Female Easyjet captain at 26

[Impasse]

SystemParanoia said:

where does an ( assuming 3 years training ) 23yr old get their hands on £50-100k ?

i couldn't even get finance on a flippin Kia Picanto at that age

Maybe she has supportive parents who realised that this wasn't a frippery like a car purchase but a real investment in their hard working child's future. I certainly wouldn't be surprised to learn that a family member of hers also has a real passion for flying and did what they could to encourage her interest.

[Sheepshanks]

SystemParanoia said:

where does an ( assuming 3 years training ) 23yr old get their hands on £50-100k ?

i couldn't even get finance on a flippin Kia Picanto at that age

She started at 19. The lad featured in the article started at 18 and qualified after 18 months.

Presumably their parents pay. The son of some friends of ours did it but the cost was subsidised by the airline and his was £30K which they provided. Not a big deal for many people.

There was another very young first officer in our local news recently - from the same neck of the woods as this girl IIRC - and his parents had paid the £100K.

[Eric Mc]

Sheepshanks said:

Now people go to uni or complete a course and they're all set.

For what. If they want to go into a profession or a trade, they will have additional years of study, courses and training to go through. I think it is a moot point whether they have been better prepared for this through their university education. I'm not altogether sure we get better accountants, solicitors etc just because they spent an additional set of years at uni before they began their professional training.

What is interesting is that some firms of accountants have started recruiting under a system very similar to the old articled clerk system. It is making a comeback.

[Eric Mc]

Sheepshanks said:

She started at 19. The lad featured in the article started at 18 and qualified after 18 months.

Presumably their parents pay. The son of some friends of ours did it but the cost was subsidised by the airline and his was £30K which they provided. Not a big deal for many people.

There was another very young first officer in our local news recently - from the same neck of the woods as this girl IIRC - and his parents had paid the £100K.

Starting early is the key. If you begin the training for your career before you are 20, you will be ready to do actual, real, productive work by your mid 20s - not your 30s.

[SystemParanoia]

Sheepshanks said:

SystemParanoia said:

where does an ( assuming 3 years training ) 23yr old get their hands on £50-100k ?

i couldn't even get finance on a flippin Kia Picanto at that age

She started at 19. The lad featured in the article started at 18 and qualified after 18 months.

Presumably their parents pay. The son of some friends of ours did it but the cost was subsidised by the airline and his was £30K which they provided. Not a big deal for many people.

There was another very young first officer in our local news recently - from the same neck of the woods as this girl IIRC - and his parents had paid the £100K.

I see...

rich parents + child with drive and passion = Gaurenteed Success
poor parents + child with drive and passion = Potential for success.. maybe

[crofty1984]

Impasse said:

She joined the Air Cadets at 13 and was flying solo at 16. I was still trying to perfect rear wheel skids on my Raleigh Europa ten speed back then.

When did we start criticising young people for having determination? Shouldn't we be applauding and encouraging them?

Yup. Good for her.

[crofty1984]

Sheepshanks said:

It was a serious question; what's the practical difference from being a captain vs first officer vs pilot?

I'd be interested to know the answer to that.

[Sheepshanks]

Eric Mc said:

Sheepshanks said:

Now people go to uni or complete a course and they're all set.

For what. If they want to go into a profession or a trade, they will have additional years of study, courses and training to go through.

That's what the girl in the OP did. A flying course at 19 (takes 18mths or so) then worked as a First Officer and did easyJet's Command course. Passed / completed that (or whatever is required) and she's a Captain.

We have family in teaching - they do a teaching degree, teach for a bit, then do a head-teachers course. They have to apply for a headship, they're not placed into one, but you're getting headteachers in their mid-20's now.

I guess she's benefitted from demand. On one of the simulator days we did years ago (pre easyJet etc) I vividly remember the guy running it said there were 1000 captains out of work in the UK.

[Evanivitch]

She's done very well for herself and taken advantage ofnthe opportunity she has had in life.

It is very much a matter of personal circumstances though, few have parents that can pay or be a guarantor on the debt required to be a commercial pilot. And it can't be compared to a student loan as they are far, far easier to get.

[vetrof]

http://www.ctcaviation.com/courses/easyjet-pilot-t...

Possible source if finance?

Any male dominated industry will jump at the chance to get a suitably qualified and capable female into their ranks.

[5150]

This is entirely the norm at an airline like easyJet that has a relatively high turnover of staff combined with expansion. The vacancies are there, and easyJet will start you through the 'Command' process once you hit around 2500-3000 flying hours. In theory, you could hit that experience in around 3 years at an outfit such as this and that young lad could well be back in the papers in a few years time with a similar story.

[hornetrider]

vetrof said:

http://www.ctcaviation.com/courses/easyjet-pilot-t...

Possible source if finance?

Any male dominated industry will jump at the chance to get a suitably qualified and capable female into their ranks.

AMY JOHNSON FLYING INITIATIVE: IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BRITISH WOMEN PILOTS’ ASSOCIATION, EASYJET WILL ALSO UNDERWRITE THE FULL TRAINING LOAN FOR SIX SUCCESSFUL FEMALE CANDIDATES AS PART OF THEIR ‘AMY JOHNSON FLYING INITIATIVE’ - AN OPPORTUNITY EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE THROUGH CTC AVIATION.

[Yertis]

I was discussing this with Mrs Y this morning. Considering we're quite happy to let young people fly military jets much younger than this couldn't see any practical issue, but I was slightly surprised by (what I would consider) the relative lack of experience, compared with say a captain in his/her mid-40s, flying with a younger first officer. But that's a perception, not an assertion.

[vetrof]

Yertis said:

I was discussing this with Mrs Y this morning. Considering we're quite happy to let young people fly military jets much younger than this couldn't see any practical issue, but I was slightly surprised by (what I would consider) the relative lack of experience, compared with say a captain in his/her mid-40s, flying with a younger first officer. But that's a perception, not an assertion.

Lack of what experience though? A 30 year veteran with 10s of thousands of hours may be no better in the 'once-in-a-career' emergency that he's never experienced than the newer captain.
Attitude, aptitude and training are the important attributes for an airline pilot I would say.

[The Moose]

SystemParanoia said:

I see...

rich parents + child with drive and passion = Gaurenteed Success
poor parents + child with drive and passion = Potential for success.. maybe

Yep - that's how it's always been and I can't see it changing anytime soon.

[5150]

Yertis said:

I was discussing this with Mrs Y this morning. Considering we're quite happy to let young people fly military jets much younger than this couldn't see any practical issue, but I was slightly surprised by (what I would consider) the relative lack of experience, compared with say a captain in his/her mid-40s, flying with a younger first officer. But that's a perception, not an assertion.

Promotion isn't automatic.

I've done the easyJet Command Course and it's a fairly drawn-out selection compared to other airlines. It's continually assessed and the process starts a good year or so before you're taken out of the right hand seat and retrained into the left. I've known pilots who have got right to the end of the course and still been failed. One thing to bear in mind is that the majority of the training Captains who sign-off these relatively inexperienced Captains, are mid-40's+ with a considerable amount of flying experience.

[SystemParanoia]

The Moose said:

SystemParanoia said:

I see...

rich parents + child with drive and passion = Gaurenteed Success
poor parents + child with drive and passion = Potential for success.. maybe

Yep - that's how it's always been and I can't see it changing anytime soon.

neither do I unfortunately.

Just needed to be sure which box I internally catégorise this 'achievement' into.

[vetrof]

SystemParanoia said:

neither do I unfortunately.

Just needed to be sure which box I internally catégorise this 'achievement' into.

I don't think achievement needs to be quotation marks. She has achieved something very difficult and remarkable, whatever the background she still had to make the grade.

Edited by vetrof on Monday 26th September 14:04

[Robertj21a]

Impasse said:

She joined the Air Cadets at 13 and was flying solo at 16. I was still trying to perfect rear wheel skids on my Raleigh Europa ten speed back then.

When did we start criticising young people for having determination? Shouldn't we be applauding and encouraging them?

Well said, Sir. Typical, depressing, reaction from some on here.

[sidicks]

Sheepshanks said:

I've flown planes and helicopters on corporate fun days - it didn't seem that hard.

OK, so I have no idea - I imagine the actual flying bit is the easy part.

It was a serious question; what's the practical difference from being a captain vs first officer vs pilot?

I assume that the day-to-day flying is the relatively straightforward but, what these people are paid for is when something goes wrong? That's when they really earn their money.