How do I become a commercial pilot?
Discussion
Yes, I know this is a motoring forum! Anyway, as a first toe in the water I'd like to ask the following:
Does anyone here know anything about becoming an airline pilot? I'm 29 in a few weeks, and as such it turns out I'm too old for any airline sponsorship schemes. I've just done some research into getting a PPL (no problem - 5 or 6 grand and I'm there), and then a CPL.. which is where things get a little tricky - they all seem to be about £50k!!!
Is becoming an airline pilot possible without being very young or very rich? What if you're 29 and averagely paid?
Does anyone here know anything about becoming an airline pilot? I'm 29 in a few weeks, and as such it turns out I'm too old for any airline sponsorship schemes. I've just done some research into getting a PPL (no problem - 5 or 6 grand and I'm there), and then a CPL.. which is where things get a little tricky - they all seem to be about £50k!!!
Is becoming an airline pilot possible without being very young or very rich? What if you're 29 and averagely paid?
Plotloss said:
Its getting the hours I believe is the issue.
Thats the thing , I sort of sponsored him a few times on trips over and around Copenhagen to get his hours up its suprisingly inexpesive to rent a plane, plus you can drive it as well
that was a real buzz flying a plane 
>> Edited by Marki on Thursday 16th February 20:57
There are a fair few options, one is take a uni course to cover the ground work, there are currently 2, on in Loughborough, and one in London Met. You could also take a frozen ATPL, slightly cheaper iirc (I could be wrong!), it just means you have to fly the rest of the hours from the right hand seat before you earn some stripes.
Petrol_noggin said:
it just means you have to fly the rest of the hours from the right hand seat before you earn some stripes.
The trouble is how do you get into the right hand seat to do these hours , my mate spent a fortune in the US to get as far as he did over 50k sterling as i remember and the airlines did not give a toss
Marki said:
it just means you have to fly the rest of the hours from the right hand seat before you earn some stripes.
The trouble is how do you get into the right hand seat to do these hours , my mate spent a fortune in the US to get as far as he did over 50k sterling as i remember and the airlines did not give a toss
I've seen a fair few adverts in flight international for direct entry pilots with a frozen ATPL, but I agree they're rare to come by. It's not the strongest industry at the moment.
1. Cough up the money and pay for you training from a suitable school
2. Wait until airline's own sponsorship programs become availbe again.
3. Apply to a sponsorship company like CTC. You still have to pay but the finances are all organised (loans, paying back the money through salary upon graduation etc.).
Mate of mine has recently departed for 9 months of training/having the time of his life in New Zealand. House, car and spending money are all provided for, although women unfortuantely are not!
Make sure its what you really want to do. Big dive with the costs, but go for it if you really want to
I shall be doing so on graduation from uni if i dont join the RAF.
2. Wait until airline's own sponsorship programs become availbe again.
3. Apply to a sponsorship company like CTC. You still have to pay but the finances are all organised (loans, paying back the money through salary upon graduation etc.).
Mate of mine has recently departed for 9 months of training/having the time of his life in New Zealand. House, car and spending money are all provided for, although women unfortuantely are not!
Make sure its what you really want to do. Big dive with the costs, but go for it if you really want to
I shall be doing so on graduation from uni if i dont join the RAF.
RobM77 said:
Yes, I know this is a motoring forum! Anyway, as a first toe in the water I'd like to ask the following:
Does anyone here know anything about becoming an airline pilot? I'm 29 in a few weeks, and as such it turns out I'm too old for any airline sponsorship schemes. I've just done some research into getting a PPL (no problem - 5 or 6 grand and I'm there), and then a CPL.. which is where things get a little tricky - they all seem to be about £50k!!!
Is becoming an airline pilot possible without being very young or very rich? What if you're 29 and averagely paid?
Regard £50k as a minimum. You wouldn't believe the cost of buying airtime on commercials!
A friend of mine mortgaged himself up to the hilt to pay for his son to get a CPL.
He was lucky to get himself a job because the airlines always give preferenial treatment to those on their own sponsorship schemes.
I'd consider another career option
>> Edited by sparkythecat on Thursday 16th February 21:43
R988 said:
Join airforce, do your time flying interesting stuff, then quit/retire and get cozy well paid job flying a glorified bus
Maximum entry age for the air force for me passed years ago! It's not like this is my life's dream or anything, I just think that I'm capable of doing a bit more than sitting a desk doing a job that someone with 2 A levels could do. I think that being a pilot would be fullfilling and suit me down to the ground (I'm single, so I don't mind staying in a hotel in some weird country for a few days - I've no wife or kids to miss).
Currently, I spend about 8 hours a day in the office, 3 of which are probably on PH, 1 hour of which is chatting to my colleagues, and then I do a little bit of work and still get everything done before the deadlines. I've absolutely zero interest in what I do. I'm twiddling my thumbs and wasting my life basically...
Rob,
post this up on SELOC. There's two Pilots who post regularly on there. They'll give a good frank opinion, though, as had been stated, you need to have lots of hours under your belt.
What line of work are you in at the moment?
I gave up on Accounts last year (aged 24). Sounds like my day was similar to your own ie dull as dishwater!
post this up on SELOC. There's two Pilots who post regularly on there. They'll give a good frank opinion, though, as had been stated, you need to have lots of hours under your belt.
What line of work are you in at the moment?
I gave up on Accounts last year (aged 24). Sounds like my day was similar to your own ie dull as dishwater!
MJK 24 said:
Rob,
post this up on SELOC. There's two Pilots who post regularly on there. They'll give a good frank opinion, though, as had been stated, you need to have lots of hours under your belt.
What line of work are you in at the moment?
I gave up on Accounts last year (aged 24). Sounds like my day was similar to your own ie dull as dishwater!
I've tried a few things but I'm currently an IT Trainer for a large IT company providing IT systems to the military. I understand the systems, design the courses, write them and then deliver them. I've had careers advice, but the truth is that what I do now is pretty much the most interesting and best suited job that careers advisors seem to come up with!
There are things in life that I enjoy (motor racing and music primarily), but work has never even slightly interested me. I just sit there literally twiddling my thumbs all day and leap up at five pm to go home and play the guitar or tinker with the race car!
I think I'd enjoy being a pilot because I'm very technically minded, enjoy travel and have always been interested in aviation.
I had a look and went to the Oxford Aviation School(think that's what it was called) the cost was in the region of 70k...Which is a LOT of money in anyones book, they didn't guarantee a job after that either, just that it was 'more than likely'
Fair play if you've got the balls, dedication and money to do it though
Fair play if you've got the balls, dedication and money to do it though
I'm an airline pilot and getting my job took years of hard work , huge debt with no guarantee of a job at the end of it.
During my training I met loads of people who had massive loans, guys who had come home and told their wife that they were going to quit their steady job and train for years for a job they might not get.
I love my job I fly Boeing 767s and 757s on short and long haul. You have a lot of say about your lifestyle, how much you work, where you fly to etc.
I fly about 600 hours a year and only really go away now and then because I have a young family. The airline that you work for makes a big difference to your lifestyle.
This is a good time to begin training, airlines are expanding again. Don't go into it halfarsed though as it's not easy.
It is a great job and lifestyle. I can't give you much info on training now as it's all changed fairly recently but pprune (as mentioned above) is where to look.Flying for me is a hobby and a job.
Don't be put off by the money as you'll soon pay it off once you start flying.
>> Edited by stovey on Friday 17th February 00:30
During my training I met loads of people who had massive loans, guys who had come home and told their wife that they were going to quit their steady job and train for years for a job they might not get.
I love my job I fly Boeing 767s and 757s on short and long haul. You have a lot of say about your lifestyle, how much you work, where you fly to etc.
I fly about 600 hours a year and only really go away now and then because I have a young family. The airline that you work for makes a big difference to your lifestyle.
This is a good time to begin training, airlines are expanding again. Don't go into it halfarsed though as it's not easy.
It is a great job and lifestyle. I can't give you much info on training now as it's all changed fairly recently but pprune (as mentioned above) is where to look.Flying for me is a hobby and a job.
Don't be put off by the money as you'll soon pay it off once you start flying.
>> Edited by stovey on Friday 17th February 00:30
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