To be or not to be RAF vs Airline (cadet) pilot.

[HumaidDaWorld]

Hi!

Im going to be finishing high school this year and im really in need of advice.
I've been doing quite a bit of research lately on the potential of being a pilot but the problem is my career ambitions are also quite varied. But my main ambition is to travel and that being a pilot i guess i would be doing plenty.

The downside is the hours and though i understand that many pilots would work long hours and I'm alright with that. Problem really lies in the fact that the growing reports of fatigue and the costs related to training is frightning.

Im in need of some advice on what i should do and what qualifications i should have prior training (college and maybe uni).

Regards
Humaid

P.S. I am currently on track to getting 5 A-C grades on GCSE's.

[John Farley]

May I suggest that unless you want to be a pilot so much that you can taste it you should forget it.

As for military or civil there is also no choice. One will teach you to fly (and scrub you unless you are pretty good and keep improving) while the other will teach you to execute checklists exactly as the company wants you to.

Sorry if that seems a bit blunt by I do feel it is true - and getting more so as the years go by.

[chevvron]

You'll almost certainly be competing for a place against people with much higher qualifications so you might not even get an interview.

[mixture]

You'll almost certainly be competing for a place against people with much higher qualifications so you might not even get an interview.

What he said.

GCSEs mean absolutely nothing, its pretty much a given that everyone you'll be competing against a place for already has decent GCSEs. They probably won't even look at you if you don't have all A or A* in non mickey mouse subjects.

Same goes for A-levels. Less than an A (or maybe B) and you'll probably be out of luck..... 99% of the 500 other people you're competing against for a training placement will (probably) be all A/B.

Same goes for university degrees unless its a decent degree in a non-mickey mouse subject from a decent university (e.g. computing, mathematics, aeronautics etc. from a respected university in the field... not some ex-polytechnic in the middle of nowhere).

May sound harsh, but that's the way it is .... lots of people see flying as an attractive career..... not many organisations out there willing to sponsor you to the tune of many thousands..... the simple laws of supply & demand means its an employers market and they can afford to cherry-pick only the very best candidates.

I'm not saying you won't get your foot in the door with poor academic credentials, rather that you'll have to fight a lot harder and find other ways to get yourself noticed....

What I would suggest you do is start by go getting yourself a PPL with an instrument rating... and do a couple of years flying and hour-building. That will at least (a) prove that you have at least some of the aptitude required to fly (b) give you some experience and put you ahead of the pure ab-initio types. But do your PPL somewhere with proper busy airspace and unpredictable weather (e.g. the UK or Europe)..... flying in the US / Australia etc is too easy.... massive GA friendly countries with plenty of space for everyone and blue skies every day won't teach you much.

If you're short on cash for a PPL look into something like the GAPAN scholarships (if they're still around... there may be others....)

The choice between RAF and airline (fully sponsored cadet route) is a personal choice. Both are going to be tough to get into for different reasons....

[Flying Mechanic]

Plan on going to university, then u can join the university air squadron, that will give you an insight into the RAF. To get an airline cadetship these days, to be competitive you need a degree. Like suggested above , do your PPL along the way to. Good luck

[PPL Hobbyist]

Another good university option is Aerodynamics Engineering, and I agree, getting your PPL is a must. If you take the first few steps and show that you are serious about flying, I think you will stand a much better chance at getting into an airline career.

[JEM60]

Humaidaworld. Your first reply was by one of the worlds top pilots, noting your age, maybe you didn't know that.:

[wiggy]

JEM

Your first reply was by one of the worlds top pilots,

Indeed, quite a demonstration of the power of the internet.

In my day careers advice was dispensed by a crusty old Chemistry or History teacher who had absolutely no "hands on" experience of the world outside academia...

Didn't do me any harm though..

[chevvron]

HumaidDaWorld: If you haven't done it already, I would suggest you join your local ATC Squadron (unless your school has a CCF unit). This will open up various avenues of potential eg Gliding proficiency and possibly Flying Scholarship which will give you 'most' of a PPL course. This will a least give you a start and will show whether you have the ability to become a pilot.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Wiggy.... had to smile. Our #1 son wanted to get into aircrarft engineering so his careers teacher offered to find him a job in a garage. Son pointed out sarcastically that aircraft were bigger than cars so said teacher said they'd find him something in a lorry garage! He went on to get an apprenticeship at RAE with no help from school.

[thing]

but the problem is my career ambitions are also quite varied.

Which would suggest to me that you're on to a non starter. As JF said, unless you dream about flying and eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner then these days I don't think you would stand much chance.

However having said that as I recently posted in another thread there's nothing wrong with getting youreslf a decent job and flying for recreation. I fly for enjoyment, I'm not and never have been a professional pilot but have close friends who are. I think I've got the best end of the stick.