Am I pursuing a doomed career ?
 

I'm new here , so feel free to point out if I am in the wrong forum or any other discrepancies .

I'm 16 years and for the last two years I have been seriously interested in becoming a pilot , hopefully in the UK military , but civil flying would not put me off .
I believe that I've taken all the right steps - studying hard in Science and Maths subjects , keeping physically fit and healthy and joining the Air Training Corps to exploit the opportunities for flying time . I've also got my hands on as much aviation/aerospace related reading material as possible .

However , one thing keeps coming back to worry me . By the time that I can actually attempt to join a military or civil pilot training program , will 'pilot' still be a viable or sensible career path to take ?
The rapid development of UAVs seems to point towards a future in which the physical pilot sitting in the cockpit becomes less and less important . The US has already flown F-16s remotely , Sikorsky has developed an totally autonomous UH60A Blackhawk demonstrator and there are now numerous unmanned air combat vehicle demonstrators such as BAE Taranis , the X47B and nEUROn .
Even Civil airliners , which are a few years behind the technology of the military I guess , could be switched to remote pilots in booths on the ground .

So to summarize my question : Will flying an aircraft as a professional , in the aircraft , become an obsolete career in the near future ? If so , is there any point in me pursuing such a career ?

Many thanks and sorry for posting such a drawn out question .

No, it won't.

A cursory glance at your age shows a discrepancy of seven years :confused:

hawkhopeful


did you know that the USAF had flown F106's as drones (unmanned) for decades?

did you know that remote controlled planes have been around for years. Even in World War 2, beat up B17's were fitted with remote controls, filled with torpex and a pilot took them off, bailed out and then the plane was crashed into an enemy target?

There will always be a need for good, human pilots.

Good Luck. And if you can't get in the RAF, and you are rich, you can learn on your own.

I always set my age a few years higher on web forums because some of them stop you joining if you are under 18 .
Thanks for the replies so far .

Ok Hawk apologies :ok:

My own personal opinion is, as already mentioned, there will always (at least in our lifetimes) be a need for pilots! No matter how advanced autopilots etc become, there always has to be someone available monitoring and correcting as appropriate.
I don't think I'd feel safe flying in an aircraft without an experienced, qualified pilot looking after things.

Many aircraft are almost capable of flying themselves, even autolanding! However the whole reason for the years of study, assessments, exams etc is for when things go wrong! A computer can display a fault and even the QRH suggested solution, but it takes an experienced pilot to be able to deal with it correctly.

Well.......
 

Someone has to push the buttons.

Just keep going, develop your handling skills as best you can and never,

never, give up. Best of luck `89:)

To date no civilian airliner has been certified with an automatic take-off capability! As for autoland someone is still needed to get the pax off the runway and delivered to the terminal.

I think probably a bigger problem is getting that flying job without having to travel to the other side of the Earth and therefore maintaining a decent family life. If I'm honest, I wouldn't want to relocate my family to Shanghai for a job! (Because that's where the demand is)*

Supply outstrips demand, certainly in the UK. Plenty of teenagers have raided the "Bank of Mum & Dad" and still looking for their first right hand seat. Some are lucky - many are not.

*I'm not a pilot by the way.

As far as airline flying goes I really can't foresee the day when passengers will board without a human being at the controls.

But here's the thing you need to consider. The future for pilot jobs is in the far east and middle east. You would be very, very fortunate to be able to stay your whole career in a decent job in the UK.

When I started flying, slightly over 30 years ago in Canada, if someone had told me at some point I would have to move to the middle east and leave my country, my family, my friends....I don't think I'd have committed to this career. But they didn't because who knew? And I did commit and am happy and my job is very, very good and pays very, very well. FINALLY.

There used to be a joke, the day after you get your ATPL go get your truck driver's licence because you're gonna need it!

For those of us who stuck with it, I doubt any of us can imagine doing anything else. I can't think of a more rewarding profession. After all these years I'm still happy to go to work. But don't kid yourself, for years and years it's two steps forward, one step back.

If none of that fazes you then go for it. And best of luck!

So you want to be a pilot?
 

I know nothing of the military (RAF) however with the continuous budget cuts and subsequent squadron/base relocations or even closures, the path to becoming a military pilot will be more competitive and the resultant career may be less stable than it once may have been?

From a civil perspective (I'm a 737 Captain) I wouldn't worry about the advancements in technology threatening the job of a commercial pilot. What I am, and if I were you, should be concerned about is it being a sustainable career choice. With very little sponsorships available, the cost of training is immense. Some NEVER see any return, completely disillusioned by the way airlines choose to recruit. People with a CPL (commercial pilot licence) simply cut their loses and drift away from aviation altogether. I have witnessed this on several occasions. Even ex military pilots who, once upon a time, were pretty much guaranteed 'right of passage' to the airlines now find it difficult to find suitable employment as mainline and lo-co carriers side towards the integrated MPL (multi-crew pilot licence) 200 hour 'wonder kid' with limited handling experience and zero solo time. It's allegedly all about 'training risk' and 'cost' these days. Actual experience seems to play second fiddle.

The career and job market is a global one so you will find yourself being forced to look further and further afield. As a previous poster has stated, the UK is slightly saturated; so options can be limited. I know several UK citizens plying their trade across Europe, India and the Mid to Far East. I'll include myself here. They would all like to come home some day however opportunities plus current terms and conditions prevent this from being an option. To add perspective we are talking about experienced jet rated FOs and Captains, many with wide body time. Some with up to 10,000 hours flight time and greater. Ex military pilots, flight instructors and examiners, TRIs (Type Rating Instructors) and TREs (Type Rating Examiners).

This isn't an attempt to put you off, more an attempt to provide you with a little reality. Professional flying isn't what it was way back when. It isn't glamorous in any way whatsoever and is often moderately paid rather than well paid; in some cases it is poorly paid. You are a necessity but at the same time a number and a cost, much like you are with many other careers. It can be fatiguing, it can be challenging and in many cases, boring. My best advice is to develop a real passion for aviation, do some flying (in a school/club with a good training reputation) and develop sound handling skills. Get some experience in the world before you commit to aviation in order for you to understand things from a different perspective. If you do decide to go for it (commercially) be cautious of all the marketing spin offered by the large schools, much of it is bullsh1t.

To finalise, I've had the office job with the long hours and the grinding commute. I don't want to go back to it however at the same time I can often be left frustrated with my aviation life. I still however enjoy the job for what it offers. You need to or else you'll go insane!

Hope this helps. Best of luck :ok:

Totally 100% life as an airline pilot! Good luck! But never a bad day in the office as far as I'm concerned!

The RAF is the perfect way to become a pilot but I would also look into what else the RAF can offer you such as any sports you like or similar. Do not underestimate the mental and physical demands that taking this route will place upon you because I think just being a pilot for that sake might not be enough in the forces. The military is a much different cookie to the commercial route and you will certainly need to consider your own qualities and think whether you would be happy in the longer term. I would imagine though it is one of the most fulfilling careers for the right type of person.

Speaking as an Aerospace Engineer I really doubt anyone wants to see the pilot being taken out of the cockpit in the commercial world for obvious reasons but that is another discussion. In the defense sector a lot of work is indeed progressing into pilotless aircraft and it is quite simply because of the obvious human factor involved and the relatively small expense of the existing smaller aircraft. It is also because in the last decade we have been staging war against what is mostly ground targets. The existing drones we have are extremely effective at engaging ground targets and in human terms they never cost us anything which is good for publicity and politicians! I do not know however of any UAV capable of effectively engaging in air to air combat versus a capable aircraft and pilot.

I wouldn't worry about that side of things. Technology is moving fast but it is limited by cost and there being a sizable market to develop the product. The market currently for new UAV's to replace our current aircraft is essentially non-existant because there is already expensive projects like the F-35 which have yet to even enter service.

Technology is not the factor that will determine the World's demand for pilots. There will always be the need for pilots, even if all front line combat aircraft are RPVs. Someone will still have to fly personnel, equipment and materiel from one place to another. Also, I doubt if software of sufficient quality will be developed in the near future (30 years or so) to enable pilot-less operations of public transport aircraft. What will determine if you will have a career are as far as you are personally concerned are ability, fitness, health, personality and academic background; all of which you are addressing. Unfortunately the most important and controlling factor, over which you gave no control, is the supply of lemmings. As I type I believe there are far too many newly qualified, inexperienced wannabes clogging up the system. Their presence is driving down the terms and conditions for their peers so such a low level as to make flying a worthless career. Yes, a few lucky ones might do very well, but the majority will not.

Lastly, this is not a career I'd recommend to any of my three children the reason given above. Fly for pleasure, absolutely, but not for a living.

PM

I wonder what the pax/public would think about flying in a plane without a pilot?