Becoming an airline pilot

[Participant]

Hi all

I'm an accountant and doing ok financially, but I basically hate the job and want to do something else with my life.

I really like the idea of becoming an airline pilot, mainly because of the travel and technical aspects of flying an aircraft with the solid salary when you get to captain.

I'm in good health etc., however I can't afford to pay a company £100k to train me. Are there any routes into this career for people changing tack in life, or is it a case of get a huge loan and hope for the best?

 

[Participant]

Thanks all. Certainly some food for thought.

I have a young family, so my only workable outcome would be to get something training out of Birmingham airport. I have zero practical flying experience.

Sounds like I need to get real.

 

[Participant]

Hi again! We'll it's lucky I didn't quit my job to become an airline pilot!

Anyway my journey to the skies begins on Saturday 3rd October, when I'll be going up in a small single prop from a local airfield for an hour, thanks to an experience voucher that someone got me for my birthday.

If I love it, I'll aim to move through the qualifications, and stop whenever I feel like it's enough, whilst carrying on as an accountant.

Enough might be PPL, light commercial, or who knows...heavy jets when the industry recovers and is recruiting again.

In the meantime, it would be pretty cool to be able to fly my family to France for the weekend in a rented prop.

As long as I don't stack it into the channel, of course.

 

[Participant]

LOL

Am I reading this right? You want to train to become a pilot? Now?

The industry hit hardest by COVID, which has sacked off something like 80% (figure plucked out my arse, DYOR) of its pilots and will likely hire back the most experienced pilots at the lowest possible amount and work them to the absolute bone, you want to train to do this? Do you hate yourself that much?

You're nuts. Go unblock toilets or something, far less stressful.

I'll take your word for that.

 

[Participant]

Looking into the future, the industry will eventually recover and people wanting to get into it can position themselves well to enter the inevitable recruitment processes.

Demand for pilots will over the long term, only ever increase. It's like share prices; some events cause short-medium term volatility, but the trajectory in the long term is upwards.

That message might not 'land' well with pilots that have just lost their jobs, but eventually normality will return, freight, private commercial, tourism etc. will be back to normal and then some.

 

[Participant]

When it does recover there will be tens of thousands of highly experienced pilots looking for work, and brand new pilots with zero experience simply won’t be needed until the airlines expand again, which could be up to 10 years away.

Like most jobs, it's an application process where experience is one factor of many. Personality, teamwork, enthusiasm, intelligence, qualifications, clarity of thought and communication, interpersonal skills, etc. will all play into an airline's recruitment process.

I look forward to competing for your job in 5 years .

Additionally I'm not sure an airline pilot that's been redundant for five years counts as currency, since as you point out, currency is crucial.

 

[Participant]

I really am surprised you keep trying to tell me about my own industry. I know far more about the industry, including its recruitment practices then you do.

If you want to waste your money then that’s your decision. But I can tell you right now that your arrogant attitude won’t suit a flight deck environment.

I look forward to being the pilot in your interview in 10 years time so I can tell you where to go

One thing that's been crystal clear in all my enquiries is that an incumbent airline pilot will be the first to tell you that you can't fulfill your aspiration of also becoming an airline pilot. One has to wonder what their motivation is for this approach.

I liken it to trying to get help wiring a socket on an electricians' forum; turkeys don't vote for Christmas.

OP, you just want the women that come with the cap don't you?

The women flock to me in their droves, uniform or not #kidding. What I want is an end to the corporate BS.