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16/11/2008, 10:30 AM nick1200 Joined on 16/11/2008 Posts 1 I Know Nothing About This - Help! Hey there, I'm new to this forum and everything to do with becoming a pilot, but here's my story. I've applied to universities in the UK to study Civil Engineering, the problem is I don't really want to do it, I feel a career as a pilot would be much more rewarding and would earn sufficiently more. How do I go beginning a career as a commercial pilot? Can any of you give me any advice? Thank you very much    Report

16/11/2008, 1:21 PM McGoo Joined on 15/11/2005 Posts 225 Re: I Know Nothing About This - Help! Research is key, in the current climate you may well be better off finishing your degree first as there is unlikely to be any jobs for newly qualified pilots for about 3 years due to the number of experienced pilots unemployed at the moment. Having said that if you still want to do it, you will need to do PPL, Night qualification, ATPL ground school, hour building, CPL, ME, IR, and MCC courses, depending on how and where you train you would be looking at anything between 40-100k. Thats for the required license, you will need another 25k if you pay for a type rating. I would suggest first doing an aptitude test with GAPAN at RAF Cranwell, this costs about £170 and they will give you a series of tests and advise you of your chances of passing training, also if you havn't flown before, get a trial lesson, you may not even like it, after those its worthwhile getting a class 1 medical before you go any further, if you cant get this you cannot hold a CPL and thus cannot earn a wage from flying.    Report

17/11/2008, 8:24 AM grobflyer Joined on 18/04/2007 Posts 103 Re: I Know Nothing About This - Help! To expand on the poat above... There are two routes main to becoming a commercial pilot Integrated route; takes all the parts of an Airline Transport Pilots Licence (ATPL) in a single course, costing 60,000-80,000 (ish; from memory). More expensive, but has a better chance of employment at the end of it. Modular route; Private Pilots License (PPL), ATPL Exams, Instrument rating (IR), Commercial license, Multi-Engine (ME) rating. This will cost maybe 35,000, and will finish with teh same qualification as the integrated course at the end of it (ATPL(F); 'frozen', ie. under a certain number of hours). The advantage of this, apart from the cost, is that you can take it at your own speed. However, airline recruiting is cyclical, and we're at the bottom of a trough. You might well want to get a FI (flying instructor) rating, which will allow you to teach flying students, and wil only require a CPL; ie. you can then fund the IR and ME from the instructing job, and this will also keep your flying hours up until recruiting starts to climb again and you can get a job. Basically, this isn't a great time to try to get in to airline flying. Another route is the CTC sponsored course, which will sponsor you through the training and then place you with an airline; but places will be very limited, especially now. There is, as far as I know, a fairly competitive selection course, but obviously this route has many advantages to the other two. Unless finding the huge chunks of money is no problem to you, then you should probably look at this first. Yet another way is to join the RAF and get them to fund your flying; but again selection is tough, and you have to stay with them for a minimum of 10 (I think) years. However, this is a guaranteed job. First, though, you should check that you are medically fit; as long as there are no obvious medical problems, and you are reasonably fit, there should be no problem. Check that there are no eye problems, especially colour vision. The class 1 medical mentioned above is the medical required for pilots, but it doesn't come cheap! Finally, none of this should put you off. If you have the will to do this then you should eventually suceed, one way or the other! Any further questions, I'm sure that we can answer them.    Report

17/11/2008, 12:56 PM McGoo Joined on 15/11/2005 Posts 225 Re: I Know Nothing About This - Help!  grobflyer wrote: Integrated route; takes all the parts of an Airline Transport Pilots Licence (ATPL) in a single course, costing 60,000-80,000 (ish; from memory). More expensive, but has a better chance of employment at the end of it. The only airline that has expressed a preference for integrated students is British Airways and their recruitment is currently closed so save your money, in this economic climate the way forward is modular as you will be able to time your training better to finish in the upturn.      Report

17/11/2008, 10:39 PM Morbz Joined on 06/02/2007 UK Posts 263 Re: I Know Nothing About This - Help!  grobflyer wrote: Another route is the CTC sponsored course, which will sponsor you through the training and then place you with an airline; but places will be very limited, especially now. There is, as far as I know, a fairly competitive selection course, but obviously this route has many advantages to the other two. Unless finding the huge chunks of money is no problem to you, then you should probably look at this first. More expensive, but has a better chance of employment at the end of it. Total crap :)  As said above no airline really cares which route as long as you show them you have a license and your fit for the job displaying the correct aptitude on assessment.  grobflyer wrote: Another route is the CTC sponsored course, which will sponsor you through the training and then place you with an airline; Its not sponsored, you raise the bond, you pay it all back during employment- which you wont get right now.  You also have no longer got backing from HSBC.      Other than those 2 points grobflyer is right.  And also to pick up, you mentioned salary being better and flying being more interesting.  I think those who have genuine ambition are the ones who make it in the end, ask yourself do you really want to be a pilot or have you just got your head above the clouds!? Good luck Morbz          Report

18/11/2008, 3:50 PM grobflyer Joined on 18/04/2007 Posts 103 Re: I Know Nothing About This - Help! As far as I know... The bond for CTC is only a security; it does not fund your training and you get it payed back. Also I think CTC actually place you with one of their partner airlines. Sorry is there were any inaccuracies, but it was only intended to outline the different options, not be a definitive work! :)    Report

19/11/2008, 12:57 AM tom Joined on 30/06/2008 Posts 71 Re: I Know Nothing About This - Help! rewarding yes ,earning sufficiently more probs not. Well first you have to fork out around 80 grand to do the training from scratch then you'll be earning around 19 grand when you start. Most people go into it because they love flying , i know i am . Over time you will earn conciderably more but at the start its more the enjoyment of flying that big machine. I suggest getting maybe your PPL and 'seeing if you like it'. Tom.    Report

20/11/2008, 2:34 PM MarkAlbery Joined on 15/02/2006 Los Angeles Posts 35 Re: I Know Nothing About This - Help! Nick, A degree is not a bad thing to do as part of an aviation career. It will help to differentiate you amongst  the pile of CVs that follow every job vacancy. If engineering's your thing, why not consider aeronautical engineering. A passion for the subject is a great motivator, and it may introduce you to the industry and networks. Some universities have UAS groups and/or airsport clubs, which are a great way of furthering your interest and developing skills without too much expense. Whichever way you go, I wish you luck.    Report

20/11/2008, 6:11 PM Morbz Joined on 06/02/2007 UK Posts 263 Re: I Know Nothing About This - Help!  grobflyer wrote: As far as I know... The bond for CTC is only a security; it does not fund your training and you get it payed back. Also I think CTC actually place you with one of their partner airlines. Sorry is there were any inaccuracies, but it was only intended to outline the different options, not be a definitive work! :) No worries I was just being over picky!! Im a cadet with CTC and the bond is basically rubbish.  In my opinion you raise £60k which will pay for the training (plus another £6400 for the foundation course which isnt covered in the bond) and when you get a job with one of their partner airlines (after completing 6 months line training on a *** wage) the airline will pay back the bond bit by bit- sounds great?  But whilst they are happily paying it back thus making it a semi "sponsored scheme" you are put on a 'cadet salary' which is also a lot smaller than a normal starting salary so in actual fact in my opinion it is far from sponsored.   Dont get me wrong, it used to be, I mean until the economy went down hill, cadets were getting jobs with airlines before training even started!  The only different thing about CTC Wings is that you are definatly able to get a job with Easyjet and Thomascook without so much as an interview- PROVIDING the airlines are recruiting.  However you can apply to other partner airlines too but they will want interviews and what not. Morbz      Report

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