yes yannisoar, that is exactly what i meant, apologies for not being clear in my previous post. and thanks taeyang, you have been very helpful!

i did my compass test and medical in 2008. but i dont know why i was not called up for an interview when i was in tekong. but since my compass test results has expired, do you think i stand a chance again?

btw,are there any ways for me to practice for the compass test?

Hi Taeyang!

Glad that your persistence had paid off well.

I applied for RSAF in '07, failed the interview, tried again in '08 and failed again. I didn't realised that I could call and ask for another opportunity. :uhoh:

A couple of weeks ago I reapplied and was send a letter that I am not short-listed. Guess it's caused I'm 26yrs old this year. :sad:

I firmly believed that you CAN apply to SIA when you are 25yrs old. I have seem people done it before and they are happily flying for SIA now. It's good that you are flying transport in RSAF.

Safe Flight!

SQ cadet program vs CX international cadet program
 

Have anyone done a comparison between the two
and would any guys choose CX over SQ?

Hi zlct,

I applied to RSAF when I was in my uni yr 2, they replied me via mail to drop a fresh application again when I am in my final year of studies. So I believe you have to wait till your final year.

Hope that helps

yeah..inspiring thread, KC 135 is a real beautiful plane, there was once I saw it on its final approach to land at changi, its grey stealth colour really is so sleek, I thought its even more beautiful than any airliner in the world.. and our dear friend here is going to land it one day.. congrats!

Yeah people, try and try, put up a good fight, at the end of the day, its we tried our best and whatever the outcome, we just gotta accept it.

KC-135 CAB(W), had the chance to see that beauty during my time there!! And those Fokkers MPAs. Servicing the apron also get to see those big airliners landing so close infront of me.

Congrats that u get to the strato tankers!!

And good luck to all Singaporean applicants !!

Thanks Chris!

The wait to fly is agonizing!

Hi All, Thanks for all the knowledge shared in this forum. I have a qn for SIA Cadet Pilot Programme. I have 150 astigmatism for each eye, correctable to 6/6 with optical aids which did not meet SIA requirement. Will SIA consider my application? Is there any precedence? Thanks:)

Hi zrhooyah
 

some say they are extremely strick about it. i have enquired this before with a few pilots and they told me that they had friends with 600 degrees of myopia flying with SIA. ultimately i really do believe that it is the genuine passion for flying that will land u in the job.

Hi all,

I would like to share some of the information that I've learnt from email exchanges between the SIA HR department and a chief pilot of SIA. It is about the minimum age for Singaporeans applying to SIA's pilot cadetship.

The HR lady told me that there is not such age limits and so long as you fulfill the minimum requirements , you will be given a chance for the interview. The link could be found here " http://www.singaporeair.com/jsp/cms/en_UK/global_footer/Pilot-appointments.jsp#.TpMOar7WbHY.facebook". On the other hand, the chief pilot stated that there is an unwritten rule that Singaporeans under the age of 26 would not be accept. Furthermore, this has been stated in 'ALPHAS' website ( Airline Pilots Association - Singapore - Become An Airline Pilot ). In my opinion, I believe that the rule of minimum age of 26 still stands whether its written or unwritten.

I hope this can help clear some doubts about age requirements of Singaporean pilots. :)

Anyway, I have a dilemma and hope you all would not begrudge me for asking this. :)

Currently, I am serving NS and will ORD next year. I also have a place in a local uni reading engineering which will commence next july. I am very keen on becoming a pilot. Hence, I am thinking of forgoing my uni place and apply for SIA cadetship next year. What my main concern is that I am worried that if I were not to be selected after the second interview, I would not be given a second chance anymore. In that case, I would have rather finish my degree first and then apply to SIA. Even though there may be the unwritten age rule, I still wish to apply to SIA and give it my best shot. If I did not make it through the first round, I would take that as a valuable lesson learnt, go on to finish my degree and apply again 4 years later.

Hence, may I know what are your thoughts about this and also, to all the successful applicants whom I admire a lot, hope you all don't mind sharing with me information about your age and academic qualifications at the time of application?

Thanks a million!


Cheers!

Hey xingg, you are a young chap. 26years old you are still a young chap. I am not a cadet but in my humble opinion, I would advise that you finish your uni degree then apply and get in and start training. The 26 years old unwritten rule has been there for as long as all of us can recall. With a engineering degree and at age 26years old, you could be seeing things differently, even more mature perhaps to handle that sophisticated flying machine. Yes, there are young chaps everywhere, RSAF, GA, even commercial airlines, such as SIA below the age of 26years old flying and earning their living as a pilot, but their background could be different compared to us where we have since came from. Pilots can come from differing educational background, some are degree holders, some diploma, some A levels. However, when you have finished NUS and have an engineering degree and you apply and get in(I know there are alot of SIA cadets like you, from engineering background from local uni, NUS, NTU), you stand in a good stead as an applicant, then as a cadet and of the correct mindset, attitude, technical attributes to complete the ATPL and CPL/IR.

In short, my advice is do your degree, education is important, and well, dun worry, just apply to SIA, and who knows, you apply, although you are still so young, if they invite you to attend interview(as long as min requirements is met as advertised for cadet pilot), you pass everything, and I heard SIA can wait for you and call you up when you are 25.5years old and then offer you the contract/employment. SIA don't take in everybody, if they say they will wait for you after you passed their interview, keep following up every six months or so throughout your education in NUS, and when you finally hit the age of 25.5years old, inform them officially. Then happy flying training and then SO, FO, SFO, Captain to you. All the best!

oh man no xingg, please don't ever do that. your education, ie. your place in uni is important, and not to be seen as a hindrance to your flying career. if anything, education is but a way for us to mature. i reckon if you're just about to ORD, chances are you've barely only hit 21-24 y/o. take your time to relax and enjoy the next few years in school. make new friends, study and play hard, continue reading books and watching documentaries on flight (i highly recommend air crash investigation) to gain a deeper insight on the goal that you're working towards.

don't think about whether you pass or fail the interviews. in the end, the results of the interview are immaterial if what you truly want to do is to fly. the channels for you to explore are immense, so take your time in uni to travel and see the world in order to understand the lives of others that is outside of this sheltered society we call Singapore.

the next few years might pass agonizingly slowly, or much too quickly, depending on how you see it. but trust me when i say this, that every single thing you do from hereon is eventually going to have a bearing on what you say in that interview room. everything from a subject you might have taken in uni to a particular life experience may or will help.

continue mixing around with people in the industry in the meantime and keep yourself current with aviation news, for that will help keep you motivated. in the meantime, all the best to you and your career.

-------------------------------------------

and hey guys, just to clarify some of the doubts/questions that i've seen floating around.

Minimum age for entry: written or unwritten, let's just put it this way. first dibs always go to the RSAF. so it's only provided that the RSAF does not want you already, that SIA can take you in. this i can't clarify, but i've heard that there are even singaporean males as young as 24 already in OBS. i don't actually think that's impossible, cos they could have failed RSAF airgrading already.

moral of the story: if you've got either a diploma/degree, apply. (anything less, i strongly urge you to consider pursuing a bachelor's at least, for reasons i've stated above) if you get called up for the first interview, please don't waste that golden opportunity. if you pass all the interviews, you may be asked to go for your medical as quickly as the very next day (after notification), or even up to 3 months later, and after which, your starting date may be immediate, or delayed again because of reasons that even i cannot fathom. it may be based on your age, or medical, or RSAF clearance, interview scores, etc.

Visual acuity: unfortunately, i think they're pretty strict about the requirements set by them. even if you do pass your medical and are approved for a class 1 & 2 medical by CAMB, SIA still makes the final call and i've heard about ppl who unfortunately never were accepted even after clearing medicals.

Hi yannisoar
 

Thanks Yannisor!

I guess i just need to prepare as much as i can and hope for the best. Still waiting for my first interview :O

Hi xingg, what they have said are very true.

Just want to share with you, I am currently nus yr4 engineering student. When I was in yr2, I was so tempted to quit uni to go for SIA cadet pilot because of the interest to fly. But many people urged me not to do that and I am glad I did not quit uni that time.

1) We have to to practical, education opportunity is not there all the time, once you miss it, it is gone. The degree is an important paper for you to apply for other jobs, in case you did not not make it into SIA. (as you have mentioned)

2) All the exams, presentations and projects (especially the FYP) will enable you to perform under stress, work with different people and strengthen your mind.

3) If you are willing to join activities in NUS, your 4 years in NUS will be a extremely fruitful one. You will learn many things beyond academia and see things from different perspectives. There will be many opportunities for you to hone your interpersonal, communication and leadership skills, which are vital as a pilot.

Hope that helps and all the best to you.

Hi!

I'm facing a similar situation to yours. However, I have started school and am
in my second year of studies at Smu. The corporate world does not interest me at all and all that I think of everyday is to fly. Thus, I have
been considering long and hard about submitting my application. I heard that SIA does not take in cadets under 25. So do let me
know how your application goes.

All the best!

Hey Xingg, go do that degree and then apply 6 months before graduation.

dear xingg, as mentioned by the others, arming yourself with a degree does give an advantage since it is a also form of training and character development. In those years you would definitely pick up beneficial skills and mature. End of the day, it is also something to fall on. so its kinda like hitting two birds.

hi chris_tiong:
ah a fellow NUS mate. I'm also doing my final year currently as well but in FoS.

hello fellow NUS students.. haha, ok i graduated.

Yes, degree is important. What if one day you lose you Class 1 medical?

you're going to need a backup plan, 'cause getting in to SIA is not a confirmed. Finish your education first.

yup do treat SIA like a bonus
there r other avenues to flying
maybe less than 10% who want to join SIA are actually lucky enough to make it through..
gdluck!

Hi all,

just received email that i cleared my medical and was asked for confirmation to attend OBS on 25 Nov. Anyone else got this date? Kurai?

Anyway just to share my experience since this forum has helped me out greatly..

9 Aug 11 - submitted online application
10 Aug - received email to attend 1st interview
19 Aug - 1st interview
1 Sep - received email to attend 2nd interview
7 Sep - 2nd interview/ aptitude test/ tea party
8 Sep - called HR for interview results at 1130am (pray u hear "go for medical tmw")
9 Sep - Medical (called ST aeromed 2 weeks later to check status, lady said results sent to SIA)
11 Oct - received email on medical clearance and OBS date

advice for the interview
- do your homework and be well prepared (though i didnt get single tech/ knowledge question on final interview). if ur going in just to try ur luck, then gd luck to ya!
- be yourself.. dont over impress especially during tea session or try to hard..
- be mature.. dress, conduct, answers and speaking