Becoming A Pilot

[Salazaar]

Thanks to a general down turn (wrong turn?) in the direction of my career of late and the fact that I can't seem to secure myself what I would describe as a 'proper' job, I've decided to look into commercial pilot training.

It's very expensive (around £60k) but that can be gotten around with bonded 'sponsorship' from certain airlines although that means sticking with that one particular airline for around seven years after your training finishes.

Has anyone done this, or know anyone else who has? Have you got any experience of the process? Is it worth it for the amount of time & money you have to put in?

[IBM]

I've heard that professional pilot pay, unless you fly the big boys, is terrible....

[Nick]

I was in such a scheme waaay back when AIR UK and Brittania were flying... it's a tough old gig.

I'll post up more info when I have time but basically you'll be earning very, very little for a loooong time.

They prefer applicants who some flying experience, essentially a PPL with around 80 to 100 hours. They'll then take you through your BCPL and you'll likely become a flying instructor training students as you gain night and multi-engine ratings, IMC and so on until you hit the 750 hours flight time mark... which is when you get onto the jets in the co-pilot seat.. but it takes at least 2 years to get there with this lovely British weather.

[Salazaar]

but it takes at least 2 years to get there with this lovely British weather.

Both of the courses I've looked at quote a training period of about two years but both do a large portion of the practical training abroad (Arizona or New Zealand).

Oxford Aviation Academy

Become a commercial airline Pilot with CTC Wings

[Rosaline]

Some advice:

Get the PPL first. If you're not flying already, it might not be the thing for you.

On your way to get the PPL, you'll have some sideways spending to do. My sister has begun working towards her one, and they actually advise that she invest more in her hobby - flight Simulators. FSX combined with a yoke, pedals and a throttle quad is an ideal training environment, and significantly speeds up the training process by allowing familiarity before entering the cockpit. There is even books published to help you with this.

As a final note, have your eyesight checked before you embark on this. Although a PPL isn't too picky, commercial piloting has tougher rules.

[Gerrard]

Not sure if it's still around, but an alternative to FSX is X-plane. I've heard very good things about it and how some poilots use for familiarity training.

However, as mentioned before, you may want to look at what you will be getting at the end (wage, conditions etc.). Not only that, but with rising fuel costs I would imagine that the airline industry will go into decline as costs rise and people have less money to spend jetting abroad.

[Whiternoise]

Talk to TeePee?

Probably the best qualified to give info on these forums as far as i'm aware!

As above, X-Plane is better technically than FSX - even if the graphics aren't quite as good. It's been known for companies to test aircraft prototypes in it, as it comes with a fully featured aircraft creator. I bought version 7 and loved it - the sheer amount of planes you get is great!

As for the license, you can get a PPL and be Instrument Rated (as well as Night Rated) for under £10k in the UK - or you can go to the States and get an intensive for a fair bit cheaper. Bear in mind that if you're planning on racking up hours then unless you buy a cheap, old Cessna, you're going to have to pay for aircraft hire for each of those 80-100 hours - on top of fuel costs (rising through the roof as you know) and of course landing fees, etc.

[Rosaline]

X-plane looks impressive, but it seems a bit lacking in (just one example of many) It doesn't particularly matter too much which you go for, however - they're all pretty accurate now at the higher realism settings, and from home they're not going to do much more than basic theory training. Go with the one you'll enjoy the most - that way you'll always have it available as a hobby - a game

Whichever simulator you go with, take a look at the virtual pilots groups, like VPA or IVAO. Using those, you can have some 'real' traffic, and get in some radio chatter with other pilots and virtual air traffic control.

[samcross]

My cousins husband is a pilot and has been for many years now
But his pay isn't great AND he spends about 3 months away from his family at a time
He's recently be looking around for a better paying job a I think he's currently doing something in Africa
I suppose if you become relatively experienced you may be able to pick up a job with a good salary but its probably a lot of hassle and would take a good few years

[Nick]

While flight sims are excellent for understanding the principles of flight and instrument flying at PPL level 95% of the time you're not looking a the instrument panel but scanning the sky instead, feeling what the plane is doing with your body.

Of course, once you're into bigger stuff the instruments play more of a role but until you're flying at night, in bad weather or with 300 sunburnt holiday makers in the back, it's better to just get in the plane.

I spent the first 5 hours of my license chasing the AH... and it's a hard habit to break!

But TeePee is yer man for the full gen. iirc, he went over to the US to knock his license out in a month or so. From memory, depending on total flying hours and flight check with an examiner, converting a US PPL to a UK one takes anything from 5 to 20 hours, so it could be a cheaper option per flying hour.

[TeePee]

Hello!

There's quite a lot of work involved with becoming a commercial pilot, and quite a lot of ways to get there. The first thing you need to think about is what kind of flying you want to do and how much money you have available. If flying for an airline in the UK is the only thing you want to do then, given the state of the industry at the moment, you're probably in for a disappointment.

The first thing you should do is find out if flying is the thing for you. Find the closest flight school you can and do a discovery flight. It's a simple and relatively cheap way to find out that you hate being more than six feet off the ground. If you should have the misfortune to love it, then you'll need to get a PPL.

The easiest and quickest way to do that is an intensive course in the US, to get a US certificate. My write up: http://forums.hexus.net/general-disc...rning-fly.html There is no reason for someone in the UK to go to the US to do a UK PPL. It's nothing but a waste of money. If you can't take that much time off work, then try to fly at least twice a week at a school in the UK. Less frequent lessons make everything take longer and cost more. I can recommend a good school in Florida.

With that done, you'll be able to fly around the UK, and (if you went the US route) you'll have a PPL for the rest of your life, which is a major accomplishment and will look great on a CV for any job you choose to do. If you're still sure you want to do this for a living, then it's time to get a Class 1 UK medical. If you can't get that, then you won't be wasting more money. Commercial training follows, in the UK as a series of 14 expensive exams and more flight training for instrument and commercial licenses. The instrument stuff is where the Flight Sims really come in handy. (If you're think you're good in a sim, shoot this: Hailey, ID)

You can go to the US for some of this training, and again save money, especially if you do a US instrument rating and convert back. But it's still going to cost a lot.

What I chose to do was to skip all the UK training and get qualified in the US in the short term (I'm now an instructor), leaving me with the choice to come back to the UK and convert, travel to somewhere in the world where a US certificate is accepted (Lot's of low-time jobs available flying tourists on safari in Africa) or marry an American and stay here. What they say about American girls and English accents turns out to be true, and I've ended up with the third option, in part thanks to my next link: Plentyoffish.com Free Online Dating Service & Dating Site.

You can find more information at:
PPRuNe Forums - Professional Pilots Rumour Network (mean people)
Jetcareers.com - Welcome

The airlines are just starting their cyclical downturn, so the outlook for that career isn't great at the moment.

[Salazaar]

Hmm... Lots of stuff to mull over here, cheers.

Maybe I should be looking in another direction for my grand career upheaval.

[greenalien]

One aspect of all this that nobody has mentioned is the thorny subject of age. Most airlines retire their pilots at a younger age than normal retirement, so there's not much point looking to start a commercial aviation career if you're much over 35.
Bear in mind that you are also competing with all the ex-services pilots, most of whom have 2000 hours or more already logged when they start looking for civilian jobs.
The point made earlier about passing a rigorous medical is an important one, a major area of failure in this regard is eyesight, which needs to be pretty good - any correction of more than + or - 2 dioptres in either eye will fail. It used to be the case that laser eye surgery also ruled you out but this may have changed recently.
However, the main thing is your drive and determination - if you really want to be a pilot, nothing will stop you, but maybe not for a living.
Finally, as part of your exploration of the subject, have an hour's trial lesson in a helicopter - can't recommend this too highly!

[TeePee]

Helicopters are.... addictive...

[greenalien]

Helicopters are.... addictive...

...and expensive - £200 per flying hour (+ VAT) is a ballpark figure for a Robinson R22, around £10,000 to complete a PPL(H), at least double that amount if your tastes run to turbine ships like a Jet Ranger... but worth it if you can afford it. Some years ago, I could (contract programming job with loads of overtime...). The best, most memorable milestones for me were 1) mastering hovering 2) first solo hover 3) first solo circuit 4) first solo autorotation (scary!!) 5) passing the GFT after turning up expecting just another lesson. Best 10 grand I ever spent, but after I got my licence I realised that I had to choose between aviating and mortgage and so the flying got shelved. Financially, it was a good decision but I still feel a pang of regret every time a heli flies past...