BY 767 is mainly accurate but there are a couple of errors.
Firstly, BA does not have it’s own flying school, not since Hamble closed down some years ago. It’s very expensive to run such an establishment and to be honest there’s little need. Most if not all the UK airlines who train their own cadets, do so via 3rd party establishments such as Oxford, BAe (Jerez), Cabair etc. Similarly, sponsorship deals are very hard to come by post-Sept. 11th. Also, read the small print carefully on these deals. Some of them are not as “free” as you’d think and all tend to have minimum bond periods of 5+ years. Some also require you to pay back the money direct from salary too!
£50,000-£60,000 is about right for costs, but as Martin rightly said, the licence is the easy bit (relatively). Finding that all-important 1st job is the real trick. I qualified 5+ years ago and there are still 50% of my cours mates without their first jobs.
The thing that stops most people becoming a pilot is usually none of the obvious problems – money or luck, it is simply down to determination. Everyone will struggle with at least one element of the course even if it’s just the fundiong but anyone determined enough will find a (honest!) way. I’vew spoken to stacks of people who’d like to be an airline pilot but only a handful have ever seen it through.
Regarding academics, Maths & Physics are very useful, the other subjects may be useful to give an overall impression at interview but aren’t so practical. That said, Home Economics, Woodwork and pottery probably wouldn’t be the way to go either. As we all know, common sense and personality are the most important but as airlines are so over subscribed they have to apply a sensible number of filters. Whether or not that’s fair is immaterial, simple case of supply and demand. Me, not a brainiac but i had enough determination to see me through the weaker areas.
My experience? Started off in the Air Training Corps – invaluable in my opinion. Try convincing a potential sponsor you’re mad kean to be a pilot but hung out at the bus shelter with your mates every evening! Got an RAF flying scholarship – not vital but useful CV filler but hard to get. Worked at B&Q and a kettle-switch factory then got a job as cabin crew, so i got myself flying one way or another, knowing I’d be well-placed if the airline began sponsoring. Paid off as in Oct 1997 I got sponsorship and am now a skipper with a major regional airline in the UK.
Summary? As Roy Castle said, Dedication, dedication & more dedication.
Final word, it is worth every penny, every drop of sweat and every tear to get there! But it’s all down to you…..
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