Where do I begin...?

Commercial Training

Where do I begin...?

moonlight_caster 21/02/2010, 10:35 PM
I am a UK 22 year old currently studying Travel & Tourism BTEC (equivilent of 3 A-levels), which ends in June 2011. I work in a shop one day a week and I don't have much money in the bank... but I want to become a commercial pilot! I have had no flying experience yet so I was really hoping that someone could give me some advice on how to get started?

Is my age too old to start the process of becoming a pilot? How can I finance the training for a PPL?

Re: Where do I begin...?

McGoo 21/02/2010, 11:51 PM
You are far from too old to be a pilot but the fact is, it is not a great time for the airline industry, they have just had their worst year ever and pilot jobs are scarce.

Do not get into debt for flying training, you are young enough to pay as you go, and it will be ages yet before any jobs become available for low houred trainees.

However look at places like GAPAN (google it) and they offer scholarships for PPL, competition will be fierce and the closing date is April 8th so get onto it, also look at the air league who offer some hours towards PPL training,

be aware that you will need a lot of money to train to be a commercial pilot, at least £40,000, and be willing to lose it as not everybody makes it onto a flight deck,

I've no intention of putting you off but you must be realistic and do a lot of research yourself and don't fall for the glossy brochures of the big schools promising you jobs and telling you about the "impending pilot shortage"

Re: Where do I begin...?

moonlight_caster 22/02/2010, 8:00 AM
Thank you so much for your reply...

Well the money is a big problem on my half because I don't have rich parents and the money I get each month is little over £200... so how do most people cope in this situation? I'm willing to give up my car, work more hours and sell things to get the PPL, but that may only give me an extra £1000. In this case I'd imagine I would achieve my PPL by the time I'm at least 24, but even if I was 25 and looking for sponserships, that wouldn't be too old would it? I hope the demand for pilots rises again soon though :(

Apart from the finance, you say that not everybody makes it to the flight deck... why is this? I understand there is a lot of competition, however I am very determined and I'd study hard to get that far. Is there an exam which if you fail, you must pay thousands for to re-sit?

I will look at GAPAN, thanks!

Re: Where do I begin...?

McGoo 22/02/2010, 1:03 PM
Not everybody makes it to the flight deck because the forces of supply and demand come into play, there are far more people training to be a pilot than there are job positions.

Although having said that even up to 80%+ of people who get a PPL will never renew it, mainly due to the costs involved

Re: Where do I begin...?

moonlight_caster 22/02/2010, 6:29 PM
Yeah, the competition is very high I know...

I got a C in Maths and Science GCSE's but I don't think I'm academic so my question is... do you need to be an academic boff to become a pilot or can you just learn the hard stuff from the training involved?

Re: Where do I begin...?

McGoo 22/02/2010, 7:17 PM
No, you don't have to be an academic, neither do you need any qualifiacations, I would advise you to do all of these if you are serious:

1, Look at the GAPAN website and book in for an aptitude test, you sit this at RAF Cranwell (used to be anyway) and you sit a series of tests and they will brief you at the end as to your suitability to undertake commercial training.

2, Before you spend 1 penny on training, get a class 1 medical, you cannot work as a pilot without one and you need to know if you can pass it before wasting money on training.

3, As I already said before, apply to GAPAN for a PPL scholarship, they also do a J.N Somers scholarship which will pay for all your training.

Before you do any of these, take a trial lesson, many people have had the ambition to fly and as soon as they have gone up in a small plane, hated every minute of it, crazy as it sounds I even met a few who went to the US, paid up front for a PPL course, got the visa and passed all the ground exams but had never even had a trial flight and hated it and went home having wasted a hell of a lot of money.

Re: Where do I begin...?

Anthony Tester 20/04/2010, 1:01 PM
Because there are so many posts along the same lines I've just posted this which I think answers most questions, I hope! http://www.pilotweb.aero/cs/forums/2078648/ShowPost.aspx#2078648