more.
I often sit next to a new start who on paper earns a damn good starting salary, but when you listent of extent of finance they have taken to get started out they all seem to just about survive month to month paying their loans and the usually massive accomodation rents just to live and work near to the oil industry.
For Miss Whirlygig, my hat is off to you. Sorry to here about your dad, that's a tough break.
Keep pressing on as the good news up here is that age never seems to be a barrier (young or mature) to breaking through to that first steady job on the NS.
Good luck to you all!!!!
If it helps at all I learned to fly curtosy of the Queen in exchange for a few years of my life. I now help new people to learn the trade on the NS and it never fails to impress me the amount of dedication and hard work self improvers put into their chosen career.
I have posted a few jokes on this forum about civvies versus mil but the truth is the modern civvy helio pilot generally brings a wealth of life experience to the job and just reading your tales of woe you all seem to be good graduates from the university of hard knocks.
Its very dissapointing that in our industry, apart from Bond, nobody seems willing to offer sponsered training any more.
I often sit next to a new start who on paper earns a damn good starting salary, but when you listent of extent of finance they have taken to get started out they all seem to just about survive month to month paying their loans and the usually massive accomodation rents just to live and work near to the oil industry.
For Miss Whirlygig, my hat is off to you. Sorry to here about your dad, that's a tough break.
Keep pressing on as the good news up here is that age never seems to be a barrier (young or mature) to breaking through to that first steady job on the NS.
Good luck to you all!!!!
Whyrls.
I thought everyone knew it all costs twice as much both the training and owning, scrub the second 3\4 times as much.
Could not afford to fly and a new wife, it was her who suggested I learnt to fly & did not leave when the 500 appeared, better to be born lucky than rich, I was told
Fly the dream fly 500
I thought everyone knew it all costs twice as much both the training and owning, scrub the second 3\4 times as much.
Could not afford to fly and a new wife, it was her who suggested I learnt to fly & did not leave when the 500 appeared, better to be born lucky than rich, I was told
Fly the dream fly 500
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Whirls, my dear, you do yourself a disservice - you left out the part that you're great company for dinner and I haven't yet heard the banjo-picking so that's another treat in store!!!!
Hovering AND talking
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Aw Heliski, I don't know about a disservice but it's mostly true (leaving out the more salacious details of course). Banjo concerts are regularly held in Norwich
Cheers
Whirls
Cheers
Whirls
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I've been lucky so far. Dads a pilot so I grew up in helicopters. I saw many 100hr pilots struggling to find their way over the years. I was prepared for the worst leaving flight school, but I managed to find a job right away and ended up flying 400 hours in jetrangers the last couple years. I worked hard but I was also very fortunate. As a 500 hr pilot I'm a long way from the experience I need and the economy is making the heli industry in Canada a pretty tight ship but I'm still optimistic.
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nehp2
You do realise of course that with 2 divorces (effectively) under your belt you have one of the qualification boxes ticked for your ATPLH.
Well done that man!
Keep at it Geordie .....
You do realise of course that with 2 divorces (effectively) under your belt you have one of the qualification boxes ticked for your ATPLH.
Well done that man!
Keep at it Geordie .....
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Well Gents
I am 40 hold a IFR, have a ATPL and 18 years in the indusrty. 2 x wives 3 kids and am just as broke as the day I started. Has it been fun , sure some times. Has it been worth it given the sacrrafice and stress. NO! Would do it agin No! Its a difficult life and the industy both in Canada and abroad has the largest perportion of assholes of probably any industry you can choose. Do your self a favour and think really hard if the priveledge of flying is really what you want because people will say and do anytjing to achieve artificial weightlessness.
I am 40 hold a IFR, have a ATPL and 18 years in the indusrty. 2 x wives 3 kids and am just as broke as the day I started. Has it been fun , sure some times. Has it been worth it given the sacrrafice and stress. NO! Would do it agin No! Its a difficult life and the industy both in Canada and abroad has the largest perportion of assholes of probably any industry you can choose. Do your self a favour and think really hard if the priveledge of flying is really what you want because people will say and do anytjing to achieve artificial weightlessness.
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Geez, you soft c*cks.
When I started out, I had to beg for a week at the boss's shoes to be allowed to carry the broom to the hangar sweeper, desperately hoping for a boot up the date on my way to do so, just so I could lick my own blood as I couldn't afford to buy water and it never rained.
I remembered the days when I could pay for the privelige of having a cranky old pr!ck bark in my ears for an hour, followed by sitting me down and waving a stick under my nose threatening to smack me with it if I ever did anything so bold as attempt to transition without a missive from on high and thought about how great it would be to go home with money in my pocket.
After that, I was sent to crawl across the glass strewn apron to retrieve the wallets of passengers from burning wreckage so that the weekly bowl of rice could be purchased. I of course I had to harness the energy from the remorseless sun to cook it dry, as AVGAS evaporated too quickly and the birds refused to crap in the bowl.
Later I was granted the honour of being chosen to collect the empty beer bottles from the boss' office after he and the secretary had been "writing correspondence" for a couple of hours. Occasionally one of these bottles would contain a few drops of a fluid that I vaguely remembered as being "beer". I was thrilled when I was permitted to slash my own wrists to drink from.
Months later I was allowed to sit in an aircraft. It was a stationary beast, which had no engine, blades or tail and on fire, but I was on my way!
Unfortunately, somebody then came along who offered to let the boss drink the blood he drew from him during these tasks, and I found myself cast aside in favour of the new guy.
All the boss would say as he chucked me from the open door of his car onto the dirt road outside the airport was, "keep chipping away son".
When I started out, I had to beg for a week at the boss's shoes to be allowed to carry the broom to the hangar sweeper, desperately hoping for a boot up the date on my way to do so, just so I could lick my own blood as I couldn't afford to buy water and it never rained.
I remembered the days when I could pay for the privelige of having a cranky old pr!ck bark in my ears for an hour, followed by sitting me down and waving a stick under my nose threatening to smack me with it if I ever did anything so bold as attempt to transition without a missive from on high and thought about how great it would be to go home with money in my pocket.
After that, I was sent to crawl across the glass strewn apron to retrieve the wallets of passengers from burning wreckage so that the weekly bowl of rice could be purchased. I of course I had to harness the energy from the remorseless sun to cook it dry, as AVGAS evaporated too quickly and the birds refused to crap in the bowl.
Later I was granted the honour of being chosen to collect the empty beer bottles from the boss' office after he and the secretary had been "writing correspondence" for a couple of hours. Occasionally one of these bottles would contain a few drops of a fluid that I vaguely remembered as being "beer". I was thrilled when I was permitted to slash my own wrists to drink from.
Months later I was allowed to sit in an aircraft. It was a stationary beast, which had no engine, blades or tail and on fire, but I was on my way!
Unfortunately, somebody then came along who offered to let the boss drink the blood he drew from him during these tasks, and I found myself cast aside in favour of the new guy.
All the boss would say as he chucked me from the open door of his car onto the dirt road outside the airport was, "keep chipping away son".
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This is beginning to sound like a Monty Python sketch ! There were 6 of us living in a cardboard box . . . . . . . . . .. but we were lucky !
I'm only a 150 hour ppl(h) but so far Wife/Kids/House intact.
Where am I going wrong ?
I'm only a 150 hour ppl(h) but so far Wife/Kids/House intact.
Where am I going wrong ?
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Well thanks Guys its nice to know I'm not alone
K77 I did my hour building at Northumbria,taking aircraft for servicing etc helps as positioning rates a little cheaper,aiming do do pleasure flying initially then my Instructors Course (probably next Millennium)
Whirls,forgot to add I lost my Dad to cancer 3 years ago
and promised him I would complete my training so driven to not let him down.
Feeling inspired again
K77 I did my hour building at Northumbria,taking aircraft for servicing etc helps as positioning rates a little cheaper,aiming do do pleasure flying initially then my Instructors Course (probably next Millennium)
Whirls,forgot to add I lost my Dad to cancer 3 years ago
and promised him I would complete my training so driven to not let him down.Feeling inspired again
Hovering AND talking
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neph2, I made the same promise to my father; his words were, "Don't do anything sensible with my money, like pay off your mortgage!"
And many heartfelt thanks to all those who've given me the moral support!
Cheers
Whirls
And many heartfelt thanks to all those who've given me the moral support!
Cheers
Whirls