Best way to become a commercial pilot?

Dont be put off of flying. It may not be as glamourous as it used to be but if you like flying and enjoy its challenge then go for it. If you’re looking for a quick route to become a Captain and earn lots of money do something else.

Flying isnt about becoming a Captain asap. It takes alot of hard work, dedication and money to train so why not just enjoy the challenge? Of course there will always be someone else earning more, and it may take a long time to become a Captain, but if you enjoy flying then the wait will be worth it and it will beat doing a job you hate.

Well said!

Dont be put off of flying. It may not be as glamourous as it used to be but if you like flying and enjoy its challenge then go for it. If you’re looking for a quick route to become a Captain and earn lots of money do something else.

Flying isnt about becoming a Captain asap. It takes alot of hard work, dedication and money to train so why not just enjoy the challenge? Of course there will always be someone else earning more, and it may take a long time to become a Captain, but if you enjoy flying then the wait will be worth it and it will beat doing a job you hate.

The situation with US regionals is notoriously bad.

And I imagien most of those pilots would have trained in the most basic way possible, i.e. Cheap flying school. The idea behind studying a degree in the subject would be to offer something to the employer that most other applicants wont have.

This might put you off!!!
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=RayMaswju1A&feature=related

Couldn’t agree more.

When I was 17 I had my heart set on being a pilot. Lots of people gave me this same advice six years ago and I’m glad that I took it. I wasn’t going to do the ATPL with my degree, but I did want to do a degree in aeronautical engineering thinking that it would help me when I eventually decided to become a pilot…

Instead, I took the “safe” option and now have a very strong Business Information Systems degree. I still love aircraft and spend as much time spotting now as I did back then, but I’ve realised that I don’t want to make a career out of it. I’m as qualified to start an ATPL as anyone else, but things change.

I do still want to get my PPL, but couldn’t be more excited about starting an ICT Teacher Training course in September – a far cry from the flying career!

Add to that the fact that the airline industry is in tatters and there are plenty of experienced pilots out there without jobs… a backup subject is defiantely the way to go (if you want a degree)

Andrew

Glad to here it!
🙂

best way is to become cabin crew

:D:D:D

The best thing to do if you’re unsure about flying is take a trial lesson, not become cabin crew.

If you go for a scholarship what do you think sounds better, 10h flying (showing you have an interest and have been willing to put in the time and spend your own money) or been a ‘waiter’ in the sky for a few years (no offense intended to cabin crew).

If you want to do a degree, do it in something other than aviation. Use the degree as a safety net incase you lose your medical or something.

Couldn’t agree more.

When I was 17 I had my heart set on being a pilot. Lots of people gave me this same advice six years ago and I’m glad that I took it. I wasn’t going to do the ATPL with my degree, but I did want to do a degree in aeronautical engineering thinking that it would help me when I eventually decided to become a pilot…

Instead, I took the “safe” option and now have a very strong Business Information Systems degree. I still love aircraft and spend as much time spotting now as I did back then, but I’ve realised that I don’t want to make a career out of it. I’m as qualified to start an ATPL as anyone else, but things change.

I do still want to get my PPL, but couldn’t be more excited about starting an ICT Teacher Training course in September – a far cry from the flying career!

Add to that the fact that the airline industry is in tatters and there are plenty of experienced pilots out there without jobs… a backup subject is defiantely the way to go (if you want a degree)

Andrew

Best Way is to actually ask the pilots themselves, you may not even know if you like flying, best way is to become cabin crew then you will know if you like the life style or not.

Dan

Just out of interest, T5, who are you training with?

He also advised avoiding the USA route and doing it somewhere like Spain then you can get a European license.

That’s not quite right.

I’m training for a European licence starting next week… in America. :confused:

If you want to do a degree, do it in something other than aviation. Use the degree as a safety net incase you lose your medical or something.

Regarding to training. I would suggest you work full time for a few years (maybe 3yrs give or take the general wage) and then try and do the training at a good flying school.

First of all obtain your class 1 medical at Gatwick. Getting the class 1 first is the best option as it could save you alot of money if you end up failing it. After that go for your PPL. After the PPL i’d recommend doing the hour building (up to 150hrs to be valid to do the CPL) and then studying for the ATPL exams. Once the ATPL exams are out of the way go for your CPL and instructors rating. If your cash flow is good then also get the IR. However if you’re strapped for cash at this point instruct for a while and try to save up for the IR.

If possible i’d recommend trying to do your training close to home so you dont have to travel far nor have to live else where (you dont want additional expenses on top of your training fee!)

As previously mentioned try to do all your training with one flying school. The flying school I currently fly with offers everything except the ATPL, which is not a problem because there are plenty of other training organisations at the airfield I fly from that offer the ATPL groundschool anyway.

Other alternatives are Atlantic Airlines Cadet scheme and also Highland Airways Cadet scheme however competition is quite high and requires alot of dedication as they work you like a dog in operations and other duties (but its worth it)

Finally – Enjoy it and good luck.

Phoned the Uni today, course costs are £52,000 for the 3 years, no financial support is available apart from the tutition fees which are approx £3500 a year.

If only I could speak spanish….

Homer09001, bucks sent me a document with lots of info about the course including prices of the flying side (which is never published on websites for some odd reason :rolleyes: ). If you PM me your e-mail adress i can send it to you tommorow.

He also advised avoiding the USA route and doing it somewhere like Spain then you can get a European license.

Try – http://www.ftejerez.com/index.php

well i spoke to a BA 1st officer at work today, he took the BA Scholarship route, and he’s been with BA for about 6 years and just came out of his bond with them, he recommended looking at the CTC wings program, but that after a little research requires a £60,000 Security bond paid back during employment with the airline.

He also advised avoiding the USA route and doing it somewhere like Spain then you can get a European license.

I went to the US and A and had a great time getting my PPL. It was affordable and luckily for me i had people who could convert me into the ways of British airspace upon my return.

If you are going modular my only recommendation is try and do as much of it as you can at the same school, and the best school you can afford. I didn’t and it took longer to get a job, therefore and money i thought i had saved rapidly went down the drain in lost earnings etc.

Good luck. It is the best job in the world as an aviation fanatic, and the bank manager looks a little less smug knowing you getting more than him for doing your hobby!

Well forum member T5 is off to the states next week to get his, so perhaps you could speak to him to find out more about what he is doing. To me it looks the best option. Alot quicker, and also alot cheaper than the likes of Uni and Oxford Aviation Academy

Josh

Dan, do you know the course fees for Bucks? and do you know if that’s inclusive of all flight training and license issues?

I’ve emailed the course leader but he’s not got back yet, might contact the Uni directly see if they can provide more info

see the only problem with the Bucks course is i live in Washington near Sunderland so it would mean moving away for the 3 yrs, plus getting i job with the same income as i do currently with is about £800-£1000 a month

I’m also looking at studying the course at Bucks, and also a similar one at Kingston university, west london.

We do have a few pilots on here, would like to know what they think. 😉