CPL distance learning courses – advice please

BA CityExpress, BMI or Eastern by any chance? 😉

Good luck with it anyway Darren whatever you decide, I sincerely hope you realise your dream someday 🙂

D.

Dean,

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your viewpoint) not. I did commence ppl training a few years ago, as I intended to go down the modular route, but a change in circumstances put a temporary stop to this.

Since then I’ve worked my way upto a management position with the airline I work for and I’m currently deciding whether or not to bite the bullet and contine down the modular route. In any case I definitely want to complete my ppl training (I got approx 30 hours before I stopped), at some point next year.

The company has always been very supportive and have stated they would offer me an interview for a flying position etc, if I ever did get a commercial licence. On the other hand, my day job gives me immense satisfaction, where I have an input, although only a very small input, on how the company is run.

I won’t specifically mention the company by name, but not many companies are based in Aberdeen that operate Embraers.

Darren

Darren

Are you a pilot mate? if so can you tell me who you fly for?

Thanks

Dean

Steve,

Just to re-iterate, 35 definitely isn’t long in the tooth, the airline I work for take on individuals with a variety of ages, from early 20’s to mid 40’s. They’ve taken on older individuals but they were either type-rated or employed as direct entry Captains.

My ex Flying Instructor was in his early 30’s when he joined us, just over three years later he’s in the LHS of an Embraer – the two other F/O’s who joined at the same time as him have also been promoted.

Darren

No worries Steve

I actually had 85hrs at the time of application and still got through, I think they had to cap it somehow but there was a bit of give & take etc.

Yes mate there is hope, have you read this month’s Flyer magazine? a very interesting article in there about BA and their recruitment drive etc, well worth the read and its also very encouraging

Dean

Dean, thanks very much for those links. Still hope for us oldies then, eh? 🙂

Interesting hours criteria for the groundschool award though, ‘not more than 70 hrs TT’. That had me ruled out in 1994 then. 🙁

Deano, how’d you swing that one then? Like you I have bags of equity in my house so financially it’s a go-er, but obviously I’m keen to look at ways of scagging extra funding elsewhere if possible. Aren’t we all!

I’m on 118 hrs TT, and currently umming and ahhing about the fATPL / CPL issue. Long term goal is to instruct, but in order to do that I need at least a CPL under current rules, but I’m currently undecided on whether to ‘limit’ myself to a CPL, or bite the bullet and do fATPL because of the potential extra opportunities that might bring.

Also, general question to you ATPL / CPL studes, what age brackets are you in? Am I too long in the tooth at 35? (This is likely to have a rather major influence on my decision!).

Steve

Have a read here mate

clicky

basically PPRuNe were going to narrow it to 10 people, interview and aptitude test the 10 and then select the 5 from that, Ive already received an email stating I’ve made the top 5 😀 ( no i havent slipped IFR £100 in his Christmas card 😉 ) so all I have to do is pass the aptitude test and impress them at the interview which should take place in the new year so Im told.
This is a great fund and full credit to PPRuNe & BGS for giving people like me the opportunity to go for it.

As far as your age goes Steve I’d say go for it, Im 32 in April ’05 and Im going for it full on, I dont want to get to 40 and look back and say “if only Id tried”, this way Im going to give it 1 shot and give it 200% and see what happens, even if I can’t cut it at least I can say Ive tried, and as far as age goes Steve, perhaps you would like to peruse this post

clicky

If the good times return (which there is little evidence peeking through at the moment ) then us oldies have every chance of gaining employment, if the pilot shortage everyone is talking about materializes then even R has a chance (only jesting Robert, keep your wig on 😉 )

Let me know how you go etc

Dean

Dean,

Sounds good! I should be starting to study mid to late January.

Going over to Florida in pairs sounds a good idea, I imagine it would be boring flying for 50 hrs on your lonesome. I guess we might even learn more if I sit in a few of your flights and vice versa.

I’ll let you know when I start.

Cheers

John

Cool John, absolutely right

Jan. is when I should be starting mine, I’ll keep you informed

Dean

Steve, I’m 19 but I’m training with some guys 38+, last year we had a grandmother get a job with Astraeus so age isn’t really a big deal.

Steve,

I don’t think I’ll have any problems getting airside access, it’s not as if it was a conviction that could affect security. However I’m worried about the airline side as I’m sure they will ask for an indepth account but I can’t see what’s included in this, I can only get the basic account. I don’t have any ‘bad’ convictions and it’s been 5 years since the DD, it may not even show on the basic but show on the indepth – hence the airline knowing. Lets hope they have faith, there must be pilots who have been convicted of DD.

I don’t want to spend £40k and then have Mr Airline turn me back saying ‘sorry son not this time’

DME

Not sure how it works in ‘civvie street’, but when I applied for the RAF (many moons ago!) there was a disclosure policy, where all ‘un-spent’ convictions have to be disclosed. Didn’t apply to me as I’ve always been a good lad (more accurately, I’ve never been caught!), but the general gist is that every conviction is deemed as being ‘spent’ after a period of time, after which the RAF felt that it was no longer important enough for you to disclose it. Each different type of conviction had a different time period before it would move from ‘unspent’ to ‘spent’.

It sounds complicated, but it does make a lot of sense. Not sure whether the airlines would operate the same type of policy though, and in all honesty it’s a tricky one to start asking them about. I would imagine they’d be quite hot on the DD; while alcohol related incidents seem to be rare in commercial aviation, they do tend to make headlines in an alarmingly swift way! Fingers crossed for you mate.

Deano, how’d you swing that one then? Like you I have bags of equity in my house so financially it’s a go-er, but obviously I’m keen to look at ways of scagging extra funding elsewhere if possible. Aren’t we all!

I’m on 118 hrs TT, and currently umming and ahhing about the fATPL / CPL issue. Long term goal is to instruct, but in order to do that I need at least a CPL under current rules, but I’m currently undecided on whether to ‘limit’ myself to a CPL, or bite the bullet and do fATPL because of the potential extra opportunities that might bring.

Also, general question to you ATPL / CPL studes, what age brackets are you in? Am I too long in the tooth at 35? (This is likely to have a rather major influence on my decision!).

Oh, R, interesting to hear you’re going for your CPL too. Presumably you through your class 1 then?

Hi Steve,

I’m coming up for 24 on December 21st. I would say 35 is not too long in the tooth but it may hold back your salary i.e. if I get employed by 26 by the time i’m 35 I might me a captin 😮

One of the guys from my club was instructing and has now got a job flying, he is 31. A few of the controllers at my airport are studying for their ATPL and they are in their mid 30’s as well, so i’d say go for it!

I’m pulling out my hair at the moment, BALPA are saying you may not get a Security Pass for apron access if you have a criminal record (even minor). I have been convicted of DD and have also been admonised for assult. I don’t know if BALPA mean this will stop me getting an Airline job or only stop me getting airside access???

I have sent for a basic disclosure request to see what it holds on me, hopefully this would not stop me getting an airside pass and ultimately stop me getting a career. I hope the airlines would not consider me just because of it???

Any ideas

DME

ATPL – £2,300 (Paid for by PPRuNe hopefully)

Deano, how’d you swing that one then? Like you I have bags of equity in my house so financially it’s a go-er, but obviously I’m keen to look at ways of scagging extra funding elsewhere if possible. Aren’t we all!

I’m on 118 hrs TT, and currently umming and ahhing about the fATPL / CPL issue. Long term goal is to instruct, but in order to do that I need at least a CPL under current rules, but I’m currently undecided on whether to ‘limit’ myself to a CPL, or bite the bullet and do fATPL because of the potential extra opportunities that might bring.

Also, general question to you ATPL / CPL studes, what age brackets are you in? Am I too long in the tooth at 35? (This is likely to have a rather major influence on my decision!).

Oh, R, interesting to hear you’re going for your CPL too. Presumably you through your class 1 then?

Martin

Good luck mate, Hope all goes well, dont forget my MSN etc if you need a chat etc, support goes a long way when doing the fATPL and it reciprocates

DME
Give me a shout when your going to start your ATPL study mate, could be about the same time as me, also if the timing is right I will be looking to go to Florida too to hr build, maybe we could jet over together etc, see how it goes

Dean

Dean,

Sounds good! I should be starting to study mid to late January.

Going over to Florida in pairs sounds a good idea, I imagine it would be boring flying for 50 hrs on your lonesome. I guess we might even learn more if I sit in a few of your flights and vice versa.

I’ll let you know when I start.

Cheers

John

Martin

Good luck mate, Hope all goes well, dont forget my MSN etc if you need a chat etc, support goes a long way when doing the fATPL and it reciprocates

DME
Give me a shout when your going to start your ATPL study mate, could be about the same time as me, also if the timing is right I will be looking to go to Florida too to hr build, maybe we could jet over together etc, see how it goes

Dean

Doing great cheers SC! Never looked back and can’t thank you enough for your advice to move to the modular course…it would seem more of us modular guys are getting jobs than the APP lot at the moment.

Training is going really well, just moving across to the twins in a couple of weeks hopefully. I’m starting work for my phase 2 groundschool in January and hopefully i’ll have it all done by May and start on line in July…might have a job lined up, but got to keep quiet about it for the time being 😉

DME, yep, took my exams in May for phase 1, my phase 2 study starts in January and I hope to be ready to sit the exams about three months later. Depending on how much you study a day you can do the exams within three or four months of starting.

Martin,

How you doing mate?????

Hope it’s all Ok.

Sc………….

I finish module 1 back in May and I’m starting module 2 in January.

Martin,

Does the above mean you sat your exams for Module 1 in May and are sitting exams for Module 2 in January?

P.S. How many months study have you put in so far?

DME

I finish module 1 back in May and I’m starting module 2 in January.

The extra £30k is basically for the ‘priviledge’ of being able to say you were an integrated student, a trip to meet some policemen at Heathrow and a consultation at the end of your training on how to get a job which us modular scum get now anyway! Really not worth it.

I come out with about 250 hours, 55 of which is twin time, but I’ve been very lucky and I’m doing my hours building and CPL flying in a twin so I’ll have a total of 180 twin time.

Best of luck.

Martin,

Your on your way, excellent. Best of luck!

I’ll still be flying while I’m studying, if not for the enjoyment, i’ll do it to keep me sane.

What was the £30k for? Not just the ATPL ground work? I’d rather have more money and be called modular scum :p

How long have you left between ending Module one and starting Module two?

What’s your TT.

Cheers

DME