ATC
Wozza,
Your position is shared by many (myself included!)
The BALPA website is very useful.
My best advice would be to work very hard and do your absolute best! Get good grades and this will allow you the most flexibility… I’ve purchased a textbook to try to improve my maths. (I feel quite guilty writing this at school on a laptop in a science lab whilst I should be typing up my physics coursework! :p )
I acknowledge that you have said the ATC is not your cup of tea but I cannot stress enough just how many opportunities there are available to you! I fully understand that you may feel reluctant to join as I was too but going down on one night just to see what it’s like can’t do any harm – You wont be forced into anything you don’t want to do.
I saw it a challenge for myself – after all there are many in the process of becoming a pilot. It looks very impressive on a CV as it shows you will have first class teamwork skills (and leadership skills if you get promoted) and also a high level of self discipline and responsibility. Most importantly though it’s great fun and you meet loads of new people and make plenty of friends.
Yes, there is discipline but I can assure you that it is not the harsh, authoritarian environment that some people think it is! That’s just a stereotype and remember if it was bad people just wouldn’t go – It’s a voluntary organisation.
I’ve been there just over a year now and have been both gliding and powered flying (AEF) in Grob Tutor 115s many times. It is completely free and you are taught by the very best instructors, who IMO display excellent skills and an incredibly high level of ability. It’s no surprise when you consider the majority of them have decades of flying experience both in the RAF and in civil airliners. They’re always very friendly and willing to help or explain anything to you. My last instructor was a retired BA 747 Captain who taught me some very useful skills.
My aim is get an ATC Flying Scholarship. This is funded mostly by the RAF, and does NOT mean you are committed to joining the RAF. I think this is the most realistic option because as you know flying is so expensive and anything that will help to reduce the cost of it is obviously a huge benefit. I’ve applied for a Gliding Scholarship (completely free) as this should be done before a Flying Scholarship.
The vast majority of pilots I’ve spoken to were in the ATC and this launched their career and helped them to get it firmly ‘on track’. It does appear that it’s the ‘norm’ for most pilots to have been in the ATC.
I hope you do not feel as if I’ve missed the point by talking about the ATC after you specifically said that you were not interested but I honestly believe joining it is the best way forward for you, as it will allow you to make progress and give your career a ‘kick start’!
I hope this will help you 🙂 Good Luck!
Regards,
Joe
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